<b>The Franks (509 On)<b>

The Franks were one of the Germanic barbarian tribes known to the Romans. In the
early part of the fifth century, they began expanding south from their homeland
along the Rhine River into Roman-controlled Gaul (modern France). Unlike other
Germanic tribes, however, they did not move out of their homelands but, rather,
added to them. Clovis, a Frankish chieftan, defeated the last Roman armies in Ga
ul and united the Franks by 509, becoming the ruler of much of western Europe. D
uring the next 1000 years, this Frankish kingdom gradually became the modern nat
ion of France.
The kingdom of Clovis was divided after his death among his four sons, according
to custom. This led to several centuries of civil warfare and struggle between
successive claimants to the throne. By the end of the seventh century, the Merov
ingian kings (descendants of Clovis) were rulers in name only. In the early eigh
th century, Charles Martel became mayor of the palace, the ruler behind the thro
ne. He converted the Franks into a cavalry force and fought so well that his ene
mies gave him the name of Charles the Hammer. In 732 the Frankish cavalry defeat
ed Muslim invaders moving north from Spain at the Battle of Poitiers, stopping f
orever the advance of Islam from the southwest.
Charles Martel's son, Pepin, was made king of the Franks by the pope in return f
or helping to defend Italy from the Lombards. Pepin founded the dynasty of the C
arolingians, and the greatest of these rulers was Charles the Great, or Charlema
gne, who ruled from 768 to 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire
and was responsible for a rebirth of culture and learning in the West. Charlemag
ne's empire was divided among his grandsons and thereafter coalesced into two ma
jor parts. The western part became the kingdom of France. Later kings gradually
lost political control of France, however. Central authority broke down under th
e pressure of civil wars, border clashes, and Viking raids. Money and soldiers c
ould be raised only by making concessions to landholders. Fiefs became hereditar
y and fief holders became feudal lords over their own vassals. By the tenth cent
ury, France had been broken into feudal domains that acted as independent states
.
In 987 the French nobility elected Hugh Capet their king, mainly because his fie
f centered on Paris was weak and he was thought to pose no threat. He founded th
e Capetian line of kings, who worked slowly for two centuries regaining the powe
r by making royal roads safe, adding land to their domain, encouraging trade, an
d granting royal charters for new towns and fiefs in vacant lands. By allying th
emselves with the church, the Capetians took a strong moral position and benefit
ed from the church's cultural, political, and social influence. Royal administra
tors were made loyal to the king and more efficient by eliminating the inheritan
ce of government offices.
Beginning with Philip II in 1180, three superior rulers established France as on
e of the most important nations in Europe. They improved the working of the gove
rnment, encouraged a booming trade, collected fees efficiently, and strengthened
their position atop the feudal hierarchy. Although a national assembly called t
he Estates General was established, it held no real power and was successfully i
gnored.
From 1337 to 1453 France and England fought the long conflict called the Hundred
Years War to decide ownership of lands in France that had been inherited by Eng
lish kings. The eventual French victory confirmed the king as the most powerful
political force in France.