Western Civilization

writer, “as the king rose from praying before the

tomb of the blessed apostle Peter, Pope Leo placed a

golden crown on his head.” In keeping with ancient

tradition, the people in the church shouted, “Long

life and victory to Charles Augustus, crowned by God

the great and pacific Emperor of the Romans.”

Seemingly, the Roman Empire in the West had been

reborn, and Charles had become the first Western

emperor since 476. But this “Roman emperor” was

actually a German king, and he had been crowned by

the head of the Western Christian church. In truth,

the coronation of Charlemagne was a sign not of the

rebirth of the Roman Empire but of the emergence

of a new European civilization.

By the year of Charlemagne’s coronation, the

contours of this new European civilization were

beginning to emerge in western Europe. Increasingly,

Europe would become the focus and center of

Western civilization. Building on a fusion of

Germanic, Greco-Roman, and Christian elements, the

medieval European world first became visible in the

Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne. The agrarian

foundations of the eighth and ninth centuries

proved inadequate to maintain a large monarchical

system, however, and a new political and military

order based on the decentralization of political

power subsequently evolved to become an integral

part of the political world of the Middle Ages.

European civilization began on a shaky and

uncertain foundation, however. In the ninth century,

Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims posed threats that

could easily have stifled the new society. But

European civilization absorbed the challenges. The

Vikings and Magyars were assimilated, and recovery

slowly began to set in. By 1000, European

civilization was ready to embark on a period of

dazzling vitality and expansion.

The World of the Carolingians

Q FOCUSQUESTIONS:What was the significance of

Charlemagne’s coronation as emperor? In what ways

did the political, intellectual, and daily life in the

Carolingian Empire represent a fusion of Gallo-

Roman, Germanic, and Christian practices?

By the eighth century, the Merovingian dynasty was los-

ing its control of the Frankish lands. Charles Martel, the

mayor of the palace of Austrasia, became the virtual

ruler of these territories. When Charles died in 741,

his son, Pepin (PEP-in orpay-PAHN), deposed the

Merovingians and assumed the kingship of the Frank-

ish state for himself and his family. Pepin’s actions,

which were approved by the pope, created a new form

of Frankish kingship. In imitation of an Old Testa-

ment practice, Pepin (751–768) was crowned and for-

mally anointed with holy oil by a representative of the

pope. The anointing not only symbolized that the king

had been entrusted with a sacred office but also pro-

vided yet another example of how a Germanic institu-

tion fused with a Christian practice in the early

Middle Ages.

Charlemagne and the Carolingian

Empire (768–814)

Pepin’s death in 768 brought to the throne of the

Frankish kingdom his son, a dynamic and powerful

ruler known to history as Charles the Great, or Charle-

magne (Carolus magnus in Latin—hence, our word

Carolingian). Charlemagne was a determined and deci-

sive man, intelligent and inquisitive. A fierce warrior,

he was also a wise patron of learning and a resolute

statesman (see the box on p. 175). He greatly expanded

the territory of the Carolingian Empire during his

lengthy rule.

EXPANSION OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE In the tradi-

tion of the Germanic kings, Charlemagne was a deter-

mined warrior who undertook fifty-four military

campaigns. Even though the Frankish army was rela-

tively small—only eight thousand men gathered each

spring for campaigning—supplying it and transport-

ing it to distant areas could still present serious

problems. The Frankish army consisted mostly of

infantry, with some cavalry armed with swords and

spears.

Charlemagne’s campaigns took him to many parts

of Europe. In 773, Charlemagne led his army into Italy,

crushed the Lombards, and took control of the Lom-

bard state. Although his son was crowned king of Italy,

Charlemagne was its real ruler. Four years after his

invasion of Italy, Charlemagne moved his forces into

northern Spain. This campaign proved disappointing:

not only did the Basques harass his army as it crossed

the Pyrenees on the way home, but they also ambushed

and annihilated his rear guard.

Charlemagne was considerably more successful

with his eastern campaigns into Germany, especially

against the Saxons living between the Elbe River and

174 Chapter 8European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750–1000

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