day 51

Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) - grandfather

• lived 688 - 741
• won the crucial Battle of Tours (732), halting Islamic expansion in western Europe

Charles Martel's sons:

    Carloman (706 - 754)

• retired to become a monk in 747

    Pepin the Short (714 - 768)

• continued to hold the Muslims off
• father of Charlemagne (and Carloman)

He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an Empire

• He fought the Muslims in Spain (to the west)
• He conquered Italy (to the south)
• He fought Huns and Magyars (to the east) 

Pope Leo III appreciated 

his efforts to spread Christianity, 

and crowned him Imperator Augustus (Emperor)

on Christmas Day, 800Renewed emphasis on education and culture

• literature, mathematics, art, architecture
• book copying and preserving
• opened a palace school
• surrounded himself with English, German, Italian and Spanish scholars

He regularly visited every part of his kingdom - hands-on ruling style

Charlemagne died at age 72, 47 years into his reign

He named his son Louis the Pious co-emperor before he died

Louis... not quite the leader his father was; ruled from 814 - 840

After L the P died, his three sons fought for control

They divided up the empire at the Treaty of Verdun

• Lothair I got the Middle Kingdom (northern Italy, other territories to the north)
• Charles the Bald got the Western Kingdom (France)
• Louis the German got the Eastern Kingdom (Germany)