Christian Europe in the Middle Ages

From the Franks to Feudalism

The Merovingian Dynasty, 481-787

• King Clovis I, united the various Frankish tribes and conquered most of Gaul

• In 496, he married Clothild who converted him to Christianity

• King Clovis r. 481-511

• After Clovis – 250 years of “do-nothing” kings!

• Mayors of the palace ran the kingdom

Pepin of Heristal, Mayor of the Palace, 687

• Pepin’s son Charles Martel, later known as “Charles the Hammer,” cultivated a new aristocracy while also giving substantial support to Christian missionaries and Monasteries

The Battle of Tours, 732.

The Carolingian DynastyPepin III (the Short) r. 752-768

• Carolus Magnus

• Charles the Great

• Karel de Grote• Charlemagne

King of the Franks (768-814) & Holy Roman Emperor (800-814)

Charlemagne:

• Conqueror• Defender of

the Church • Patron of the

Arts & Learning• State-builder:

missi dominici

Missi Dominici among the people

• Missi Dominici reporting back to Charlemagne

The Holy Roman Emperor, 800

• His religious duty: raise the educational level of the clergy so they read the Bible and properly teach the faith

• Teach reading and writing - scriptures free of copying errors

• Create an enjoyable experience for churchgoers- Gregorian chants

Alcuin of York (735-

804) oversaw the Palace School at Aachen, attracting the greatest minds of the age.

Carolingian miniscule…

• The Carolingian Renaissance-

A flowering of art, architecture, literature, music and education in an attempt to recapture the past glory of the Roman Empire

The Treaty of Verdun, 843

Feudalism and Manorialism

• Invasions, the collapse of central authority, the decline in commerce and town life gave rise to new political, social and economic institutions…