The Franks: Merovingians & Carolingians
500-1066
Barbarian Migrations 350-500
Viking Invasion 793-1066
Alfred the Great
871-899
Guthrum’s Peacec. 886
The Burghal Clusters
Early Shire Structure
approx. 30 shires. C. 950
Royal Writ
Anglo-Saxon Charter
Chirograph
The Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest
1066
The Franks
Clovis, King of the Franks
r. 481-511
Merovingian Legal Code from 600s
Anointing & Baptism
of Clovis at Reims
496
In what capacity did the Carolingians gain power under the Merovingian dynasty?
A. As de facto leaders of the military
B. As mayors of the palace in Austrasia
C. As regents of child kings
D. All of the above
Which act concluded the ceremony of warrior becoming a vassal?
A. The vassal signed a contract to be faithful
B. The vassal had to demonstrate his warrior prowess by killing a peasant
C. The vassal swore on the Bible and then kissed his lord
D. The vassal and the lord cut themselves and became blood brothers by mising their blood
Battle of Tours 732
Carlemagne attempted to
reconstitute public power through a
program of education
Alcuin of York
(735-804)
A Carolingian
Court
Charlemagne’s Empire
Roland and Charlemagne
Archbishop Turpin in Song of Roland
Long Boat
The Ideal Structure of Feudal Society
The Common Structure of Feudal Society
Motte & Bailey Castle
The Treaty of Verdun
The Three Orders & Peace of God
Merovingians
• The Franks– Roman Christians after 496– longstanding alliance with the papacy against
• Lombards• Byzantines• Saxons
– southwestward migration from mouth of the Rhine from 400-600
– practiced partible inheritance– suffered from fragmentation of authority
From Merovingian to Carolingian
• During the 8th century the Merovingian political authority unravelled
• Gradually Charles Martel gained control between 725 and 740; he initiates a 70 year process of the political consolidation that ended with the death of Charlemagne
• Martel’s descendants would later be known as the Carolingians, the descendants of Charles
• By the mid-8th century, this family had established the most formidable fighting force in Europe; noted victory included the Battle of Poitiers against the Muslims from Iberia in 732-3
Carolingians• Political successors to Merovingians
– continuity of society and culture– Peppin the Short annointed in 751 at Soissons– political consolidation from 750-820– expansion of imperial borders– improvements in agriculture– increase in trade and fairs– intellectual revival (Alcuin)– eventually suffered from political devolution due to
partible inheritance (see Treaty of Verdun)
The Papal-Frankish Alliance
• Peppin the Short visited by Pope Stephen in early 754– Request for help occurs after no response from
Eastern Emperor– Appeal to the salvation of Pippin's soul– Restore order in Italy
• Gradually pope's demands increase– Turn over much of Italian peninsula to papacy– Franks to assume burden of protection
Charlemagne• Retains and surpasses the prestige of Charles Martel
(grandfather) and his victory over Muslims at Tours-Poitier (732)– the Christian Warrior– crowned HRE on Christmas 800– revitalizes the notion of Empire– encourages learning and vernacular literature– symbolizes the fight against the infidel, which later
inspires The Song of Roland (c. 1095)
Carolingian Revival• Charlemagne’s collection of scholars
– influence of Alcuin– establishment of schools– preservation of texts– improvement of writing
• Reformation and standardization of Benedictine Rule
• Resurgent neoplatonism– John Scotus– the Pseudo-Dionysius
The Treaty of Verdun (843)
• Division of the Carolingian Empire into three distinct realms:– West Francia - modern France– Lotharingia - modern Holland, Belgium, Italy,
Switzerland– East Francia - modern Germany, Austria
Holy Roman Empire
• The initial impulse by secular leaders was to be acclaimed Emperor or King of the Romans, a claim to assume the mantle of the Roman Emperors
• The term “Holy Roman Empire” was not used until the 12th century and it lasted until the mid-17th century
• Nevertheless from the 9th to the 13th centuries, Frankish and later Saxon rulers habitually came to Rome to be crowned King of the Romans by the Pope
• This pilgrimage usually occurred in the early years of a new leader's accession; it was hoped that the crowning by the pope would bestow legitimacy
The Holy Roman Empire• Although both Pippin and his son, Charlemagne,
avoided dependency on the popes, their sons and grandsons failed to heed their example
• By relying on the popes for the legitimization of their authority, the Holy Roman Emperors became dependant on the popes and consequently they sought to install popes who advanced their cause and the cause of their dynasty
• This tendency prompted Emperors to appoint their own popes, who were not recognized by the Roman Cardinals
• Referred to as anti-popes, these imperial friendly popes plagued the papacy from the 10th to the 15th centuries
Long-term Trends
• Political unification• Development of Vernacular Literature• Conversion to Christianity• Cultural Fusion
– Germanic & Christian– Tribal
• Britons• Saxons• Danes• Normans
Anglo-Saxons
• Migrations – begin from Continent in 5th century– initiate battles with Britons
• Originally adamant pagans• Converted through domestic proselytization
– Augustine of Canterbury arrives 597– Ethelbert of Kent and Queen Bertha– Establishment of Roman Christianity in Britain– eventual conflict with Irish Christianity
Christianity and Literacy
• Clerical literati
• Written legal codes– Ethelbert c. 600– Alfred c. 900
• Written charters
• Formal wills and writs
The Northumbrian Renaissancec.625- c.790
• Illuminated Manuscripts• Intellectual revival
– Bede– Alcuin
• Conversion– Mercia– Continental Saxons, including Frisia
• Composition of Beowulf?
Alfred the Great (849-99)
• Unification of Southern England• Establishment of Uniform Legal Code• Reinvigoration of Learning• Danish Invasions (793- c.900)
– Danish cultural influence– Establishment of the Danelaw c. 900– Unification of Mercians and West Saxons– Danish rule ends 1042
English Society c. 1066
• Political Unity and Administrative System
• English Identity– Anglo-Saxon– Danish/Scandinavian
• Thoroughly Christian
• Uniform Currency
• Established Vernacular Tradition
Summary
• The conquests of the Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans had an enduring impact on the formation of the political boundaries of Europe
• Similarly the achievements of the Celtic Church during its golden age had an enduring impact on the spread of monasticism and the preservation of texts throughout Europe; ultimately, however, Celtic Christianity gradually receded as the papacy formed an enduring relationship with the Franks