The Dark Ages

1. The Dark Ages Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance

2. Early Germanic Kingship from Clovis to Charlemagne • Early Frankish leaders had a sacred quality to them not really known in the Roman Empire • Many wore long hair that was not to be cut • They led war parties but were less comfortable running a government • In some Germanic sense, they appear like religious mystics who ruled reluctantly • At first, many were devoted to Wotan, the leader of the Germanic/Scandinavian pantheon of gods • To emphasize their mystical, almost prophet-like status, many rode donkeys instead of horses • Historians have called these Frankish men “the long-haired kings” and emphasize that kingship was not a German concept but a Roman one • Frankish kings like Clovis learned how to be kings by studying Roman history. They did not have an “emperor” mentality from their own culture Frankish royal throne

3. The Coming of the Carolingians • In France, the Merovingians ruled successfully for 250 years before being replaced in the 8th century by a new dynasty known as the Carolingians • The Carolingians greatly expanded the Frankish empire to include most of France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and parts of Italy • The Carolingians were also Franks, but by the time of Charlemagne the Franks had come to include a great variety of medieval peoples—Romans who continued to use Latin, established Frankish families who spoke Germanic dialects, and new Germanic arrivals from the East An early Frankish warrior on horseback

4. King Charlemagne • The most important Carolingian king was named Charlemagne (768-814), also called "Charles the Great“ • He was the son of Pepin the Short and the grandson of Charles Martel • At the height of his power in 800 A.D., he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope • He successfully expanded the kingdom of the Franks and defined what “king” meant for Europeans for generations to come • Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer, described him as pure of body and heart. Why did he emphasize both physical and moral purity? • Charlemagne took his role as a Christian king very seriously, and saw himself as the link between the Church and the people—he was a good Christian king A contemporary and realistic statue of Charlemagne (mid-800s)

5. Ties to the Papacy • The Carolingian kings and the papacy found it useful to work together • In the 8th century, the popes asked the Carolingians to defeat the Lombards • Pepin, Charles’ father, invaded Italy and conquered the Lombards in 754 • The pope anointed Pepin with oil as Samuel had anointed Saul in the Old Testament • In the year 800, Pope Leo III coronated Charlemagne, calling him Holy Roman Emperor Coronation illustration, 14th century manuscript

6. Holy Roman Emperor • Symbolically and legally, the coronation of Charlemagne reconstituted the Roman Empire in the West • From a religious standpoint, it made Charlemagne the protector of the Church • But Charlemagne was also given approval to act as the chief political ruler of Western Europe • Although future popes and emperors would argue about who was really in charge, this custom marked the beginning of the separation of Church and State in western thinking, making Europe a unique heir to Rome Idealized reliquary of Charlemagne, showing attributes of Emperor

7. A mutually beneficial relationship • The Carolingians benefited from their relationship with the papacy because it gave them political legitimacy and sacred authority • The papacy and church benefited through the Charlemagne’s financial patronage, which allowed the Church to: • educate priests for service • fund scribal centers, which copied classical works, the Bible, & commentaries of the Church Fathers • standardize liturgy • created new forms of writing and musical notation A monk works on a book

8. Expansion and Administration • The Carolingians ruled by military expansion. Charlemagne was a Germanic king who controlled warrior-aristocrats that survived by continually conquering new land: • Italian campaign: Conquest of Lombardy in 774 – carried out in alliance with Pope Adrian, following victory Charlemagne declared himself King of Lombardy. • Saxon Wars 771-804: A series of campaigns waged over nearly 30 years and 18 major battles. These wars concluded with Saxony incorporated into the Frankish Empire, and the pagan Saxons forced to accept Christianity. • Roncesvalles campaign: Iberia (Spain) in 777-778 – opportunity to spread Christendom; Charlemagne agreed to aid the Muslim governor of Barcelona in his conflict against the Emir of Cordoba. Hard pressed by Muslim forces, the Franks withdrew in 778. • Frankish-AvarWar791-796 – Charlemagne and his son, Pepin, fought the Avars in a long and bloody war which resulted in the subjugation of the Avars. • Slavic War798 – Charlemagne led a campaign against a Slavic group inhabiting what is now north-eastern Germany. Decisive victory.

9. Expansion and Administration cont • Charlemagne appointed counts to supervise local administration within his territories. These men; supervised the courts, collected tolls, administered crown lands, and taxed • Dukeswere appointed as military leaders. Bishops managed religious issues and controlled a few cities in place of counts • Charlemagne created a new coinage system based on silver • He administered the kingdom using written records and instructions called capitularies (An ecclesiastical or civil ordinance) • He sent representatives from his court (missi) on tours throughout the countryside to relay his instructions personally • He lived in the capital city of Aachen (Germany) but traveled around too, leading armies, supervising counts and dukes, and listening to complaints

11. Social Arrangements and Feudalism • Charlemagne had no standing army—power was built on the ability to assemble temporary armies each spring, win battles, and gain booty • To gain support, Charlemagne established feudal relationships with local nobles—he gave them land or power in exchange for their military support • This relationship was sealed with a formal oath, and the local noble became a vassal of the king King Charlemagne and his knights visit a duke

12. The Carolingian Renaissance • The Carolingian “Renaissance” is a rebirth of the artistic and scholarly activities which had been the crowning achievements of ancient Rome, but had been lost in the more primitive cultures of the early Middle Ages in Western Europe • This “rebirth” was fuelled by Carolingian wealth and the scholarly activity of Alcuin, a highly educated advisor of King Charlemagne An illustrated copy of the Psalms

13. Carolingian Miniscule • Over time, the Carolingians developed a new, clearer way of writing Latin called Carolingian Miniscule • Previous texts were all uppercase, without punctuation or spaces • The new minuscule script was written in upper and lower case letters and abbreviations • Several monasteries then specialized in the production of hand copied texts using the new method—books became popular again A 9th century Carolingian text

14. Carolingian Musical Notation The Carolingians were the first to introduce musical notation in Europe, at first just tiny squiggles without a staff along side Gregorian Chant Later texts featured staffs and polyphony (harmony), such as this 12th century text

15. Carolingian Art • Carolingian artists embellished church interiors, created statues, and executed wall paintings like late Romans artists • They excelled especially at painting and decorating sacred manuscripts, such as this liturgical book for the Mass, created during the reign of Charles the Bald (d. 877), grandson of Charlemagne • Note the geometric patterns reminiscent of Byzantine, Islamic or medieval Irish art

16. Carolingian Law • Charlemagne was the most systematic among the Franks in creating laws that could be consistently administered through his Empire • The laws were written in Latin and carried by missi throughout the realm. Local courts enforced them • For example, the Saxon Capitularies (775-790) listed numerous laws for a newly conquered Germanic (pagan) group called the Saxons in North Germany, including the following law: 16. “All infants shall be baptized within a year… and if any one shall have despised to bring his infant to baptism within the course of a year, without the advice or permission of the priest, if he is a noble he shall pay 120 solidi to the treasury, if a freeman 60, if a litus 30.”

17. History, Literature, and Court Culture • The importance of writing history and literature were restored, and Carolingians created their own literary works, as well as copying and preserving the writings of the ancient world • Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne is a good example of Carolingian history writing (compare with Plutarch’s Life of Alexander) • After the 774 invasion of Italy, Carolingian court culture became an imitation of Italian court culture • Alcuin, an English scholar (York) who organized education and writing at Charlemagne’s court, was the primary innovator Interior of Charlemagne’s Aachen Cathedral, 805 A.D.