Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne

-Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
-Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us come from.

Middle Ages- medieval period(500-1500 AD)
-Medieval Europe is fragmented

Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
      a. Disruption of trade
            i. Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
            ii. Money is scarce

      b. Downfall of cities
            i. Cities are no longer centers of administration

      c. Population shifts
            i. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
            ii. Cities don't have strong leadership

2. Decline of learning
      a. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition.
     
      b. Only priests and church officials could read and write

      c. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost

3. Loss of a common language
     a. Dialects develop in different regions

     b. By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin

Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
1. The concept of government changes
      a. Roman society: loyal to public government

      b. Germanic society: loyal to family
            I. Germanic chief led warriors
            ii. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall).
            iii. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord

      c. "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"

      d. Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul - their leader is Clovis

2. The Franks under Clovis
      a. Another  battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine)
    
       b. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
     
      c. The Church in Rome approves of this "alliance"
    
      d. Clovis and the Church begin to work together

Equation

Clovis' military expertise + the Church's support and money= A strategic alliance between two powerful forces

Germanic People adopt Christianity
1. 511 AD- Clovis unite Franks into one kingdom
2. 600 AD- Church+ Frankish rulers convert many
      a. Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians

Monasteries and Convents
      a. 520 AD- Benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
            I. Poverty, chastity, obedience, study
     
      b. His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents

      c. 731 AD- The Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England

      d. Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greek texts)

(Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
      a. papacy- pope's office
      b. Secular power- worldly power
      c. So...under Gregory the Great

-Papal power(power of the pope) is political power presented from the pope's palace

     d. The can use church money to:
            1.raise armies
            2. repair roads
            3. help the poor
     e. Gregory the Great began to act as many of Rome and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christiandom)