The Merovingians arose as the strongest Frankish group after the fall of Rome. Clovis was the first Merovingian king to accept Christianity in 481. Pepin the Short strengthened the position of the Franks when he was anointed by the Pope as divine ruler. Pepin's son Charlemagne further expanded the Frankish lands and was crowned Roman Emperor by the Pope in 800, reestablishing the Roman Empire in the West. Charlemagne's empire was divided after his death, weakening central authority and leading to more localized power under feudalism.

1. Frankish Rulers
Chapter 12, Section 1

3. 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


5. 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


6. 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


7. 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


10. Medieval Life

11. 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

13. 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


15. 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


16. 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


17. The Medieval Church

18. Spiritual Role
Church taught all were dependant on
God’s Grace
 Grace was received through
sacraments
 Peasants learned Christianity through
art


19. 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


20. 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


21. 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


22. 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

23. Finding the Truth…
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

Punishment for Heresy

24. 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


25. Rise of European
Monarchy

26. 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


27. 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


28. 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


29. 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
