Stuff To Read

Stuff To Read

1. Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne
      a. Invasions Trigger Changes in Western Europe
        i. A series of changes altered government, economy, and culture
      b. Disruption of Trade:
        ii. Faced invasions from both land and sea and there businesses collapsed which destroyed Europe’s cities as economic centers and money became scarce.
      c. Downfall of Cities
        iii. Because of the fall of Roman Empire the cities were abandoned as centers of administration
      d. Population Shifts
        iv. The population of Europe became mostly rural
      e. The Decline of Learning
        v. As more and more families left for rural areas the level of learning sank sharply
        vi. Very few people were literate except for priests and other religious officials
        vii. The knowledge of the Greek’s was almost lost entirely
        viii. The Germanic Tribes however had a rich oral tradition of songs and legends, however they had no written language so those died with them
      f. Loss of Common Language
        ix. Latin began to change and it was no longer understood from region to region
        x. Different dialects developed and new words and phrases became part of everyday speech
        xi. By the 800’s French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin
        xii. This just showed the continuing breakup of the once unified empire
      g. Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
        xiii. Between 400 and 600, small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces and there boarders were constantly changing because of war
        xiv. The Church survived the fall of Rome and it became a provider of order and security
      h. The Concept of Government Changes
        xv. Unlike the Romans, Germanic peoples lived in small communities
        xvi. These were governed by unwritten rules and traditions
        xvii. Every Germanic chief led a band of warriors who had pledged their loyalty to...