The emergence and collapse of the empire of Charlemagne is a significant event in the history of medieval Europe. In essence, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, this was the first attempt to unite various peoples into one large state. The Carolingians pursued an expansive policy aimed at capturing the territories left after the rule of the Romans. The ruler of the Franks, Charles, expanded the borders of his country as far as possible, to which historians gave the name - the empire of Charlemagne.
Rise
The rise and fall of such a large country cannot be studied without accurate information about its beginnings. The prerequisites for the emergence of the Frankish Empire arose as early as the 4th-7th centuries. This period of time will go down in history under the name "the era of lazy kings" - the actual power belonged to the majors - local rulers. The creation and collapse of the empire of Charlemagne fell on the 7th-9th centuries. In 637, Pepin of Herstal, the Major of Austrasia, nicknamed Pepin the Short, became the ruler of the kingdom of the Franks, uniting severalGermanic tribes.
Pipin's descendants continued the work of their ancestor. The most prominent of them was Karl Martel, nicknamed the Hammer. According to legend, in hot battles he used the military weapon of his ancestors - a mace, shaped like a huge hammer. The scope of victories and magnificent political talent brought Karl fame and power. It was under his rule that the country of the Franks became an empire.
Flourishing
Creation and collapse of the empire of Charlemagne occurred at the end of the first millennium. Especially outstanding were the years of the reign of Charles Martel. Under him, the state of the Carolingians stretched from Frisia on the North Sea to the lands of the Lombards in the southeastern Adriatic. In the west, the coast of the country was washed by the Atlantic, and in the southwest, Martell captured most of the Iberian Peninsula. The king also gave to the influence of the church - in 800 he spent several months in Rome, sorting out skirmishes between the papal government and local authorities. For this, Pope Leo consecrated him emperor. For the imperial title, he made new enemies in the face of the Byzantine Sovereigns, who, in the end, had to come to terms with the existence of Charles and his empire.
After the death of Martel, all power in the country was given to his direct heir - Louis the Pious. But other rulers did not agree with the fate of their subjects, discontent and riots were brewing in the country.
The collapse of the empire of Charlemagne
The country of this great man was not destined for a long existence. After the death of Charles, the gradual decline of the country began, the beginning of which was preceded by a single date. The collapse of the empire of Charlemagne falls on the year 843. It was then that the official division of the state took place. The separation was preceded by a long feud between the descendants of Charles Martel. In 843, an agreement was concluded in the town of Verdun, according to which the Frankish empire was divided into three parts. The lands of Western Europe, most of which lie on the territory of modern France, went to Charles, the eastern borders, which housed modern Germany, went to Louis. The center, along with the lands of Italy and Lorraine, went to Lothair, he also got the title of Emperor of the Franks.
Results of 843
The Treaty of Verdun became the boundary beyond which the collapse of Charlemagne's empire became a fait accompli. The further existence of a great country became impossible - the central government was too weak, the ambitions of local rulers were too great. Civil strife - the scourge of medieval powers - completed the job. The empire of Charlemagne broke up into many small states that were friends or hostile to each other, but did not have a decisive influence on politics in Western Europe. The Roman popes skillfully used discord and skirmishes, who, under the guise of fighting heretics, subdued more and more new lands. The influence of the papacy, overshadowed by the cross and we alth, gradually increased - nownot secular, but church power began to dominate in Europe. It took hundreds of years for France to become a unitary state again, and for Germany and Italy, the process of unification of the lands was completed only in the 18-19 centuries.
