middle ages

The 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 the western half of the Roman Empire causing:

1. Disruption of trade
2. Downfall of cities
3. Population shifts to rural areas

Effects of Invasion

Decline of Learning:

• Tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn’t read Greek or Latin
• Romance Languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)
• Few besides priests were literate

Germanic Kingdoms emerge: AD 400-600

• Germanic warrior's loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them with food, weapons, treasure
• The result: no orderly government for large areas and small communities rule

Clovis rules the Franks

• Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France" comes from)
• In 496 he has a battlefield conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
• The church in Rome likes this
• By 511 the Franks are united into one Kingdom, with Clovis and the Church working as partners

Spread of Christianity

• In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks:

1. Vows of poverty (live simply in monasteries)
2. Chastity (no marital relations)
3. Obedience (listen to church superiors
4. His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns
5. The operate schools, maintain libraries, and copy books

Pope Gregory and Papal Power Play

• Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies.
• This is a theocracy- ruled by one dominant religion
• Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany

Who's running Europe?

• Clovis' descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer
• Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732
• If he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire

How do you follow the Hammer

• Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short
• Son #1 was Carolman- died in 771
• Son #2 was Charles, known as Charlemagne

Charlemagne- Charles the Great

• Six foot four
• Built the greatest empire since Rome
• Fought the Muslims in Spain
• Fought Germanic Tribes
• Spread Christianity
• Reunited Western Europe
• Became the most powerful king in western Europe
• Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
• This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

• Charlemagne's government

• He limited the authority of the nobles
• He regularly visited ever part of his kingdom
• Kept close eye on his huge estates

• Cultural revival

• Encouraged learning
• Ordered monasteries to open schools
• Opened a palace school

• But, his heirs were weenies

• His son- Louis the Pious- was ineffective
• Louis' three sons- Lathiar, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German- split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD