Chapter Two
The Revival of the Empire: Charlamagne to Henry III
Sam Foley
With Clovis as leader, along with the Merovingian kings, Franks conquered the former Roman Gaul.
Settled in the north-east [country between the Rhine and Paris] and south [where the Burgundians were overthrown and the Visigoths of Toulouse].
They owed their success to their military prowess and their acceptance of Latin Orthodoxy.
Early Merovingian kings adopted traditions of government of the late Roman Empire [weak upon inheritance].
Roman officials [counts] were salaried in lands.
Last survivors of Merovingian dynasty were removed by Charlemagne’s father [Pippin the Short].
Two consequences due to the changed dynasty: the centre of power moved eastward [Aix replaced Paris as the natural centre] and Pippin needed sanction and found it with the Pope, bringing the rulers of orthodox Franks closer to the Patriarch of the west.
“By his wars he so nobly increased the kingdom of the Franks which was great and strong when he inherited it from his father, that the additions he made almost doubled it. Charlemagne’s coronation as emperor: Christmas Day 800.
The initiative came from the Pope, therefore the revived empire was associated with the religious purposes of the Roman church.
Charlemagne died, son Louis [the Pious] took over.
Before Louis’ death, the empire was already beginning to fall. He died in 840.
His three sons fought with each other in an effort to secure a rich portion of their father’s land.
Treaty of Verdun [843] divided Frankish patrimony three ways.
West Francia [France from the Pyrenees to the line of the Somme, the Meuse, and the Rhone] went to the youngest, Charles the Bald. East Francia, Saxony, and Bavaria, and other Frankish lands beyond the Rhine, went to the next brother Lewis. The title of emperor went to the eldest son, Lothar, along with lands known as the Middle Kingdom [lands east and west of the Rhine between the kingdoms of his brothers, Burgundy and Provence [Rhone Valley], all the lands that Charlemagne and Louis the Pious had ruled in Italy; also included Rome, Pavia, and Aix].
When Lothar died, he split his land up between his three sons.
Before the end of Charlemagne’s reign, the Vikings raided.
The West Frankish kingdom received the brunt of their attacks over a sixty-year period.
The Hungarians invaded the eastern kingdom in 862.
Political Unity was out of the question.
The princes, Lothar and Berengar had very little power.
Rulers of eastern and western Francia stayed overwhelmed with maintaining control over their own, leading to division, and creating provinces.
Invaders had been looking for loot, so they stole from churches and monasteries.
919: [Duke of Saxony] Henry crowned king of Germany. His successor, son Otto, won victory over the still invading Hungarians; put a term to the raiding expeditions.
961: Otto crowned king of Lombardy.
962: Otto crowned emperor by Pope John XII.
Otto III succeeded his father when still a child; held impractical ideas which led to disaster.
Conrad II succeeded Henry, proved a strong and successful ruler in Italy and Germany.
When Conrad died, all the Otto III destroyed with over ambition, was restored.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
PENGUIN STUDY GUIDE CH. 13
13th century crusades different from 12th century crusades: Frankish kingdom of Jerusalem and its fortunes no longer an interest; it ceased to function politically
Crusades focused on the ambitions and adventures of the princes of Europe in 13th century
In 1st half of century Franks still controlled most of the towns of the Syrian Coast
Weaknesses:
Could not get unanimous consent on policies
Rivalry of Templars and Hospitallers
Rivalry between the Venetians and the Genoese
Strength of Latins were in Cyprus and Greece
Cyprus important commercial center and advance post where crusaders made their final plans
The king of Cyprus took part in the 5th crusade and fought alongside Louis IX of France in 1249-50
Control of Cyprus important, Franks not strong enough to keep control on their own.
Latin Emperors of Constantinople weren’t strong enough to make any contribution to the crusades elsewhere
Venetians supported Latin emperor
Not enough, because in 1259 the empire was defeated at Pelagonia, now being ruled by a Greek emperor
The real center of Latin power was in Peloponnese, far from Constantinople
Franks of Greece joined St. Louis in his first expedition
William of Achaea taken prisoner of Pelagonia in 1259, released after Greek recapture of Constantinople
Latin Lordship looked impressive, but was weak because of disunity
Recurring theme in 13th century crusades: uniting Latin east in a great Mediterranean empire
Louis IX was more successful in winning Frankish aristocracy than Frederick II (king consort of Jerusalem)
The fortunes of the crusade had come largely to depend on Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX.
Meanwhile…
Ghenghis Khan born 1162, emperor of all Mongols 1206, led Mongolian conquests
Mongol invasions in the 13th century stretched the empire from the Dnieper to the China Sea, overran Russia, Persia, Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, but never occupied Hungary, gained control of Syria for a short time
After being driven back from Syria, Mongols contributed to the Greeks Resurgence.
The massacre of countless faithful Muslims struck terror in the whole Islam world.
