Last west civ class

     Today, sadly, was our last west civ class which means this is the last blog I will write. I am going to miss this class because it was my favorite one. I'm really going to miss Mr. Schick the most as a teacher because he was probably the best teacher I have ever had. He motivated me to study more and do better in his class which no other teacher has really helped me do. Mr. Schick, I hope I have you in tv production next year because youre the best teacher ever.

Final Test

     Today in western civ, we took the final test of the year. I totally bombed the test which i was really disappointed about. I didn't have that good of a class today because of that. I was most scared about my grade because i have an 82 in this class and i definitely do not want it to be a C. Western civ today was disappointing, but i can get over it.

Weird Class

     Today in west civ, we reviewed for the test tomorrow. It was a pretty weird class, but it was probably one of the best classes. Apparently, Sarah and Paula thought i had a boyfriend and Mr. Schick somehow turned it into talking about kangaroos. So, Sarah, for the rest of the class, looked up kangaroo facts and pictures.

Notes

     Today in west civ, we went back over the power point we were discussing for the test. This is a really good review for the test i think. We also had a shadow that im pretty sure Mr. Schick scared but it's okay she had a good time. 

Germanic kingdoms under charlemagne

Middle ages= medieval period
The new society has roots in-
classical heritage of Rome
Beliefs of the Roman catholic church
Customs of Germanic tribes

causing
- disruption of trade
- downfall of cities
- population shifts to rural areas

D. A European Empire Evolves

• Franks control largest European kingdom
• The Roman province formerly known as Gaul
• Ruled by Clovis - the Merovingian Dynasty

• Major domo - mayor of the palace - ruled the kingdom
• Charles Martel - Charles the Hammer
• extended the Franks' region to the north, south, east
• Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 - historic battle

• Charles the Hammer's son - Pepin the Short
• Possibly named for his unusual short haircut
• Working for and with the Pope, Pepin fought the Lombard
• Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751-987 AD

(So, a Pope can actually name someone "king")

• Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
• Carolman died leaving...

E. Charlemagne takes center stage

• Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great
• Six foot four
• Built the greatest empire since Rome
• Fought the Muslims in Spain
• Fought Germanic tribes
• Spread Christianity
• Reunited Western Europe
• Became the most powerful king in western Europe
• Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
• This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

• Charlemagne's Government
• He limited the authority of the nobles
• He regularly visited every part of his kingdom
• Kept close watch on his estates

• Cultural revival
• Encouraged learning
• Ordered monasteries to open schools

• But, his heirs were weenies...
• His son - Louis the Pious - was ineffective
• Louis' three sons - Lothario, Charles the Bald, & Louis the German - split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD 

not here

     today in west civ, I wasn't here. I don't really know what happened today so that's really all that I can write.

Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne- Notes 5/20

MAIN IDEA!
Many Germanic Kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's Empire
WHY IT MATTERS NOW!
Charlemagne spread Christian Civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us came from

SETTING THE STAGE
Middle ages= medieval period
500-1500 AD
Medieval Europe is Fragmented

A. Invasions trigger changes in Western Europe
  1. Invasions and constant warfare speak new trends
     a. Disruption of trade
           i. Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
           ii. Money is scarce
     b. Downfall of cities
           i. Cities are no longer centers of administration
     c. Population shifts
           i.  nobles retreat to the rural areas
           ii. Cities don't have strong leaders
   2. Decline of learning
      a. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
      b. Only priests and church officials could read and write
      c. Knowledge of Greek and literature, science, philosophy is almost lost
  3. Loss of a common language
     a. Dialects develop in different regions
     b. By the 800's, French, Spanish, and other Roman- based languages are evolving from Latin
B. Germanic Kingdoms emerge
   1. The concept of government changes
     a Roman Society: Loyal to Family
            i. Germanic Chief led warriors
            ii. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall)
            iii. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
    b. The king? Whos that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?
    c. Franks live in the roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
   2. The Franks under Clovis
    a. another battlefield conversion just like Constantine
    b. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
    c. The church in Rome approves of this alliance
    d. Clovis and the church begin to work together
Clovis military expertise + The church's support and money = A strategic alliance between 2 powerful forces
 C. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
    1. 511 ad-