Middle Ages: Politics & governance- Charles the Great

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• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Early Middle Ages

Politics & Governance 

by Clovis and Charles the Great (Charlemagne)

Learning goals

I can explain background information from the time before the period of Charles the Great.

I can explain briefly who Charles the Great is and what he did   regarding politics & governance

I can explain the relationships between the (Christian) Church and the nobility/king(s)

Background info:

Troubled times in Europe

500-800

• There were many wars after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
• Traveling was dangerous so most people lived in (small) villages, trading over long distance stopped.
• Big cities, like Rome, were not there (anymore)

Frankish king: Clovis (466-511)

Managed to unite all the Franks into one Frankish Empire.

How?

Two reasons:

1) Good army leader and defeated many enemies

2) He worked closely together with the Christian Church in Rome.  --> Why? They could help Clovis govern his empire, because they were educated and had become very powerful!

''If you keep them stupid, I will keep them poor''

Charlemagne / Charles the Great

King of the Frankish Empire

Such a big empire ... that was difficult to manage!

But why actually?

Problems:

1. Huge distances in the realm (difficult to defend)

2. Bad roads and bridges

3. Bad communication (all by horse and letter)

4. No money (only trading goods)

Solutions of Charlemagne:

1. Charles and his court moved from castle to castle (sleepovers!)

2. The Feudal system

Feudalism

A feudal lord divides his kingdom into pieces. He has each piece steered by a vassal. The vassal may do whatever he wants on the piece of land (a loan), but he must:

1. swear allegiance to the king

2. govern and administer justice

3. pay tax every year

4. help in the wars of the king

Manorial

system!

Manorial

system!

Possible sample test question: Complete the pyramid below

vassal

feodal lord:

Charlemagne

The loan (the land) that the vassal gets 'on loan'.

The Four Duties of a Loaner:

1.He had to swear allegiance to the king;

2.He had to administer his territory and administer justice there;

3.He had to pay taxes to the king annually;

4.When there was war in the Empire, he had to fight with his own soldiers in the king's army.

The vassal swears allegiance to his feudal lord, Charlemagne.

The Frankish Empire falls apart:

• After the death of Charlemagne and his son Louis, the empire was increasingly divided and divided and divided ...
• The nobles who ruled these areas sometimes "forgot" that they still had this area officially on loan from their feudal lord!

What is a disadvantage of the feudal system?

1. The borrowed land was seen as property by the lender
2. The king had too little land to lend
3. There were too few vassals
4. After Charlemagne, the loan system disappeared

What is a good example
of the feudal system?

1. The king rules his country all by himself.
2. The king has ministers who advise him on the governance of his country.
3. The king has nothing to say about the government of his country.
4. The king has divided his land into twenty parts. Each piece is controlled by a friend of his.

What duty does a vassal have?

1. He should do whatever he likes in his area.
2. He has to get up early every morning.
3. He must pledge allegiance to his liege lord.
4. He must lend parts of his territory to subcontractors.

This image from the thirteenth century promises
a feudal loyalty to Charlemagne.

Is this statement right or wrong?
The man on the far left of the picture
is Charlemagne

1. Right
2. Wrong

Homework for next lesson

Finish reading par. 4.2- Emperors, kings and lords

Make a summary of the most important terms of chapter 4.2

You will need this summary for the upcoming lesson

Finish ex. 7 to 13 on pages 26 & 27 of your book

What have you learned about Charles the Great (Charlemagne)?
Write down two things.