Main Idea:
- many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
- Charlemagne spread Christian civilization
Setting the Stage
- Middle Ages = medieval period
- AD 476 - AD 1453
This is a new society
- has roots in
- classical heritage of Rome
- beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
- customs of various Germanic tribes
5th Century Germanic invaders
- overrun half of Roman Empire
- causing:
- disruption of trade
- downfall of cities
- population shifts to rural areas
Effects of Invasion
- decline
- tribes could't read Greek or Latin
- French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
- few besides priest were literate
Germanic Kingdoms emerge: AD 400-600
- warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor
- he provides them food, weapons, treasure
- result
- no orderly government for large area
- small communities rule
even so ... Clovis rules the Franks
- Clovis rules Gaul, know as Franks
- 496, battlefield conversion, he and 3000 warriors become Christian
- 511, Franks are united into one kingdom, Clovis and Church
Spread of Christianity
- Church + Frankish rulers = rise in Christianity
- 520, Benedict writes rules for monks
- vows of poverty
- chastity
- obedience
- sister Scholastica, writes similar rules for nuns
- operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books
Pope Gregory and Papal Power Play
- Pope Gregory 1 goes secular
- Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies
- theocracy
- Christendom extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany
Who's Running Europe
- Clovis rules the Franks in Gaul until his death 511
- rest of Europe smaller kingdoms
- descendants include Charles Martel, Charles the Hammer
- Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party fromSpain at the Battle of Tour in 732
How do you follow the Hammer
- Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short
- ling by the grace of God
- Pepin the Short dies in 768
- 1 son Carolina dies in 771
- 2 son Charles, Charlemagne
- six feet four inches of rocking ruling warriors greatness
No comments:
Post a Comment