The Muslims looked for aid in Egypt
After of resurgence of Greece, it led to a reunion of the Greek and Latin churches, but only for six years
Sultans of Egypt had no real interest in the maintenance of the weak Latin Kingdom as a third force in Syria. However, they worried about a Mongol-Christian Alliance from them and from the Greeks at Acre
The West had great hopes that this could be a possibility. Mongols were pagans up until the end of the 13th century.
They toyed with the idea of Christianity, but eventually became Muslim. However, the
West soon learned their only interest was in invasion and conquest, not crusading:
Mongols sent a letter to St. Louis saying that if they did not give them a yearly allowance of money, they would destroy them.
Before the coming of the Mongols, the fifth crusade (1218-1221) almost had chance.
At this time, those in the Syria were having internal quarrels.
The west experimented with a new strategy: directly attacking the powerhouse Egypt.
It worked: Damietta on the Nile was taken, Sultan ready to give back Jerusalem
Crusaders turned down the offer, and the Sultan cut off their bases at the Nile: they were at his mercy and had to give up
In 1229, Frederick II negotiated with Al Kamil of Egypt.
Al Kamil signed a ten year truce and would return the Holy City to the Christians
Frederick’s high-handed treatment of the barons of Syria and his contempt for the High Court led to a civil war between the Frankish aristocracy led by the Ibelins of Beirut, and the imperial legates whom he left to represent him when he returned to Europe.
October, 1244, the Egyptians defeated the crusaders and their Damascus allies at Gaza
Before this the Egyptians mercenaries sacked Jerusalem
Louis IX sailed out to Egypt to try another crusade
Same thing happened as in fifth crusade: Damietta was taken
1250, King’s forced advanced up the Nile
The Egyptian army overwhelmed the king’s forces
Louis and others not killed taken prisoner, Queen Margaret rallied to get Louis and his men back.
Egyptians handed over what was left (not many) of the prisoners and Louis for a ransom. The crusade was over
Still, Louis remained in the east until 1254, trying to get a Christian and Mongol alliance, but he was unsuccessful
Very important events happened during this period: rise of Baibars the Mameluke to be sultan of Egypt, the Mongol invasion of Syria, the Greek reconquest of Contanstinople.
Charles of Anjou, the most powerful Latin prince in Southern Europe, was looked to for another crusade
However, Charles had many enemies in Europe, so he could never be the great crusader Louis was
He conquered through arranged marriages and money:
1267: arranged marriage of daughter Beatrice to Phillip de Courtenay, the heir of Baldwin, emperor of Constantinople
His son arranged to marry Isabella, heir to William of Achaea
Ten years later, Charles bought the hereditary claim of Maria of Antioch for the kingdom of Jerusalem, and was accepted as king by the High Court
By 1281, his rights extended all over the Frankish territories of the east Mediterranean except for Cyrpus
Charles didn’t care about crusading, only political ambitions
He knew the recapture of Constantinople from the Greeks could give him an imperial title
He plans were halted for three reasons:
1. Conradin’s invasion of Italy
2. the last crusade of his brother Louis IX to Tunis in 1269, where the king died of fever
3. Pontificate of Gregory X, who rightly distrusted Charles, and wanted to reunite with the Greeks
1282- Martin IV blesses a crusade against Aragon, calling it “the restoration of the Roman empire unsurpassed by Palaeologus”
The church had become to involved and supported Charles to long to support it now, even though they realized it was for political gain.
While Charles fought against the Sicilians, Phillip II tried to dispose of King Peter of Aragon, but failed miserably.
While Phillip and Charles were fighting,
The soldiers of the Sultan of Egypt closed in on the remaining Frankish forts of Syria.
Acre fell May 18 1291.
Jerusalum belonged to no territories now.
The crusades were running out of steam.
Because of what happened in the East, men could no longer view the crusades in the same manner as their elders had.
One benefit of the crusades was it made Europeans more interested in geography and discovering new lands
The crusades were no longer a cherished idea amongst Europeans.
Crusades focused on the ambitions and adventures of the princes of Europe in 13th century
In 1st half of century Franks still controlled most of the towns of the Syrian Coast
Weaknesses:
Could not get unanimous consent on policies
Rivalry of Templars and Hospitallers
Rivalry between the Venetians and the Genoese
Strength of Latins were in Cyprus and Greece
Cyprus important commercial center and advance post where crusaders made their final plans
The king of Cyprus took part in the 5th crusade and fought alongside Louis IX of France in 1249-50
Control of Cyprus important, Franks not strong enough to keep control on their own.
