The beginning of medieval Europe dates back to the end of the 5th century. In 476, the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was overthrown and the Roman Empire fell. This act was already purely symbolic (the leader of the Sciri tribe, Odoacer, sent signs of imperial power to Constantinople), because by this time German states already existed on the territory of the Western Roman Empire. This is the kingdom of the Visigoths on the Iberian Peninsula (418), the Alemanni (420) in Northern Gaul, and the Vandals (429) in North Africa.
Ten years after the deposition of Romulus Augustulus, the dominance of the Franks was established in Northern Gaul (486 - 843), and in 493 the state of the Ostrogoths was established in Italy.
Thus, the death of the Western Roman Empire, and with it the ancient world, was a foregone conclusion. Causes:
1 The crisis of Roman society: difficulties with the reproduction of slaves, problems of controllability of a huge empire, the increasing role of the army, the militarization of political life, increasing apathy, craving for luxury.
2 The onslaught of the Germanic tribes, which began in the 4th - 7th centuries. "Great Migration of Peoples"
At the origins of the Middle Ages there were two worlds: Greco-Roman civilization, as well as the clan-communal system and genetic type of barbarian peoples (Germanic, Celtic, Slavic). The formation of Europe was of a synthetic nature. The church played a big role in its formation. It was essentially the only and well organized social institution and began to successfully solve the problem of Christianizing barbarian peoples. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne with the imperial crown. The Frankish state was proclaimed an empire. This fact was of great importance in the sense that, firstly, it was the success of the synthesis of Roman and Germanic elements, completed by this time; secondly, the crowned king Charlemagne became a symbol of the unity of the Christian world. Medieval Europe stands on the shoulders of the empire of Charlemagne, which was formed by the beginning of the 9th century.
Along with the Germanic tribes, there was great activity in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, the Slavs also showed their presence in the Balkans. In the 6th century, Byzantium came under pressure from Slavic tribes, which, like other barbarian peoples, moved from simple predatory raids to the systematic colonization of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor. With rare exceptions, the Slavs failed in the 6th – 7th centuries to create their own states on the territory Byzantine Empire, but many of the interior regions of the Balkans, populated by settlers, practically emerged from the authority of the emperor and were independent.
In the 7th century, European peoples and subjects of Byzantium clashed with the Arabs. In the middle of the 7th - beginning of the 9th centuries. as a result of the Arab conquests, the Caliphate was created - the largest state in the world, whose possessions stretched from India to the coast Atlantic Ocean. Such a powerful impetus for Arab expansion was given by a new religion - Islam, the creator of which was the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570 - 632). Islam is the third in time of origin world religion, which soon became a serious competitor to Christianity. The adherents of the new religion saw one of the main tasks in converting all other believers to their faith; this explains the energy with which the Arabs carried out their conquests. The Arab advance was stopped only in France, at the Battle of Poitiers by Charles Martell (732).
In the 10th – 13th centuries, the process of formation of the main European states was completed. The history of the Middle Ages ends, according to one point of view, in the middle of the 17th century, with the beginning of the English bourgeois revolution. Today, another point of view prevails, that geographical discoveries(1492 - America), the fall of Constantinople (1453), the beginning of the Reformation (1517) indicate the transition of Europe to the New Age, into the era of modernization, renewal of traditional society.
