The Fall of Rome
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Increasingly, the Western Roman Empire became the target of invasions by mostly Germanic barbarian tribes such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and the Vandals. This was because the Huns began pushing other barbarian tribes and expanding their territory. The tribes then moved into Roman Territory and took over the Roman land. In 376 CE, Gallic tribes that were native to the land of present-day France sacked Rome for the first time. In 402, the capital of the West 410 CE, and 455 CE, Germanic tribes sacked Rome and looted the city. This caused the city to fall into poverty and lose significant sums of wealth and population.
Many of these tribes were Roman Foderati, similar to both the Feudal System Europe would have in the next centuries and a mercenary system. They were tribes that were paid to defend the frontier because Roman armies would cost far more. However, as Rome ran out of money, the tribes invaded and took the frontier land for themselves. Economically, this shows that big empires cost exponentially more, both in money and energy, and this would resonate with the Frankish empire.
Eventually, in the year 476 CE, the Western Roman Empire finally fell. Odoacer, a Germanic chieftain, was promised land by the Roman Senate but was refused by Orestes, a general. Being lied to greatly angered Odoacer, and he led a mutiny of Orestes' troops. He then captured and subsequently executed Orestes and the remainder of his troops, which was very low in number. He then forced the Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, to surrender his crown. This made him control the entire Italian Peninsula.
The led to a severe fracturing of once what was a unified Europe under Rome. This caused the tribes of Europe to take over vast swaths of land and fight each other for it. The Visigoths had controlled modern day parts of southern France and northern Spain. The Ostrogoths controlled most of today's Baltic states. The Angles and Saxons migrated to Britain. They migrated because of more resources and land.
Culturally, most of the people in the area that was once Rome were Christian, but the people of the tribes were mostly Arians and not considered to be Christian by the Pope or the Catholic Church. This was a setback for many tribes, and eventually, the Frankish kingdom's Catholicism was a big boost for them in the eyes of the Pope and the people.
Many of these tribes were Roman Foderati, similar to both the Feudal System Europe would have in the next centuries and a mercenary system. They were tribes that were paid to defend the frontier because Roman armies would cost far more. However, as Rome ran out of money, the tribes invaded and took the frontier land for themselves. Economically, this shows that big empires cost exponentially more, both in money and energy, and this would resonate with the Frankish empire.
Eventually, in the year 476 CE, the Western Roman Empire finally fell. Odoacer, a Germanic chieftain, was promised land by the Roman Senate but was refused by Orestes, a general. Being lied to greatly angered Odoacer, and he led a mutiny of Orestes' troops. He then captured and subsequently executed Orestes and the remainder of his troops, which was very low in number. He then forced the Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, to surrender his crown. This made him control the entire Italian Peninsula.
The led to a severe fracturing of once what was a unified Europe under Rome. This caused the tribes of Europe to take over vast swaths of land and fight each other for it. The Visigoths had controlled modern day parts of southern France and northern Spain. The Ostrogoths controlled most of today's Baltic states. The Angles and Saxons migrated to Britain. They migrated because of more resources and land.
Culturally, most of the people in the area that was once Rome were Christian, but the people of the tribes were mostly Arians and not considered to be Christian by the Pope or the Catholic Church. This was a setback for many tribes, and eventually, the Frankish kingdom's Catholicism was a big boost for them in the eyes of the Pope and the people.
By the time that Odoacer took over the Western Roman Empire, it controlled little more than the Italian Peninsula. There were many reasons the Germanic tribes took over Europe, mostly because they already had clashed with Roman frontier troops but were bought off by their large treasury to help defend them in the Foederati system. The primary reason that the Germanic tribes took over Europe.
Odoacer and the Kingdom of Italy
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Odoacer, after overthrowing the Roman Emperor, took his crown to become the King of Italy. He adopted the title of Patrician and added Flavius to the beginning of his name. He saw himself as the legitimate heir to the throne of Rome, but the Pope never crowned him. This was because Odoacer was an Arian, not a Christian as defined by the Nicene Creed.
Odoacer was later killed in battle by Theodoric the Great, the King of the Visigoths. This further put Europe into turmoil because of the instability of rulers.
Odoacer was later killed in battle by Theodoric the Great, the King of the Visigoths. This further put Europe into turmoil because of the instability of rulers.
The Rise of the Franks
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The Franks were a Germanic tribe that lived in present day France and Germany. They had been living in Roman Gaul, along the Rhine River as a tribe since the 300s CE. There were many tribes of Europe that attacked Rome at the dawn of the fifth century CE. One of them was the Vandals who in 406, invaded Gaul (France). The Franks took this to their advantage and began taking over Roman frontier lands in today's northern France and Belgium. Economically, the Franks, like almost all societies in the Post-Classical era, depended mostly on agriculture. The lands in today's northern Belgium was very fertile at the time, and the agriculture made
By the fall of Rome, the Franks had already controlled almost all of northeastern Gaul. In 481, Clovis succeeded his father Childeric. He then took advantage of the disintegration of the Roman Empire and led the Franks in a series of wars that brought all of northern Gaul under his rule by 494. He stemmed the Alemannic migrations into Gaul from east of the Rhine. Clovis began conquering land in central and eastern Gaul, gaining Neustria in 486 and Swabia in 502. Clovis' Frankish empire was one of the only Catholic Christian kingdoms that were in western Europe. This is a cultural theme of the Franks. Their Catholicism was what eventually made the Pope want to crown Charlemagne emperor, which was similar to the Romans of the later half of the empire. This made the Pope believe that they were legitimate and not barbarians who could just fight war.
