Germanic Kingdoms unite under Charlemagne

• Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe which is where many of us came from
• Middle Ages = medieval period
• 500-1500 AD
• Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
• Disruptions of trade
• Money is scarce
• Downfall of cities
• Population shifts
• Decline of learning
• Loss of common language
• People quit trading because the roman legion was not patrolling
• Most people didn't travel 25 miles from the place they were born
• Nobles left cities to the rural areas to live on an estate with workers
• Priest and Church officials were the only ones who knew how to read and write
• Knowledge of Greek literature, science, and philosophy is almost lost
• By the 800's, French, Spanish, and other Roman languages are evolving from Latin
• Germanic kingdoms emerge
• The concept of government changed
• Germanic society: loyal to family
• People didn't worship the king because he didn't do all the things that help you directly
• The Franks lived in Gaul
• Had a leader named Clovis
• Clovis was the Franks king
• Another battlefield conversion (just like Constantine)
• Clovis and 3000 if his warriors were baptized by the bishop
• Clovis and the Church begin to work together
• Germanic people adopt Christianity
• No separation between religion and government
• Clovis unites the Franks into one kingdom
• The franks convert a lot of people to Christianity
• Muslims drove Christians to convert to Christianity 
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books