The Franks: Holy
Rome and Medieval France
The Franks began as an Ancient Roman province in Northern Gaul, that was settled
by Barbarians after the Romans left. It gained control of new territories
quickly after the defeat of the Gothic kingdoms by the Byzantines, and put one
true ruler in place to control the lands.
Clov
is, the first
great king, converted the kingdom to Christianity, which
would permanently make Europe a Christian world. After Clovis came the
king Charles Martel, who defeated the Muslim invasion in 732. Then came
the great king Charlemagne, who expanded the kingdom to Germany, Italy and all
of France. Charlemagne went to the Pope in Rome to be crowned Holy Roman
Emperor, of the Holy Roman Empire (who would have ever guessed). Of course
this claim was not accepted by most because one had to be crowned by the
Patriarch of Byzantium, and be honored by the Byzantine people as an Emperor.
After Charlemagne's death, his three sons took power, and divided it into three
new kingdoms, one in Germany, one in Switzerland and Northern Italy, and one in
France. The three brothers, of course, competed against each other in
separate attempts to seize power. But as time drew on those kingdoms broke
up into quarreling city-states, of which no two could agree on anything.
The kingdom in France however reunited and became the Frankish kingdom.
The kingdom, of course, fought against others to gain more power, but it was
already at it's height. But when Byzantium asked the Pope for help on the
eastern front, the Pope asked the crowned heads of Europe, including France, to
send soldiers to take back the Holy land in a series of wars called the
Crusades. The Franks sent their army to fight the Muslims and regain the Christian
power in Jerusalem. The first Crusade brought new colonies into the
Kingdom, but they were taken, and in an attempt to liberate them, the 4th
Crusade began, and as usual, a bunch of Christians died and little was done.
About 100 years after the last Christian lord left the Holy Land, a war against
England broke out, and for the English it started well. The English in a
group of Campaigns against the French, were able to take almost half of France,
and routed most of the French army, and left a pre-king to afraid to take the
throne in power.
It
seemed as if the English would conquer France, until a Joan of Arc asked the to
be king of France for an army to defeat the English. And after long and
tedious tests her request was granted. Soon after the light at the end of
the tunnel came in sight, but it was just the Train that that was coming at
them. The pre-king, now king, had sold Joan to the English, and made it
look like the inevitable would happen. But
after hearing about Joan's execution, the French army defeated the English,
leaving France, again, to the French, 117 years after the war began. It
was called The Hundred Years War.
The
French would join the exploration race, to find the fastest sea path to the
Indies, which brings to end the Medieval French tale.
The picture at the top from
ensemblestudios.com
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