2. Content Goals and Objectives:
Goal 4 – Barbarian Invasions
The student will evaluate the invasions of Europe as a force for
change in medieval Europe.
4.01 Trace and evaluate the effects of the Germanic invasions
during late antiquity including but not limited to the invasions of
the Goths, Huns, Lombards, and Franks.
4.02 Outline the political achievements and developments of
the Merovingians in early medieval Europe.
4.03 Evaluate the political developments and impact of the
Carolingian Empire on medieval Europe.
4.04 Detail the Vikings invasions and assess their impact on the
cultural and political development of medieval Europe.
4.05 Evaluate the role of the Islamic threat on the cultural and
political developments of medieval Europe.
4.06 Summarize the influence of Magyar invasions on cultural
and political developments of medieval Europe.
4.07 Assess the cultural and political results of the invasions of
early medieval Europe.
3. The Fall of the
Roman Empire
Beginning of the Middle Ages
Invasions of Barbarian Tribes
End of the Roman emperors
476 C.E. = end of the Roman Empire
“Barbarian” Germanic general Odoacer deposed the last
Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus
Who were these barbarians who are charged with
ultimately bringing down the Roman empire?
4. Barbarian
Invasions
Areas of Settlement
Angles/Saxons
Came from Continental
Europe
Settled in England
Magyars
Came from Central
Asia
Settled in Hungary
Vikings
Came from
Scandinavia
Many settled in Russia
5. Who were the
barbarians?
Barbarians – term applied by the Romans to any group
they considered uncivilized
From a Greek word meaning“anyone who is not Greek”
Barbarians were all of the groups/tribes living in
Europe
Different tribes were migrating around continent
For example: “Germanic tribes” describes a lot of
different tribes who lived in the general area now
called Germany, but they did not think of themselves
as “Germans,” and went on to eventually found
completely different countries, such as the Germanic
Franks founding France
6. European Migrations
First phase of migrations (circa 300-500 CE)
Germanic peoples of northern Europe who settled
throughout Europe (territory and border lands of Roman
empire)
Such as the Alamanni, Alans, Angles, Burgundians, Franks,
Goths (Ostrogoths and Visigoths), Jutes, Langobards,
Lombards, Saxons, Suebi, Vandals
Second phase of migrations (circa 500-700 CE)
Slavic tribes of eastern Europe
Such as the Bulgars
Division into phases not very important
These tribes took centuries to eventually settle
By the time they settled, a new migratory wave—the Viking
invasions—took place starting in the 700s
7. This map shows the movement southward of the tribes of northern Europe. For example, the
Goths originated in Scandinavia. By 150 C.E., the Goths were living on the southern shores of
the Baltic Sea. By 200 C.E., the Goths were in southeastern Europe along the Black Sea. Here,
the Goths split, with those living in the east called Ostrogoths, and those in the west called
Visigoths.
8. Germanic Culture
Economy
Hunters and farmers
War culture
Tribes always fighting one another
Religion
Valhalla – warriors’ heaven
Animal and human sacrifice
Gods survive in our days of the week
Gradually converted to Christianity through exposure
to the Roman empire and Christian missionaries
9. Germanic Justice
• Trial by ordeal
– Innocence proven by survival of a trial
– For example, retrieving an object from boiling water
or walking over hot coals
– If the person survived the ordeal, or healed quickly,
the verdict was innocent
– Modern era version: Salem Witchcraft Trials
• Trial by combat
– Winner of the fight is innocent of the crime, or
winner of the dispute
– Modern era version: Dueling
• These trials survived through the Middle Ages in
Europe
10. Angles, Saxons, and
Jutes
400s
Moved into Britannia as the Roman empire declined
Gave the area its name
England = “Angle’s land”
Old English language -closely related to Frisian, a
German dialect
The Burgundians
Late 400s to 530s
Founded a kingdom in southern Gaul
(modern France) in the Valley of the Rhone
11. The Vandals
Led by Genseric (lived circa 389 CE-477 CE)
Crossed Gaul, to Spain, to north Africa
Established Vandal kingdom around Carthage and on
islands such as Corsica and Sardinia
Famously sacked Rome in 455 C.E.
