Early Middle Ages
From Conservapedia
| ! | Apologies This page is undergoing massive reconstruction. You can help, if you have specialized knowledge of the subject matter. Please discuss modifications on the Talk Page. | 
|
| Part of the series on |
| The Middle Ages |
| Historical Periods |
|
Early Middle Ages (6th-10th century) |
| Medieval History |
|
Holy Roman Empire |
| Medieval Society |
The Early Middle Ages refers to the period after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, covering roughly the 6th to 10th centuries AD.
Contents |
Aftermath of Empire
During the course of the 5th century, the Western part of the Roman Empire suffered a massive loss of authority, creating an opportunity for a number of Germanic tribes to enter and settle on Roman territory, creating kingdoms that were nominally subservient to Rome, but in fact were independent. The most prominent of these were the Franks in northern Gaul, the Visigoths in southern Gaul and Hispania, the Vandals in North Africa, and the Lombards in Italy.
Ireland
The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
In 410 AD, Roman armies in Britannia were recalled to the continent as part of one of the civil wars that plagued the late Empire. As a consequence, the Romans and Celts living in Britannia turned to hiring Anglo-Saxon mercenaries for military protection. The mercenaries, being the primary military force in the province, took control of England themselves and created a number of independent kingdoms, the greatest being Wessex in the south, Mercia in the Midlands and Northumbria in the north. The Anglo-Saxons were originally non-Christian, but were gradually converted to Christianity through the efforts of missionaries from Ireland and Rome.
The Carolingian Empire
France and The Holy Roman Empire
Following Frankish custom, Charlemagne had intended to divide his empire between his sons after his death. However, only one of his sons, Louis the Pious survived their father to inherit him. But Louis left three sons when he died, and shortly after his death, they fell into civil war over the question of how to divide the inheritance. At the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD, it was decided to divide the Empire in three parts. The western part would go to Charles the Bald while the eastern part went to Louis the German. The eldest son, Lothair received the Imperial Crown and a part of land wedged in between the other two. Finally, the son of Lothair received the Kingdom of Italy, consisting of northern Italy down to the Papal States.
This arrangement was never stable, and caused numerous wars in the following years. Eventually, the western part of the Empire became the Kingdom of France, while the eastern part became the Holy Roman Empire. The middle part, called Lotharingia, soon broke up, and was finally absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire in the beginning of the 10th century.
