- 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 administration
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 priests and church officials could read and write
c. knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lose
*TEST QUESTION: what was the most common language: LATIN
3. loss of a common language
a. dialects develop in different regions
b. by the 800s, french, Spanish, and other roman-based languages are evolving from latin
B. Germanic kingdom emerge
1. the concept of government changes
a. roman society: loyal to public government
b. germanic society: loyal to family
i. germanic chief led warriors
ii. during peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall)
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 Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. the franks under Clovis
a. another battlefield conversion (just like Constantine!)
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
C. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
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 from monks and monasteries
i. poverty, chastity, obedience, study
b. his sister scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
c. 731 AD- the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
d. Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (bibles, greek texts)
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 (power of the pope) is political power, presented from the pope's palace
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 earthy kingdom (Christendom)
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