After murder of Emperor Valentinian III
Plundered city’s riches – origin of term vandalism
Kidnapped emperor’s widow and daughters
Finally conquered by the Eastern Roman
empire in 533 CE
12. The Franks
Kingdom in Gaul
Became known as “France” after the Franks
United under King Clovis (lived circa 466-511
CE)
First king of France (ruled 481-511 CE)
Married Christian Burgundian princes, Clotilde
Converted to Christianity
14. The Lombards
Invaded Italy following the death of Emperor
Justinian (Eastern Roman empire) in 565 CE
568 CE
Under leadership of Alboin
Set up a powerful kingdom in the Italian peninsula
Modern Italian region of Lombardy
Conquered by France’s King Charlemagne in 774
15. The Huns
From Asia, east of the Volga River
Their migration pushed Goths into Roman empire, ca. 370 CE
Led by Attila the Hun (lived 406-453 CE)
Campaign in Gaul
Sacked various cities
Finally defeated by alliance of Romans and Visigoths under
General Aetius at the Battle of Chalons (451 CE)
According to legend, Pope Leo I, helped by St. Peter and St.
Paul, convinced Attila at the Po River to halt his advance
Attila retreated and died a year later, allegedly by choking to
death on his own blood (from a nosebleed) while in a drunken
stupor following his wedding
17. The Goths
split into the
Visigoths
(West Goths)
and
Ostrogoths
(East Goths)
around the
year 200 CE.
18. The Visigoths (West
Goths)
Led by Alaric I (lived ca. 370-410 CE)
Pushed into the Roman empire by the westward
migration of the Huns
378 CE – Romans defeated by the Visigoths at the
Battle of Adrianople
Sacked Rome in 410 CE
Eventually settled in Spain
Visigothic kingdom in Spain lasted until Arab Muslim
invaders arrived in 711 CE
These Muslim rulers were not expelled until completion of the
Reconquista under Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492
19. The Ostrogoths
(East Goths)
Led by Theodoric the Great (lived 454-526)
Raised at the court in Constantinople as a
traditional hostage, returning to the Ostrogoths
at age 31
Kingdom in Italy
Capital city – Ravenna
Center of art and learning
Conquered by Emperor Justinian (Eastern
Roman empire) in 554 CE
20. Odoacer and the Fall of Rome
476 CE – the barbarian general, Odoacer, dethroned
the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus
No one even knows which tribe he belonged to, only that
he was Germanic
The conquest of the Western Roman empire was a long
process, and a lot of factors contributed to Rome’s decline
This date (476 CE) is traditionally used for the end
of the Roman empire and the beginning of the
Middle Ages, circa 500-1400 (or Dark Ages, circa
500-800)
21. The Dark Ages (500-800 CE)
Universal rule under Rome collapsed
Separate barbarian kingdoms ruled in Rome’s place
Economic decline
Trade
Infrastructure fell apart (roads and bridges)
Piracy in the seas hurt trade
Few coins minted
Industry
With limited trade, little demand for goods
Fewer skilled workers trained
Depopulation of cities (workers returned to farms)
Culture and learning
Illiteracy grew
Ancient wisdom of Greece and Rome largely lost
Preserved by Christian monks (Europe) and Muslim Arabs
(Middle East and northern Africa)
22. Rise of the Germanic Peoples
Ostrogoths: Italian
peninsula
Visigoths: modern-
day Spain
Angles and Saxons:
modern-day Britain
Franks: central
Europe
“Invasion of the Goths into the Roman Empire,”
a 19th
-century painting
23. Rise of the Germanic Peoples
continued
After the Germanic invasions, Roman influence merged with the
Germanic culture and people in different ways.
The Ostrogoths (in the Italian peninsula) preserved Roman
governmental structure and traditions.
The Visigoths, located in modern-day Spain, kept Roman
traditions but installed Germanic leaders.
In the British Isles, the Angles and Saxons each carved out
portions to create their own kingdoms.
The strongest of Germanic tribes was the Franks, located in
central Europe, who gained much of their strength under Clovis
and Charlemagne.
