Charles Martel

 Nicknamed “the Hammer”

 Military conquests
 Battle of Tours, defeats the Saracens
 Took Lyons, Vienne, Valence, and Durance
 Took Avignon, drove out the Moslems from his conquered
lands
 The Church regarded him as “saviour of Christendom” - mostly
he fought for the Church because it was rich and would be
able to fund his wars
 Before his death, he divided his land between his 2 sons
Carloman and Pepin
 Pepin III
 Brothers Pepin and Carloman rule together for 6 years starting
in 741, their military expeditions in Aquitaine, Alemannia, and
Bavaria are as brothers together
 In 747 Carloman gives up his land and becomes a monk
 Pepin becomes the only ruler
 Pepin suppresses revolt of the Saxons
 Elected king in 751 with pope’s support
 Expedition against the Lombards in 754 and 756
 Expedition into Aquitaine
 768 - dies and leaves his kingdom to his sons Charles and
Carloman
Charlemagne - “Charles the
Great”
 Reigned from 800-814
 In 771, seizes Carloman’s kingdom upon his death
 Crowned emperor in 800 - and promised to protect the papacy
 Reign characterized by openness to science and learning
 Military expeditions expanded the Frankish kingdom
 War on Saxons, Avars, and Saracens
 Tried to attack Spain as well but failed
 His goal was to establish a universal empire of the West
 Dies January 28 814 A.D.
 At this time the Carolingian empire was already falling into
decline, although it survives until 888 A.D.
 Governmental System
 Hierarchical society created for the means of controlling the
population and assisting task of government in the structure of
society
 Based off the Germanic tradition of loyalty
 king - controlled groups of vassals - vassi dominici were
especially faithful and loyal
 many landowners held land directly from the king
 immunity - granted by king as a means of avoiding royal
authority
 the immunist could collect taxes, and were responsible for
many of the court's functions- the immunist remained loyal
to their king and contributed to hierarchical society
 Role of the King
 The king’s role was a combination of Christian and Germanic
values
 The king had the authority and carried out the law as a
mission from God
 However the law was still seen as a representation of ancestral
customs- decisions still influenced by his advisors
 The law becomes written during this period - more practical,
and shows an improvement in administration
 Charlemagne issued decrees called capitularies that required
bannus (king's will) and consensus (people's agreement) - but
often the consensus portion of the decree was forced
 this idea is based off of Germanic tradition - people had an
obligation to obey a rule but they could accept or reject it
Relationship with Constantinople
 Relationship between Frankish royalty and Roman empire was
very close
 king of Franks seems to act as agent of the pope, as protector
of Constantinople
 at the time iconoclasm - condemnation of sacred images - was
spreading throughout the Church and Constantine V (of
Byzantine) recruited Charlemagne for his cause
 Constantine VI betrothed to Charlemagne's daughter Rotrud
 Franco-Byzantine alliance lasts 6 years (781-787)
 motivations include being seen on equal terms with
Constantinople and more freedom militarily
 But new ruler Irene wants to reverse iconoclasm- Charlemagne
feels betrayed, the betrothal is called off, and the Byzantine
Empire and Frankish Empire become enemies
 The Carolingian Military
 One of the most
successful features of
the Carolingian
Empire
 Built upon good
leadership, good
supplies, and superior
numbers

7
 Service
 Age considered available for military service
was between 15-55
 King had the right to call on any freemen to
serve
 Those who had a mansus (landed estate of
between 25 and 40 acres) were required to
provide fighting equipment and supplies
 Infantry & Cavalry
 Composed of common freemen
 From a few thousand to as many as 100,000
 Rarely wore uniforms
 Trained to march in formation
 Horses of cavalry bred to carry warriors w/
heavy armor
 Horses had no stirrups, so the usual form of
attack was to fling the lance or thrust it into an
enemy
 Weapons/Equipment
 Catapults
 Horses
 Lance
 Sword

=
 Strategy
 Under Charlemagne, armies won without going
into combat at all – enemy surrendered w/o a fight
 Tried to get support from within the enemy
 Successful because armies were organized with
leadership of loyal and experienced officers
 Before Charlemagne, strategy was to raid and
conquer towns, but Charlemagne destroyed
enemy by destroying capital and army
 Core of army composed of pro warriors called
scara.
 Charlemagne’s army was more organized and
coordinated – practiced with mock battles,
sang/chanted as they marched (provided rhythm)
Economy
❖Work

