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Ancient Foundations Marshall High School Unit Five AH * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization

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Ancient Foundations Marshall High School Unit Five AH * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization The Dark Ages Marshall High School Mr. Cline Western Civilization I: Ancient Foundations Marshall High School Unit Five AH * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Introduction to Clovis • France has given the world some very memorable leaders. • There's Napoleon, • Joan of Arc, • and Marie Antoinette, just to name a few. • Ironically, the guy credited for being the first to unite the ancestors of modern-day France, is not nearly as famous as those we just listed. • His name is Clovis, and today we're going to give him the spotlight he deserves. • Now, before we dive into the details of Clovis and his Merovingian Dynasty, we should probably acknowledge that most of you have never heard of the guy. • To simplify things, and to make this guy more memorable, we'll just concentrate on three things. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Introduction to Clovis • First, Clovis established the Merovingian Dynasty. • Second, he established Catholicism as the major religion of Western and Central Europe. • Lastly, his dynasty brought cultural advancement to the areas he ruled. • Unification of the Franks • Let's get started with Clovis the Conqueror. • Clovis the Conqueror was a member of a Germanic tribe known as the Franks. • The Franks inhabited the territory of Gaul, now modern-day France, and parts of Germany. • Although the people of this area were all called Franks, there were sub- groups among them. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Unification of the Franks • For instance, there were the Salian Franks, of whom Clovis was a ruler. • These Salian Franks were very militaristic and subdued the other groups to form the Merovingian Dynasty. • Although Clovis' father was the first official ruler of this dynasty, historians traditionally give Clovis the nod as its first major leader or founder. • He gets this title because he used the military might of his Salian Franks to unite all the Franks, not just some, into one kingdom known as Francia. • Conversion to Catholicism • Not only did Clovis unite the Franks under one crown, he also united them under one religion. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conversion to Catholicism • Not only did Clovis unite the Franks under one crown, he also united them under one religion. • Although many of the details of Clovis' reign are sketchy, history holds that he converted to Catholicism sometime around the year 496 AD. • In doing this, he established the precedence for future Frankish kings to rule under the Catholic faith. • Since Gaul also had non-Frankish Catholics living within its borders, this helped to ease the tensions between the groups. • In short, if people were going to be forced to submit to Frankish rule, at least they were ruled by a fellow Catholic. • His conversion to Catholicism also gave him close ties to Catholic Rome. • Although the Roman Empire had lost most of its power, the Papacy, or the office of the Pope, was still a force to be reckoned with. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conversion to Catholicism • On converting, Clovis gained himself an ally in the Church and could count on their support and their aid. • Clovis also used his ties with the church to control the Frankish nobility. • Those of the upper-class who supported his Merovingian Dynasty were appointed high positions within monasteries and the church. • Those who donated land to the Church were also given something akin to our modern-day tax breaks. • In rewarding those who gave him and his faith allegiance, Clovis and his Merovingian Dynasty spread Catholicism across Western and Central Europe. • To this day, France remains a predominately Catholic nation. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Cultural Advancements • As Church influence grew within the Merovingian Dynasty, cultural advancements in the arts also grew. • This was especially true in the Dynasty's architecture. • Under Clovis' dynasty, churches and monasteries began mixing the styles of old Rome with architecture from the north, specifically places like modern- day Armenia, and even Syria. • Clovis' Franks also began placing ornate stone coffins behind the altars of their churches, a practice still seen today. • This styling was brand new, never before seen in the churches of Rome. • Along with architecture, the Merovingian Dynasty was also known for its skill in stonemasonry and glass working. • So much so, that areas of modern-day England began using Frankish craftsman to build their churches. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Cultural Advancements • In doing this, the craftsman of Clovis' Dynasty put their stamp on the European continent. • Clovis' France of today continues to be a hub of artistic appreciation and talent. • Decline of the Dynasty • Although Clovis was a man of great power who united the Franks, his Merovingian Dynasty only stood for about 300 years. • One main reason for this was simply how the Dynasty was structured. • In accordance with Frankish tradition, a ruler's holdings were always divided amongst his sons. • Since Clovis had four sons, the lands he worked hard to unite were split four ways. • Before long, conflicts and all-out wars between Clovis' descendants became commonplace. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Decline of the Dynasty • As each generation passed, the monarchies became weaker and weaker. • Adding to this internal strife, the Merovingian Dynasty also faced enemies from outside its borders. • Facing external attacks from the Slavs, Muslims, and Lombards, the Dynasty continued to weaken. • Finally, in the mid-8th century, Childeric III, the last Merovingian ruler, was actually deposed by the Pope signaling the end of Clovis' line on the Frankish throne. • These two conflicts, internal division and outside threats were what would lead not only to the end of the Merovingian Dynasty, but also to the birth of an even greater dynasty, and the security of a future clearly identifiable western European civilization. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conflicting Heirs • The internal strife of the late Merovingian dynasty resulted in many a Merovingian king assuming the throne at a very young age. • As a result, they often needed strong men to serve as their guardians and protect them from the rest of the family, their competitors for the throne. • These strong men often maneuvered themselves into serving as the real “power behind the throne” or as de facto kings, rulers without the title. • Most of them took on the Latin title Major (mayor) Domo (house), or Mayor of the Palace. • A sub division of the Franks known as the Austrasians (German for eastern land), led by a powerful chieftain named Pepin the Middle Heristal (the middle son of his father’s three) eventually succeeded in securing the title of Mayor of the Palace permanently for his family. • Upon his death, his only surviving son Charles Martel became Mayor of the Palace. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conflicting Heirs • And Charles would make a “pounding” impression! • Charles began by defeating his nephews who had claimed to be the rightful Mayors, and supported a different Merovingian claimant • They supported Childopric II • Charles supported Chlotar IV • When Chlotar died, Charles captured Childopric and made him king, and when he died Charles appointed Theuderic, IV, the infant son of a former king, Dagobert III, to the throne. • This should demonstrate what his power actually was, as it is he who is appointing who should be king, not the current king! • Charles was also very concerned about what was happening over the Pyrennes Mountains on the Iberian Peninsula * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conflicting Heirs • The muslim Ubayyad dynasty that ruled Northern Africa had pushed across the Meditterannean 22 years earlier and destroyed the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania setting up their own emirate, or state, called Andalus. • Just as they had spread Islam throughout the east of the old Roman empire, they were determined to do throughout the west of it as well. • Ali Abdul Rachman was the Emir of Andalus, and brought his forces over the Pyrrennees into Gascony, the modern day south of France and swept through it. • Western records of the battle state that only God could count the dead. • He next faced Duke Odo of Aquitaine, and though Odo had beaten the Muslims 10 years earlier, this time they wept through his lines, and so, in desperation, he swore himself as a vassal to the Franks to encourage them to enter the fight. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conflicting Heirs • However, Charles may not have needed much encouragement. • In examining the geo political outlook of the Francia years earlier, he had predicted that the Muslims posed a strong threat, and in order to prepare for them had done some pretty unusual things for the time. • For one, he convinced his people to join a standing army that was in continual existence • Most soldiers in Europe were only part time and served in between planting and harvesting as they were mostly farmers. • As a result, European armies were often poorly trained. • Secondly, in order to pay for this standing army, which was very expensive, he confiscated and taxed church lands. • This made the church very upset with him, and he came close to being excommunicated. * Frankish History: Clovis and the Merovingians and the Birth of Modern Western Civilization • Conflicting Heirs • However, he narrowly avoided this with a last minute trip to Rome where he managed to convince the Pope of the threat.
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