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Germanic Tribes

Decent Essays

Lesson 2 Essay
The development of Central Europe had a rather interesting progression from about 400 AD to the beginning of the Crusades in the 11th century. Focusing specifically on the Germanic tribes of Central Europe, the overall importance of the Christianization of these tribes plays an integral part in the development of the Central European region. The Christianization process takes place in three stages: pre-Christianization, Christianization, and post-Christianization. Pre-Christianization events had a heavy impact on the Germanic tribes, which led ultimately to their Christianization. Events after Christianization led to a strengthening of the religion and bolstered some fervor from the Germanic tribesmen. Post- Christianization …show more content…

In the year 496, Clovis, king of the Franks, was baptized with 3,000 of his loyal followers. This conversion was of great significance because Clovis continued to expand the Frankish kingdom into central and southern parts of France. Christianity was first a religion of cities, which only included a very small part of the population. Moreover, the idea of a single king ruling over the tribes was relatively new political idea and not welcomed among the Germans. In this regard, the Christian religion provided an important tool for Clovis and other leaders to establish a common religious bond among the contrasting German people, helping these leaders increase their politico-military power and provide a common social ground. Around the year 700, Christianity gained increasing support among the population because of the Carolingian dynasty and Christian missionaries. In 687 the Carolingian rulers reunited the Frankish kingdom, and in the year 732 Charles Martel led the Franks to victory against the Moors in the battle at Tours and Poitiers. As a consequence, the Moors retreated behind the Pyrenees, confining the influence of Islam to Northern Africa and Spain. On the other hand, the increasing popularity of Christianity was due in part to the life and works of the Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk Boniface (Wynfrith). Boniface was interested in major reforms and wanted to remove the Church from under the control of the king and the state. He united and organized the Christian Church. In the end, however, this reorganization strengthened both the Church and the Frankish kingdom because both parties could now legitimize and support each other. One important example of this collaboration is the Donation of Pepin. In the year 754, Pepin the Younger gave the pope several areas in Italy that had been won from the Langobards in war. The lands formed the

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