Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages (Franconian Empire 482 - 911)

The Early Middle Ages is the link between Antiquity and the Middle Ages and is assigned to Late Antiquity. It begins with the end of the migration of peoples.

Many profound developments took place in the early Middle Ages. Europe receives the Christian faith primarily through the work of Irish missionaries. Around 500 AD, the rise of the Frankish Empire begins under King Clovis, who also converted to Christianity. This soon established its dominance in Western and Central Europe on the remains of the Western Roman Empire and the empires of other Germanic peoples.

The coronation of Charlemagne as Roman Emperor by the Pope (in the year 800) represents the culmination of this development. After his death in 814, the Frankish Empire fell apart bit by bit. Later France developed from the western half of the empire, while the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation developed from the eastern half. In addition, through the so-called Pippin donation in 754, the pope now also has secular powers in addition to his spiritual ones, which should lead to future conflicts between the kings and the pope.

This period also saw the attacks of the Vikings and the Magyars between 800 and 1100 and 900 and 950 respectively. Together with the conquest of North Africa and a large part of the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims from around 650 to 720, the last late antique structures were wiped out. A development is set in motion which robs the peasants in Franconia of their freedom and state authority collapses, since the defense of the individual estates was entrusted to the local landlords. This ultimately leads to the emergence of the feudalistic economic system.

The early Middle Ages is primarily a time of natural economy, in which the system of Gurndhership was particularly represented. The fundamental carriers of culture were the Byzantine Empire, the monasteries and the scholars of the Arab-Muslim culture.