101 Lecture 7 Feb 14

Question 1

Oncourse writing reminder

Brief correction:
Many of you referred to the church being a binding force in society due to people sharing a common system of belief.

This is simply not so.

Even by 900, most people still only Christian in name only.

Answer 1

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Question 2

Carolingian Empire

at its height, nearly recreated the western half of the old Roman Empire

Answer 2

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Question 3

Carolingian Europe:
Rural
Technologically and culturally backward, compared to Islamic and Byzantine worlds

No cities

Answer 3

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Question 4

Paris

7.5 acres
Wheaton: 400 acres

1 acre ~football field without the end zones

1 square mile is 640 acres

Answer 4

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Question 5

Carolingian subjects scattered rather evenly

small, individual farms

Primitive farming methods
Low crop yields

Little surplus; little trade

Answer 5

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Question 6

Carolingian world faced north

Trade on rivers: Rivers flow north.

Contact with England and Scandinavia over mediterranean and Byzantium

Answer 6

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Question 7

Greatest achievement:

Formation of a cohesive western cultural identity

People begin to think of themselves as European (without this term)
Identified as part of Christendom

Answer 7

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Question 8

Slide

Rise of the Carolingians

Under Merovingians, with no cities and little communication, governing had to be itinerant

Answer 8

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Question 9

Merovingian rulers traveled constantly, conquereing lands

Putting down rebellions
Enforcing laws
Raising funds

Answer 9

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Question 10

If king not around, there is no king

Royal decrees regularly ignored

Answer 10

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Question 11

Need for loyalty

Kings constantly giving away their territory to local warlords

Answer 11

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Question 12

Division of realm into petty states, based on number of heirs, exposed Frankish territories to internal strife

Later Merovingian kings: Do-Nothing Kings

Answer 12

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Question 13

Royal authority degenerating in 7th c.

Power goes to many warrior families

Answer 13

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Question 14

Slide

Chief of these warrior families: Carolingians

By middle of 7th c., had secured hereditary position of Mayors of the Palace for Austrasia

Answer 14

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Question 15

Position to control the patronage system

Thus they acquire a strong body of followers

Answer 15

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Question 16

By 687, Pepin of Heristal, patriarch of family, will undertake conquest of Neustria

De facto ruler of all nothern France

Merovingian ruler now nothing more than puppet

Answer 16

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Question 17

Slide

Carolingians consistently had only one son.

Pepin of Heristal had two young sons when he died. Also a bastard, older son: Charles Martel

Charles took control of gov’t in 714
Killed his half-brothers

Answer 17

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Question 18

Charles Martel
Ruthless and effective
Forged links with church
Cause of christianizing Europe

Answer 18

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Question 19

By 8th c., Christians (those for whom the faith was a living reality and who had no other gods but the Christian god) made up less than 1/2 the continental population

Answer 19

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Question 20

Shortage of priests

British missionaries

Boniface (becomes St Boniface) most important: brings English monasticism and scholarship to continent

Answer 20

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Question 21

Frankish church corrupt

Carolingians will work on reforming the church

This will end up culminating in the Great Church Reform

Answer 21

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Question 22

730s Charles Martel begins a new policy

His power depends on ability to reward supporters
People of Europe feeling threatened by the Islamic conquests
Increasingly isolated from Byzantines

Answer 22

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Question 23

Charles decides to confiscate the lands of churches and parcel them out to those loyal to him

Lots of land. New source of wealth for Charles

Drastic times, drastic measures

Answer 23

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Question 24

Slide

Islamic threat to the south

Muslim expeditionary force had attacked Gaul in 732 heading for Tours, the greatest pilgrimage site in Frankish lands

Charles defeats Muslims

New hero of Christendom

Answer 24

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Question 25

Slide Charles Martel dies 741 Had greatly expanded and centralized Frankish lands Left two sons One goes to monastery (Monte Cassino) Slide Power goes to younger: Pepin the Short (r. 741-768)

Answer 25

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Question 26

Pepin writes to pope Tired of being power behind the throne Shouldn't the one actually ruling be king?