Latin Emperors of Constantinople weren’t strong enough to make any contribution to the crusades elsewhere
Venetians supported Latin emperor
Not enough, because in 1259 the empire was defeated at Pelagonia, now being ruled by a Greek emperor
The real center of Latin power was in Peloponnese, far from Constantinople
Franks of Greece joined St. Louis in his first expedition
William of Achaea taken prisoner of Pelagonia in 1259, released after Greek recapture of Constantinople
Latin Lordship looked impressive, but was weak because of disunity
Recurring theme in 13th century crusades: uniting Latin east in a great Mediterranean empire
Louis IX was more successful in winning Frankish aristocracy than Frederick II (king consort of Jerusalem)
The fortunes of the crusade had come largely to depend on Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX.
Meanwhile…
Ghenghis Khan born 1162, emperor of all Mongols 1206, led Mongolian conquests
Mongol invasions in the 13th century stretched the empire from the Dnieper to the China Sea, overran Russia, Persia, Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, but never occupied Hungary, gained control of Syria for a short time
After being driven back from Syria, Mongols contributed to the Greeks Resurgence.
The massacre of countless faithful Muslims struck terror in the whole Islam world.
The Muslims looked for aid in Egypt
After of resurgence of Greece, it led to a reunion of the Greek and Latin churches, but only for six years
Sultans of Egypt had no real interest in the maintenance of the weak Latin Kingdom as a third force in Syria. However, they worried about a Mongol-Christian Alliance from them and from the Greeks at Acre
The West had great hopes that this could be a possibility. Mongols were pagans up until the end of the 13th century.
They toyed with the idea of Christianity, but eventually became Muslim. However, the
West soon learned their only interest was in invasion and conquest, not crusading:
Mongols sent a letter to St. Louis saying that if they did not give them a yearly allowance of money, they would destroy them.
Before the coming of the Mongols, the fifth crusade (1218-1221) almost had chance.
At this time, those in the Syria were having internal quarrels.
The west experimented with a new strategy: directly attacking the powerhouse Egypt.
It worked: Damietta on the Nile was taken, Sultan ready to give back Jerusalem
Crusaders turned down the offer, and the Sultan cut off their bases at the Nile: they were at his mercy and had to give up
In 1229, Frederick II negotiated with Al Kamil of Egypt.
Al Kamil signed a ten year truce and would return the Holy City to the Christians
Frederick’s high-handed treatment of the barons of Syria and his contempt for the High Court led to a civil war between the Frankish aristocracy led by the Ibelins of Beirut, and the imperial legates whom he left to represent him when he returned to Europe.
October, 1244, the Egyptians defeated the crusaders and their Damascus allies at Gaza
Before this the Egyptians mercenaries sacked Jerusalem
Louis IX sailed out to Egypt to try another crusade
Same thing happened as in fifth crusade: Damietta was taken
1250, King’s forced advanced up the Nile
The Egyptian army overwhelmed the king’s forces
Louis and others not killed taken prisoner, Queen Margaret rallied to get Louis and his men back.
Egyptians handed over what was left (not many) of the prisoners and Louis for a ransom. The crusade was over
Still, Louis remained in the east until 1254, trying to get a Christian and Mongol alliance, but he was unsuccessful
Very important events happened during this period: rise of Baibars the Mameluke to be sultan of Egypt, the Mongol invasion of Syria, the Greek reconquest of Contanstinople.
Charles of Anjou, the most powerful Latin prince in Southern Europe, was looked to for another crusade
However, Charles had many enemies in Europe, so he could never be the great crusader Louis was
He conquered through arranged marriages and money:
1267: arranged marriage of daughter Beatrice to Phillip de Courtenay, the heir of Baldwin, emperor of Constantinople
His son arranged to marry Isabella, heir to William of Achaea
Ten years later, Charles bought the hereditary claim of Maria of Antioch for the kingdom of Jerusalem, and was accepted as king by the High Court
By 1281, his rights extended all over the Frankish territories of the east Mediterranean except for Cyrpus
Charles didn’t care about crusading, only political ambitions
He knew the recapture of Constantinople from the Greeks could give him an imperial title
He plans were halted for three reasons:
1. Conradin’s invasion of Italy
2. the last crusade of his brother Louis IX to Tunis in 1269, where the king died of fever
3. Pontificate of Gregory X, who rightly distrusted Charles, and wanted to reunite with the Greeks
1282- Martin IV blesses a crusade against Aragon, calling it “the restoration of the Roman empire unsurpassed by Palaeologus”
The church had become to involved and supported Charles to long to support it now, even though they realized it was for political gain.
While Charles fought against the Sicilians, Phillip II tried to dispose of King Peter of Aragon, but failed miserably.
While Phillip and Charles were fighting,
The soldiers of the Sultan of Egypt closed in on the remaining Frankish forts of Syria.
Acre fell May 18 1291.
Jerusalum belonged to no territories now.
The crusades were running out of steam.
Because of what happened in the East, men could no longer view the crusades in the same manner as their elders had.
One benefit of the crusades was it made Europeans more interested in geography and discovering new lands
The crusades were no longer a cherished idea amongst Europeans.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)