Germanic kingdoms unite under Charlemagne

Main Idea: many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne

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

Invasions trigger changes in western Europe

• Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
• Disruption of trade: Europe's cities are no longer economic centers and money is scarce

Downfall of cities: cities are no longer centers of administration

Population shifts: nobles retreat to the rural areas and cities don’t have strong leadership

Decline of learning : Germanic invaders are illiterate but they communicate through oral tradition

• Only priests and church officials could read and write
• Knowledge of Greek is lost

Loss of a common language: Latin was the common language

• The languages take different turns
• By the 800's languages such as French, Spanish are evolving from Latin

Germanic Kingdoms EMERGE

• Concept of gov. changes
• -------------roman society(loyal to public gov.)
• -------------Germanic Society (loyal to family and king of manor)
• Germanic chief led warriors
• During peace he provided food and shelter
• During war you fought for him
• "The king, who the heck are you"
• Franks lived in Gaul (France) had a leader named Clovis

Clovis

• Another battlefield conversion
• Becomes a full-fledged Christian
• Church and Clovis begin to work together
• Clovis' military expertise +++++++++++the church's support and MONEY============A strategic alliance

Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

• Pope Gregory I expands papal power
• Papacy: pope's office
• Secular power: worldly power
• SO…under Gregory the Great
• PAPAL POWER IS POLITICAL POWER PRESNETED FROM THE POPE'S PALACE
• The church uses money to: raise armies, repair roads, help the poor
• Gregory the Great acts like mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)

Germanic people adopted Christianity

1. Clovis unites franks into one kingdom
2. Church + Frankish rulers convert many
3. Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to convert
4. Monasteries and convents

• 520 AD benedict gave rules for monks
• His sister scholastic  did the same for the nuns
• 731 AD the venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books