CHECK YOURSELF. FINISH THE SENTENCE: 1. The first occupations of man, who emerged from the animal world, were... HUNTING AND GATHERING 2. The transition from an appropriating economy to a producing one is called... THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION 3. Changes in people's lives associated with the transition to a producing economy led to the emergence of... CIVILIZATIONS 4. In the East it has developed special shape states-... DESPOTISM 5. States that arose on the territory of Greece in the 8th -7th centuries. V. BC e. , were called... POLICIES
6. A political system developed in Athens, which was characterized by such features as... - THE POWER OF CITIZENS EXERCISED THROUGH THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY, - ELECTION OF OFFICIALS, - EQUALITY OF RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS, - RESPECT FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY
THE FALL OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE. III century n. e. - The Roman Empire is experiencing a CRISIS, landowners tried to find a way out of the economic crisis, they allocated plots of land with houses to slaves - the so-called. "slaves with huts" Forward rented out small areas lands for ruined farmers and urban poor - the so-called. columns
MAIN REASONS FOR THE CRISIS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: Slavery is a brake on economic development. Ruin of the country, curtailment of trade as a result civil wars. Onslaught of barbarian tribes. Weakening of central power. Alienation of the Roman army from the interests of the civilian Roman population. Back
INFLUENCE OF ANTIQUE AND BARBARIAN PEOPLES ON THE MIDDLE AGES Influence of barbarian peoples Influence of antiquity Political life Taxation system, elements of the state apparatus. State postal service. The idea of the Empire as a world state. Rules of Roman law. Culture Popular assemblies at which kings were elected; questions about war and peace were resolved; the division of the spoils was carried out; the guilty were punished. The squad was the basis of the knightly army in the Middle Ages. Customary law based on ancient customs Romanization. Roman way of life. Urban planning: city planning - there is a square in the center, the streets intersect at right angles. Architecture: methods and techniques of antiquity - columns, arch, dome, cement and masonry. Latin language: the basis of modern European languages of the Romance group. Medieval writing, legal proceedings, government documents, services in Catholic churches, science and education were carried out in Latin. Community lifestyle of the population. The core values are freedom and dignity, symbolized by the possession of weapons
IV C. A.D. – THE GREAT MIGRATION Germanic tribes: Franks, Angles, Saxons, Ostrogoths, Visigoths Vandals
Key dates and events of 395 AD e. - division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern. 410 AD e. - capture of Rome by the Goths 455 AD. e. – destruction of Rome by Vandals 476 AD. e. – fall of the Western Roman Empire
THE ROMAN EMPIRE ARISED BARBARIAN KINGDOMS Territories Tribes Southwestern Gaul and Spain Visigoths Northeastern Gaul Franks North Africa Vandals Italy Ostrogoths British Isles Angles and Saxons MAP
CONCLUSION The economic and political crisis that struck the Roman Empire undermined the viability of ancient civilization. The barbarian invasions during the Great Migration era ended the Western Roman Empire. On the ruins of the Roman world, medieval Western European civilization began to form.
ANSWER QUESTIONS: Select main reason The Great Migration of Peoples. Why were the Romans unable to keep the barbarians at bay on the borders of their empire? In what sphere of life of medieval society did the legacy of antiquity have its greatest impact? Which peoples participated in the creation of medieval Western European civilization?
Roman and Germanic worlds. Long before its death, the Roman Empire entered a period of decline. From the 3rd century. The state of the economy deteriorated sharply: sown areas were reduced, yields fell, trade and crafts froze.
Has undergone major changes government structure Rome. The emperor was no longer considered the first among equals, but the owner, the person of the sacred. “There is no power except from God” - this position of Christian teaching better corresponded to the then state of affairs. Seeing the new faith as a basis for their power, the Roman emperors stopped persecuting Christians. At first, Constantine the Great allowed the open practice of Christianity, and in 8381 it was declared the state religion.
The Roman army also became completely different. Those times when it consisted only of full Roman citizens are a thing of the past. It became common to recruit warriors from barbarians - those who spoke neither Latin nor Greek. In the future, this had detrimental consequences for Rome, becoming one of the main reasons for the death of the empire.
To the north of the Alps lived numerous barbarian tribes of Germans, Celts, and Slavs. their languages belong to the same, Indo-European, language family. Apparently, the distant ancestors of these peoples lived next door. The Germans were the first to take advantage of the weakening of the Roman Empire.
The ancient homeland of the Germans was the southern and northern coasts and islands Baltic Sea, Scandinavian and Jutland peninsulas. Global cooling forced the Germans to gradually move to warmer climes. At the beginning of our era, they already occupied the space between the rivers Rhine, Oder and Danube. There was little land suitable for farming here. Beautiful pastures predominated. Therefore, the main occupation of the Germans was cattle breeding, and their main wealth was bulls, oxen and cows. The Germans also knew agriculture quite well. They used plows and ploughs, and grew barley, millet, wheat, and flax. Quite active Germanic tribes engaged in trade, in particular with the Romans. They lived in small villages or hamlets. The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (c. 55-120) reports that they "settle at a distance from each other, where anyone likes a stream, a clearing or a grove." Long and tall buildings were built for housing. wooden houses, designed for a large family of 20-30 people. In bad weather, cattle were also kept there.
