Medieval Europe

.

Franks emerge as the strongest of the Germanic tribes

400 - 450

Their empire was located in Northern France and Western Germany

Begin of Merovingian kings rule

457

--Got name from King Merowig
--Ruled until 752

Clovis becomes first Germanic ruler to accept Catholicism

481

Germanic invasions had all but destroyed the Western Roman empire

500

Trade declined, cities fell into decay, and law and order vanished

Charles Martel becomes the mayor of the palace

714

Charles Martel leads a successful defense against the Musilms

732

-- Ensures Christianity's role as Europe's dominant religion

His son, Pepin the Short, becomes king and strengthens ties with pope

752

Charlemagne's reign

771 - 814

During his reign, he:
--Nearly doubled size of Borders
--Encouraged the formation of schools

..

Pepin's son, Charlemagne, becomes king

771

Charlemagne crowned Roman emperor by the Pope

800

Charlemagne dies

814

His successors are unable to fill the void that he left

His 3 feuding grandsons agree to the Treaty of Verdum to divide the empire

843

Charles the Bald took present-day France, Louis the German took present-day Germany, and Lothair (who became Holy Roman emperor) took a strip of land from North Sea to Italy

Feudalsim

900 - 1200

--The decline of central government led to a new political system known as feudalism to spread through most of Europe
--Order of power

King
Barons
Knights
Serfs
--Feudalism was a highly localized form of government that stressed mutual aid between kings and nobles
--Warfare was frequent due to lack of strong central government

By this time, Vikings settle in North Atlantic

1000 - 1100

--Vikings even may have reached North America
--Decline of central government leads to start of Feudalism
--Economic life centered around agriculture

...

William, Duke of Normandy invades England at the Battle of Hastings

1066

--He won the English crown and earned the name William the Conquerer