The date of formation of the Frankish Empire is considered to be the year. The emergence, development and division of the empire of the Franks. State structure of Byzantium
In Central and Western Europe, it existed from the end of the 5th century to 843. This barbarian kingdom was formed on the territory of the Western Roman Empire as a result of the Great Nations Migration.
There is no consensus about the beginning of the existence of the Frankish kingdom, but most often among historians this date is called 481 - the beginning of the reign of Clovis I. Thus, the Frankish state existed for 362 years, of which: as a kingdom - 319, and as an empire - 43.
As in all barbarian states, in Francia there was a fusion of Roman and Germanic traditions. In the kingdom of the Franks, the Roman administrative-territorial division was preserved, the Franks actively used the system of Roman roads, the Roman postal service.
By the VIII-IX centuries. the process of assimilation of the Frankish population by the Gallo-Roman was largely completed.
In 717 Karl Martell became the mayord of the entire Frankish kingdom. He carried out a beneficiary reform in the kingdom: they began to issue benefices- conditional land holdings, not inherited. The condition of keeping the benefit was military service with its own weapons, which had to be bought from the funds received from the benefit. Karl Martell obtained the land for beneficiary grants through the confiscation of the possessions of the rebellious magnates and the partial secularization of church holdings. Having distributed part of the church land to the Frankish nobility in a benefit on the terms of compulsory military service, Karl Martell created a powerful, heavily armed cavalry. As a result, his influence in the Frankish kingdom increased even more.
Pepin the Short
In 751, the son of Karl Martell Pepin the Short at a meeting of the Frankish nobility in the city of Soissons, he achieved the election of himself king of the Franks. The last representative of the Merovingian dynasty, Childeric III, was tonsured a Mona-chi. Pepin Short first of the Frankish kings was anointed with myrrh (sacred fragrant oil of a special composition) for the kingdom by the Pope. This rite emphasized the sacred character of royalty. Pepin the Short marked the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty.
Charlemagne
The most famous representative of the Carolingian dynasty, yes, please, and the most famous king of the Middle Ages in general, was Pepin's son Charlemagne (768-814). It was by the name of Charles that the representatives of this dynasty began to be called the Carolingians, and the word "king" itself comes from the Latin form of his name. Material from the site
Formation of the Frankish Empire
As a result of numerous military campaigns, Charlemagne created a huge state, which included the territory of modern France, Northern and Central Italy, a significant part of Germany, Northern Spain, Moravia, Slovenia. In 800 he was crowned imperial in Rome. From that time on, the Frankish kingdom became an empire. Considering himself the successor of the Roman emperors, Charlemagne announced the restoration of the Roman Empire in the West.
Partition of the Frankish Empire
The Frankish Empire collapsed in 843 under the Treaty of Verdun, concluded between the three grandsons of Charlemagne.
Despite the short-lived existence of the Frankish Empire, it played a huge role in the formation of medieval Europe: uniting territories inhabited by various tribes, the empire of Charlemagne, as a result of its disintegration, led to the emergence of kingdoms, which were destined to become the basis for the formation of many modern states of Western Europe.
The Franks were a tribal union of ancient Germanic tribes. They lived east of the lower Rhine. The Charbonnier forests were divided into salii and ripoaria. In the 4th century, they began to belong to Toxandria, where they became federates of the empire.
Formation of the Frankish Kingdom
The great migration of peoples allowed the Merovingian dynasty to occupy a dominant position. In the second half of the 5th century, Clovis, a representative of the dynasty, headed the Salic Franks. The king was famous for his cunning and enterprise. Thanks to these qualities, Clovis was able to create a powerful Frankish empire.
In 481, the coronation of the first king took place in Reims. According to legend, a dove sent from heaven brought a phial of oil for the ceremony of greasing on the kingdom of the king.
