The formation of Kingdoms Barbarians
The formation of Kingdoms Barbarians
1. The barbarian kingdoms
The political history of Europe in the Middle Ages is characterized, in the East, the expansions and contractions of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) and the Arab Empire (Islam). In the West, it is the story ofKingdoms barbarians of Germanic origin, formed from the fifth century within the ancient boundaries of the Roman Empire in the West.
The Vandals settled in North Africa (Tunisia and Algeria today), under the leadership Genserico. This kingdom was absorbed by the Byzantine Empire in the mid-sixth century, during the reconquest of Justinian. In the following century, the region would pass to the control of the Muslims.
The Ostrogoths, established in the Italian Peninsula, sought to keep the Roman traditions under their king Theodoric; but the conquest of Italy by the Byzantine Empire ended the ostrogótica monarchy. In its place was installed a Byzantine administration in Italy, with its capital in Ravenna (Exarchate of Ravenna). However, barely completed the Byzantine occupation, the Lombards (another Germanic people) invaded northern Italy, establishing their capital in Pavia.
The Visigoths, who dominated Spain and throughout the South of Gaul, were driven out of the latter by the Franks. In 711, the Moors (North African Arab) began the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, where they founded the Caliphate of Cordoba under Abder-Rahman.The Visigoths retreated to the north, which remained an independent state under the name of Kingdom of Asturias.
Britannia was occupied by three Germanic peoples . The Jutes settled in the south and founded the Kingdom of Kent. The Saxons also settled in the south, giving rise to the Kingdoms of Essex, Wessex and Sussex. TheAngles settled in the center and northeast of the country, where they created the kingdoms of East Anglia, NortCimbria, Bernicia and Deira (the latter two meeting later forming the Mercia). This set of seven monarchies constituted the heptarchy Anglo-Saxon. The unification of these small states, completed in 902, would come to England.
2. The Frankish kingdom and the Carolingian Empire
The Merovingian (481-751)
Clovis, the grandson of a tribal chief named Meroveus, was the first king of the Franks (481-511), founder of the dynasty of the Merovingian. Under his leadership, the Franks created the most important of all the kingdoms barbarians.
Before Clovis, the Frankish tribes formed two groups: the Salian Franks, along the Channel, and Ripuarian francs, located further inland.After assuming the leadership of the Salian Franks, Clovis entered the Franks Ripuarian.Then conquered the kingdom of Syagrius, Roman general who had founded their own state in the west of Gaul. In 496, hit the Alemanni east of Galia at the Battle of Tolbiac - at which converted to Christianity - and, with the help of borgúndios, drove the Visigoths back of the Pyrenees. Later, back would against borgúndios own and append his kingdom, located in the southwest of Gaul.
The Clovis' baptism was held in Reims, along with 3,000 of his warriors. This religious ceremony brought built an important political significance: the majority of the population of Gaul (Gallo-Romans) was a Christian, and Clovis understood that only by converting to Christianity would get their membership. Thus the Church has become an ally in the expansion of the power of Clovis - power that began to emerge from simple praise of warriors to ratification by religious power.
In addition, Visigoths and borgúndios had adopted Arianism - a heresy condemned by the Church. For this reason, the Clovis wars to unify Gaul had the support of the Papacy itself, interested in suppression of that heresy.
The divisions of the Kingdom of the Franks (511-687)
With the death of Clovis, in 511, the kingdom of the Franks was divided into four parts, according to the Germanic custom to distribute the deceased's property among his sons men, without regard to primogeniture. Sharing weakened the Frankish monarchy, since the heirs began to fight each other. unifications partial followed and new divisions, with the Merovingian feuding constantly.
Gaul remained divided for a long time, except for the reign of Dagobert I, who could govern alone of 629 to 639. The most important francs States were Austrasia and Neustria.
The mayors of the palace (640-751)
After the death of Dagobert, the power of the Merovingian declined. The sovereigns of this period, both of Neustria and the Austrasia, have virtually ceased to govern, delegating their authority to a senior official: the mayor's palace (palace) or . Major domus The mayors took power in fact and marginalizing the kings - known since then as indolent kings.
In Austrasia, Heristal cucumber got the post of major domus to take hereditary. In 687 he won in battle the domus Major Neustria, establishing a de facto union between the two Kingdoms. His son, Charles Martel (or Martel) in 721 definitively unified the kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria, by imposing a single monarch and constituting the geopolitical entity would be known by the name of France.Carlos won the Hammer nickname after crushing the Arabs in Poitiers (732), stopping the advance of Islam on Europe.
With the death of Charles Martel in 740, he became mayor of the palace his son Pepin the Short. In 751, with papal approval, cucumber admitted the last Merovingian in a convent and became hail king of the Franks at Soissons.The coronation was performed by Pope Stephen II, to emphasize the divine origin of royal power.
In return the pontiff's support, Pepin led an expedition to Italy against the Lombards who threatened Rome and the Papacy. The lands taken from the Lombards were donated by Pepin to the Church, forming the Patrimony of St. Peter - the core of the future of the Church states.
The Carolingian Empire (800-843)
When Pepin died in 768, the throne was shared by his sons Charles (later Charlemagne) and Carloman. He died three years later, and Carlos went to reign alone.
