Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: _________________

Aim: How did the Franks impact Medieval Europe?

476 AD: Rome is sacked by Germanic tribes;

Rome “falls”
481-511 AD: Clovis unites the Franks,
conquers Gaul, and leads Frankish
conversion to Christianity
511-751 AD: Clovis’ descendants rule as the
Merovingian Dynasty
732 AD: Charles Martel defeats Muslims at
Battle of Tours, maintaining Above – Clovis’ kingdom after
Christianity in Europe uniting the Franks
751 AD: Merovingian Dynasty replaced by
Carolingian Dynasty Below – Carolingian Empire
768-800 AD: Charlemagne rules as king of after the Treaty of Verdun
the Franks
800-814 AD: Charlemagne crowned by pope
and rules as “Holy Roman Emperor”
843 AD: Carolingian empire divided into
three by the Treaty of Verdun, leading
to end of their dynasty
800-1100 AD: Viking raids and invasions
result in European “Dark Age”

Use the timeline and the maps to answer the following questions:

1. In what modern-day country does most of Gaul lie? _________________________

2. Charlemagne was a ruler of the ____________________________________ Dynasty.
3. Clovis, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne were all members of what
Germanic group? ___________________________
4. Who won the Battle of Tours? ________________________________
5. Who was crowned the first “Holy Roman Emperor”? ________________________
6. The Treaty of _________________________ divided the Carolingian Empire in
three.
 The Conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks
From The Chronicle of St. Denis

At this time the King was yet in the errors of his idolatry and went to war with the
Alemanni (a Germanic tribe), since he wished to render them tributary. Long was
the battle, many were slain on one side or the other, for the Franks fought to win
glory and renown, the Alemanni to save life and freedom. When the King at length
saw the slaughter of his people and the boldness of his foes, he had greater
expectation of disaster than of victory. He looked up to heaven humbly, and spoke
thus: "Most mighty God, whom my queen Clothilde worships and adores with heart
and soul, I pledge you perpetual service unto your faith, if only you give me now the
victory over my enemies."

Instantly when he had said this, his men were filled with burning valor, and a great
fear struck his enemies, so that they turned their backs and fled the battle; and
victory remained with the King and with the Franks. The King returned after this
victory into Frankland. He went to Rheims, and told the Queen what had happened;
and they together gave thanks unto Our Lord. The King made his confession of faith
from his heart, and with right good will.

The King showed vast zeal for his new faith. He built a
splendid church at Paris, called St. Genevieve, where later
he and Clothilde were buried. Faith and religion and zeal
for justice were pursued by him all the days of his life. Thus
all the Frankish people were converted and baptized…

Idolatry: in Christianity, worshipping figures which

are not God
Render: cause to be; make Illuminated
Tributary: subject which obeys a ruler manuscript depicting
Valor: bravery; courage the baptism of Clovis
Zeal: energy; enthusiasm; passion

7. According to the text, why did Clovis convert to Christianity?

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8. What did “all the Frankish people” do as a result of Clovis’ conversion?
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9. Why might it have been politically helpful for Clovis to convert, as he
was expanding his kingdom into traditionally Roman territory?
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 The arrows on the map above show the expansion of the Islamic Empire in the 7 th
and 8th centuries. In 732 AD the Franks, under Charles Martel, fought a battle
against the Muslim army at Tours (modern-day France). You can find it located in
the top left corner of the map represented by a star.

10. Which side won the Battle of Tours? ____________________________________________

11. Why do you think winning this battle is considered especially
significant for Europe? What might have happened if the battle had
gone in the opposite direction?
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In 751 AD the Merovingian Dynasty of the Franks was replaced by the Frankish
Carolingian Dynasty. Its most significant ruler was Charlemagne, who ruled from
768-814 AD and vastly expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire, as you can
see from the map on the first page. His name literally means “Charles the Great” and
he is commonly considered one of the greatest kings of the Middle Ages.

12. Make some predictions: what attributes do you think Charlemagne

should have, and what should he do for him to deserve this title?
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 Charlemagne was considered a great ruler because of how he united, ordered, and
maintained the largest European empire since Roman times. The primary source
excerpts below will help provide reasons why he was successful.