Frankish kingdom under Clovis
Soissons and the surrounding area were the last Gallic lands to belong to Rome. Father's experience suggested to Holdwig about the huge treasures of villages and cities near Paris, as well as about the weakened Roman power. In 486, the troops of Siagrius near Soissons were defeated, and the power of the former empire passed to Holdwig. To increase the territory of his kingdom, he went with an army against the Alemans in Cologne. Once upon a time, the Alemans pushed aside the Ripoire francs. A battle took place near Zyulpich, which went down in history as the Battle of Tolbiak. She had great importance on the further fate of the king. The pagan Holdwig was married to the Burgundian princess Clotilde, who was Christian by faith. She had long urged her husband to accept her faith. When the Alemans began to win in the battle, Holdwig loudly promised to be baptized if he could win. The army consisted of many Gallo-Roman Christians. The dinner they heard encouraged the warriors, who later won the battle. The enemy fell, and many of his soldiers asked for mercy from Holdwig. The Alemans became dependent on the Franks. On Christmas Day 496, Holdwig was baptized in Reims.
Holdvig donated many riches to the church. He changed his sign: instead of three toads on a white background, there were three heraldic lilies on a blue one. The flower has acquired the symbolic meaning of purification. The squad was baptized at the same time. All Franks became Catholics, and the Gallo-Roman population became one people. Now Holdvig was able to act under his banner as a fighter against heresy.
In 506, a coalition was formed against the Visigothic king, who owned ¼ of the south-western Gallic lands. In 507, the Visigoths were pushed back beyond the Pyrenees, and the Byzantine emperor named Holdwig a Roman consul, sending a purple robe and a crown. The Roman and Gallic nobility had to recognize Holdwig in order to preserve their possessions. Wealthy Romans intermarried with the Frankish leaders, forming one ruling stratum.
The emperor sought to achieve a suitable balance of power in the western territory and form a stronghold against the Germans. The Byzantines preferred to push the barbarians against each other.
Holdwig sought to unite all Frankish tribes. He used deceit and evil deeds to achieve this goal. With cunning and harshness, he destroyed his former chiefs-allies, subordinate to the Merovingians.
Over time, Clovis became the ruler of all Franks. But he soon died. He was buried in Paris in the Church of Saint Genevieve, which he built with his wife.
The kingdom passed to the four sons of Holdwig. They divided it into equal parts and sometimes united for military purposes.
Governance of the Frankish Kingdom under Clovis
Holdwig codified the law, documented old Frankish customs and new royal decrees. He turned out to be the one supreme ruler. The entire population of the country was subordinate to him, not just the Frankish tribes. The king had more powers than the military leader. Power could now be inherited. Any action against the king was punishable by death. In each region were appointed people close to the king - counts. Their duties included collecting taxes, sending military detachments, leading the court. The highest judicial power was the king.
To preserve the conquered lands, it was necessary to provide reliable support for the retinue, which accompanied the king. This could be provided by a treasury full of gold and the constant seizure of new rivals' funds. To consolidate their power and control over the new territories, Kholdvig and subsequent rulers generously distributed lands to warriors and confidants for good and loyal service. Such a policy contributed to an increase in the process of land settlement of the squad. Druzhinniki became feudal landowners throughout Europe.
Governance scheme of the Frankish kingdom
Chlothar, Childeber, Chlodomir and Thierry became the four kings of the same kingdom. Historians have called the Frankish kingdom the "Kingdom of the Share".
At the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th centuries, the scheme of government of the kingdom changed. Power over one people was replaced by power on a specific territory, and, accordingly, power over different peoples.
The Franks united in 520-530 to capture the Burgundian state. The sons of Kholdvig, through joint efforts, were able to annex the region of Provence, the lands of the Bavars, Turing and Alemanni.
However, the unity was only illusory. In the family, strife and civil strife began with treacherous and brutal murders. Chlodomer died during a military campaign against Burgundy. His children were killed by their uncles, Chlotar and Childeber. Clothar turned out to be the king of Orleans. Together with his brother in 542, they went to the Visigoths and captured Pamplona. After Chldebert's death, Clotar captured his part of the kingdom.
