Charlemagne

Charlemagne:

Charlemagne King of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 742 - 814

Slide 2:

Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky. —Charlemagne

Odoacer’s Europe: 476-493 AD After the “fall” of the Roman Empire:

Odoacer’s Europe: 476-493 AD After the “fall” of the Roman Empire 3

Theodoric’s Ostrogothic Kingdom in 526 CE and Allied States: :

Theodoric’s Ostrogothic Kingdom in 526 CE and Allied States: 4 Ostrogoths Visigoths Vandals Franks Byzantines

The Merovingian Legacy:

The Merovingian Legacy After the fall of Rome in 410, barbarians from the region known as Gaul began to have supremacy The Merovingians (also Merovings ) were a Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the fifth century. Ancient Gaul in Roman Times

The Merovingian Legacy:

The Merovingian Legacy The Merovingian dynasty owes its name to the semi-legendary Merovech , leader of the Salian Franks, The victories of his son, Childeric I solidified the dynasty through his battles against the Visigoths, Saxons, and Alemanni . Childeric I

The Merovingian Dynasty and Christianity :

The Merovingian Dynasty and Christianity Christianity was brought to the Merovingians by Irish monks. The most famous of these missionaries is St. Columbanus who began preaching in France around 585. 7 St. Columbanus

Clovis: Building the Dynasty:

Clovis: Building the Dynasty Childeric's son Clovis I (481 – 511) united most of Gaul north of the Loire under his control around 486, when he defeated Syagrius , the Roman ruler of the area.

Clovis: Building the Dynasty:

Clovis: Building the Dynasty Won the Battle of Tolbiac against the Alemanni in 496 After the battle, Gregory of Tours says Clovis adopted his wife's Nicene Christian faith. Defeat the Visigothic kingdom of Toulouse in the Battle of Vouillé in 507. Clotilde, wife of Clovis I

Clovis was baptized by Saint Remigius, bishop of Reims :

Clovis was baptized by Saint Remigius , bishop of Reims 10

Clovis: Building the Dynasty:

Clovis: Building the Dynasty Baptism of Clovis I

Clovis: Building the Dynasty:

Clovis: Building the Dynasty

Clovis: Building the Dynasty:

Clovis: Building the Dynasty After Clovis' death, his kingdom was partitioned among his four sons Over the next century this tradition of partition would continue. Leadership among the early Merovingians was probably based on mythical descent and alleged divine patronage, expressed in terms of continued military success. Clovis I

Merovingian Administration:

Merovingian Administration Merovingian kings appointed powerful leaders to be comites (counts), charging them with defense, administration, and the judgment of disputes. This system developed into feudalism. Childeric III, the last king of the Merovingians , was deposed in 751. 14

The Merovingian Legacy:

The Merovingian Legacy Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family. During the final century of the Merovingian rule, the dynasty was increasingly pushed into a ceremonial role. The Merovingian rule was ended in 751 when Pepin the Short formally deposed Childeric III, beginning the Carolingian monarchy. Pepin the Short

Map of the Growth of Frankish Power :

Map of the Growth of Frankish Power 16

Charles “The Hammer” Martel:

Charles “The Hammer” Martel Charles Martel was a Frankish military and political leader Served as “Mayor of the Palace” under the Merovingian kings Ruled de facto during an interregnum (737–43) at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks . In 732, he defeated the Muslim advance into Europe, earning him his nickname

The Carolingian Dynasty :

The Carolingian Dynasty The Carolingian dynasty rose from the royal office called the Mayor of the Palace (Majordomo) under the Merovingian dynasty. The Mayor of the Palace became hereditary under Pepin the Elder (580–640). The Mayor of the Palace had power over the army and came to control the Frankish kingdoms. 18 The Frankish Kingdoms, 714

The Carolingian Dynasty:

The Carolingian Dynasty The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century By 751, the Merovingian dynasty was deprived of this right with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy and a Carolingian, Pepin the Short, was crowned King of the Franks. Pepin was the son of Charles Martel, and the father of Charlemagne.

Slide 20:

Charles Martel defeated the Umayyad army in the Battle of Tours, halting the advance of Muslim Moors into Europe in 732 CE. The battle is immortalized in “The Song of Roland,” a famous medieval poem.

Europe in Turmoil:

Europe in Turmoil In the late 8 th century, the Franks were falling back into barbarian ways, neglecting their education and religion. The Saxons of northern Europe were still pagans.

By the Sword and the Cross:

By the Sword and the Cross Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was born on April 2, 742 in Northern Europe. "By the sword and the cross," he became master of Western Europe. Through his enlightened leadership the roots of learning and order were restored to Medieval Europe

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe:

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe Charlemagne was tall in stature. Bones from his tomb estimate his height at 6’3” tall. Described as fair-haired, tall, stately, and with a disproportionately thick neck Dress was simple: linen shirt and breeches, an over-tunic fringed with silk; hose, shoes & fur mantel in winter

Europe in Turmoil:

Europe in Turmoil In 768, when Charlemagne was 26, he and his brother Carloman inherited the kingdom of the Franks. In 771 Carloman died, and Charlemagne became sole ruler of the kingdom.