“Charles accordingly went to Rome, to set in order the

affairs of the Church, and passed the whole winter there.
It was then that he received the titles of Emperor and
Augustus [Dec 25, 800], to which he at first had such an
aversion that he declared that he would not have set foot
in the Church the day that they were conferred if he
could have foreseen the design of the Pope.”
--Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne, 817 AD

13. In the image above, the Pope is crowning Charlemagne the Holy Roman
Emperor. What does this suggest about the balance of power in Europe?
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14. In the excerpt above, how did Charlemagne at first feel about being
crowned by the Pope, and why do you think he might have felt this way?
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15. How would being crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope have
helped Charlemagne be successful as a ruler?
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“Charles did choose from among his nobles the wisest men and did send them
over his whole kingdom; and did grant through them that men should live
according to law and right. He did order them that where anything is not just and
lawful that they should inquire into this most diligently, and make it known to
him in their reports to the emperor’s court: and he, God granting, hopes to reform
it. Nor should anyone be kept back from the right path of justice by the obstacle
of any relationship, nor by the fear of powerful persons.”
--The Monk of St. Gall’s Life of Charlemagne, 883 AD
16. The nobles referred to in the passage above were known as “missi
dominici.” What was the purpose of the missi dominici?
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 “Charles gave most careful instructions that the Roman method of singing
and studies should be both taught and learnt by all boys throughout the realm …
So the most glorious Charles saw the study of letters flourishing throughout this
whole realm, but still he was grieved to find that it did not reach the ripeness of
the earlier Roman fathers…
Now the boys of middle or low birth presented him with wise writings,
while those of the children of noble parents were silly and tasteless. Then the
most wise Charles, gathered them together and addressed them in these words:
"My children, you have found much favour with me because you have tried with
all your strength to carry out my orders and win advantage for yourselves.
Wherefore now study to attain to perfection; and I will give you bishoprics and
splendid monasteries, and you shall be always honourable in my eyes." Then he
turned severely to those noble children, and flung at them in scorn these terrible
words: "You nobles, you sons of my chiefs, you superfine dandies, by the King of
Heaven, I take no account of your noble birth and your fine looks, though others
may admire you for them. Know this for certain, that unless you make up for your
former sloth by vigourous study, you will never get any favour from Charles."
--The Monk of St. Gall’s Life of Charlemagne, 883 AD
17. Briefly summarize the anecdote above in your own words.
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18. From the above excerpt, what can you tell about Charlemagne’s views
and policies on education and classical Roman knowledge?
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“Charles would never give more than one county to any of his counts unless they
happened to live on the borders of the barbarians; now would he ever give a
bishop any church unless there were very special reasons for doing it. When his
councilors asked him the reason for this he would answer: "With that estate or
with that church I can secure the fidelity (loyalty) of some other vassal (subject),
as good a man as any bishop or count, and perhaps better."

19. Describe Charles’ policy in giving land away to his subjects (the basis of
feudalism). How might this help him be successful as a ruler?
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 The Treaty of Verdun divided
Charlemagne’s empire in 843 AD
among his successors, his three
grandsons, after Frankish inheritance
traditions. Shortly thereafter, the
Carolingian Empire collapsed due to
being divided, weakened, and faced
with an increased wave of Viking
invasions.

What do you think? Was this

method of dividing inheritance
fair and equitable, or was it
shortsighted and a bad idea?

For all of Charlemagne’s successes, there are many things that challenge the idea of
his greatness as a ruler. Consider the following:
 It took him over thirty years to conquer Saxony (a region in modern Germany)
 He killed all the Saxon chiefs and any Saxons who refused to convert to
Christianity
 Despite fighting the Muslims of Spain for 20 years, he never conquered Spain
 By the end of his reign, Europe was still rural, with a low population, and with
very limited and localized trade networks
 He wanted all boys to have an education, but in actuality only nobles and boys
becoming monks and priests did
 His empire dissolved shortly after he died, plunging Europe into the “Dark Ages”

20. Assess: How “great” was Charlemagne the Great? Use plenty of specific
evidence.
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 TEACHER ANSWER KEY
1. In what modern-day country does most of Gaul lie? France
2. Charlemagne was a ruler of the Carolingian Dynasty.
3. Clovis, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne were all members of what
Germanic group? Franks
4. Who won the Battle of Tours? Charles Martel/Franks/Merovingians
5. Who was crowned the first “Holy Roman Emperor”? Charlemagne
6. The Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian Empire in three.
7. According to the text, why did Clovis convert to Christianity?
He was fighting the Alemanni and losing, so he promised God that he would become
Christian and serve him if he won. After winning, he built a church in God’s honor
and became a zealous Christian.

