Frankish RulersChapter 12, Section 1

The Merovingians After the fall of Rome, there were

constant wars Franks arose as the strongest group

(Merovingians) Clovis was first to accept Christianity

in 481 Charles Martel defeated Muslims-732

Pepin the Short Anointed by Pope-Divine Ruler Gave Pope protection & papal states Pope relied on the Franks for

protection, tying Catholicism and western Europe together

Charlemagne’s Empire Pepin’s son became king in 768 Charles doubled the Frankish lands After defending Pope Leo in Rome,

Charles was crowned as a Roman Emperor by Leo

After Charles death, empire was divided into three parts, the middle remained the Roman Empire

Invasions Vikings attacked Europe in the 800’s Explored Europe and even to North

America Constant attacks weakened the

central monarchies, leading to more local control

Medieval Life

Political and Economic Change Germanic Tribes not able to

understand Roman Laws Divided rule among cheiftans Commerce became more localized Subsistence economy/Barter System

Feudal System

Feudalism Weaker central gov’ts led to power

and land distributed to nobles in exchange for military services

Each level of feudalism had obligations to the level above them

Serfs were tied to the land

Features of this Era Castles were built for protection Knights were financed by lords, but

would often serve the king Code of Chivalry used by knights

became the basis for good manners today

Tournaments were the entertainment

Life on a Manor Warfare made it necessary for

manors to be self-sufficient Peasants farmed the land and were

the public workers as well Some were craft workers Usually manors provided only

enough food for survival Life was hard for everyone

The Medieval Church

Spiritual Role

Church taught all were dependant on God’s Grace

Grace was received through sacraments

Peasants learned Christianity through art

Political and Social Role After the decline of Rome, the pope

began to gain more power Church was the central structure in

most people’s lives Began to dictate who had control

(Charlemagne) as well as the social norms of medieval society

Political and Social Role After the decline of Rome, the pope

began to gain more power Church was the central structure in

most people’s lives Began to dictate who had control

(Charlemagne) as well as the social norms of medieval society

Monasteries Benedict founded a monastery in 529

that laid the framework for future monasteries

Monks preserved ancient texts Provided schools, charity, & hospitals Served as missionaries, converting

many throughout Europe

Political and Social Role Church had its own courts and laws

which were applied to rich and poor Many church officials were nobles

who had land and knights to fight for them

Led to corruption and a change of focus from the spiritual mission of the church

Political and Social Role

Church Reform Monks modeled way of life Cardinals elected the pope Innocent III fought to remove heresy

from the church and offenders were excommunicated

Excommunication

More Reforms Inquisition was established to

seek and punish heretics Franciscan and Dominican Friars

lived lives of simplicity and poverty that gained the clergy more respect

Finding the Truth…

Punishment for Heresy

Anti-Semitism By 1100 Christians blamed Jews for

their problems Some church leaders required Jews

to wear ID badges Were forced from their land and had

to become peddlers and money lenders

Many moved to Eastern Europe

Rise of European Monarchy

England Angles, Saxons, and Jutes took over

Britain after Rome William the Conqueror set up a tax

system and took a census Henry II set up common law so that

everyone was tried equally

Change in England King John’s abuse of power led the

nobles to force him to sign the Magna Carta

The Magna Carta guaranteed representation and fair trials to citizens

Under Henry III, the middle class helped create the Parliament

France Unlike in England, French gov’t was

not representative As population grew, towns grew, and

more power went to town leaders rather than feudal lords

As monarchy gained land and power, nobles’ power was lessened

Holy Roman Empire While France and England grew

strong central gov’t, Germany remained fragmented

German Emperors claimed the right to appoint popes, while the pope claimed to anoint the Emperor

Concordat of Worms gave Emperor power to choose bishops