By 558, Chlothar I had united Gaul. He left behind three heirs, one hundred led to a new division into three states. The Merovingian country lacked economic, ethnic, political, and judicial-administrative unity. The social structure in the kingdom was different. Under pressure from the land authorities at the beginning of the 7th century, the king himself limited his power.
Subsequent rulers from the House of the Merovingians were insignificant. State affairs were decided by mayordoms, whom the king himself appointed from noble families. In this confusion, the highest position was that of the steward of the palace. He became the first person after the king. The Frankish state split into 2 parts:
- Austrasia - German lands in the eastern part;
- Neustria - the western part.
West Frankish Kingdom
The West Frankish kingdom occupies the territory of modern France. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun was concluded between the grandchildren of Charlemagne about the partition of the Frankish Empire. At first, dynastic ties were maintained between the Frankish kingdoms. They were conditionally still part of the Frankish "Roman Empire". Beginning in 887, in the western part, the imperial power was no longer considered supreme.
Feudal fragmentation began in the kingdom. Earls and dukes symbolically recognized the king's power, sometimes they could feud with him. The king was chosen by the feudal lords.
In the 9th century, the Normans began to invade the kingdom. They collected tribute not only from the people, but also from the king. The Norman prince Rolland and the West Frankish king in 911 signed an agreement to form the county of Normandy. The merchant and feudal estates began to belong to the conquerors.
By 987, the West Frankish kingdom gradually turned into France. This year, the last representative of the Carolingian dynasty died, and the Capetian dynasty took its place. Louis VIII was officially named the first king of France in 1223.
East Frankish Kingdom
Under the Treaty of Verdin, Louis II of Germany got the lands to the east of the Rhine and the north of the Alps. The formed kingdom will turn out to be the predecessor of the strongest Holy Roman Empire and present-day Germany.
The official title of the king was “King of the Franks” until 962.
During its existence, the territory has expanded. Lotoringia, Alsace, the Netherlands were added to it. Regensurg became the capital of the kingdom.
The unusualness of the East Frankish kingdom was its composition. It united 5 grand duchies: Thuringia, Swabia, Franconia, Bavaria and Saxony. They represented semi-independent tribal principalities.
The eastern part differed from the western part in socio-political backwardness due to the influence of the state and legal institutions of Rome and the preservation of tribal relations.
In the 9th century, there was a process of consolidation of power and an awareness of the unity of the German nation and state. The principle of the inheritance of power by the eldest son was formed. In the absence of a direct heir, the king was elected by the nobility.
In 962, the King of the East Frankish Kingdom assumes the title of "Emperor of the Romans and Franks" and establishes the "Holy Roman Empire".
Formation of the Frankish Kingdom
In 481 Clovis becomes, after his father Childeric and grandfather Meroveya(about which almost nothing is known, but it was he who gave the name to the Merovingian dynasty), the king (military leader) of the Salic Franks of the Tournai region.
In 486, Clovis attacked the possessions of the Roman general Syagrius in the area between the Loire and the Somme and captured them. Then he achieves his recognition as king by all Salic francs, destroying their rivals.
When the Alemanni soon attacked the Ripoire Franks, Clovis came to their aid and defeated the Alemanni in 496 at the Battle of Tolbiake(undoubtedly, this is Zulpich, near Cologne). It was here that he made the decision to be baptized: he seemed to see a cross in heaven and heard the words: "In hoc signo vinces"("You will win under this sign"). The difficulty is that a similar legend is told about Constantine and his battle with Maxentius.
The Alemanns were driven back south, and Clovis annexed much of their territory, including the right bank of the Rhine. He also used his victory to impose his rule on the Ripoire Franks.
In 507, Clovis defeated the Visigoths near Poitiers, in Vouillet, and drove them back to Spain, thereby conquering all of Gaul from the Loire to the Pyrenees, with the exception of the Narbonne region, which remained in the hands of the Visigoths.