Answer 26

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Question 27

Pope Sacharias declares teh last Meroginvian king (Childeric) deposed

Answer 27

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Question 28

Slide Pepin repaid the pope Marched his army into Italy and defeated the Lombards, who were attacking the Church Gave the central portion of the peninsula to papacy as an autonomous state

Answer 28

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Question 29

Pople spiritual leader Also direct political leader now: Papal State Problem: some of that land had belong to Byzantium.

Answer 29

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Question 30

Slide Scribe at papal court composes a forged document: Donation of Constantine Legend that Constantine, when he moved to Constantinople, granted the pope dominion over the entire western half of Roman Empire

Answer 30

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Question 31

Donation formed bases of papal political claims for next 500 years Genuineness of a document in the contents, not the form.

Answer 31

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Question 32

Carolingian relations with papacy grow closer under Pepin's son, Charles (Charlemagne) r. 768-814

Answer 32

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Question 33

Slide Carolingian popes and rulers legitimate each other's authority Develops the idea of a superarching western Christian state Charlemagne the leader of this new society: Christendom

Answer 33

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Question 34

Charlemagne | Personal mission to complete the Christianization of Europe

Answer 34

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Question 35

Two unshakeable believes 1. Christian God 2. his own duty to reunite all territories of former western Roman empire

Answer 35

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Question 36

Charlemagne's unification was more than conquest | political, social, religious, and intellectual reforms

Answer 36

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Question 37

Began by trying to subjugate the Saxons In 3 years reduces rulers to obedience 777 swear allegiance Mass baptism

Answer 37

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Question 38

Slide 778 Attack on Muslim Spain Gets as far as Zaragoza Turned back. But that territory remained free. Became known as Spanish March. Develops into county of Barcelona Basque renegades ambush Charlemagne's rearguard Song of Roland

Answer 38

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Question 39

Slide Expands to north and east Saxons rebel again, revert to paganism On one day in 782, he orders beheading of 4500 Saxon prisoners, then went to Easter Mass Takes 20 more years to subdue Saxons 100 more years to complete their Christianization

Answer 39

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Question 40

Conquers in the East Easter March becomes Austria (Ostmark) Hungarian Avars; Slavs in Balkans Lots of wealth here

Answer 40

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Question 41

Slide By 800, of the lands once part of western Roman Empire, Charlemagne master of all but Spain, England, and southern Italy

Answer 41

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Question 42

Slide Symbolic climax of this reunification Christmas Day 800 Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne emperor in Rome

Answer 42

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Question 43

This Carolingian dominion and Franco-Papal alliance a fundamental turning point in European history Independence from Byzantine Empire Claim of equality with and succession to it

Answer 43

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Question 44

West declared itself free of Eastern control Subsequent medieval emperors define their political legitimacy and policies through relationship to Charlemagne; not the Greeks

Answer 44

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Question 45

Slide Charlemagne's real power more limited Court remains itinerant Constantly traveling

Answer 45

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Question 46

Slide Absence of a money economy No professional civil service No standing army or navy No network of roads and bridges

Answer 46

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Question 47

Carolingian administration Blend of civil, military, and eccl authority

Answer 47

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Question 48

Slide Capitularies Charlemagne's laws eccl and doctrinal matters as well as taxation, diplomacy, etc.

Answer 48

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Question 49

Creation of administrative units: counties (counts) Non-heridatry Merit-based

Answer 49

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Question 50

Slide Traveling court officials Missi Dominici Primitive, but first system of European-wide justice and stability since the 3rd century

Answer 50

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Question 51

Daily Life Largely does not change A little more peace A lot more pressure to accept Latin christianity Slide Divisions after death of louis the pious

Answer 51

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