How Did Charlemagne Gain Power In The Middle Ages

Eric Chen

Mr. Garcia

Social Studies Grade 8

April 20 2018

Charlemagne and the Middle Ages

Charlemagne was the king of the Franks, and later an emperor that ruled over a large empire. His empire consisted of Rome, Italy, Gaul, France, and Germany. Charlemagne, unlike other leaders and rulers during the Middle Ages, reformed churches, promoted religion, revived art, and encouraged education and learning. How did he gain that power? Charlemagne was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III of the Catholic Church. The coronation of Charlemagne gave him power but it also meant he was the defender of the church which then marked a new age of conflict between the Church and the Emperors afterwards. I am interested in this topic because I want to know was

It was the time period after the fall of the Roman Empire and before the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration. It was an age of war and struggle, most importantly was the struggle for power between the religious and the political forces. The Middle Ages began after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Many foreign tribes and kingdoms like the Huns and the Vikings started migrating into the Roman Empire. As the struggle for power continues, the Franks were able to achieve greater power, being united by Clovis I. After his death, his power was divided between his sons which led to conflicts and the fall of the kingdom. Religion started to play a major role in the Middle Ages as Charlemagne and many emperors from the Ottoman Empire started ruling under the title of The Holy Roman Empire, giving religion power since the pope has the ability to crown emperors. The church, becoming powerful and wealthy, was able to gain more and more followers and believers. This led to conflicts between the church and the states throughout the rest of the Middle Ages, as both powers believed that they have more power than the other. To control the chaotic situations from within and out of the empire, feudalism was created. Feudalism developed during the Middle Ages, being able to keep the economic and political conditions stable. Feudal systems connected the people to their land.

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