In order to successfully assess the systems of state and government in the Middle Ages, it is important to first ascertain what is meant by both the word ‘state’ and ‘government’, and in what context can they be applied to the structure of society in the Middle Ages. By modern definition a state is a type of polity that is an organised political community living under a single system of government, where a government is given by the definition of; the group of people with the authority to govern a country or state. Both the terms state and government are often used as synonyms with both words referring to an organised political group that exercises authority over a particular territory. Human societies have been governed by states for millennia, …show more content…
The progression of the new Carolingian empire required innovative ways of government and administration. The history of the rise of the Carolingians is consequently the history of the development of new European identities, fundamentally innovative modes of government, and creative forms of royal legitimation . The Carolingians used a blend of Late Roman military organisation along with the incremental changes that occurred between the fifth and eighth centuries. Because of the defensive strategy the Romans had instigated during the Late Empire, the population had become militarised and were thus available for military use. The existence of the remaining Roman infrastructure that could be used for military purposes, such as roads and fortified cities meant that the rehabilitated strategies of the Late Romans would still be pertinent. This is important to the development of medieval history because without such a military organisation and without an ostentatious strategy, the Carolingians would not have successfully become kings of the Franks and the revival of the Roman Empire in the West is likely to have not occurred. By around 1000, the political map of Christian Europe was much as it would be for the rest of the Middle Ages. The leading state was the Holy Roman Empire which had been restored by the Carolingians. But the centralisation of the Carolingian state was not long a source of political stability in Western Europe in the early Middle Ages. In areas where the Carolingian Empire had little influence, and at times in the regions which were controlled by Carolingian rulers, individual safety and security were the key concerns for most members of society . In conditions that branded strong central government impossible, individual security was
The fall of Western Roman Empire in late 5th century led to its vast territory being divided in numerous kingdoms without any central authority. Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768. He then successfully led a series of campaigns throughout his reign to unite most of Western Europe under a sole emperor for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The expanded Frankish state Charlemagne founded was called the Carolingian Empire.
The lack of centralized government can lead to political, social, and economic changes as people seek other sources of stability and protection. This statement is true because a lack of centralized government can send a civilization into chaos. A few examples of this would be how changes to political systems impact economic activities, how society is influenced by changes in political and economical systems, and what the political changes were in the Medieval Kingdoms in Europe. These three reasons support the idea that a lack of centralized government can lead to political, social, and economic changes as people seek other sources of stability and protection. Stability and protection is a necessity in modern times, and it was also a necessity in Medieval Kingdoms in Europe. However, without a good centralized government, political stability and protection can not be provided.
The Carolingians extended their rule over most Western and central Europe in much less than one 1/2 of a century and became seemed as the renewers of the Roman Empire after the Imperial coronation of Charlemagne in 800. The Carolingian Empire carried out its best territorial extent throughout the reign of Charlemagne (768-814) who added Lombardy, Saxony, Danubian simple and Spanish March to the realm of the Franks. but, Charlemagne’s empire began to say no already below his successor Louis the Pious (814-840) and collapsed via the stop of the ninth century.
2. What do these duties reveal about the basis of local rule in post-carolingian society?
a few thousand years later, are relevant to governance today. In this assignment a number of them—
A lack of government contributed to the cultural decay in Europe. In western Europe, the Germanic Kingdoms were set up after the fall of the Roman Empire. Shortly after the kingdoms were formed, they were attacked by the barbarians. Still relatively new, " [t]he Germanic Kingdoms which had been set up by 476 were unable to suppress the violence"(Document A). Since the kingdoms were newly formed, their governments were too fragile to be able to defend against the attacks, allowing the barbarians to wreck total havoc in the Kingdoms. Government went from being strong and able to keep order in the Roman Empire to being fragile and almost nonexistent. This transformation from a strong government to a lack of government lead to
The queen began to accuse Lanval of being gay because he had never had a woman show him pleasure. Suddenly, Lanval admits that he is in love with someone else who would be far better than the queen herself, which sent the queen away crying. Soon afterwards, Lanval was commanded to appear in court without delay. The Queen’s assertive power was shown by her ability to punish innocent people, meaning she obviously got what she wanted regardless of whether it was right or not.