Charlemagne was the most warlike of the Christian rulers of the High Middle Ages .Under the pretext to expand the Christian faith, he took the war to the Muslims of Spain and the pagans of Germffitia. In Italy, reopened the fight against the Lombards, subjecting them and taking them to the Crown Iron (crown containing an internal ring of iron which, according to tradition, was merged with one of the nails that crucified Jesus). The territory of the Lombards was incorporated into the domain of Charles, with the name of Kingdom of Italy - located between the Alps and the Patrimony of St. Peter (the latter was confirmed as pontifical domain). In the Iberian Peninsula, the Frankish ruler held a wide strip of land beyond the Pyrenees, there creating the brand of Spain.
The most violent war of conquest and conversion was conducted against the Saxons of Germany. Whole tribes were annihilated; but Carlos was able to extend its authority to a vast region, corresponding approximately to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic today.
As he had done in Spain, the sovereign franc created in Germania some brands (border areas under the civil and military administration of a marquis), designed to contain the attacks of the peoples of Eastern Europe. One, set on the Danube, would lead to Austria.
The achievements of Charlemagne expanded Christianity and expanded the area of influence of the Church. Grateful to frank monarch, Pope Leo III crowned him in Rome on Christmas 800, with the title of Emperor of the Romans, Constantine's successor. Formally, the reborn Roman Empire of the West, disappeared in 476. But the new state, whose boundaries do not coincide with those of his predecessor, would be historically known by the nameCarolingian Empire.
The domains of Charlemagne had as a center of government the imperial palace. There the officials lived, chosen by the emperor and dismissed his will: the Count Palatine was the head of administration; the arquicapelão was the ecclesiastical affairs; the Chancellor of legislation and foreign relations; the chamberlain kept the treasure chamber; the steward took care of the supply; finally, the constable organized military forces.
The Empire was divided into counties - administrative regions governed by the earls and, in his absence, the vice-earls (viscounts).Land borders were divided into brands, governed by the marquis. Imperial inspectors called missi dominici circulated by the Empire, overseeing the performance not only of the Counts and Marquises, but also from the bishops.
In May Assemblies, all the great Empire, lay and ecclesiastical, were meeting to report to their administrations, discuss problems and take decisions - the final decision lying always the emperor (king before 800). Were written, then the chapter, laws evincing revival of state power.
Surprisingly for a monarch warrior and Germanic cultural roots, Charlemagne encouraged the intellectual activities. In his government there was an ephemeral cultural flowering that history would call theCarolingian Renaissance. Some schools were opened to teach the children of nobles to read and write; Their model was the School Palatina, installed in the very imperial palace.Religious with great intellectual prestige - as AIcuíno Saxon, the Franco Einhard and the Lombard Paul Deacon - were invited to teach and also instructed the literary production of the period.
The end of the Carolingian Empire
Louis the Pious, son and successor of Charlemagne died in 840. His death marks the beginning of the disintegration of the empire, as the throne was disputed by his sons Lotrio, the oldest and legal heir of the Empire, Luis and Carlos.
In 843, the Treaty of Verdun, the Carolingian Empire was divided: the western France was for Charles the Bald; the Eastern France, to Louis the German; Lothair, though recognized as emperor and overlord of the brothers, received a long but narrow territory, which included northern Italy and then extended to the Sea of the North, following the Rhine Valley. In the absence of a pre-existing name, incongruously State was called Lotharingia (restricted later in the track located north of the Alps).
The Lotharingia subsist for long. Lothair was succeeded by his son Lothair II (855-869), who just received the title of king of Lotharingia.After the death of Lothair II, his uncles Luis and Carlos divided among themselves the territory north of the Alps, leaving northern Italy as an independent kingdom. As for the title of emperor, it was granted by the popes to several family members of the Carolingian, without obeying a regular line of succession.The last emperor holder was Berenguer, who also bore the title of king of Italy and died in 924. By then, the imperial dignity completely lost its prestige.
The two remaining parts of the Carolingian Empire, western France and eastern France, would give rise to two major European states:France and Germany . France Western (ie France itself), the power of the great lords (counts) was strengthened to the point that one of them, Robert the Strong, came to take the throne, with the approval of their peers. In 987, when the last French Carolingian died without direct heirs, the nobility acclaimed king the Count of Paris, Hugh Capet, founder ofDynasty Capetíngios .
In France Oriental (or Germanic), the power of the dukes (heads of large territories) was very large. In 911, when the last German Carolingian died without a successor, the dukes decided to found the Kingdom of Germany, which would be an elective and not hereditary monarchy.The first king was Conrad, Duke of Franconia, elected by the dukes of Bavaria, Swabia and Saxony.
Henry the Fowler, Duke of Saxony, succeeded Conrado in 916. His military campaigns against Hungarians and Slavs had the power to create a certain unity between the people of Germany, foreshadowing the formation of the future Germany., Was succeeded by his son Otto I, with the agreement of the other dukes.In 962, Otto received the Pope John XII the title of emperor, beginning the Holy Roman Empire. This state, considered successor tothe Carolingian Empire and the Western Roman Empire, survived for more than eight centuries, to be extinguished by Napoleon in 1806.
Category: General history
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