The Carolingian Empire
What is happening in the image?
Clue 1: Several of the people
surrounding Clovis are Christian
leaders.
Clue 2: Many people are
kneeling in prayer.
Clue 3: Clovis is in a basin filled
with water that has been blessed.
Clue 4: This event established a strong
bond between the Frankish kingdom
and the Roman Catholic Church.
Answer: Clovis is being baptized
and is therefore becoming a
Christian.
Territory of the Germanic Peoples

 Germanic people had begun to move into the lands
of the Roman Empire by the third century A.D.
 After years of decline the Western Empire fell,
replaced by a number of separate states ruled by
German kings.
 By 500, Germanic peoples had spread throughout
Europe.
Territory of the Germanic Peoples

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Territory of the Germanic Peoples

 The merging of Roman and German governments
took different forms in different Germanic
kingdoms.
 Clovis, a strong military leader, defeated
neighboring Germanic tribes and established the
Frankish kingdom in what is now France and
Western Germany.
 Clovis was the first Germanic ruler to convert to
Christianity, gaining him the support of the Roman
Catholic church.
Territory of the Germanic Peoples

 Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, became
king of the Franks in 768 and ruled until 814.
 Charlemagne greatly expanded the Frankish
kingdom, creating the Carolingian Empire.
 Counts helped administer the empire by
acting as the king’s local representatives.
 Missi dominici ensured that the king’s
orders were followed.
Charlemagne

 Charlemagne was a fierce warrior, strong ruler,
and pious Christian. He also worked to promote
learning throughout his kingdom.
 The Carolingian Renaissance revived
interest in the works of the Greeks and the
Romans.
 Monasteries played a central role in the
cultural renewal.
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

 The only contemporary description of Charlemagne comes
from his friend and courtier Einhard, who states he “was large
and strong, and of lofty stature, though not disproportionately
tall (his height is well known to have been seven times the
length of his foot); the upper part of his head was round, his
eyes very large and animated, nose a little long, hair fair, and
face laughing and merry. Thus his appearance was always
stately and dignified, whether he was standing or sitting;
although his neck was thick and somewhat short, and his belly
rather prominent; but the symmetry of the rest of his body
concealed these defects. His gait was firm, his whole carriage
manly, and his voice clear, but not so strong as his size led one
to expect.”
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
 In 800, the pope crowned Charlemagne
emperor of the Romans.
 The coronation strengthened the idea of an
enduring Roman Empire.
 It also symbolized the joining of Roman,
Christian, and Germanic cultures.
The Carolingian Empire
 At its height, Charlemagne’s empire covered
much of western and central Europe.
Charlemagne

Was Charlemagne, also
known as Charles the
Great, really GREAT?