❖Agriculture

❖Trades

❖Markets
• Work Policy – Charlemagne wanted the
population to be as large as possible, and
everyone to be working.
• Work Pattern – the nobility did not have
to work because the regular class would
have to work on their land. Men, women,
and children were required to work, from
dawn to dust (with increasing work
obligations).
 Agriculture
• The agriculture year –renamed months
correspond to agriculture activities.
• Grain – standardized measures for grain
• Oxen vs. Horse – used as draft animals.
• Planting – method of planting
• Field Rotation – followed a two-field
rotation.
• Livestock and Crops – predominated
• Harvesting – used a sickle, products
used for multiple purposes.
• Farm Setting – extremely uneven.
 Trades
• Mills – water mills were used.
• Cloth Production – wool and flax.
• Pottery – not very common or
important.
• Glass – an extravagance, not a necessity
• Metals – iron, gold & silver, bronze, and
other metals.
• Parchment – was very important, made
from animal skins.
• Wine & Ale – often produced at home.
 Markets
• Long-Distance Trade – existed mostly of
metals, but it disappeared.
• Coinage & Currency – coins were served for
several purposes.
• Economic Standard – loans and interests.
• Travels for Markets – by land and water.
• Overseas Trade – mostly with the Frisians.
• Canal Project – was a dream.
• Seaports – few existed, but declined.
Religion

• Charlemagne believed that the Roman

Church was the Roman Empire
• He prohibited worship of springs, trees, or
forests
–The worship of forest gods and pagan
practices were illegal
–In 785, anyone caught cremating the dead
would be condemned to death.
Religion
• Many people in the Carolingian empire believed
in superstition
– Magic, superstition, astrology, sorcery,
divination, and charms
– Women participated in more superstitious
activities than men
•Often blamed when things went wrong and
suspected of involvement with evil spirits or
the devil
• The Church’s crisis: lack of conformity to true
Christianity
– Widespread superstition and lack of proper
belief and ritual
 Religion
• Charlemagne’s vast empire made
uniformity in the Church especially difficult
but necessary
–Regional churches developed differences
through lack of communication
–Unity would provide:
• A commonality for everyone in the
empire
• A clear structure of morality and order
• Literate administrators
• A hierarchy throughout the empire to
make it easier to administer the king’s
wishes and commands
• Order to the empire
Religion
• Charlemagne’s reform of the Church
–He demanded that priests have good
manners and lead a just and fitting life
to set an example
–Priests could not be ordained without
examination
–It was recommended that priests be
able to preach in the vernacular, or
local language of their parishioners
 Religion
• Charlemagne’s doctrine and beliefs:
–Belief in one God
–The Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit
–Knowledge that God’s son Jesus was
begotten of the Holy Spirit out of the
Virgin Mary
–Baptism saves people from their sins
–The existence of eternal life
–Confession, repentance, and forgiveness
relieve one of daily sins
Education

• During the time when Charlemagne was coming to

take the throne
–Education was a very limited study of grammar
–Those who were not entirely illiterate had a very
poor knowledge of Latin and were unable to even
formulate a proper sentence
–There were very few qualified instructors and few
school books to use
 Education
• Educational reform under Charlemagne was a
prominent feature in the Carolingian Renaissance
• Ordered that schools be established in every
church and monastery so boys could learn to read
–Established a kingdomwide policy of education
–Aristocratic girls were occasionally taught to read,
but most were trained in household management
• Reintroduced the study of the seven liberal arts
• The study of grammar began with the Bible so that
children would learn to read along with basic
beliefs of Christianity
• Pagan literature was used to teach more advanced
grammar
Science and Knowledge
n Science

n Astronomy

n Influence from
the Roman and
Greek empire

n Science and Religion

n Encyclopedias
Medicine

n Medicine

n Medicine and Religion

Isidore of Seville
n Isidore of Seville

n Four Humors

n Pregnancy

n Nervous and Cardiovascular System

n Herbals

n Contraceptions

n Surgery
Leisure

Entertainment
Music
Drinking
Sports
n Hunting

n Archery

n Hawking

n Tournaments

n Board Games

n Needlework