The equivalent of the prime minister in the Kingdom of the Franks was called the mayor of the palace or major-domo. This position became more influential, and in 751 A.D. the major-domo Pippin I the Younger deposed the King of the Franks and occupied the throne. This created a problem of legitimacy for the new ruling family, the Carolingian dynasty.
The Pope needed help fighting the Lombard invasion of Italy. Pippin and his son Charles decided to help the Pope in order to gain his support. They therefore subdued the Lombards and gave lands to the church. In exchange, the Pope supported the Carolingians and legitimised their rise to power.
Charles, who came to the throne when his father died in 768 A.D., continued to expand his domains and in 800 A.D. he was crowned emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III. He received the title of Magnus (the Great) for maintaining control over extensive domains, and was known as Charlemagne. Charlemagne's dream was to rebuild the Western Roman Empire. He established his capital in Aquisgranum (modern-day Aachen, in Germany).
When Charlemagne died in 814 A.D., his son Louis the Pious succeeded him. Later on, Louis' sons fought over their inheritance and as a result of the Treaty of Verdun in 843 A.D., the Carolingian Empire was divided into various political units. This resulted in the division of France and Germania (the future Germany).
A century later, the German Emperor Otto I defeated the Magyars and Slavs and occupied the whole of Central Europe and part of Italy. He established the Holy Roman Empire, which was made up of various autonomous kingdoms.
The Carolingians governed from their palace with the help of the court, a group of trusted advisors. They appointed counts to govern the provinces, known as counties. The border provinces, which had a greater military presence, were divided into marches and governed by a marquis. Occasionally, more important strategic lands became duchies and were governed by a duke.
The emergence of Islam had disrupted trade routes between Western and Eastern Europe, making agriculture the only source of wealth.
Charlemagne and his successors rewarded their nobles with large estates or latifundia. The majority of the population were peasants. They worked the lands that belonged to the nobles or the church and were subject to their authority.
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Charlemagne brought the wisest people of the time to his court. The monks copied ancient texts so that these works would not disappear. These scribes devised a new rounded writing style which was easier to read: Carolingian minuscule. They did small drawings, called miniatures, in their books to illustrate the texts. This period of great cultural development is known as the Carolingian Renaissance.
A unique architectural style was also developed. It was called Carolingian and was characterised by the use of semi-circular arches and stone and brick walls, as can be seen in the Palatine Chapel at Aquisgranum.
Activity 29
Remember
Activity 30
Understand
Activity 31
Listen to the statements about the Carolingian Empire and choose true or false.
Activity 32
Analyse
Activity 33
Create
