Edit]Town and country life

The most dramatic change in medieval Gaul was the collapse of trade and town life. While many "towns" existed in the Dark Ages, they were usually only the fortified villages or market-centers surrounding government or religious buildings; many of these towns were, descended from Roman cities. There were, however, improvements in agriculture, notably the adoption of a new heavy ploughand the growing use of the three-field system.

The Franks were originally a confederation of Germanic tribes east of the Rhine that from AD 257 began to raid Roman territory. Because they were just one of several Germanic tribal confederations that ravaged the Roman Empire from the third century and onwards had the Roman emperors great difficulties to ward of their attacks. Not even the seas were safe from Frankish attacks since they also were capable pirates. But the Franks also had a positive influence on Rome by supplying many recruits to the Roman army and a Frankish tribe got permission by the emperor Julian to settle on Roman territory between the rivers Schelde and Meuse as foederati (ally) AD 358. As foederati were the Franks obliged to assist the Roman Empire with troops but got in return complete autonomy in the area where they were settled. Thereby had a Frankish state been created that a few centuries later would dominate western Europe.

The Salian Franks was not the only Frankish tribe that settled on Roman territory. About AD 430 were Franks allowed to settle in the area west of the Salian Franks' original territory and from the east came those Franks that have been called Ripuarians by the historians and who took possession of the area between the rivers Meuse and Rhine. Those Franks who remained in the Franks’ original territory east of the Rhine were called Eastern Franks. The leading Frankish tribe was the Salians and their kings united all Franks during the latter half of the fifth century. The kings were called Merovingians because they descended from Merovech whom the Franks believed to be son of a divine creature.

The most famous Merovingian king was Clovis who ascended the throne about 482 AD. He was already from the beginning of his reign forced to fight rivalling Frankish leaders whom he brutally killed. The last remnant of the West Roman Empire was conquered 486 when Clovis defeated Syagrius who had ruled over northern Gaul. That part of the Frankish kingdom would be called Neustria (the New Land) as opposed to Austrasia (the Eastern Land), which was the original core territory of the Franks. Clovis’ conquests were however far from over and he attacked and defeated the Germanic tribal confederation of the Alemanni about 496 AD from which he added large territories to his realm. The influence from his Burgundian queen Clotilda persuaded him to convert to Christianity after the battle against the Alemanni. Clovis’s decision to join the Catholic church rather than the Arian branch of Christianity like the other Germanic peoples had great significance since he then could count on support from the population in his neighbouring kingdoms who regarded the Arians as heretics.

The struggle against the Alemanni was however not over until 502 when all their territory was conquered by the Franks, except for a minor area that was protected by the Ostrogoths. Before that had Brittany been forced into submission although they retained considerable autonomy. Clovis’ last conquest was Aquitaine, which was taken from the Visigoths 507, only an intervention from the Ostrogoths prevented a complete conquest of the Visigoth kingdom. That campaign also resulted in Clovis’s appointment to Roman Consul by the East Roman emperor, which increased the prestige of the Frankish kingdom and gave their claim to be an heir to the Roman Empire greater credibility.

When Clovis died 511 the kingdom was divided between his four sons. This followed a pattern that would be repeated during the following centuries and meant that the Frankish kingdom was only united during short periods. The Merovingian kings were however very belligerent and many of them died before they had spawn any sons, which prevented the kingdom from being permanently dissolved. But a consequence of the divisions was that the Merovingians in an increasing extent fought more among themselves than with external enemies. An exception was the period 531-537 when the Frankish kingdom again conquered vast territories. The Thuringian kingdom was destroyed and a part of it was conquered 531. The Burgundian kingdom was conquered 532-534 and as a result of the East Roman emperor’s war against the Ostrogoths were they forced to cede what remained of Alemannia together with Provence to the Frankish kingdom 536-537 in exchange for Frankish neutrality. At the same time was Bavaria forced to recognise Frankish supremacy and the Frankish kingdom strengthened its control over Aquitaine.

The continuous divisions of the kingdom between the Merovingians had the effect that three Frankish part kingdoms came into being, Neustria in the west, Austrasia in the east and Burgundy in the south. The peripheral areas like Brittany, Aquitaine, Alemannia, Thuringia and Bavaria often tried to gain independence and the repeated struggles between the Merovingians gave them several opportunities to do so. The Thuringians became independent after the death of Dagobert I 639. Aquitaine refused to acknowledge the Merovingians rule after the murder of Childeric II 675. The already autonomous states of Brittany and Bavaria freed themselves from the Franks during the latter half of the seventh century. Finally Alemannia managed to gain its independence 709-712. The conquests that were made during the same period could not compensate the losses. A few areas in the Alps was conquered from the Lombards 575 and western Friesland was subjugated 689, but the Frisians made just like the other peripheral areas several attempts to regain their freedom.