Einhard the Historian:

Einhard the Historian Einhard (c. 775–840) was a Frankish monk and historian. He is remembered for writing a comprehensive biography of Charlemagne titled the Vita Karoli Magni or Life of Charlemagne. Much of what is known today of Charlemagne and his empire comes from the work of Einhard . 25

Charlegmagne’s Military:

Charlegmagne’s Military Charlemagne's military was based on a "cavalry revolution" lead by Charles Martel in 730s. Large numbers of horses horses provided a quick, long-distance method of transporting troops, which was critical to building and maintaining such a large empire. Charlemagne's success rested primarily on novel siege technologies and excellent logistics.

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe:

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe Charlemagne was determined to strengthen his realm and to bring order to Europe. In 772 he launched a 30-year military campaign to accomplish this objective. By 800 Charlemagne was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe.

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe:

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe His vast realm encompassed what are now France, Switzerland, Belgium, and The Netherlands. It included half of present-day Italy and Germany, and parts of Austria and Spain.

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe:

Charlemagne Brings Order to Europe By establishing a central government over Western Europe, Charlemagne restored much of the unity of the old Roman Empire and paved the way for the development of modern Europe.

Charlemagne’s Coronation:

Charlemagne’s Coronation On Christmas Day in 800, while Charlemagne knelt in prayer in Saint Peter's in Rome, Pope Leo III placed a golden crown on the bowed head of the king. Return to the concept of divine right Gained Charlemagne the support of the Church, and gave the Church the support of the Emperor

Slide 32:

Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III on December 25, 800 CE. He had conquered Italy from the Lombards on behalf of Pope Hadrian I in 774 CE.

Charlemagne’s Coronation:

Charlemagne’s Coronation Charlemagne is said to have been surprised by the coronation, declaring that he would not have come into the church had he known the pope's plan. However, some historians say the pope would not have dared to act without Charlemagne's knowledge.

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance The Issues: Widespread illiteracy in the 8 th century caused problems for the Carolingian rulers by severely limiting the number of people capable of serving as court scribes. Not all parish priests possessed the skill to read the Vulgate Bible.

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance The Issues: The vulgar Latin of the later Western Roman Empire had begun to diverge into the regional dialects that were becoming mutually unintelligible and preventing scholars from one part of Europe being able to communicate with persons from another part of Europe. Carolingian Miniscule

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Education Reform To address illiteracy issues, Charlemagne ordered the creation of schools. He brought leading scholars of his day to his court Peter of Pisa (Italy), Paulinus who instructed Charlemagne in Latin Alcuin of York, an English monk and deacon who served as head of the Palace School Alcuin of York

Scholars in Charlemagne’s Court:

Scholars in Charlemagne’s Court Saint Angilbert , a Frank, was a diplomat, abbot, and poet. Theodulf of Orleans, born in Spain, was bishop of Orleans, a writer, poet, and theologian. Saint Paulinus II, Patriarch of Aquileia, was an Italian ecclesiastic, scholar and poet. 37

Carolinian Renaissance:

Carolinian Renaissance Education Reform Alcuin created a standardized curriculum for use at the new schools, and established the trivium and quadrivium as the basis for education. Development of Carolingian minuscule, a "book-hand“ that introduced the use of lower case letters. Standardized version of Latin allowed for creating new words while retaining the grammatical rules of Classical Latin. This Medieval Latin became the common language of scholarship and allowed administrators and travelers to make themselves understood across Europe.

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Pre-Romanesque Art Revival As symbolic representative of Rome, Charlemagne wanted to revive Roman art & culture Needed an art capable of telling stories and representing figures beyond what Germanic art was capable of Wished to establish himself as heir to the great rulers of the past, and symbolically link the artistic achievements of Early Christian and Byzantine culture with his own. Ivory plaque, probably from a book cover, Reims late 9th century, with two scenes from the life of Saint Remy and the Baptism of Clovis

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Pre-Romanesque Art Revival Between 800 and 900 AD, art was produced by and for the court circle and a group of important monasteries under Imperial patronage. This was the first thorough attempt in Northern Europe to revive and emulate classical Mediterranean art Set the stage for later Romanesque Gothic art in the West. Lorsch Gospels 778–820. Charlemagne's Court School.

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Drogo Sacramentary, ca. 850: a historiated initial 'C' contains the Ascension of Christ. The text is in gold ink.. Saint Mark from the Ebo Gospels. Figurine line drawing with colour

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Mosaic of the Ark of the Covenant, Germigny-des-Prés, c. 806, but restored. The subject seems drawn from illuminated Jewish bibles, and relates to the Libri Carolini, possibly written by Theodulf, where the Ark is cited as divine approval of sacred images.

Carolingian Renaissance:

Carolingian Renaissance Charlemagne learned to read Latin and some Greek but apparently did not master writing. At meals, instead of having jesters perform, he listened to visiting scholars read from learned works. Believed that government should be for the benefit of the governed. A tireless reformer who tried to improve his people's lives. Set up money standards to encourage commerce, urged better farming methods and worked to spread education and Christianity.

Carolingian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphate :

Islam Holy Roman Empire (Carolingian) Byzantine Carolingian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphate

Fall of the Carolingian Empire:

Louis the Pious Lothair I Louis the German Charles the Bald Fall of the Carolingian Empire After the death of Louis the Pious, the Treaty of Verdun of 843 divided the Carolingian empire between his three surviving sons: Lothair I, Louis the German, and Charles the Bald.

Eastern, Middle and Western Frankish Kingdoms:

Lothair I Louis the German Charles the Bald Eastern, Middle and Western Frankish Kingdoms