The Franks also preserved Christianity in Western Europe, and this was a large mark for their cultural identity. They did this by defeating the Muslim invaders at the Battle of Tours in 732. The Muslims had already conquered the Iberian peninsula and were pushing into Gaul. This also added onto their ability to state-build by conquering more land and administering it.
Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768 and began aggressively conquering land. His urge to begin state building was huge. He built the Frankish Empire quickly by invading other kingdoms in the area and conquering the land. In 800 Charlemagne was declared Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.
This caused anger in the Eastern Roman Empire, because Pope Leo III saw Charlemagne as the legitimate successor to the Western Roman Emperors. Charlemagne didn't want this at first, but the Pope desired Charlemagne to defend Western Europe from the growing threat in Western Europe.
By the fall of Rome, the Franks had already controlled almost all of northeastern Gaul. In 481, Clovis succeeded his father Childeric. He then took advantage of the disintegration of the Roman Empire and led the Franks in a series of wars that brought all of northern Gaul under his rule by 494. He stemmed the Alemannic migrations into Gaul from east of the Rhine. Clovis began conquering land in central and eastern Gaul, gaining Neustria in 486 and Swabia in 502. Clovis' Frankish empire was one of the only Catholic Christian kingdoms that were in western Europe. This is a cultural theme of the Franks. Their Catholicism was what eventually made the Pope want to crown Charlemagne emperor, which was similar to the Romans of the later half of the empire. This made the Pope believe that they were legitimate and not barbarians who could just fight war.
The Franks also preserved Christianity in Western Europe, and this was a large mark for their cultural identity. They did this by defeating the Muslim invaders at the Battle of Tours in 732. The Muslims had already conquered the Iberian peninsula and were pushing into Gaul. This also added onto their ability to state-build by conquering more land and administering it.
Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768 and began aggressively conquering land. His urge to begin state building was huge. He built the Frankish Empire quickly by invading other kingdoms in the area and conquering the land. In 800 Charlemagne was declared Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.
This caused anger in the Eastern Roman Empire, because Pope Leo III saw Charlemagne as the legitimate successor to the Western Roman Emperors. Charlemagne didn't want this at first, but the Pope desired Charlemagne to defend Western Europe from the growing threat in Western Europe.
After Charlemagne's death in 814, his son Louis continued the rule of the Frankish Holy Roman Empire which stretched from the Spanish Marches to what is now Germany and Austria. But this magnificient empire was too large and unwieldy to rule so shortly after Louis the Pious died in 840 the empire was divided, in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun, between three of Charlemagne's grandsons. After the death of Charles the Fat in 888, the Frankish Empire broke up into numerous Kingdoms and Duchies. Eventually the would be united again, albeit weakly, in the Holy Roman Empire.
Byzantine Reconquest
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Under the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in the mid 500s CE, the Byzantine Empire began reconquering much of the territories that were formerly part of the Roman Empire. This stemmed the Germanic peoples' hold of Western Europe temporarily. The Byzantines were pouring their money to war and administration of the newly conquered territories. The Byzantines did not try to retake Gaul, which was where the Franks were. However, the Byzantines and Franks still clashed briefly in the Gothic War. The Byzantine campaigns to retake Italy were extremely bloody, taking 5 million lives and also . This also made the local population migrate away from Italy because it was extremely ravaged. After Justinian's death, the new emperor, Justin II, did not spend much money on war, and the Lombards took over most of northern Italy without opposition. The Lombards took over Italy until the Franks took over Italy in 774.
Why were the Franks dominant?
Most Germanic tribes were very weak and didn't control much land individually. They had major problems:
The Franks were put at a perfect position. There were many factors including:
- Resources. Most kingdoms didn't have the economic power that the Franks did.
- Religion. Many of the tribes were Arian. Virtually all weren't Christian. The people, nor did the Catholic Church, saw them as legitimate because they were of a different religion they thought to be heretical (Arianism). Finally, the Byzantine reconquest of western Europe played a big role.
- Byzantine invasions of Western Europe. This destroyed much of the infrastructure and also annihilated the people of the Germanic tribes. State building took a huge step back due to this.
- The Muslim armies of the Umayyad Caliphate also played a big role in eliminating Germanic peoples from the Iberian peninsula and north Africa, where the Visigoths and Vandals were located. The Muslims were only beat by the Franks at the Battle of Tours.
The Franks were put at a perfect position. There were many factors including:
- They had a good connection religiously with the Catholic Church. The Pope saw Charlemagne as a legitimate successor to the Western Roman Emperor.
- They had good agriculture. Northern Gaul was very fertile and could be used to grow crops. This helped the
- They had a high population, and also had a direct succession of leadership for most of its history. They also stopped the Muslims from taking them out and also were barely affected by the Byzantine reconquests. This allowed them to build their empire by war and conquest by the most part, and solidify it through their strong culture and sound economy.
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Gascoigne, Amber. "History of Germanic People" History World. History World, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
Watkins. "The Germanic Peoples" San Jose State University. SJSU, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
"Gothic War" Find The Data, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
Odoacer. N.d. Euroatlas. Image. 04 Oct. 2016.
Byzantine Empire. N.d. Wikipedia. Image. 04 Oct. 2016.
Frankish Empire. N.d. Wikipedia. Image. 04 Oct. 2016.
Political Map of Europe 476. N.d. Melissa Snell. Image. 04 Oct. 2016.
"Odoacer." Hyperhistory. Hyperhistory, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.