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# Franks

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The Franks were one of the west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire as foederatii? and established a lasting realm. They were the first Gemanic tribe to be converted to Catholicism, while all the other branches were converted to Arianism, which was condemned as heretical by the Catholic Church. Because they were able to worship with their Catholic neighbors, they assimilated better with the local population (as compared with the Visigoths, Vandals, Burgundians?), and under the Merovingians? built the most stable of the successor-kingdoms in the west.

The Merovingians stuck to the Germanic practice of dividing their lands among their sons, and the frequent division, reunification and redivision of territories reduced the kingship dissolved into murder and warfare. The chief officer of each kingdom was the mayor of the palace.

By the mid-8th century [Pepin the short]?, mayor of the palace for the whole Frankish kingdom, blessed by a new alliance with the Pope against the Lombards, took over the title 'king' as well as the actual administration of the kingdom. Pepin's son Charlemagne was crowned emperor in 800. Charlemagne's grandsons in 843 at Verdun divided the empire into a west, a middle and an eastern part; roughly France for [Charles the Bald]?, a combination of the Low Countries, Burgundy & Italy for Lothar, and finally Germany for [Louis the German]?.

In 962 [Otto the Great]? of Germany reconquered Italy, founding the Holy Roman Empire.

/Rulers?

- The christening of Clovis?
- Merovingians?
- Carolingians?
- [Pepin the short]?
- Charlemagne
- Louis the Pious
- Holy Roman Empire
- [Charles the Bald]?
- Lothair?
- [Louis the German]?
- [Fall of the Roman Empire]?
- [Christening of Northern Europe]?
- [Religion as a political tool]?
- Boniface?
- Gregory?
- Willibrord?
- Frisians?
- Vikings

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Last edited August 13, 2001 12:24 pm (diff)
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