Clovis was thus at the head of Frankish kingdom, which occupies almost all of Gaul (except for the kingdom of the Burgundians) and part of Germany.
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Control questions
Salic truth. In parallel with the formation of statehood, the Frankish tribes were creating law. For this purpose, a written fixation of ancient Germanic customs was carried out - - a record of the customary law of the Germanic tribes. Thus, the "barbaric laws (truths)" were written: Salic, Ripoir, Burgundy, Allemanne, etc.
Chapter 8. State of the Salic Francs
Section III. State and law medieval Europe
Part two. History of the medieval state and law
Literature for the first part
1. Anners E. History of European Law / Per. from Swedish M., 1994;
· 2. Polybius. General history. Book 1. Sharing history. The benefits of universal history // General history: In 3 volumes. Vol. 1. SPb. 1994.
· 3. Toynbee A. Comprehension of history (Introduction. Comparative study of civilizations). M., 1992.
·4. Sorokin P.A. Human. Civilization. Society (Thinkers of the XX century). / Per. from English - - M., 1992.
·5. Jaspers K. The meaning and purpose of history (Thinkers of the XX century) / Per. with him. - M., 1991.
6. Lurie I.M. Essays on Ancient Egyptian Law. XVI-X centuries .: Monuments and research. - -M., 1960.
7. Anners E. History of European Law. - -M., 1995 (Ch. 1).
8. Derett J.D.V. Dharmasastra and Juridical Literature. - -Wiesbaden, 1973.
9. Vasiliev L.S. History of the East: In 2 volumes - -M., 1993, T. 1. Ch. 11 - - 12.
10. World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts / Per. from English - -M., 1995 (Ch. 20).
11. David R. Basic legal systems of our time / Per. from French - -M., 1966.
12. From magical power to moral imperative: the category of te in Chinese culture. - -M., 1998.
13. The views of the supporters of the combination of Confucian and Legist approaches to the law // Anthology of world legal thought: In 5 volumes. Vol. 1. Ancient world and Eastern civilizations. - -M., 1999.S. 515- -524.
14. Kalinina E.A. The history of the slave state and law. State and law of the Ancient East. Egypt, Babylon, India and China. - -Mn., 1997.
15. Bogoslovsky E.S. State regulation of the social structure of Ancient Egypt // Peoples of Asia and Africa. 1981. No. 1.
16.http: //www.kemet.ru/.- - Culture, history and art of Ancient Egypt.
Periodization of the statehood of the Salic francs. Scientists believe that the formation of the state of the Franks took place relatively quickly. In many ways, this process was facilitated by the victorious wars of conquest and, as a consequence, the class differentiation of Frankish society, the initial stage in the formation of Frankish state was the conquest in 486 of a part of Gaul by the Salic Franks, led by the king (later the king) Clovis, founder of the dynasty Merovingian(481 - 511).
By 510, Clovis became the ruler of the land and the ruler of a single kingdom stretching from the middle reaches of the Rhine to the Pyrenees. He acquires the right to dictate his own laws, levy taxes from the local population, etc. Salic truth - with the customary law of the Salic francs.
In fact, according to its type, the state of the Franks is early feudal monarchy. It carries elements of the old communal organization and institutions of tribal democracy, since it arises in a society that entered the era of feudalism at the stage of decomposition of the primitive communal system without the development of the stage of slavery. Such a society was characterized by a multitude of structures (a combination of slaveholding, tribal, communal, feudal relations) and the incompleteness of the process of creating the main classes of feudal society.
In the history of the state of the Franks, two periods can be distinguished , each of which is associated with the rule of a particular dynasty:
· From the end of the 5th century until the 7th century - - monarchy of the Merovingians;
· From the VIII century. to the IX century. - - empire of the Carolingians.
Dynasty Merovingian ruled in the Frankish state from the end of the 5th century to 751. During her reign, the Franks were born feudal relations. In the V - VI centuries. communal tribal ties still persist, relations of exploitation among the Franks themselves were not developed. The Frankish service nobility, formed during the military campaigns of Clovis, was also small in number.
