The Frankish Empire

The Frankish Empire started off as a cluster of small kingdoms in what today is . It was united by Clovis I who founded the Merovingian . However, the more famous dynasty of the Frankish Empire was the . The first Carolingian King, Charles Martel, was famous for defeating the Muslims at the Battle of . It is this battle that many believe was the reason why did not become Muslim because Charles Martel managed to push the forces back into Muslim Spain and thus earned the respect of the . However, by far the most famous King was also called Carolus Magnus or Charles the Great. Charles expanded the empire from modern-day France to the Czech Republic, Italy, and Germany. Charlemagne also was on a quest to convert pagans to Christianity. However, he did it with brute force, for example, when he killed 4,500 during the Saxon Wars. But Charlemagne did more than just conquer, he also promoted learning among the peasants. In 800, he got Pope Leo to declare Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor. When Charlemagne died in 814, his son took the throne. He was also known however, for protecting from the Vikings, who were plundering Northern Europe for centuries. Now the Frankish Empire did not run-on primogeniture, the idea that the oldest son would inherit the kingdom. Instead, Louis had to split the Empire into 3 parts for his 3 sons. So, the Frankish Empire had to be split and so ended the only hope of a restored Rome. If you want to learn more about the collapse of the , I recommend watching a video made by Extra Credits. These guys make phenomenal videos on history so check them out. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ1jkjfRKJM