24. Invasions drastically change
Europe
5 consequences
Disruption of Trade
Downfall of Cities
Population Shifts
Decline of Learning
Loss of a common language
25. Disruption of Trade
Merchants faced
invasions from both land
and sea, which led to
their businesses
collapsing.
The breakdown of trade
destroyed Europe’s cities
as economic centers.
Money became scarce.
26. Downfall of Cities
With the fall of the
Roman Empire, cities
were abandoned as
centers of
administration
27. Population Shifts
As Roman centers of trade and government collapsed, nobles
retreated to the rural areas and cities were left without strong
leadership.
Other city dwellers also fled to the countryside, where they grew
their own food.
The population of western Europe became mostly rural.
28. Decline of Learning
The Germanic invaders could
not read or write and only
Roman church officials
continued to be literate.
Knowledge of Greek was
almost lost and few people
could read Greek works of
literature, science, and
philosophy.
The Germanic tribes had a
rich oral tradition of songs
and legends, just no written
language.
29. Loss of a Common Language
As German-speaking peoples mixed with the Roman population,
Latin began to change and was no longer understood from region
to region.
By the 800s,
French, Spanish,
and other
Romance languages
had evolved from
Latin.
30. Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
Between 400- 600 C.E.
Germanic Kingdoms
replace Roman provinces
Borders constantly
changing
Church only source of
stability
New concept of
Government
Family ties and personal
loyalty most important
Small communities
Governed by
unwritten rules and
traditions
31. The Franks
Former Roman province of
Gaul (France)
Clovis
496 C.E. led army
against warring
Germanic tribe
Fearing defeat prayed to
the Christian God
Franks won and Clovis
converted to Christianity
(as well as his soldiers)
The church supported
Clovis
511 C.E. Clovis united
the Franks into one
kingdom
32. Germanic Christianity
By 600 C.E. many Germanic
people Christian
Rulers and missionaries helped
spread religion
Spreads to England
Monasteries and Convents
Built to adapt to rural
conditions
Saint Benedict 520 C.E.
Benedictine rule
Benedictines most
influential monastic order
Most educated, preserved
history
Preserved Greco-Roman
cultural achievements
Gregory I (The Great)
Became Pope in 590 C.E.
Broadened role of the
church
Became secular, involved in
worldly affairs such as politics
Idea of a churchly kingdom
of Europe ruled by the Pope
Made church administration
more efficient
Endorsed missionaries
Supported Benedictine rule
34. The Frankish Empire
Franks controlled largest
kingdom in Europe
Clovis created the Merovingian
dynasty
Near Paris, defeated rival
groups 486-507 C.E.
Successors weak rulers
Charles Martel 719 C.E.
Mayor of the palace
More power than King
Battle of Tours 732 C.E.
Defeated invading
Muslim army
Became Christian hero
Passed power to his son
Pepin the Short
Cooperated with Pope
Fought for the church
and became the King
Created Carolingian
Dynasty
Wife “big-footed Bertha”
36. Charlemagne
Pepin died in 768 C.E.
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
Empire
Greatest since Ancient Rome
Conquered lands through
military victory
Spread Christianity through
conquests
Reunited Western Europe
Pope Leo III crowned him
Emperor in 800 C.E.
He needed a strong powerful
leader for Western Europe
Called himself a “Roman
Emperor”
Linked Carolingian Monarchy
with Church
37. Charlemagne’s Rule
Government
Limited authority of
nobles
Strengthened central
authority
Used Royal agents to
report on countryside
Regularly participated in
his kingdom’s affairs
Culture
Roman culture was
reinterpreted
Encouraged learning
Opened a palace
school
Built schools, churches
and roads to unite the
empire
Ordered monasteries to
open schools to train
monks and priests
Monasteries expanded
their libraries
38. The end of an Empire
Charlemagne crowned
his son Louis the Pious
king in 814 C.E.
Religious man
Ineffective ruler
Louis’ heirs
Three sons
Fought civil war
Treaty of Verdun in 843
C.E. split kingdom
New system of
government and
landholding evolved
Unifying effect of
Charlemagne never died
39. Clovis (466–511)
Established a Frankish
kingdom in central Europe
Conquered many
competing tribes and
regional Roman political
leaders
Converted to Christianity
40. Clovis continued
In 486, the Franks defeated the last major Roman army
in Gaul (present-day France) then subdued other tribes
and minor rulers in the area to establish the first
Frankish Kingdom.