Salic truth, recorded at the beginning of the VI century. by order of Clovis, who had already mentioned the existence of the following social groups:
• serving nobility - - the king's entourage;
· Free francs, community members;
· Semi-free (litas);
It should be noted that the main differences between them were related to the origin and legal status of the person or social group to which he belonged. Over time, a factor influencing the legal differences of the Franks was belonging to the royal service, the royal retinue, to the emerging the state apparatus.
A feature of the V- -VI centuries. in Western Europe is the beginning of the onset of the influence of Christian churches. The growing ideological and economic role of the church began to manifest itself in its power claims. The church at this time was not yet a political entity and did not have a single organization, but it had already begun to become a large landowner, receiving numerous land donations. Religious power in this period is more and more closely intertwined with the secular.
During the wars of conquest of the 6th-7th centuries, when a significant part of the Gallo-Roman estates in Northern Gaul passed into the hands of the Frankish kings, the servants of the aristocracy and royal warriors, the processes of feudalization among the Franks developed. Servant nobility, bound by vassal dependence on the king, becomes a major owner of land, livestock, slaves, colonists (small tenants of land).
The ranks of the Frankish nobility are replenished with the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, who went into the service of the kings. At the same time, the creation of feudal relations accelerated due to the clash between the communal orders of the Franks and the private ownership orders of the Gallo-Romans. In the middle of the VII century. in Northern Gaul begins to take shape feudal fiefdom with its characteristic division of land into master's and peasant's.
The growth of large landownership was accompanied by strife among landowners, which showed the fragility of the Merovingian kingdom. The royal land fund decreased due to the distribution of land by the kings, and state power was gradually concentrated in the hands of the nobility, who seized all the main positions and, above all, the post majordoma... Mayord under the Merovingians was the highest official. Initially, he was appointed by the king and headed the palace administration. With the weakening of royal power, his powers expand, and the mayord becomes the de facto head of state. At the turn of the VII-VIII centuries. this position became the hereditary property of a noble and wealthy family, which marked the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty.
Royal and imperial dynasty Carolingian replaced the Merovingians in 751, and ceased to exist in the X century. in the territories of the divided state of the Franks.
The transfer of royal power to the Carolingians ensured the success of the reform Karla Martella, one of the representatives of this family, the former mayord of the Frankish state in 715-741. He restored the political unity of the kingdom and, in fact, concentrated the supreme power in his hands.
To consolidate state centralization and strengthen the military power of the kingdom, Karl Martell did away with the previous order of donating land to undivided property. Instead, the lands confiscated from the rebellious magnates and monasteries, together with the peasants who lived on them, were transferred to the servants of the king for a conditional life-long holding - benefice. The beneficiary - - the holder of the beneficiary - - was obliged to carry out service, mainly military, sometimes administrative in favor of the king. Refusal to serve or treason to the king denied the right to the award.
The reform led to the growth of feudal land tenure and the resulting enslavement of the peasants, and also gave an impetus to education vassalage systems- - the feudal hierarchical ladder, a special system of subordination, according to which a contractual relationship was established between the beneficiary (vassal) and the person who handed over the land (lord).
With the growth of feudal land tenure, individual lords, large landowners, received immunities - privileges, which consisted in the possession of the rights of military, judicial and financial power over the peasants who lived on their lands. The property of the feudal lord, who received the immunity letter of the king, was not subject to the influence of state officials, and all powers were transferred to the owner of the estate himself.
In the process of establishing the power of large landowners over peasants in Western Europe, an enormous role was played by Christian church, which itself became a large land owner. The mainstay of the dominant position of the church were monasteries, and the stronghold of the secular nobility were fortified castles, which became fiefdoms centers, a place for collecting rent from peasants and an expressive symbol of the power of the lords.
