Match each charaderistic with the king to whom it applies. Select Clovis or Charlemagne or both. united the Gauls "Emperor of the Romans" important in European history converted to Christianity King of the Franks contributed to the rise of the Roman Catholic Church united Western Europe time of culture and learning Merovingian Dynasty

Match each characteristic with the king to whom it applies. Select Clovis or Charlemagne or both.

Clovis

united the Gauls

Charlemagne

"Emperor of the Romans"

Clovis

important in European history

both

converted to Christianity

Clovis

King of the Franks

Clovis

contributed to the rise of the Roman Catholic Church

Clovis

united Western Europe

Clovis

time of culture and learning

Clovis

Merovingian Dynasty

Explanation:

In 509, Clovis I became the first King of the Franks, unifying the allied Frankish tribes under one leader. In addition to conquering new territories, expanding the Frankish Kingdom to cover most of present-day France, Clovis also converted to Catholic Christianity (as opposed to Arian Christianity, which taught that Jesus was not fully God) after crediting Jesus Christ with a victory in a hard-fought battle. Today, France gets its name from the Franks and Catholicism remains the nation’s predominant religion, making Clovis a very important and influential figure in French history.

Baptism of Clovis King of the Franks

The Baptism of Clovis, King of the Franks

Over the following two centuries, the Frankish Kingdom grew powerful – powerful enough to halt the expansion of the Islamic Caliphate which had conquered the entirety of North Africa and Spain. In 732, Charles Martel commanded the victorious Frankish army in the decisive Battle of Tours, which halted the Caliphate’s expansion and cemented the Frankish Kingdom’s place as Western Europe’s preeminent power. In recognition of his victory, Charles was given the honorific nickname, “the Hammer.”

The Carolingian Dynasty

Charles Martel’s son, Pepin the Short, overthrew the Frankish king, usurping the throne with the Pope’s blessing, establishing the Carolingian Dynasty (The House of Charles). The close ties between the Franks and the Papacy would continue into the reign of Pepin’s son, Charles the Great, popularly remembered by his French name, Charlemagne. Charlemagne expanded the Frankish Kingdom through military conquests, including a campaign into Italy to assist the Pope against his enemies. In appreciation for Charlemagne’s support, the Pope crowned him “Emperor of the Romans” in 800. A thousand years later, Napoleon, the Emperor of France, would honor Charlemagne in the iconic series of paintings by Jacques-Louis David of Napoleon Crossing the Alps. Etched into the stones in the bottom left corner of the painting are Napoleon’s name, along with the names of Hannibal, who had crossed the Alps to attack Rome, and Charlemagne (written in Latin as KAROLVS MAGNVS), who had crossed the Alps to help the Pope and expand the Frankish Empire into Italy – just as Napoleon was, at the time, expanding the French Empire into Italy.

Map of the Frankish Kingdom from Clovis to Charlemagne

At the time of Charlemagne’s death, the Frankish Empire was the most powerful political entity in Europe, rivaling the Byzantine (or Eastern Roman) Empire and the Islamic Caliphate in power. However, it was not to last. Charlemagne’s empire was divided between his sons after his death and after a series of civil wars, the Frankish Empire was formally divided by the Treaty of Verdun in 843 and it would never be reunited.

The Western Europe of the High Middle Ages would not be governed as a centralized state, but as a patchwork quilt of feudal kingdoms where local lords held more authority than the kings to whom they swore allegiance. But the Franks were not without impact. They laid the foundation for the Kingdom of France, secured the Pope’s position as the leader of Christians in Western Europe, and led indirectly to the medieval institution of a Holy Roman Empire ruled by Germans.

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