The Germans lived in communities. Its members were considered free men with equal rights who were engaged in agricultural labor. Together they were warriors and had the right to participate in the national assembly. The Germans fought a lot, but not because they were particularly aggressive. This usually happened with different peoples at that stage of their development when, due to the emergence of property inequality within the community, influential people stood out - the nobility. The Germans had few slaves. They worked next to the owner, lived in the house, and ate at the same table with him. Often slaves were set free or even adopted.
The highest body of power among the Germans was the people's assembly. All adult free men took part in them, with the exception of those who disgraced themselves in battle through cowardice. The People's Assembly considered issues of war and peace, judged criminals, and elected elders and leaders from among the most noble tribesmen. Tribal leaders, or kings, led the army and represented the interests of the tribe in international affairs. The Council of Elders decided on current legal cases. The Germans did not know writing, so they passed on their customs and laws to the next generations orally - from father to son.
The leaders of the squads occupied a special place in German society. Young people gathered around these brave and courageous warriors, looking for adventure and enrichment in military campaigns, or more precisely, in robbery raids on their neighbors. Subsequently, the wife turned into a real army, and the nobility stood out from the warriors. She ousted the tribal elders from the king’s circle and increasingly influenced his actions. It was believed that members of a certain clan were distinguished by special valor and luck, so kings were chosen from it. To retreat from the battlefield meant to cover oneself with shame. When this happened, their mothers and wives ran out to meet the Germans, who had lost the courage to fight the enemy. They demanded to kill themselves and thereby save them from captivity and slavery. Often this forced the warriors to return and continue the fight. The Germans were convinced that war was the best thing to do, and death on the battlefield was worthy.
From the 4th century Christianity began to spread among the Germans in the form of Arianism. It declared Christ to be a being lower than God the Father, and for this it was later condemned by the church. The Goths were the first to accept Arianism. Among them preached the priest Ulfilas, who translated the Bible from Latin into Gothic. Christianization accelerated the emergence of a state among the Germans. The Germans choose their kings based on their nobility, and their military leaders based on their valor. Moreover, kings do not have unlimited or arbitrary power, and leaders are at the head rather because they set an example, and not because they exercise the right to command; because they are strong, stand out in battle, fight in front of the troops and thereby cause bewilderment...
In minor matters the elders consult, in important matters - everything, and those matters on which decisions are made by the people are first discussed with the elders...
During a battle, the leader is ashamed if his wife shows herself braver than him, and the wife is ashamed to lag behind the leader. To return alive from a battle in which a leader died means to cover yourself with shame and dishonor for the rest of your life... Leaders fight for victory, warriors fight for the leader. If the tribe in which they were born languishes in a long period of peace and inactivity, then many noble youths join those tribes that are fighting at that time. After all, these people do not tolerate peace, and it is easier to distinguish themselves in the midst of dangers, and the only way to feed a large squad is through robbery and war...
The land is occupied by everyone in turn according to the number of workers and subsequently they divide it among themselves according to dignity...
No people are as generous and hospitable as the Germans. It is considered a sin to refuse shelter to any mortal. Everyone is treated to the best food within their means...
Those who have reached adolescence grow their hair and beard and do not change their appearance until they kill the enemy... In the cowardly and unwarlike, this terribly remains so. The brave wear an iron ring on themselves, like shackles, until they kill the enemy.
After reading this paragraph, you will learn: how the barbarian and Roman worlds differed; what heritage did medieval Europe grow on; how the Frankish Empire arose and why it collapsed; what was the role of Charlemagne in the formation of medieval Europe.
1. Roman and barbarian worlds in the middle of the 1st millennium. The birth of medieval Europe was preceded by the decline of the Roman Empire (from the 3rd century), the Great Migration of Peoples (IV-VII centuries), the settlement of barbarians in the territory of the Western Roman Empire and the formation of barbarian kingdoms by them. At the cradle of Medieval Europe there were two opposite and dissimilar worlds: the ancient (Greco-Roman), in which active Christianization took place from the beginning of our era, and the barbarian.
