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→The Carolingian Empire (751-843)
==The Carolingian Empire (751-843)==
==The Carolingian Empire (751-843)==
Pepin the Short, major domo, became Frankish king with the support of the Pope in 751. He protected Pope Stephen II from a Lombard attack on Rome and besieged Pavia, their capital, but let them off the hook. In 768 his son Charles became king. He protected Pope Adrian I from the Lombards and then conquered Pavia and their entire kingdom. Next he attacked the Saxons, a savage barbarian people from northeastern Germany. Though they were stubborn, eventually he conquered them and forcibly baptized them, building churches and monasteries. He invaded Spain in 778 and was unsuccessful. But the Song of Roland, a fascinating romantic tale, told that all of Spain was conquered, that the king of Saragossa tricks him into making peace, that Roland's father-in-law is angry with his nephew for making him ambassador and believes he wants him dead, and so tells the Muslims which way the Franks are headed. The Arabs kill the entire battalion, including Roland. But at the end Ganelon is killed. God's justice reigns. Charlemagne encouraged art and learning in his realm, and brought in English, Italian, and even Muslim teachers. He was crowned emperor by the Pope in 800 and the Holy Roman Empire was founded. In 814 he died. Louis the Pious, his godly but ineffective son, had to battle nobles who disdained his goodness. In 843, two years after his death, the empire was divided into France, Germany, and the Middle Kingdom.
===Al-Andalus===
===Al-Andalus===