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

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