State structure of the Frankish monarchy... Since in the state of the Franks no distinction has yet been made between national issues and the affairs of the royal palace, the chief administrators of the royal economy - ministerials- began to acquire the importance of the highest officials of the state and actually headed public administration and the court. The most important ministerials were as follows:
· ward mayor, or mayord, - the chief steward of the royal palace, and then the head of the royal administration. The holders of this office abolished it after they themselves took the royal throne;
· palace count, or count palatine,- - at first he watched the royal servants, and later began to perform judicial functions (supervised judicial duels, execution of sentences) and headed the palace court;
· thesaurium- - the state treasurer, who supervised the accounting of material assets that came at the disposal of the king;
· marshal- - Chief of the Horse Troops;
· archcapellan- - the king's spiritual mentor, senior among the palace clergy, a member of the royal council (sk. 1).
System local government free francs over time was gradually replaced by a system of appointed officials - the king's commissioners.
The main territorial unit of the country was the rural district(paga), which included several hundreds. Part hundreds included communities (stamps), originally representing the union of the yards of free peasants on a neighborly principle and retaining self-government: people's assemblies of hundreds under the chairmanship of an elected centurion decided military, administrative and other issues. The administration of the district was headed by the count, who had a military detachment at his disposal and commanded the pagi militia. Under Merovingian rule, elected officials are replaced by appointees - - centenaries in the North and vicars on South. They obeyed the count and exercised his power within a hundred.
On the borders of the country were created duchies, consisted of several districts. Their management was awarded dukes, who were also the commanders of the local militia. They were entrusted with the defense of the borders (sk. 2).
The highest judiciary carried out monarch together with representatives of the nobility. The most dangerous crimes were in the jurisdiction royal council.
The main judicial institutions of the country were local courts - - "hundreds of courts". They dealt with the overwhelming majority of cases, since at first the members of the hundreds were involved in management and legal proceedings. People's Assembly hundreds - - malus- - chose judges from among its members - - rakhinburgs, as a rule, wealthy, respected people. The trial was chaired by the elected chairman - - tungin. All free and full-fledged residents of a hundred were present at the hearing.
Under the Carolingians, general court meetings were replaced by panels of juries appointed from above: the king's envoys - - missions- - got the right to appoint members of the court instead of rakhinburgs - - skabins. The duty of free people to attend the trial was abolished. Over time, the judiciary was concentrated in the hands of the feudal lords. At first, the count or the vicar only summoned the malus and monitored the correctness of the proceedings. Gradually, the king's delegates become presidents of the courts instead of the Tungins.
From subordination to counts and margraves, only the possessions of the lords who enjoyed immunity were withdrawn. The patrimonials - - the immunists (lords, as well as the highest hierarchs of the church) had full judicial power over the peasants who lived on their lands.
During the course of feudalization, the structure of the Frankish troops. The all-Frankish military training of the people's militia of free peasants-Franks was finally replaced by annual reviews of the feudal knightly militia. The participation of ordinary free people in the militia was also limited.
Karl Martell's reform led to the formation of a large, well-armed cavalry army of knights, consisting of beneficiary holders who also helped in the fight against popular uprisings (Table 1).
The most prominent representative of the Carolingian dynasty was Charlemagne(768-814). Under him, the Carolingian state experienced its highest prosperity. In 774, after a successful campaign in Italy, Charles annexed the Lombard kingdom to the Frankish state. In 788 he incorporated the territory of Bavaria into the Frankish state. Quite a long time - - from 772 to 802. - Charlemagne fought with the Saxons, as a result of which he conquered Saxony.
A typical example of an early feudal monarchy was Frankish state, states in Western and Central Europe from the 5th to the 9th century. It was formed on the territory of the Western Roman Empire at the same time as other barbarian kingdoms. This area has been inhabited by the Franks since the 3rd century. Due to the continuous military campaigns of the Majordom of the Franks - Karla Martella, his son - Pipin Korotkogo and also a grandson - Charlemagne, the territory of the empire of the Franks by the beginning of the 9th century reached its largest size.