8. What did “all the Frankish people” do as a result of Clovis’ conversion?

They were baptized and converted to Christianity – this is significant, since most of
the Germanic tribes were “pagan” or non-Christians often worshipping different
deities.

9. Why might it have been politically helpful for Clovis to convert, as he

was expanding his kingdom into traditionally Roman territory?
A large number of the new subjects of his kingdom lived in Roman territory, which
had been predominantly Christian since the days of Constantine. It would have
given him more legitimacy to share their religion and would have made them more
likely to follow him. It is helpful for kings to use religion and the idea of “divine
right” to rule.

10. Which side won the Battle of Tours?

The Franks, under Charles Martel, a king in the Merovingian Dynasty

11. Why do you think winning this battle is considered especially

significant for Europe? What might have happened if the battle had
gone in the opposite direction?
If the Franks hadn’t won, it’s likely that the Islamic Empire would have taken over
their kingdom, and perhaps even a large part of the dramatically weakened Europe.
This would have had an enormous effect on the culture, language, religion, and
learning of Europe.

12. Make some predictions: what attributes do you think Charlemagne

should have, and what should he do for him to deserve this title?
Student answers will vary.

13. In the image above, the Pope is crowning Charlemagne the Holy Roman
Emperor. What does this suggest about the balance of power in Europe?
Charlemagne is kneeling before the Pope, who is the one with the authority to give
him the crown. This suggests that the Church had more power than political leaders
in Europe after the fall of Rome.

14. In the excerpt above, how did Charlemagne at first feel about being
crowned by the Pope, and why do you think he might have felt this way?
At first Charlemagne wished it hadn’t happened. Perhaps because he didn’t want all
the responsibility that being mixed up in Church affairs would bring, or because he
was worried about resentment and problems arising with the Byzantines and
Eastern Orthodox Church. Most likely, he was upset at the position it put him in of
having to be publicly lower than the Pope.

15. How would being crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope have
helped Charlemagne be successful as a ruler?
It gave him political legitimacy in tying his image to the great Roman Empire of the
past, which had previously united most of Europe. And having the blessing and
approval of the Pope (who added “Holy” for the first time to the title) gave him
religious legitimacy in the eyes of his subjects. Many were of different ethnic or
regional backgrounds, but they were able to unite under Charlemagne because of
their shared Christianity.

16. The nobles referred to in the passage above were known as “missi
dominici.” What was the purpose of the missi dominici?
The missi dominici were administrators, often clergy or other members of the
Church, that Charlemagne sent out to help govern his large empire. They reported
back to him and tried to enforce justice and the proper following of the law.

17. Briefly summarize the anecdote above in your own words.

Charles wanted all the boys in his kingdom to be educated, even the poorer ones.
The poor and middle-class boys did better in their studies than the nobles did, and
Charlemagne promised to reward them. He wouldn’t give the noble boys special
favors simply because of their birth.

18. From the above excerpt, what can you tell about Charlemagne’s views
and policies on education and classical Roman knowledge?
Charlemagne believed that education was very important and tried to increase it
throughout his empire. He especially valued classical Roman traditions and
knowledge, and tried to keep it from dying out.

19. Describe Charles’ policy in giving land away to his subjects (the basis of
feudalism). How might this help him be successful as a ruler?
He didn’t give away land or holdings to people just because they were high-ranking;
he did it for a specific purpose. This made him seem fair to his subjects but also
helped him. Sometimes his purpose in giving more land to someone was to help
strengthen his borders against invading enemies and sometimes that was to help
ensure fidelity or loyalty from subjects. This became the basis for the feudal system,
which students will learn about in the next lesson.

20. Assess: How “great” was Charlemagne the Great? Use plenty of specific
evidence.
Students may take either side of the argument as long as they are using and
analyzing appropriate and specific examples.