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Vocabulary

• Charlemagne• Vikings• Curriculum• Medieval

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The Early Middle Ages

After the fall of Rome, Germanic tribes divided Western Europe into

many small kingdoms.

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After the fall of Rome

• Invaders swept across Europe

• Trade slowed to a trickle• Towns emptied out• Learning virtually ceased

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Middle Ages

• From 500 to 1000 A.D. – Europe was a backwards place – Cut off from civilizations of the east, China and

India• New civilization would emerge– Blend of Greco-Roman, Germanic and Christian

traditions• Called ‘medieval’ from the Latin for middle

age

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Geography of Western Europe

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Resources

• Considered frontier land– Sparsely populated– Outskirts of civilization

• Better suited for raising crops• Mineral resources• Transportation for trade– Rivers– Sea

• Mountain streams could turn water wheels

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The Germanic Kingdoms

• Tribes different from the Romans– No cities– No written laws– Governed by unwritten

customs– Elected kings to lead

them

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The Franks

• Strongest kingdom to emerge during Medieval age

• Clovis, king of the Franks, conquered the Roman province of Gaul

• Clovis converted to Christianity– Religion of the people of Gaul

• Gained a powerful ally in the Christian church of Rome

Clovis

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Europe and the Muslim World

• Islam is born in 622 A.D. • Muslims build an empire that stretches to

Spain from the Middle East– Known as the Moors of Spain

• Frankish warriors turned back an Islamic invasion of Gaul (France) in 732 B.C.

• Muslim presence was a source of anxiety– Began a constant source of hostility

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Islamic Empire

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The Age of Charlemagne

• 800 A.D – Charlemagne (Charles the Great) built an empire across France, Germany and part of Italy

• Reigned for 46 years– Conquest reunited much of

the old Roman EmpireCharlemagne

orCharles the Great

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A Christian Emperor

• Pope Leo III asked Charlemagne for help with rebellious nobles

• Frankish troops crushed the rebellion• Pope crowned Charlemagne Emperor

of the Romans– Revived the idea of a united Christian

community• Outraged the Eastern Roman Emperor– Further divided the Christian church

Pope Leo III

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Government

• Created a united Christian Europe– Worked with church to spread Christianity

• Missionaries converted the Saxons and Slavs• Appointed nobles to rule over local regions– Land in exchange for support and soldiers

• Assigned officials called missi dominici, to administer the law

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Revival of Learning

• Charlemagne set up his capital, Aachen as a second Rome– Set out to revive Latin learning in his empire

• He could read but not write!• Curriculum based on Latin learning

• Grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy

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After Charlemagne

• 814 B.C – Charlemagne died and his empire fell apart.

• His legacy:– Extended Christian civilization into northern

Europe– Set up strong efficient government– Furthered the blending of Roman, German and

Christian traditions.

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Homework Questions

• How did the culture of the Germanic tribes differ from that of the Romans?

• How did Clovis increase the power of the Frankish Kingdoms?

• What steps did Charlemagne take to improve government and unify his empire?

• What was the lasting legacy of Charlemagne?