The Fall of the Roman Empire The Roman

The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire, split but still at its height Mediterranean Sea

Invasions into the Roman Empire

The End When the barbarians, led by Odoacer, took command of Rome in A. D. 476, he removed the powerless emperor Romulus Augustulus This signified the end of the Roman Empire The entire border of the empire was in the midst of a brutal war Death, sorrow, slaughter, fires!!!!!

Rise of the Germanic Kingdoms

Rise of the Germanic Kingdoms Rome’s fall marked the end of the ancient world and the beginning of a new era This new era, which lasted until 1450, was known as the “the Middle Ages” Some historians have coined the early part of this era as the “Dark Ages” Little that was written in this period has been retained and come down to us

The Roman Empire is broken up. Barbarian groups create their own kingdoms.

A time of change Important changes took place in Europe New kingdoms were set up in the lands that the Germanic invaders had conquered One Germanic group called themselves the Franks or “the bold” 481 AD: A 15 -year-old warrior named Clovis became King of the Franks He led for 30 years and, through numerous wars and under his rule, the Frankish Kingdom expanded its borders. It included most of present-day Germany and France Clovis led the Franks into Christianity

Barbarian Kingdoms dominate much of Europe…

Power of the Church After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the only adopted sign of stability remaining from the old times was the church of Rome The church continued traditions such as using Latin and making Rome its center Monks began to establish religious communities known as monasteries across Europe These monks were devoted to preserving the ideas of ancient Rome and Greece as well as church writings

Church support for the Franks The church supported the Franks under Clovis It wanted to continue to serve Christians in the area ruled by the Franks For this to happen, the Church had to cooperate with the King of the Franks Once he was baptized and accepted the support of the church, Clovis was encouraged by church leaders to spread Christianity “Every battle you fight is a victory for us. ”

A New Royal Family The sons and grandsons of Clovis were poor rulers Argued among themselves far more than they focused on ruling the expanding kingdom A new family from within the King’s household rose to power The Mayors of the Palace, officials of the king, were the kingdom’s real rulers!

Charles Martel Also known as Charles the Hammer Defeated Muslim invaders from Spain at Tours, France This victory in 732 made him a hero!!! It is said that, with this victory, he saved Christianity in northern Europe 751 – Pepin, Martel’s son, asked the head of the church, Pope Zacharias, to recognize and bless him as king Pepin was the first King to rule with blessings of the church Pepin’s son Charles, who was called Charlemagne, would also rule with the church’s support

Charlemagne’s Empire 768 AD – Charlemagne’s rule began, dominated by war – fighting and expanding east, south, and north Defeated opponents were forced to accept the Roman Church and swear loyalty to him as their new ruler 800 AD – Pope in Rome crowned Charlemagne emperor of the western Roman Empire, known to us as the Holy Roman Empire. Following the death of Charlemagne, his territory was split in three amongst his three grandsons. These three men were not as adept at running the empire as their grandfather was.

Upon his death, Charlemagne’s Empire split among his three grandsons, into three separate kingdoms Vikings and Muslims begin raids throughout Europe…

Charlemagne’s Empire collapses Under the ineffective rule of Charlemagne’s grandsons, the empire began to crumble Each individual kingdom came apart as landowners became more independent As Europe continued to break up into smaller kingdoms, the people looked to local lords to defend them Particularly important since 3 groups were ready to invade: Magyars Muslims [from the south] Vikings [from the north]

The Vikings The strongest group, the Vikings, sailed from Scandinavia and into coastal villages throughout Europe, plundering, killing, burning, and taking prisoners. A nomadic group of warriors, they never stayed long in one place, and local armies did not arrive in time to stop them. Soon the Vikings set up camps from which they raided the countryside