TRANSFORMING THE ROMAN WORLD: GERMANIC

KINGDOMS, THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE, AND CHARLEMAGNE

DO NOW:

• Grab a textbook and use the map on page 303 to answer these questions:• Which Germanic kingdoms were the largest in

500?• What Geographic factors kept Constantinople

from being conquered?

OBJECTIVE/ESSENTIAL QUESTION: COPY ONTO NOTES SHEET

• How did Germanic tribes transform the Roman Empire?

NEW GERMANIC KINGDOMS• Germanic peoples had begun to move into lands of the

Roman Empire by the third century and set up new states• Visigoths: occupied Spain and Italy• Ostrogoths: took control of Italy from the Visigoths in

the 5th century• Angles and Saxons: tribes from Denmark and northern

Germany that moved into Britain• Eventually became the Anglo-Saxons

GERMANIC SOCIETY• Germans and Romans intermarried and created new society

• Most important social bond among Germanic peoples was family

• Extended family including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents

• Worked land together and passed it down to future generations

• Provided protection in violent atmosphere of the time

• Affected way Germanic law treated crime and punishment

• How did Roman system deal with crime and punishment?

• Germanic law was personal: injury by one person against another resulted in blood feud between families and savage acts of revenge.

• To avoid bloodshed, new system developed called wergild

• A fine paid by wrongdoer to family of person he/she injured or killed

• Value of a person in money

• Varied according to social status

KINGDOM OF THE FRANKS• Only German state on European continent that lasted

long time• Frankish kingdom established by Clovis• Strong military leader• 500 A.D. became first Germanic ruler to convert to

Christianity• Won him support of the Catholic Church

• Covered modern day France and western Germany• Defeated surrounding Germanic tribes and unified

Franks as a people• After Clovis’ death, sons divided kingdom among

themselves

CHARLEMAGNE AND THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE• During 600s and 700s, Frankish kings gradually lost power to their

officers

• One of them, Pepin, assumed kingship for himself and his family

• 768: Pepin dies and his son, Charles the Great or Charlemagne, becomes new Frankish king

• Ruled from 768-814

• Fierce warrior, strong statesman, devout Christian

• Greatly expanded Frankish kingdom and created the Carolingian Empire

• Covered much of western and central Europe at its height

• Most powerful Christian ruler

• 800: acquired title Emperor of the Romans

• Symbolized joining of Roman, Christian, and German elements

THE END OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE

• Carolingian Empire weakened from within by division after Charlemagne’s death and from outside by enemy attacks

• From within:• 814: Charlemagne dies

• Less than 30 years later, empire divided among his grandsons into 3 major sections

• West Frankish lands

• Eastern Frankish lands

• Middle Kingdom

• Local nobles gained power while Carolingian rulers fought each other

• From outside: • Ninth and tenth centuries, western Europe experienced wave of invasions

• Invaders

• Muslims attacked southern coasts of Europe up to southern France

• Magyars, people from western Asia, moved into Central Europe, settled in Hungary and invaded western Europe

• Vikings, Germanic people from Scandinavia, most far-reaching attacks

THE VIKINGS• Sacked villages and towns, destroyed churches,

defeated small local armies• Warriors, superb shipbuilders, and sailors• Their ships were the best of the period• Dragon ships• Long and narrow with beautifully carved,

arched prows• Carried 50 men• Construction allowed them to sail up

European rivers and attack places far inland