Clovis, the first Frankish king, had a brilliant military
career and dramatically expanded the holdings of his
empire through battles with both competing tribes and
remaining regional Roman political leaders.
During his reign, he converted to Christianity—
supposedly after praying to Jesus during a battle. This
helped to establish bonds with Christians now under
his rule through military conquest.
42. Frankish Kingdom continued
After the death of Clovis, Charles Martel became
leader of the Franks.
He continued to expand and defend the Frankish
Kingdom, including the defeat of Muslim invaders in 732.
After his death, his son, Pepin, asked the head of the
church, Pope Zacharias, to recognize him as king.
The pope agreed and Pepin became the first Frankish
king to rule with papal blessing.
Pepin ruled until 768. His successor, Charles, continued
the relationship between the Frankish kingdom and the
church and expanded it further.
43. Charlemagne
(742–814)
Pepin’s son, Charles, became leader of
the largest empire since the Romans.
Known as Charlemagne (Charles the
Great), he was another fierce military
leader who sought to expand the
Frankish empire.
Powerful leader, strong Christian
Created the Carolingian Empire
During his rise to power, Charlemagne
was summoned by Pope Leo III, who
crowned him the Emperor of the
Romans (or Holy Roman Emperor),
uniting the Roman, Christian, and
Germanic cultures and traditions.
45. Conquests of Charlemagne
Charlemagne defeated the Lombards to the south, the
Saxons to the north, and the Slavs to the east.
After Charlemagne’s death, his empire quickly fell apart
as his grandsons fought one another for control.
Powerful local nobles came to control land interests
throughout Europe, leading to a decentralization of
power.
Adding to the disorder were constant raids carried out
by Scandinavian warriors known as Vikings.
46. The Vikings
Warrior culture from Scandinavia
Raided Europe
Established settlements throughout Europe and even in North
America
Scholars disagree about the reasons why the Vikings began to
aggressively raid other cultures and settle their lands.
Overcrowding in the Viking homelands may have forced them to
seek new territory;
crop failures or a desire to find new trade outlets may also have
been factors.
Viking settlers ended up as far south as the Mediterranean, as
far East as modern-day Russia, and as far west as modern-day
Iceland, Greenland, and even Canada. They overran a large
area of northwestern France and called it Norsemanland, later
known as Normandy.
A Viking longboat
Editor's Notes
What has been referred to as the fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning of the Medieval era, and it also contributed to the social and political climate of Europe for centuries afterwards. Historians note that the Roman Empire, especially the city of Rome, fell for multiple reasons; however, one of the most significant reasons was the invasion of barbarian tribes. Rome was under constant threat of invasion from all sides, including Germanic tribes from north-central Europe, the Huns from Asia, and African tribes in the south. Several barbarian tribes eventually did attack, particularly in the west. Germanic invaders from the north took lands as far south as Greece and Gaul (France). Rome itself was sacked by Visigoths in 410, the Vandals in 455, and finally, in 476, Germanic invaders overthrew the last of the Roman emperors.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Attila_in_Gaul_451CE.svg/2000px-Attila_in_Gaul_451CE.svg.png
After the death of Clovis, Charles Martel became leader of the Franks. He continued to expand and defend the Frankish Kingdom, including the defeat of Muslim invaders in 732. After his death, his son, Pepin, asked the head of the church, Pope Zacharias, to recognize him as king. The pope agreed and Pepin became the first Frankish king to rule with papal blessing. Pepin ruled until 768. His successor, Charles, continued the relationship between the Frankish kingdom and the church and expanded it further.
Charlemagne’s heirs had difficulty maintaining law and order in the kingdom’s fragmented territories, and the Vikings gained footholds in many areas of the Carolingian Empire. Though they had success in the 9th century venturing into the European mainland, the Vikings eventually lost their edge as the growing kingdoms of Europe developed new, more effective ways to organize and defend themselves.