Merovingian Dynasty - 481 to 741 Founder - Merovech

  1. After a battle for which he had sought divine intervention, Clovis converted to Roman Christianity, as did his loyal subjects. As a result he gained the support of the Catholic Church.
  2. Upon the death of Clovis his empire was divided among his sons, as was the Frankish custom.
  3. The "Do Nothing Kings" that followed Clovis were more interested in the pleasures and luxuries of the palace than ruling.
  4. The major domo or mayor of the palace emerged as power behind the throne.
  5. About 700, Pepin II, the major domo of one Merovingian kingdom, succeeded in making the office of mayor hereditary. His successors were Frankish kings in all but name.
  6. Pepin II's son Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) defeated the Muslims at Tours thus halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Charles also struck a deal with a Benedictine monk, Boniface. Charles would help Boniface spread Christianity into what is now Germany and Boniface would give the land acquired to Charles.
  7. Pepin III or Pepin the Short became major domo when his father Charles Martel died in 741.
  8. In 751 an assembly of Franks elected Pepin the Short, king of the Franks thus ending the Merovingian dynasty.
  9. Pope Stephen II called on Pepin's assistance in fighting the Lombards who were again threatening Rome. Pepin agreed to fight and in return the pope anointed Pepin's head and declared him king "by the grace of God."
  10. Pepin then went to Italy where he defeated the Lombards. Pepin gave the keys to all the cities he had won from the Lombards to Pope Stephen thus expanding the size of the Papal States.

Carolingian Dynasty - 768 to 840 Founder - Pepin the Short

Capital - Aachen

  1. Charlemagne the man - A large man of great physical strength and energy who was deeply religious and highly intelligent.
  2. Charlemagne the conqueror - He defeated the Lombards in Italy, the Saxons in northern Germany, and the Avars in central Europe. Charlemagne believed himself divinely chosen to spread the Christian faith, and as he expanded the size of his kingdom he offered conquered peoples baptism or death.
  3. Charlemagne the administrator - He maintained royal power by dividing his empire into counties each administered by a count.To keep his counts from overstepping their authority he sent out missi dominici or royal agents to see that counts ruled justly and did not abuse their power. Charlemagne personally visited every part of his kingdom to judge disputes and reward followers.
  4. Charlemagne the landowner - He kept a close eye on the Carolingian family estates as most of the dynasty’s wealth came from goods produced on the royal estates.
  5. Charlemagne the Christian - He continued the close ties to the pope that his grandfather Charles had begun by encouraging Christianity in his kingdom. He divided Frankish lands into units called parishes, each with its own priest. Charlemagne ordered that all his subjects pay 10% of their income to their parish church. This payment, called a tithe, helped the Church become more powerful.
  6. Charlemagne the educator - He encouraged education by ordering monasteries and cathedrals to open schools and by encouraging the growth of monastic libraries. His most important reasons for promoting education were political. To strengthen his rule, he needed to spread Christianity, which required educated monks. He also needed officials who could read and write to help govern the large kingdom. Charlemagne made a Benedictine monk named Alcuin of York responsible for founding new schools across the kingdom. Alcuin saw to it that surviving examples of Roman and Greek literature were copied and preserved. Under Alcuin's direction, a new form of handwriting, Carolingian miniscule, using both upper and lower case was developed. This new handwriting made it easier to read and write.
  7. Charlemagne the emperor - On Christmas day, 800, in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne "Emperor of the Romans". The new title had little to do with the Frankish Empire, but it signified that Charlemagne, who had united much of Europe for the first time in 400 years was regarded by many people as the successor to the emperors of Rome. Charlemagne's coronation also dramatized the close ties between the Frankish people and the Catholic Church.

Upon Charlemagne's death, his son, Louis the Pious, inherited the Frankish Empire. However, Louis was not a very effective ruler and the empire began to fall apart. Upon his death his three sons began to fight over who would inherit the kingdom. The Treaty of Verdun divided Charlemagne’s kingdom divided into three parts with each grandson receiving one part. Charles the Bald got West Frankland, Louis the German got East Frankland, and Lothair got the lands between. Despite the treaty the grandsons continued to war with one another and the empire weakened further; thus, opening the door for new invaders.