Monday

Germanic Kingdoms unite under Charlemagne
Main Idea: Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire.
Why it matters now:
Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe which is where many of us came from.
Setting the stage
Middle Ages= Medieval period
500-1500 AD
medieval Europe is fragmented
A. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
a. Disruption of trade
 I. Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
 II. Money is scarce
b. Downfall of cities
 I. Cities are no longer centers of administrations
C. Population shifts
 I. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
II cities don't have strong leadership
2. Decline of learning
a. Germanic invaders are illiterate but they communicate through oral tradition
b. Only priest and church officials could read and write
c. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of a common language
a. Dialect develop in different regions
b. By the 800s French,Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
1. The concept of government changes.
a. Roman society: loyal to public gov't
b. German society: loyal to family
I. Germanic chief led warriors
ii during peace he provided food weapons treasure a place to live
III during wartime, warriors fought for the lord
c The king, who's that. you want to collect taxes from me? who the heck are you
d. Franks live in the roman province of Gaul their leader is Clovis
B. Germanic kingdoms emerge
2. The franks under Clovis
a. another battlefield conversion
b. clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
c. The church in Rome approves of this alliance
d. clovis and the church begin to work together
a simpe equation
clovis' military expertise+the church's support and money= strategic alliance
1. 511 AD clovis unites franks into one kingdom
2. 600 AD church+frankish rulers convert many
3. fear of muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
4. monasteries and convents
a. 520 AD- benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
I poverty, chastity, obedience, study
b. His sister scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
c. the venerable bede wrote a killer history of England
d. monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books
5. Pope Gregory I expands papal power
a. papacy=pope's office
b secular power= worldly power
c. So under Gregory the great
Papal power is political power
d. The church can use church money to raise armies repair roads help the poor.
e. Gregory the great began to act as Mayor of rome and as head of an earthly kingdom. (Christendom)