A series of civil wars and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Following the end of imperial authority, several Germanic tribes struggled against each other for control of territory. The Franks became the dominant power in Gaul, but Greater Frankia repeatedly broke apart during wars between rival claimants for the throne. Finally, Charlemagne united the Franks, and greatly expanded the size of the kingdom. However, his grandsons proved unwilling to share the empire, and divided...
A series of civil wars and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Following the end of imperial authority, several Germanic tribes struggled against each other for control of territory. The Franks became the dominant power in Gaul, but Greater Frankia repeatedly broke apart during wars between rival claimants for the throne. Finally, Charlemagne united the Franks, and greatly expanded the size of the kingdom. However, his grandsons proved unwilling to share the empire, and divided it in 843, laying the foundations for France and Germany. Episode twenty-five explains that tensions had deteriorated between the pope and the emperor. Tired of defiant popes, emperor Leo claimed the diocese of East Illyricum, which included the Balkans, Greece, Crete, Sicily and southern Italy. The administrative division made sense since these regions largely spoke Greek, and were linked economically to Constantinople, but Pope Gregory and his successors resented the loss of authority over regions near Rome. Since Rome and Ravenna no longer supported each other, Liutprand, king of the Lombards, saw an opportunity to expand his influence in southern Italy. Increasingly vulnerable, the papacy worked hard to build a relationship with the Franks to counterbalance the threat of the Lombards.
Cast of Characters:
Charles Martel-duke and prince of the Franks (718-741), mayor of the palace of Austrasia (715-741), and mayor of the palace of Neustria (718-741), illegitimate son of Pippin II
Pippin-king of Frankia (751-768), formerly mayor of the palace of Neustria (741-751) and mayor of the palace of Austrasia (747-751), and the eldest son of Charles the Hammer
Gregory III-pope (731-741)
Zachary-pope (741-752)
Stephen II-pope (752-757)
Eutychius-exarch of Ravenna (727-751)
Constantine V-emperor of Byzantium (741-775)
Liutprand-king of the Lombards (712-744)
Hildeprand-king of the Lombards (744), nephew of Liutprand
Ratchis-king of the Lombards (744-749), duke of Friuli (739-744)
Aistulf-king of the Lombards (749-756), duke of Spoleto (751-756) and duke of Friuli (744-749), brother of Ratchis
Sources:
The Merovingian Kingdoms: 450-751-Ian Wood
The Franks-Edward James
Charlemagne-Derek Wilson
Emperor of the West: Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire-Hywell Williams
The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe-Pierre Riche, Translated by Michael Idomir Allen
The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751-987-Rosamond McKitterick
The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders-Peter Heather
The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000-Chris Wickham
Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe-Judith Herrin
Women in Purple: Rulers of Medieval Byzantium-Judith Herrin
The Popes: A History-John Julius Norwich
Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy-Roger Collins
The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825-Thomas F. X. Noble
God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215-David Levering Lewis
Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus-Hugh Kennedy
Image Credit
By Unknown author - [1] 'Grandes Chroniques de France, Mandragore, BNF, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=723625