The extremely difficult path of uniting these worlds lasted several centuries (from the 5th to the 9th centuries).
By the middle of the 1st millennium, the Roman Empire was only a weak shadow of its former power. The crisis and decline that began in the 3rd century did not allow the state to resist the invasion of the barbarians. The cessation of wars of conquest entailed a reduction in the number of slaves, which adversely affected the state Agriculture and crafts. In order to somehow compensate for the shortage of workers, servants and free peasants began to be turned into people semi-dependent on the landowners - colons.
The Great Migration of Peoples - movements in the IV-VII centuries. Germanic, Slavic, Sarmatian and other tribes on the territory of the Roman Empire.
Barbarians - this is how the Greeks and Romans disparagingly called all foreigners who did not receive a Greek or Roman education, were not related to their culture, and did not know their language.
Battle of the Romans with the Germans around 252. Scene on a marble sarcophagus found in Rome
"Long" house of the Germans. Reconstruction
Family of ancient Germans. Reconstruction
However, despite the decline, the Roman Empire retained its attractiveness for conquerors.
It so happened that in the Roman perception, the barbarians were, first of all, the peoples who lived in the vastness of Europe: Celts, Germans, Slavs. The Germans had the most significant influence on the future fate of the Western Roman Empire.
Preacher Salvian on the flight of the Romans to the barbarians (5th century)
Poor, destitute widows groan, orphans without protection, and so much so that many of them, even those of noble birth and education, flee to the barbarians. In order not to perish under the weight of the state burden, they go to seek Roman humanity from the barbarians, because they can no longer tolerate the barbaric inhumanity of the Romans.
1. What is this document about? 2. What caused the flight of the Romans to the barbarians?
The overwhelming majority of Germanic tribes in the I-IV centuries. settled in the lands bordering the empire. The Germans grew rye, barley, wheat, oats, raised livestock, hunted, collected berries, mushrooms, etc. The Germans smelted iron from swamp ores to make tools and weapons.
Tribal system of the Germans
Restored Roman watchtower that was part of the limes
System of power among barbarian tribes
German families were large. Several dozen close relatives lived under one roof. Several families formed a clan. Tribes arose from several clans, which in the 3rd-4th centuries. began to unite into tribal unions.
Rome, after unsuccessful attempts to conquer the world of barbarians, fenced itself off from it with a limes - a line of fortifications on the borders, consisting of ditches, towers, and military camps. However, the border did not separate the two worlds, but rather connected them. Trade flourished in the border cities, more and more Germans went to serve in the Roman army, and the German nobility adopted the lifestyle and customs of the Romans.
In the 4th century. events began, about which a contemporary wrote: “The Huns attacked the Alans, the Alans attacked the Goths, the Goths, who were expelled from their homeland, took Illyria from us. And this is not the end...” The world of barbarians began to move, called the Great Migration of Peoples (IV-VII centuries). rushed into the Western Roman Empire great amount barbarians. The consequence of the Great Migration was the death of the Western Roman Empire (476) and the creation of barbarian kingdoms.
2. Barbarian kingdoms. The first barbarian state on the territory of the Western Roman Empire - the Kingdom of Toulouse - was formed by the Visigoths in 418 with the consent of Emperor Honorius. The kingdom was actually independent, and the city of Toulouse became its capital.
Around the same time, the Vandal kingdom arose in North Africa with its capital on the site of ancient Carthage.
In the Rhone River basin in the middle of the 5th century. The Kingdom of Burgundy was formed with its capital in Lyon. Small in size, it had a significant influence on the life of the Western Roman Empire.
The Cathedral of Saint Trophime in Arles is the coronation site of the kings of Burgundy (France). Modern look
After the removal of the Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus from power, the kingdom of Odoacer arose with its capital in Ravenna. However, the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno and the young Ostrogoth leader Theodoric plotted against the new ruler. In 493, Theodoric invaded Italy and killed Odoacer, after which he proclaimed himself “King of the Goths and Italics.” Theodoric's state was the largest of the kingdoms founded by the Germans on the territory of the Roman Empire.