For over 5,000 years of human civilization, there has always been a need for societal structure and stability. People developed governments in order to guarantee that structure and stability are present within the region. While there are various forms of government, some are more effective than others. Yet the effectiveness of that form of government is mostly dictated by the time period it is being used in. Even though democracy is widely regarded as the best form of government in the 21st century, the same cannot be said for the 17th and 18th centuries. The most effective form of government for the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe is absolutism because of the power of religious unity, the importance of fear, and the focus of the overall well-being of the state.
This period has become known as the Carolingian Dynasty. The sense of renewal in a newly stabilized society was stimulated by an elite group of scholars gathered to Charlemagne’s court. During this time, there was a strong flourish of arts, literature, architecture, and religion.
There is irrefutable evidence that over the period of the Middle Ages, both Christianity and Islam have been anchors in both shaping and influencing governance of kingdoms and empires comprising Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and territories ruled by Islam. Religion during this period was widely used to set laws, influence culture, justify armed conflicts, and pronounce punishment on citizens domiciled within the geographies depicted within this essay. I will attempt to illuminate the geopolitical climate, territorial demarcation, and religious influences that depicted life circa 500 – 1517 CE. From the background material submitted, I will directly answer the following questions:
Government is an administration defined by the Constitution, but is also a constantly adjusting foundation by the efforts of its citizens. By Litherland (2014), government is defined as policies set in order to lead a body of people (p. 395). Over the span of time, the idea of government has been stretched, changed, and applied to various communities throughout both the nation and the world. Whether it was back in the eighteenth century, current, or in the very near future—government has existed and will continue to exist for its people and the nation it has built its foundation upon. With the use of multiple authors, those of: “Difference between Direct and Representative Democracy” (n.d.), “Federalism - Dividing Power between States and the
The Middle Ages was the period of European history from the 5th to the 15th century during the fall of the Western Roman empire. During the central Middle Ages, social, economic, and political structures were rediscovered and organized. Although Europe suffered disasters of famine and war in the 14th century the main social, economic, and political structures remained the same. Europe began to experience its revival between the 15th and 16th century. The Middle Ages ended with the Renaissance period. While Christians stressed the importance of individuality and human equality, secularism and individualism continued to rise and mark the Renaissance society. The middle classes and peasant populations both believed it was possible to change their standard of living. They no longer subjected to inflexible social position as they began to improve their social class and lifestyle through new ideas and hard work.
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, reigned during a time of much turmoil and upheaval in Europe during middle ages. Charlemagne’s background and family history contributed much to his rise to power. The triumphs of his past lineage prepared him to take on the task of governing the Frankish Empire, and defending it from invaders. Charlemagne accomplished much during his supremacy. He not only brought education back into medieval Europe, but also invented an efficient way to govern his people. His conquests against the many adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire expanded his empire across the majority of Europe. His conquests also formed strong ties between the Catholic Church and the State. Charlemagne’s drive to convert Europe’s primitive
Some contemporary Scholars like Quentin Skinner define the state today as "a locus of power distinct from either the ruler or the body of the body of the people." (Skinner, Foundations of Modern Political Thought, II, p.355). Yet, others would argue that the potency of the word "state" derives from the fact that it means both ruler and people. In other words, the state is at the same time loved for its promise of order and stability for the whole community and feared for its threat of coercion by the power which does the ordering. Both schools of thought may be right for there is no universal definition of the concept. But no intellectual discussion about the concept of the state is complete without a review of the writings of St. Thomas
In Medieval Europe Kingdoms there were many changes. Most of the changes were good for the world. The changes in medieval times can be drawn comparison to todays world. The changes focused on will be political, social, and economic. These changes will help people understand a small part of the worlds history.