Charlemagne (c. 742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and western Germany.
Who led the Franks?
The Franks were first united under the leadership of King Clovis in 509 AD. He founded the Merovingian Dynasty which would rule the Franks for the next 200 years. Clovis led the Franks in victories over the Visigoths, forcing them from Gaul and into Spain.
Who first ruled the Franks?
Clovis became king at the age of 15, and by the time of his death 30 years later, he had become the first king to rule over all the Frankish tribes, a firm ally of the Byzantine Empire, and a Christian king.
Who was the leader of the Franks in 496 CE?
Clovis is also significant due to his conversion to Catholicism in 496, largely at the behest of his wife, Clotilde, who would later be venerated as a saint for this act, celebrated today in both the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.
Who stopped the Moors?
At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel , a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Cordoba, was killed in the fighting, and the Moors retreated from Gaul, never to return in such force.
What was the Franks religion?
Clovis converted to Catholicism , and the mass adoption of orthodox Christianity by the Franks further served to unite them into one people. It also won them the support of the orthodox clergy and the remaining Gallo-Roman elements in Gaul, since most other Germanic tribes had adopted Arianism.
Who defeated the Franks?
Battle of Tours, also called Battle of Poitiers, (October 732), victory won by Charles Martel , the de facto ruler of the Frankish kingdoms, over Muslim invaders from Spain. The battlefield cannot be exactly located, but it was fought somewhere between Tours and Poitiers, in what is now west-central France.
Did the Franks have a flag?
Unlike the Byzantine Empire, the Franks flew a flag before the marriage of Irene and Charlemagne . Known as the Oriflamme, this flag was originally flown by Charlemagne. Following the creation of the Carolingian Union, the Byzantine Empire adopted the Oriflamme, changing it throughout the 9th century.
What did the Franks call themselves?
Since these dialects are all derived from the early medieval language of the Franks, linguistic terminology in English varies between the names “ Frankish” and “Franconian”, the Germanic language of Merowingian Francia being variously known as “Old Frankish”, “Old Franconian” or simply “Frankish”.
What religion did Clovis convert?
Clovis was born a pagan but converted to Roman Catholicism . Before accepting Catholicism, he was interested in the Christian heresy Arianism, sympathetic with it, and perhaps even leaning toward adopting it.
Why did Clovis convert to Christianity?
In the following account of Clovis’ conversion, provided by the Christian church historian Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594) in his History of the Franks, the Frankish king is said to have turned Christian because he believed that the Christian God had given him a military victory over a rival German tribe, the Alemanni.
What is the largest Germanic kingdom?
Some of the largest Germanic kingdoms included those of the Franks and Goths after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Where did the black Moors come from?
They were Black Muslims of Northwest African and the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval era. This included present-day Spain and Portugal as well as the Maghreb and western Africa, whose culture is often called Moorish.
What happened to the Moors?
711, a group of North African Muslims led by the Berber general, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, captured the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal). ... Eventually, the Moors were expelled from Spain . The Alhambra, a Moorish palace and fortress in Granada, Spain, was described by poets as a “pearl set in emeralds.”
Who are the rise of the Moors?
Rise of the Moors is a New England group whose members identify as Moorish Americans . An Instagram account belonging to the group says its goal is to continue the work of Noble Drew Ali, founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America.
When did the Franks converted to Christianity?
Christianization of the Franks was the process of converting the pagan Franks to Catholicism during the late 5th century and early 6th century . It was started by Clovis I, regulus of Tournai, with the insistence of his wife, Clotilde and Saint Remigius, the bishop of Reims.