From the middle of the 5th century. began a massive invasion of the territory of the former Roman province of Britain by the northwestern Germanic tribes of the Saxons, Angles and Jutes. As a result of the Anglo-Saxon conquest, seven kingdoms were formed in the lands of Britain. The country conquered by these tribes later became known as England. At the same time, the Frankish kingdom arose in Northern Gaul.
All barbarian kingdoms proved short-lived. Only the Frankish Kingdom for a long time retained its power. That's what played important role in the further development of Europe.
3. Frankish state of the Merovingians. The name “Franks” (translated as “free”, “brave”) began to be used from the middle of the 3rd century. in relation to the Germanic tribes living along the lower and middle reaches of the Rhine River. In the 5th century The Franks captured North-Eastern Gaul. One of the most famous Frankish leaders at that time was Merovey. It was he who founded the first royal dynasty of the Franks - the Merovingian dynasty. An outstanding representative of the dynasty was the grandson of Merovey, King Clovis (481-511).
In 486, Clovis entered into an alliance with the leaders of other tribes and led them to conquer Roman possessions. Near the city of Soissons, the Franks defeated Roman troops and captured Northern Gaul, where the Frankish kingdom was formed.
Theodoric I. Artist F. Castello
Battle of Clovis with the Visigoths. Miniature from the 14th century.
Clovis I. Image on a bronze medal
Having conquered Gaul, Clovis exterminated most of the leaders with whom he fought against the Romans, and became king - sole ruler states. Clovis made all decisions himself or in consultation with his entourage.
The king had at his disposal a constant military squad, for the maintenance of which taxes began to be collected. To collect taxes and maintain order in the state, Clovis appointed rulers - counts - from among the people entrusted to him. The king himself became the highest judge in the Frankish kingdom.
Barbarian kingdoms are states created by barbarian peoples on the territory of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century.
Frankish government under Clovis
The inhabitants of Northern Gaul were Christians. In order to strengthen power and authority among them, Clovis, together with his squad, adopted Christianity according to the Western Roman model in 496. Thanks to this step, Clovis and his successors gained the support of the Christian clergy. This facilitated the further conquest of Southern Gaul.
Before the conquest of Gaul, the Franks had no written laws, but only customs that were passed down orally from generation to generation. Such rules of conduct are called customary law. Clovis ordered the ancient judicial customs of the Franks to be written down, thereby trying to emphasize that the king judges according to the ancient customs of his people. This is how one of the most important monuments of common law in Europe appeared. It was called “Salic Truth” (after the name of the tribe of Salic Franks, from which Clovis descended) and became the first collection of written laws among the Franks.
Clotilde of Burgundy divides the kingdom of the Franks between the four sons of Clovis I
Battle of Poitiers. Artist C. de Steuben
After Clovis's death, the Frankish kingdom was divided between his four sons, who continued his father's conquests. At the same time, the brothers sought to destroy each other and seize foreign lands.
At the end of the 6th century. Important changes occurred in the Frankish land tenure system. Land, received by the Franks after the conquest of Gaul, became their private property - an allod that could be freely sold or bequeathed. The emergence of private ownership of land testified to the collapse of ancient tribal traditions and the formation of the foundations of a new society.
In the second half of the 7th century. The Frankish kingdom finally fell into decline. Contemporaries called this time the era of “lazy kings.” The kings of the Merovingian dynasty remained in power, but in reality all matters were decided by the royal stewards - the mayordomos.
4. Carolingians. Frankish Empire. At the end of the 7th century. a single Frankish state did not actually exist, and it was also threatened by new conquerors - the Arabs. The fight against the Arabs was led by Major Karl Martel (715-741). He understood that without well-armed cavalry he would not be able to stop the Arabs, whose army was based on light cavalry. But the horseman’s weapons were very expensive (equal to the cost of 18-20 cows), and a simple Frankish warrior could not buy them.
To acquire weapons and horses, Charles began to take lands from the church and transfer them to the warrior for life on the terms of his military service.
This form of land ownership is called benefices (from the Latin beneficium - benefit). With the creation of heavy cavalry, medieval knighthood arose.
Relying on a cavalry army, Charles Martel defeated the Arabs in the Battle of Poitiers in 732, stopping the advance of the Arab-Muslim world on Europe.
