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  • The Carolingian Empire > The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          4. The Carolingian Empire

          Talking Book
              
          image
          Equestrian statue of Charlemagne
          The Frankish king Charlemagne carried out numerous conquests and in 800 A.D. he became emperor. The Carolingian Empire did not last long, but it was the only time during the Middle Ages that the whole of Western Europe was unified.

           

          4.1. The origins and expansion of the Carolingian Empire

          Talking Book

          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.

          Video 7. Charlemagne the Great

          4.2. The political structure

          Talking Book
              
          image
          The Palatine Chapel at Aquisgranum

          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.

          4.3. The economy and society

          Talking Book

          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.

          THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE

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          4.4. Culture and art

          Talking Book

          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.

          Video 8. The Carolingian Renaissance

           

           

          1

          Activity 29
          Remember

          2

          Activity 30
          Understand

          3

          Activity 31
          Listen to the statements about the Carolingian Empire and choose true or false.

          4

          Activity 32
          Analyse

          5

          Activity 33
          Create

           
          The Carolingian Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 29

          0/4

          Remember

           

          Put these Frankish/Carolingian kings in chronological order.

          • 1. Louis the Pious

          • 2. Charlemagne

          • 3. Clovis

          • 4. Pippin the Younger

            3 attempts
          Done
          The Carolingian Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 30

          P

          Understand

           

          Why did the Pope legitimise the Carolingian kings even though they belonged to a dynasty that had removed the previous king from the throne?

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Carolingian Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 31

          0/5
          Listen to the statements about the Carolingian Empire and choose true or false.
          • a)
          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • b)
          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • c)
          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • d)
          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • e)
          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Carolingian Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 32

          P

          Analyse

           

          Look at the maps below and answer the questions.

               
          Charlemagne’s Empire   The Germanic kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century

           

               
          a) Look at the borders of Charlemagne’s Empire on the map and compare them to those on the map of the Germanic kingdoms.
          b) Did Charlemagne manage to control the same territories that were occupied by the Western Roman Empire?
          c) What differences can you find between the two maps?

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Carolingian Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 33

          P

          Create

           

          Use the Internet to find examples of Carolingian miniatures. Why was the work of the religious scribes so important? Write your answer and decorate it in the same way as the miniatures were done.

          Editor toolbarsBasic Styles Bold Italic Underline Strikethrough Text Color Background ColorParagraph Insert/Remove Numbered List Insert/Remove Bulleted List Decrease Indent Increase Indentparagraph2 Align Left Center Align Right Justify TableClipboard/Undo Undo Redo Insert Horizontal LineInsert Attach file

          Press ALT 0 for help
          (0 words)

            1 attempt
          Done