The Kingdom of the Franks lasted much longer than all other barbarian states of continental Europe. Two and a half centuries later, reaching at Charlemagne their highest power and their maximum territorial dimensions. Frankish empire was the ancestral home of a number of modern Western European states - France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, etc.
The rapid formation of the Frankish state in the form early feudal monarchy contributed to victorious wars and class differentiation of Frankish society. Since the Frankish state entered the era of feudalism in the process of decomposition of the primitive communal system, bypassing the stage of slavery in its development, elements of the old communal organization and tribal democracy still remained in it. The society was characterized by complexity(a combination of slaveholding, tribal, communal, feudal relations) and the incompleteness of the process of creating the main classes of feudal society.
The genesis of feudalism among the Franks
The processes of feudalization among the Franks are developing during the wars of conquest of the 6th - 7th centuries. In the hands of the king, the right to dispose of the conquered land in Northern Gaul is concentrated. Servant nobility and royal warriors, bound by vassal dependence on the king, become large owners of land, livestock, slaves, colonists (small tenants of land). The nobility is replenished with the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, which went into the service of the Frankish kings. The development of feudal relations accelerated due to the clash between the communal orders of the Franks and the private-property orders of the Gallo-Romans.
In the middle of the VII century. in Northern Gaul begins to take shape feudal fiefdom with its characteristic division of land into master's and peasant's. The royal land fund was diminished by the distribution of land by the kings to their vassals. The growth of large landownership was accompanied by strife among landowners, which showed the fragility of the Merovingian kingdom. State power during this period is concentrated in the hands of the nobility, who seized all the main positions and, above all, the post of mayordom. Mayord under the Merovingians he was the highest official. Initially, he was appointed by the king and headed the palace administration.
With the weakening of royal power, his powers expand, and the mayord becomes de facto head the state. At the turn of the 7th-8th centuries, this position became the hereditary heritage of a noble and wealthy family that laid the foundation for the Carolingian dynasty.
The period of the Merovingian monarchy (VI-VII centuries)
Chief of the tribe of the Western (Salic) Franks Clovis from the family of Merovei, at the Battle of Soissons, defeated the Romans and subdued Northern Gaul (486). He and his retinue adopted Christianity according to the papal rite (496). The Merovingians had two goals:
- elimination of tribal separatism, unification of all parts of the state;
- the elimination of the old forms of government, the subordination of the country, divided into territorial districts, to the royal officials and judges.
The legal code of the Salic francs was Salic truth ... The land, previously considered the property of the clan, turned into allodium - the property of a particular family (end of the VT century). Allod could be bequeathed, sold, bought.
The head of state was King... His government consisted of: the first councilor of the kingdom ( mayord); legal advisor to the king (palace count); the manager of the office (referendarium); commander of the royal cavalry (marshal). The viceroys in a given district (counts) were judges and tax collectors.
After the death of Clovis, internecine wars began, as a result of which the kings were almost completely removed from the rule of the country. The period is coming "Lazy kings" ... The de facto head of state becomes the mayord.
Mayord Karl Martell carried out reforms. Having confiscated part of the church and monastery lands, he began to distribute them as beneficiaries - land awards under the condition of military service and the performance of certain duties. As a result, a standing army was created. So the connection began to take shape: the king ( senor) and the subordinate beneficiary ( vassal).
The period of the Carolingian monarchy (VIII century - first half of the IX century)
The transfer of royal power to the Carolingians ensured successes Karla Martella , the former mayord of the Frankish state in 715 - 741. He restored the political unity of the kingdom and, in fact, concentrated the supreme power in his hands. The lands confiscated from the rebellious magnates and monasteries, together with the peasants who lived on them, are transferred to them for a conditional life-long holding - benefice .
