Charlemagne brought Europe out of the Dark Ages by establishing a strong central government and rebuilding infrastructure. He may have been inspired to reinvent the Roman Empire after seeing its old roads in Italy. The Charlemagne Prize honors accomplishments in fostering a shared European community based on economic and social values. As central governments weakened, people turned to local nobles for protection, leading to the rise of feudalism across Europe and other regions.

1. The Crowning of Charlemagne

2. Charlemagne and His World After viewing “Charlemagne and His World,” you should:  Objectives Understand that Charlemagne brought Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the medieval period.  Know that the Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three important renaissance periods in Europe.  Recognize the importance of Charlemagne's contributions to the Europe that exists today.

4. Charlemagne and His World According to Professor Hodges, what experience may have shaped Charlemagne's desire to reinvent himself as a latter-day Roman emperor? Traveling the old Roman roads in Italy, Charlemagne may have conceived of an empire based on the Roman model.

5. Charlemagne’s Tomb

6. Charlemagne and His World What accomplishments does the Charlemagne Prize honor? The Charlemagne Prize honors accomplishments in fostering a Europe based on shared economic and social values.

9. (pages 292–294) Invaders posed a threat to the safety of the people, especially in the absence of a strong central government.  Magyars, Vikings, and Muslims terrorize Europe. The Development of Feudalism People began to turn to local landed aristocrats or nobles to protect them. 

11. Lief Ericson’s Route to America

12. Video: Feudalism – Weak Kings, Strong Nobles

13. This change led to the new political and social system called feudalism . By the 18th century, a man who served a lord militarily was known as a vassal .  Similar systems were found in Japan (samurai & daimyo) and among the Aztec. The Development of Feudalism

15. Video: Medieval Society Hierarchy

16. By the 9th century the land the lord granted to a vassal was known as a fief.  Vassals had political authority in their fiefs.  The number of separate powerful lords and vassals increased; many different people were now responsible for keeping order. The Development of Feudalism (pages 292–294) (cont.) Feudalism became complicated.  Kings had vassals who themselves had vassals.  Feudalism came to be characterized by a set of unwritten rules known as the feudal contract. 

17. Feudal System

18. These rules determined the relationship between lord and vassal.  The major obligation of a vassal was military service , about 40 days a year. The Development of Feudalism (pages 292–294) (cont.)

19. Video: Castles, Liege and Lords

20. It was called chivalry .  Knights were to defend the Church and defenseless people, treat captives as honored guests, and fight for glory and not material rewards . The Nobility of the Middle Ages and Aristocratic Women In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, under the influence of the Church, an ideal of civilized behavior among the nobility evolved.  (pages 295–296)