Global 8.1 The Early Middle Ages


 * As the empire declined and eventually dissolved, the Germanic people that ended Roman rule shifted their attention to the North. The dense forests and rich soil were better suited for growing crops than the dry soils around the Mediterranean. The land from Poland to England also maintained large quantities of untapped minerals. And the expansive rivers and seas were ideal for fishing and trade.
 * The Germanic people migrated across Europe after the fall of Rome had no written laws and did not settle in large cities. They lived in small communities and were governed by unwritten customs and elected kings that would lead them in war.
 * These Germanic people groups carved up Western Europe into many smaller kingdoms. Under the rule of a ruthless and brilliant king named Clovis, the Franks were the strongest and most successful of these kingdoms. Clovis and the Franks were able to conquer Gaul, and after Clovis converted to Christianity he had strong allies not only with the people of Gaul, but also with the Roman Catholic Church.
 * Shortly after the Franks and other Germanic people had gained control of Western Europe, Islamic armies swept out of the Middle East, through Africa and into Europe, conquering as they went. European Christians looked on in fear as the Muslim armies conquered Christian Kingdoms in North Africa and Spain, they turned their attention to France.
 * The Muslim army was defeated at the battle of Tours by Charles Martel and his Frankish army.
 * Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was the grandson of Charles Martel. He built an empire from France to Italy. He set up Christianity as a national religion and maintained a strong central government. After he came to the aid of Pope Leo III by crushing a rebellion of the nobles of Rome. Leo III placed a crown on Charlemagne's head and named him "emperor." This action helped to widen the gap between the eastern and western worlds and also set the stage for bitter power struggles between future popes and Germanic emperors.
 * Charlemagne worked closely with the Church and spread Christianity across most of his empire. He appointed nobles and gave them land so they could rule local regions.
 * Charlemagne also set up a school in order to help educate his government officials as well as clergy.
 * After Charlemagne died the emperors (his children and grandchildren) could not maintain order. This feuding, along with constant attacks from various other people groups wore away at his empire. Eventually the destructive raids of the Vikings broke the last few threads of unity within Charlemagne's empire and a system of feudalism was put into place. (Powerful lords divided their lands among lesser lords and in return the lesser lords pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord.)