The FranksWorld History IFebruary 23, 2014

Europe After the Fall of Rome

The Dark Ages overlapped with the Fall of RomeThis was a time of cultural, social, and political changeEurope was once one large unified empire, and had now shattered into a collection of warring tribes

The Geography of Western Europe

Europe was small compared to many other civilizationsFrom about 500-1,000 C.E. this region was considered frontier land

Frontier = underdeveloped land on the outskirts of the civilization

Though it was small and underdeveloped, there was a large amount of natural resources

Fresh water, trees, harbors, fertile soil

Who are the franks?In the lands on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, the people were organized into smaller nomadic tribes

Farmers and herders

They did not have cities, organized governments, or laws

Unwritten laws based on Pagan religious customsElected leaders to lead them into battles

Between 400-700 C.E., Germanic tribes carved Western Europe into smaller kingdoms The Franks were a group of Germanic people who lived in Northern Gaul

Present day France

They were one of the only kingdoms to rise out of the Dark Ages

King ClovisWas the first of the Frankish kings

Conquered the former Roman province of Gaul

This united the Germanic tribes into one civilization

He ruled the Franks according to traditional customs but also tried to preserve Roman traditions

He was polytheistic and worshipped Pagan Gods

His wife, Clotilda, was a Catholic and encouraged him to convert to Christianity

After a significant victory in battle, he converted, making Catholicism the official religion of the Franks

He created The Law of the Salian Franks

A written code of laws combining customs, Roman law, and Christian ideals

Charles MartelHe was son of Pippin the Middle, King of the Franks

His mother was Pippin’s mistress, which made him the illegitimate successorOn his father’s deathbed, his wife convinced him to disinherit Charles as his child and choose her nephew as his heir

Years later he escaped captivity and found support among the Frankish militaryHe led a civil war against his cousin

He regained his title as mayor of the palace or Prince of the Franks

He focused his attention on preventing the invasion of the Moors

He is considered the “Savior of Christianity”

The Battle of ToursFought on October 10, 732

Between the advancing Muslims (Moors) and the Christians (Franks)

Muslims led by Abdul RahmanChristians led by Charles the Hammer

Muslim army was looking to expand the Islamic Empire and gain land, money, and powerThe Christians were vastly outnumbered

The Muslims had the fiercer and more organized army

The Christians were able to stop the northward advance of IslamThis preserved Christianity as the controlling faith in England

This spread the religion and made it an even more dominant force

CharlemagneIn 800 Charles Martel’s grandson united much of Europe under his control

Empire reached from France, to Germany, and part of Italy

Charlemagne’s name translates to “Charles the Great” because he had many accomplishments

Strengthened and brought order to EuropeHelped the Romans hold off the MuslimsStarted the Missi Dominici

Group of nobles who saw that the laws were followed

Rebuilt TradeFocused on EducationSpread Christianity

Fall of the FranksWhen Charlemagne died in C.E. 814, his empire began to crumbleHis empire was divided into 3 parts, one for each of his sons

Called The Treaty of VerdunCharlesLothairLouis

In 45 years the land continued to be divided up into smaller and smaller sectionsInvaders, like the Vikings, played a role in the deteriorating land