HIS101 Test 2 Middle Ages Notes Mary McConnell 13 11 15 Fall of Rome and the Beginning of the Middle Ages The End of the Roman Empire By 395 western and eastern parts of the empire had become virtually two independent states The eastern empire remained intact under the Roman emperor in Constantinople in the 5th century The western empire collapsed in the 5th century and replaced by an assortment of Germanic kingdoms The Germans People to the north of the Romans regarded as uncivilized barbarians Consisted of several different groups with their own customs and identities that constantly changed as tribes broke up and came together in new configurations Lived by herding and farming and trading with people living along the northern frontiers of the Roman Empire Some Romanization of the tribes due to their proximity Familiar with the Roman use of coins rather than barter and gained some knowledge of both the Latin language and Roman military matters Romans hired Germanic tribes to fight other tribes that threatened Rome and enlisted groups to fight for Rome Before the 4th century there were no problems with the Rome s political structure with absorbing Germans During the 4th century Germanic tribes were threatened by invading Huns and caused problems for Rome They were illiterate causes the Dark Ages as there s no writing from this time period German Migrations 376 Visigoths cross the Danube seeking land on the Roman side 378 Battle of Adrianople a major defeat for the Romans Emperor Valens killed 410 Alaric a Visigothic king besieges and then sacks Rome for 3 days Rome pulls all its soldiers and bureaucrats out of England to help defend the heart of Rome 430 Vandals lay siege to the city of Hippo in North Africa and take Carthage 450 Anglo Saxons are invited into Britain and later migrate invade lower Britain 476 Odoacer a Roman military commander of Gothic descent disposes the Emperor of Rome Romulus Augustus is killed 486 Clovis a Frankish king defeats last Roman king in Gaul 489 Theodoric Visigothic king overthrows Odoacer in Rome bringing Gothic rule to Rome HIS101 Test 2 Middle Ages Notes Mary McConnell 13 11 15 568 Lombardi immigrate into Northern Italy The Frankish Kingdom The Rule of Clovis 486 Wins the Battle of Soissons 496 Clovis converts of Catholic Christianity o First German king to convert to Catholic Christianity o Gained support of the Roman Catholic Church o Paved the way for conversion of Frankish people o Could pose as a defender of the orthodox Catholic faith to justify his expansion at the beginning of the 6th century Defeated the Alemanni in southwest Germany Defeated the Visigoths in southern Gaul By 510 he had established a powerful new Frankish kingdom stretching from the Pyrenees in the west to German lands in the east o Kingdom was under the Merovingian dynasty Merovingian kingdom loosely held together by a nominal king Came to rely on his Frankish followers to rule in the old Roman city states under the title of count o Often counts were forced to share power with the Gallo Roman Catholic bishops A gradual fusion of Latin and German cultures with the church serving to preserve the Latin culture Spent the last years of his life ensuring the survival of his dynasty by killing off relatives who were leaders of other groups of Franks The Successors of Clovis His 3 sons divided the newly created kingdom as per the Frankish custom 1 Neustria in northern Gaul 2 Austrasia consisting of the ancient Frankish lands on both sides of the Rhine 3 The former kingdom of Burgundy Frankish society possessed a ruling class that gradually intermarried with the old Gallo Roman senatorial class to form a new nobility o These noble families took advantage of their position to expand their own lands and wealth at the expense of the monarchy Major domus mayor of the palace overshadowed the king becomes head of the armies Both nobles and mayors of the palace were expanding their power at the expense of kings During 6th and 7th centuries Gallo Roman and Frankish cultures and people fused o Caused a significant decline in Roman standards of civilization and commercial activity o The franks were warriors and did little to encourage either urban life or trade o Commerce declined seacoast towns maintained some activity By 750 Frankish Gaul was basically an agricultural society where the old Roman estates of the Late Empire continued unimpeded Institutionally Germanic competes of kingship and customary law replaced the Roman governmental structure Charles Martel The Anglo Saxons Society Warrior Culture HIS101 Test 2 Middle Ages Notes Mary McConnell 13 11 15 Pepin the Short asks the Pope Who should be king The one with the title or the one with the power o The Pope answers that he has the power and should be king 714 Major domus of Austrasia 732 Wins Battle of Poitiers 732 dies By the time of his death he d become virtual ruler of the 3 Merovingian kingdoms Roman contraction from Britain leaves power vacuum Christian Romano Brits struggle against Picts and Scots 405 Romans invite Anglo and Saxon warriors to fight for them Anglo Saxons decide they want to live in England Met with resistance from the Celtic Britons who still controlled the western regions of Cornwall Wales and Cumberland at the beginning of 7th century They make small kingdoms in Mercia Northumberland and Kent Christian Brits are pushed west by pagan Anglo Saxons Missionaries come from Rome and Ireland and re convert England to Christianity The lord and his Band Comitatus Thanes or Retainers A relationship of mutual protection The Thane fights for the King and the King shares the wealth with the members of the Band Values loyalty courage generosity strength You word was your bond they didn t have documents the Dark Ages o If you broke your word you couldn t go anywhere reputation ruined and no one would trust you Germanic Society As the Germans infiltrated the Roman Empire they were influenced by the Roman society they encountered The Germanic peoples of the 5th 6th and 7th centuries were probably quite different from the Germans that the forces of Augustus encountered in the 1st century C E There was a meaningful fusion of Roman and German upper classes In Merovingian Frankish lands upper class Gallo Romans intermarried with Frankish nobles to produce a new ruling class o Each influenced each other Franks constructed Roman style villas Gallo Romans adopted Frankish weapons The crucial social bond among the Germanic