Charles Martell was succeeded by his son Pepin the Short (741-768), who at first also received the title of majordomo.
Having removed the last king of the Merovingian dynasty, Pepin the Short became king in 751. To emphasize the sacred nature of his power, he performed the rite of anointing for the kingdom.
Benefice is a land plot that a king or other large feudal lord provided for lifelong use to a vassal on the terms of military or administrative service.
The rite of anointing for the kingdom was mentioned in the books Old Testament. During this ritual, the highest clergy anointed the king's forehead, hands and back with myrrh (a special sacred oil). It was believed that in this way the highest grace granted by God was transferred to the monarch and he was under God's protection. Over time, other European rulers borrowed the ritual of anointing the kingdom from the Franks.
Pepin the Short transferred his power to his son Charles, who would later be called the Great. Thus a new dynasty was founded, called the Pipinids, or Carolingians.
Charlemagne (742-814) is considered not only outstanding representative the Carolingian dynasty, but also one of the greatest monarchs of the entire Middle Ages. This is not surprising. The King of the Franks and “Emperor of the West” brilliantly united most of Western Europe within the empire he created. He put an end to the era of the “Dark Ages” that reigned after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
At that time, in the north and northeast, the state of Charlemagne bordered on the lands of Germanic tribes, primarily the Saxons; in the south was Spain, captured by Muslim Arabs; Avars and Slavs lived in the east.
Charlemagne
Having become king, Charlemagne in 773-774. finally defeated the Lombard kingdom and annexed its lands to his state. The wars with the Saxons, which were fought during 772-804, were long and difficult. In 788, Charles captured the Duchy of Bavaria. He fought against the Slavic peoples, and subsequently entered into an alliance with them against the Avars and began a war with the Avar Kaganate. This war was fought from 788 to 803. The army of Charlemagne defeated the Avars, and the Avar Khaganate disappeared from the map of Europe.
As a result of Charlemagne's conquests, a significant territory came under his rule, which in size resembled the former Western Roman Empire. Among Charles' circle, the idea arose to proclaim him emperor, following the example of the ancient Romans. On December 25, 800, Pope Leo III placed the imperial crown on the head of King Charlemagne during a solemn Christmas prayer service. In 812, Byzantium recognized Charles as Emperor of the West.
Despite the constant wars, the king improved the system of government and took care of the development of culture. This time was later called the Carolingian Renaissance. This was a period of development of education, revival of interest in the works of ancient Roman and Greek thinkers, almost forgotten in previous centuries.
Charlemagne's state was divided into separate districts - counties. The counts appointed by the king collected taxes, carried out legal proceedings, and led the local militia.
Almost all small free land owners turned into dependent peasants, since they could not acquire the necessary weapons for service in the army. Therefore, Charles recruited only the owners of four plots into the army. The rest of the peasants had to either send one mounted warrior to the army using common funds, or look for patrons who could free them from service. Large secular or church landowners became patrons of the peasants. Peasants were exempted from military service, but at the same time they were deprived of their ancient rights: the landowner became their judge and owner.
5. The death of the empire of Charlemagne. Formation of states in medieval Europe. Charlemagne died in 814 and was buried in Aachen, where he lived last years. After the death of the king, the empire he created did not last long. The reasons for the collapse lay hidden in the very nature of the state created by Charlemagne. He forcibly united peoples of different levels of development and culture, for whom only Christian faith. The economy was of a subsistence nature: all necessary things and products were produced not for sale, but for personal consumption. The lack of trade relations caused the isolation of certain regions of Charlemagne's state.
The counts who controlled the lands sought to secure them for themselves in order to pass them on by inheritance. Even the owners of small benefices considered them their property. Counties, as well as small and large landholdings, became centers of political and economic life. Since there were many such possessions, and there was no strong system of government in the Frankish Empire, it began to quickly disintegrate. Under the grandchildren of Charlemagne - Lothar, Louis the German and Charlemagne the Bald - the confrontation escalated.
In 843, at a congress in the city of Verdun, the emperor's grandchildren entered into an agreement to divide the empire into three parts. The Verdun division of the empire by the grandchildren of Charlemagne founded three future Western European states - Germany, Italy and France.
