The Franks Essay Research Paper The last — страница 2

  • Просмотров 180
  • Скачиваний 5
  • Размер файла 15
    Кб

following century it went through several divisions and reunifications until finally consolidated by Clotaire II in 613. Shortly after his death, however, the kings ceased to exercise any influence, and authority passed into the hands of the great officers of the state, mostly notably, the mayor of the palace(major domus). In the eastern part, Austrasia, however, a powerful family, the Carolingian, arose which retained exclusive possession of the palace morality for more than 100 years.(Winston 77) In 687 Pepin of Herstal, the Austrasian mayor of the palace, overthrew the forces of Neustria(the western part) and Bourgogne, setting himself up as major domus of a united Frankish kingdom. His son, Charles Martel, extended the frontiers of the kingdom in the east and in 732 repelled

the Moors in a decisive battle fought at a site between Tours and Poitiers. Frankish power attained great development under Charles Martel s grandson, Charlemagne, who in his time was the most powerful monarch of Europe. On December 25, 800, he was crowned Carolus Augustus, emperor of the Romans, by Pop Leo III. Charlemagne s imperial title was later borne by the Holy Roman emperors until the early 19th century. His Frankish lands developed into the kingdom of France, which is named for the Franks.(Ibid) The Carolingian decline after Charlemagne, followed the same pattern as the Merovingians after Clovis. The same type of partition of lands resulted in the area roughly equivalent to medieval France being assigned to the Frankish emperor Charles II. He and his descendants held an

ever-weakening grip over the kingdom against invading Vikings and predatory lords. Over the shrunken French state, the Capetian dynasty would achieve kingship by 987, and within the state the feudal system would flower.(McManus 48) Successive Barbarian incursions marked the last phase of the Western Roman Empire. Among these Barbarian groups were the Goths(Visigoths and Ostrogoths), the Alans, the Suebi, the Vandals, and the Franks. Only one of these, however, was able to establish a great and prosperous kingdom after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Dominating present-day northern France, Belgium, and Western Germany, the Franks established the most powerful Christian kingdom of early medieval Europe.