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The Kingdom of the Franks
Summary
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Clovis founded the first Frankish dynasty, the Merovingians, ruling most of what is now France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and western Germany. The characteristic political tension of the medieval period proved to be the tension between the king's need for centralized authority and loyalty from all his subjects, and the fact that, if local leaders were strong enough to exercise effective leadership, they were also strong enough to resist the demands of the central government. The Carolingian dynasty, by making strategic alliances with the landed nobility and with the church, negotiated this tension better than the Merovingians ever did, but still this tension, coupled with a surplus of male heirs to land and power, brought the dynasty to an end. The most illustrious Carolingian ruler, Charlemagne, conquered additional lands and, on Christmas Day in 800 had himself crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. His capital, Aachen (or Aix-la-Chapelle) was a center of scholarship and intelligent administration. The social organization of the manor and innovations such as new plows improved agricultural productivity. For many, religion centered on veneration of saints and relics. Soon after Charlemagne's death in 814, his empire disintegrated as it was divided up, messily, among his grandsons. The partition was formalized by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. The late ninth and early tenth centuries were truly "dark ages" in Europe: both secular and church-based organizations were weak, and at the same time invaders such as the Vikings were attacking. Peasants sought security at almost any price, so the institution of feudalism spread and matured.
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