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Formation of the Kingdom of Toulouse |
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Fall of the Western Roman Empire |
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Formation of the Frankish Kingdom. Beginning of the Merovingian dynasty |
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Reign of Theodoric I in Italy |
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Battle of Poitiers |
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Anointing of Pepin the Short to the kingdom. Beginning of the Carolingian dynasty |
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The existence of Charlemagne's empire |
Questions and tasks
1. What two worlds stood at the origins of medieval Europe? 2. Name the first barbarian state on the territory of the Western Roman Empire. 3. What was the name of the first royal dynasty of the Franks? 4. What is “Salic truth”? 5. What is a beneficiary? 6. When was the Frankish Empire formed?
7. Describe the Roman and barbarian worlds in the middle of the 1st millennium. 8. Tell us about the formation of the barbarian kingdoms and show them on the map. 9. Name the features of the development of the Frankish state of the Merovingians. 10. How did the collapse of the Frankish Empire happen and what were its consequences?
11. Plan your answer to the topic “The Development of the Frankish Empire” and prepare a story.
12. Using additional literature, compose historical portrait King Clovis or Emperor Charlemagne (optional). 13. Explain the statement: “In the final period of the existence of the Roman Empire, a process of barbarization of Rome and the Romanization of barbarians took place.” 14. What, in your opinion, was the influence of Charlemagne’s empire on the formation of medieval Europe?
The political organization of feudal society did not remain unchanged. The first states of the Western European Middle Ages were barbarian states formed in the 5th-6th centuries. on the territory of the Western Roman Empire: Visigothic, Frankish, Ostrogothic, Burgundian, Lombard, etc. The barbarian kingdoms very quickly ceased to exist, leaving a memory of themselves in the medieval epic. The most vital was the Frankish kingdom, which grew into a strong independent state.
Merovingians- the first royal dynasty to rule in the Frankish state. It got its name from the semi-legendary founder of the clan, Merovey. The Frankish state of the Merovingian period arose at the end of the 5th century on part of the territory of the Western Roman Empire. This happened as a result of extensive conquests successfully carried out by the first Frankish king Clodwick I. At that time, among the Franks, only kings had the right to wear long hair who became theirs hallmark. The Franks had a belief that in the hair of kings there was hidden Magic force which brings kings good luck in public affairs, endows them with valor and courage, and ensures them military victories. When they wanted to deprive the king of the Merovingian dynasty of power and crown, his hair was cut off. And more than once members of the royal family preferred to give up their lives rather than lose their long hair.
Carolingians- royal, then imperial dynasty in the Frankish state. The dynasty got its name from Charlemagne, who created a huge power.
Formation of the Frankish state. The Frankish tribal union formed in the 3rd century. in the lower reaches of the Rhine. It included Hamavs, Bructers, Sugambra and some other tribes. In the 4th century. The Franks settled in Northeast Gaul as allies of the Roman Empire. They lived separately from the Gallo-Roman population and were not subject to Romanization at this time. The Franks were divided into two groups - Salic who lived near the sea coast, and Ripuarian, settled east of the Meuse River. Individual regions were headed by independent princes. Of the princely dynasties, the most powerful were the Merovingians, who ruled the Salic Franks. Their legendary ancestor was considered Merovei(“born of the sea”). Third representative of the Merovingian dynasty Clovis (481-511) extended his power to all Franks. With the help of bribery, betrayal, and violence, he exterminated all other princes, including many of his relatives, and began to rule as a single king. Gathering a large army, Clovis defeated the Roman ruler Syagrius, and already at the beginning of the 6th century. most of Gaul (except Burgundy n and in the southeast, Septimania in the south and Brittany in the west) was conquered by the Franks. In order to strengthen his power and gain the support of the Christian clergy and the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, Clovis, together with his squad and associates, adopted the Roman Christian faith in 496. From that time on, friendly relations were established between the Frankish kings and popes. Clovis divided the kingdom between his sons. In the house of the Merovingians, it became a tradition to divide the state into appanages, but in principle it was considered united and at times was united under the rule of one king.
