O Carolingian Empire was formed from the coronation of Cucumber the Short, in 751, although it is considered that his father, Carlos Martel, was already powerful enough, despite not being king. The Carolingians were a dynasty that was part of the Frankish Kingdom and replaced the decaying Merovingian dynasty.
O Carolingian's main reign was that of Charlemagne, characterized as a real attempt to restore a grandiose empire such as the Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne reformed the kingdom's administration and accomplished many territorial conquests. After his son's death in 843, the Carolingian Empire was never the same.
Accessalso: Norman invasions: Viking raids on the Frankish Kingdom
Formation of Carolingians
O EmpireCarolingian is a modern designation to refer to the dinastyçarolingia, who ruled territories of the francs between the eighth and tenth centuries. So when we talk about the Carolingians, we are actually talking about the Franks, a Germanic people who settled in the region of Gaul, around the 5th century, during the process of disintegration of the Western Roman Empire.
THE rise of the Carolingiansoccurred throughout the eighth century as the Merovingian kings weakened. They had as great prominence the King Charlemagne, and historians such as Jacques Le Goff consider that the Carolingians made one of the first attempts to unify Europe under the command of a single people|1|.
THE history of the Kingdom of the Franks beginsor when Clovis I becomeor-if King in 481, beginning the Merovingian dynasty. Through him the Frankish tribes were unified under his command, and Christianity established itself as the great religion in Central Europe when Clovis converted to that religion. Clovis was the son of Quilderic I, king of one of the Frankish tribes before their unification.
Franks established in Central Europe formed this kingdom, and the Merovingian dynasty extended into the eighth century. It turns out that, during this period, the ineffectiveness dthe command of many kings Merovingians they caused this dynasty to weaken to the point that the last kings became known as “kingsuseless" and "kingslazy”, as Le Goff says|2|.
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Over time, the king's administration came to be carried out by figures known as "palace stewards", also called "palace mayors". Carloshammer, for example, was considered practically king, since power was fully exercised by him. He, like other butlers, belonged to the family Pippinides, a family that occupied the role of steward in a hereditary way.
Carlos Martel was particularly powerful and influential because he had led outspoken troops in the fight against Muslims in the Battle of Poitiers. The frank victory marked the end of the Muslim advance in Europe.
O son of Carlos Martel, called Cucumber the Shorthe took advantage of this power bequeathed to him, allied with the Catholic Church and, through Popes Zacharias and Stephen II, managed to become king. Supported also by the Frankish nobles, he deposed the last Merovingian from the throne. In 751, Quilderic III was overthrown, and Cucumber the Short becameif Frankish king. It was the early Carolingian dynasty.
Pepin the Brief had his power over the Frankish throne recognized by the Catholic Church and in return he recognized the Church's right to hold lands around Rome. It was an agreement that guaranteed possessions to the Church and political power and titles for the Carolingians. Pepino reigned from 751 to 768, the year his children Carloman I and Carlosgreat assumed the throne, each ruling a different part of the kingdom. The death of Charloman I in 771 allowed Charlemagne to unify the kingdom under his command.
reign of Charlemagne
When we talk about the Carolingian Empire, it is inevitable that we talk about Charlemagne. He had a long reign, it was one of the most powerful kings of Middle Ages, achieved great territorial conquests, sought to strengthen his power as king, achieved important reforms in his kingdom and represented an attempt to unify Western Europe under the command of the Carolingians.
In the administrative matter, Charlemagne dealt with a big problem: the fragmentation of royal power. The king in this period was not that absolute figure that existed during the Modern age, therefore it was necessary for the king to use certain mechanisms to assert his power. He sought to reinforce his orders and the apparatus used by his envoys.
For this, he appealed for writing, something that was not common among the peoples of the Germanic tradition. Part of the royal laws began to be written down and sent in documents, which became known as ordinances or capitulars. He too no hesitated to use force when necessary, and Le Goff says he even ordered the killing of 4,500 people in a riot that took place in Verden|3|.
To secure the support of the nobles, Charlemagne distributed power and wealth among this group. Frankish lands were divided into many counties, and the administration of each of these lands was the responsibility of the counts. This practice of providing land in exchange for service and loyalty gave rise à suzerainty relationship and vassalage.
Keeping the counts under his control was a fundamental mission, and for that, Charlemagne had employees known as “missidominici” or “sent from the lord”. These officials had the job of informing the king about what the counts were doing.
Charlemagne also sought to strengthen his power through a alliance with the Catholic Church and sought to differentiate itself from erudition. He greatly encouraged the development of literacy and the arts in his realm. Some historians even consider Charlemagne's investment as part of a “renaissancecarolingia”.
Accessalso: The main events that marked the High Middle Ages
territorial expansion
All these actions by Charlemagne took place with the aim of strengthenOKingdom, giving unity and reinforcing royal authority. This is because Charlemagne realized that the Carolingian Empire was surrounded by threats. To the southwest, the Muslims; to the south, the Lombards; to the northeast, the Saxons; to the east and southeast, the Avars and Slavs.
As threats were not lacking, Charlemagne, in addition to ensuring the strengthening of the kingdom to protect itself, went on the attack. His reign was permeated with wars from beginning to end and, in only 2 years (790 and 807), of 46 of reign, there was no type of military campaign. To ensure his success in war, Charlemagne had all possible subjects. Le Goff says he even put together a 50,000-man army, a very expressive number in the Middle Ages|4|.
Among all the wars fought by the Carolingians in the reign of Charlemagne, the most significant was the victory about the Lombards, a Germanic people who were Christian, but who constantly attacked Church lands Catholic. Charlemagne, in aid of Rome, attacked the Lombards, defeating King Desiderius and self-proclaimingKingFromLombards.
Charlemagne's willingness to strengthen the influence of christianity occurred in other demonstrations, such as the forced conversions. Those who refused to convert were killed. Other struggles fought—and won—by Charlemagne were against Britons, Avars, and Saxons.
![Interior of the cathedral that is part of the Palace of Charlemagne in Aachen.[2]](/f/a9ce96dd81c7136943cc52da658d28c3.jpg)
During this expansion, Charlemagne chose Aachen (or Aix-la-Chapelle, in French) to be the capital of your empire. There he ordered the construction of a great palace, symbol of his power. He tried to make the capital a symbol of his authority, but that city went into decline after he died.
Charlemagne also promoted military campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula, but the difficulties in the fights against Muslims and Basques meant that he did not have great achievements there. In any case, the great achievements of Charlemagne and his effort to defend the Church caused Leo III named him asEmperorofWestern in 800.
Accessalso: Vikings—People Who Constantly Attacked the Franks in the 9th Century
Decay of the Carolingian Empire
Charlemagne's death took place in 814, and after that the Carolingian Empire weakened. His son, Luís, OPious, he ruled the kingdom until 843, but as he did not have the same competence as his father, he was seen as a weak king who contributed to weaken the power of the Carolingian dynasty. After he died, Carolingian territory fragmented, and the last Carolingian king was replaced by the Capetos at the end of the 10th century.
Grades
|1| LE GOFF, Jacques. The medieval roots of Europe. Petrópolis: Voices, 2011, p. 49.
|2| Idem, p. 50.
|3| LE GOFF, Jacques. The civilization of the Medieval West. Petrópolis: Voices, 2016, p. 41.
|4| LE GOFF, Jacques. The medieval roots of Europe. Petrópolis: Voices, 2011, p. 57.
Image credits
[1] Claudio Divizia and Shutterstock
[2] Takashi Images and Shutterstock
