Chapter 8: The West in the Early Middle Ages, 500-900

Germanic invaders consisting of Anglos, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded and went on to divide Britain into 7 independent kingdoms

• Got rid of Roman traditions such as administration, taxation, etc.

• Urban life disappeared

Scandinavians (Danes, Swedes, Norwegians), called Vikings migrated from Scandinavia

• Originally appeared as merchants and pirates, then conquerors and colonists

• Wanted land and wealth

• Attacked and plundered villages and towns

• Ships allowed for both exploration and trade

• Constantly at war with each other as there was no stable kingdom

• Gradually converted to Christianity

Germanic tribes along the Rhine River created a confederation known as the Franks in the 4th century

• Clovis founded kingdom of Franks in Gaul (modern day France)

• Clovis established the Merovingian dynasty.

By the 7th century, Merovingian kings were kings only in title

• Nobles were the real source of authority

Pope proclaimed that the one who exercised the powers of a king should have the title

Church played a huge role in the Frankish government

Charlemagne

• King of the Franks

• King of the Lombard's (modern day Italy)

• Conqueror, state builder, and patron of the arts

• Crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 by the Pope

• Attempted to improve the government of his empire by educating aristocratic boys for positions in the church or state

• By the time he died, Charlemagne ruled what is modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, part of Italy, part of Spain, and the island of Corsica

• Left behind a strong and large empire.

• His empire was divided by his grandsons as his son was a weak ruler, overthrown by Charlemagne’s grandsons