Expansion of the Frankish Kingdom. Under the sons and grandsons of Clovis, the Frankish kingdom expanded through the subjugation of Burgundy, the German duchies of Thuringia, Bavaria, and the region east of the Rhine - Franconia. The Franks also captured Provence, which belonged to the Ostrogothic state. The Frankish state occupied almost all of Gaul and a significant part of Germany, being the largest barbarian kingdom in the West. It consisted of different ethnic territories that were located in different levels its socio-economic development
Frankish Society for "Salic Truth". The Salic Truth, apparently written down under Clovis, contains rich material about the economic life and social structure of the Franks during the time of the first Merovingians. Unlike other barbarian truths, the “Salic truth” reflected relatively archaic orders that were not influenced by Roman law. This makes it possible to trace early stage the decomposition of primitive communal relations and the formation of the early feudal system among the Franks. Later additions to Pravda make it possible to judge the further development of these processes in the 6th-7th centuries. The level of economic life of the Franks was higher than that of the Germanic tribes.
Frankish state under the Carolingian dynasty.
During the Carolingian period (late 7th century to mid-9th century), the Frankish state significantly strengthened and expanded, turning into an empire. This was due to the fact that the rulers of the new dynasty enjoyed the support of a large layer of middle and small landowners interested in external conquests and strengthening state power for the subjugation and enslavement of free peasants.
Charlemagne conducted aggressive policy with the goal of creating a world empire. The conquest of vast territories greatly expanded the borders of the Frankish state. Now it extended from the Ebro River and Barcelona to the Elbe and the Baltic coast, from the English Channel to the Middle Danube and. Adriatic, including almost all of Italy. The empire created by Charlemagne thus occupied a significant part of the territory of the former Western Roman Empire, including its capital Rome. This revived the Roman sovereign tradition. Charlemagne did not want to be content with the title of King of the Franks, but laid claim to the title of universal monarch, “Emperor of the Romans.” In 800, while he was in Rome, Pope Leo III crowned him in the Lateran Church with the crown of the “Roman Emperors.” At the cost of significant territorial concessions, it was possible to achieve recognition of the imperial title of the Frankish king by the Eastern Roman emperor.
The empire recreated by the Frankish king was similar in name only to the ancient Roman Empire. It was not only territorially smaller, but also much weaker in military and administrative terms. Charlemagne tried to use his newly acquired imperial title to strengthen his power within the state and increase international prestige. The entire population, from nobles to slaves, had to swear an oath of allegiance to him.
Attempts were made to create a centralized administrative apparatus on the Roman model. Great importance had the emperor's subordination to the Roman church and its head, the pope. Dominion over the Western Church became an instrument of the empire's international policy.
Civil strife and the Verdun partition. The struggle of the feudal nobility against royal power was aggravated by dynastic unrest. The sons of Louis the Pious, who inherited imperial power from Charlemagne, demanded the division of the empire and the allocation of an independent kingdom to each. In 817 the first partition was made.
In 843, an agreement was concluded in Verdun on the division of Charlemagne's empire between his grandchildren - Lothar, Louis the German and Charles the Bald. The first, while retaining the title of emperor, received Italy (except for the south, which belonged to Byzantium) and the intermediate territories between the West Frankish and East Frankish states, the first of which went to Charles the Bald, and the second to Louis the German. Thus, the partition was carried out mainly along ethnic lines. On the territory of the newly formed states, three Western Jewish nationalities were subsequently formed - French, German and Italian. By the beginning of the 10th century. the imperial title lost its meaning and disappeared.
Thus, X-XII centuries. – time of polycentrism in Western Europe. Large feudal estates became independent state entities, only nominally dependent on the central government. The kings fought against the feudal freemen, but this led nowhere. As a result, states arose in which the power of the king was limited by the bodies of class representation - the Cortes in Castile in 1137, the parliament in England in 1265, the states general in France in 1302.
By the end of the Middle Ages, centralized states had emerged with the strengthened power of the monarch, which developed into an absolute monarchy in the early modern period.
Questions and tasks for self-control
1.Formulate and reveal character traits Western European feudalism.
2.What underlies the periodization of the Middle Ages?
3.What was the basis for the division of medieval society into classes?
4.Why in early Middle Ages Were there few cities in Europe? When and why did cities begin to revive?
5. What were the causes of the crisis in the 14th-15th centuries? medieval Europe?
TOPIC 8
CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES