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