Chapter 18: The Franks

·        With the fall of the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes taking over a lot of trade, learning, and roads & bridges declined.

Section 1: Clovis

·        Franks (FR) were a Germanic (GE) people who developed a civilization in modern-day France and Germany.

·        Became farmers and settled instead of fighting all the time.

·        Different FR groups were eventually united under the rule of Clovis.

·        Clovis was first GE king to who converted (changed religion) to Catholicism after he promised to do so if he won a battle.

·        When he converted the Romans in his kingdom supported him more.

·        FR started speaking a form a Latin that eventually became French.

·        Clovis set up capital in Paris and ruled over modern-day France and W. Germany.

Section 2: Charles the Hammer

·        Fighting for control occurred between Clovis’ heirs after he died.

·        Leaders after Clovis were not able to keep Franks united and kingdom broke up and was controlled by nobles instead of the king.

·        One official called the Mayor of the Palace became very important in running the king’s business.

·        Gradually the Mayor of the Palace (MOP) became more powerful than the kings.

·        Charles the Hammer (CH) was strongest of those who served as MOP and he was able to unite the nobles and church under him.

·        CH led the FR to defeat the invading Muslims from N. Africa and stop the expansion of Islam into Europe at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD.

·        When CH died his son Pepin became the MOP and with the help of the Pope, he was able to become the king.

·        Pope anointed (blessed with holy oil) Pepin and Pepin helped protect the church.

·        When a group called the Lombards threatened the Pope, Pepin defeated them and gave most of their land in Italy to the Pope to rule.

Section 3:Charlemagne

·        Charlemagne (CG) was named that because his name meant Charles the Great.

·        After Pepin died kingdom was divided among his two sons, but the other son died quickly and CG got his land too.

·        CG wanted to control all of W Europe and make all the people Christian so he fought a bunch of wars.

·        He defeated the Lombards and Saxons and then tried to fight the Muslims in Spain.

·        When Roland, one of CG leaders, lost a heroic battle in Spain he became a legend and the poem The Song of Roland is written about him.

·        CG set up a large empire and was able to defend it against attacks from outside of it.

A Christian Empire

·        CG worked closely with the church.

·        The Pope wanted a united Christian kingdom in W Europe.

·        Since he was ruler of what was most of the W Roman Empire, the Pope crowned him the new Roman Emperor.

·        CG set up courts with counts in charge.

·        Counts were to help CG by taking care of local problems, raising armies, and protecting the weak.

·        CG had a meeting with all of his leaders and warriors to talk about new laws but he made final decisions.

·        CG ruled from Aachen (called today Aix-la-Chapelle) but he moved around a lot to keep track of his officials.

Education

·        CG was educated and believed it was important to educate his people.

·        He worked with the church to start schools.

·        Under CG the arts started to recover from the fall of Rome and make a comeback including: painting, sculpture, and metalwork.

Estate Life

·        Lords (Nobles) were very powerful people who owned estates.

·        Estates made a lot of materials so they were able to survive alone.

·        Lords lived in stone farmhouses with stockades (wooden fences).

·        Farmers lived in small wooden houses and worked the land of lord and their own small piece of land the lord had given them.

·        Rotated crops so soil would remain fertile.

·        Farmers also had to do a lot of services for the lords and gradually became serfs (people bond to the land).

·        Most people were not able to read or write.

·       Minstrels (traveling musicians) sang praises for Charlemagne.

The Collapse of the Empire

·        After CG’s death, the lords did not want to listen to CG’s weak son Louis the Pious (LP) and kingdom started to fall apart.

·        LP weakened kingdom more when he divided up kingdom between his 3 sons after his death.

·        The sons fought each other and eventually two of the three divided countries formed the modern nations of France and Germany.