Beneficiary - Beneficiary holder - was obliged in favor of the person who handed over the land, to carry out service, mainly military, sometimes administrative. Refusal to serve or treason to the king denied the right to the award. The reform led to the growth of feudal land tenure and increased enslavement of the peasants, and also gave an impetus to education vassalage systems - the feudal hierarchical ladder, a special system of subordination: a contractual relationship was established between the beneficiary (vassal) and the person who handed over the land (seigneur).
Charlemagne (768 - 814)
Karl Martell's son Pepin the Short was proclaimed king of the Franks (751). With his son Charlemagne the Frankish kingdom reaches its heyday (768-814). He takes the title emperor(800). The territory of the state has grown due to conquests. Italy (774), Bavaria (788), northeastern Spain (801), Saxony (804) were annexed, the Avar Kaganate in Pannonia was defeated (796-803).
Under Charlemagne, traditions revive ancient culture... Schools for boys are opened, the Academy is established in Aachen. The Romanesque style is being formed in architecture.
At the head of the state was the king - the supreme overlord of all feudal lords. Vassals of the 1st degree were large secular and spiritual feudal lords: dukes, counts, princes, archbishops, bishops. Vassals of the II degree are barons. The knights (minor noblemen) did not have their vassals, they were directly subordinate to the peasants, to whom they gave the land for holding.
The peasant paid rent to the landlord. Forms of rent: labor (corvee), food, cash.
At the heart of vassalage was the endowment feud- hereditary land property, which was given under the condition of military service, military or monetary assistance and loyalty to their overlord.
Collapse of the Frankish Empire
Charlemagne's grandchildren divided the empire into three parts under the Treaty of Verdun (843).
- Older - Lothar received in possession of Italy, Burgundy and Lorraine - the land along the river. Rhine.
- Second - Louis the German- land beyond the river. Rhine (Saxony, Bavaria).
- Third - Karl the Bald- the land of the Frankish kingdom proper.
The Verdun Treaty marked the beginning of the formation of three future European countries - France, Germany, Italy. The Carolingian dynasty had five branches:
- Lombard, founded by Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne. After his death, his son Bernard ruled Italy as king. His descendants settled in France, where they had the titles of Counts of Valois, Vermandois, Amiens, Trois.
- Lorraine descended from the Emperor Lothair, the eldest son of Louis the Pious. With his death, the Middle Kingdom was divided among his sons, who received Italy, Lorraine and Lower Burgundy. Since the new rulers had no sons left, in 875 their lands were divided by the German and French branches.
- Aquitaine, founded by Pepin of Aquitaine, son of Louis the Pious. Since he died before his father, Aquitaine did not go to Pepin's sons, but his younger brother Karl Tolstoy. The sons left no descendants, and in 864 the dynasty died out.
- German descended from Louis the German, ruler of the East Frankish kingdom, son of Louis the Pious. He divided his possessions between his three sons, who received the duchies of Bavaria, Saxony and Swabia. His youngest son Karl the Tolstoy briefly reunited the western and eastern kingdoms of the Franks, which finally separated with his death.
- French- the descendants of Charles the Bald, the son of Louis the Pious. They owned the West Frankish kingdom, the rule of the dynasty was interrupted after the death of Karl Tolstoy and during the usurpation of the throne by the Robertines (twice) and the Bosonides. After the death of Louis V in 987, representatives of the French branch of the Carolingians lost the royal throne.
With the collapse of the Frankish Empire in Europe, a period began feudal fragmentation ... With the growth of feudal land ownership, individual lords, large landowners, received privileges - immunity , consisting in the possession of the rights of military, judicial and financial power over the peasants who lived on their lands. The activities of state officials did not extend to the possessions of the feudal lord, who received the immunity letter of the king, and all state powers were transferred to the owner of the estate. In the process of establishing the power of the large landowners over the peasants in Western Europe, the large landowner herself played a huge role. The mainstay of the dominant position of the church were monasteries, and the secular nobility - fortified castles, which became patrimonial centers, a place for collecting rent from peasants, a symbol of the power of the lords.
Lesson summary "The Frankish state as a typical example of the early feudal state."