The Merovingian kings did not only lose territory during this period, their power in the remaining parts of the Frankish kingdom were also reduced as a result of under aged kings. The office of Major Domus had been created to manage the kingdom until they came of age, but since it became permanent and hereditary the holders of these offices became the real rulers of the Frankish kingdom even when the kings were adults. In the battle at Tertry 687 was the Major Domus of Neustria and Burgundy defeated by his Austrasian colleague Pepin of Heristal who thereafter ruled the entire Frankish kingdom.

When Pepin of Heristal died 714 became his six year old grandson Theudoald the new Major Domus. The office that had been created to manage the kingdom when the kings were minors had now grown to be so powerful that it self could be inherited by minors. Pepin’s illegitimate son Charles Martel however did not accept this transition of power and proclaimed himself Major Domus and became the first ruler of the Carolingian dynasty, which definitely deprived the Merovingians of their power. The following decades were almost without interruptions spent on wars when the Carolingians tried to reconquer the lost territories and ward of attacks from the Arabs, whose invasion 732 was repulsed in the battle at Poitiers. The struggles to unify the kingdom were hard but successful, Thuringia, Alemannia and Bavaria were finally subjugated 744, Bavaria retained their old autonomy but ceded all land north of the Danube The Franks took control over the Balearic islands 754 and conquered Septimania from the Arabs 759. Aquitaine was reconquered 768. An alliance with the pope led to two successful campaign against the Lombards 754 and 756. At the same time the Carolingians strengthened their power within the Frankish kingdom and Pepin the Short deposed the last Merovingian 751 and had himself elected king.

Pepin the Short died 768 and left Western Europe’s strongest kingdom to his two sons Charlemagne and Carloman. The latter died 771 and Charlemagne could use the resources of the unified kingdom to expand it at all directions. When the Lombards threatened the Pope again Charlemagne invaded Italy and made himself king of the Lombards 774, the Lombard principality of Benevonto in southern Italy would however only recognise Charlemagne’s supremacy for brief periods. In contrast to the quick conquest of the Lombard kingdom was the subjugation of the Saxons in the northeast (772-804) a long and bloody affair. To break the Saxons' will to resist Charlemagne massacred thousands of them and only through deportations of Saxons and resettling of Franks and Slavs in their place was the region finally pacified. Bavaria, which always had been an unreliable vassal, was annexed to Frankish kingdom 788 after its duke had conspired with Lombards and Avars. The Avar Empire with its centre in Hungary was crushed 791-796 whereby the Slavic areas in Central Europe recognised Charlemagne’s supremacy. Eastern Friesland was conquered 784-785 and Brittany acknowledged Frankish supremacy 799. The campaigns against the Arabs were less successful but Charlemagne managed to extend his influence to the river Ebro 812, although the Arabs in their turn had taken the Balearic Islands 798.

The Conquests of Charlemagne were so huge that people thought he had restored the West Roman Empire. A consequence of that was Charlemagne’s coronation to emperor by the pope 800. But the Frankish tradition to divide the kingdom between the kings’ sons made the unity only temporary. The Frankish kingdom was also a feudal state that was held together by lucrative wars of plunder in the neighbouring countries. When the kingdom expanded its territory, the prospects of lucrative plundering decreased and with that also the loyalty of the nobility to the kings when they no longer could expect to be richly reworded for their services. Therefore would the Frankish Empire after the death of Charlemagne 814 under internal and external pressure disintegrate into several different kingdoms, which in their turn were divided into numerous petty feudal states.

Salic law (English pronunciation: /ˈsælɨk/ or /ˈseɪlɨk/; Latin: Lex Salica) was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century. Although Salic Law reflects ancient usage and practices, the Lex Salica likely was first compiled only sometime between 507 and 511.^[1]

General law

The law of Charlemagne was based on Salic Law, an influence as great as that of Greece and Rome. Through that connection, Salic law has had a formative influence on the tradition of statute law that has extended since then to modern times in Central Europe, especially in the German states, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, parts of Italy,Austria and Hungary, Romania, and the Balkans.

The Salic Law codified inheritance, crime, and murder. In a kingdom with many ethnic groups, each expected to be governed under its own law. The detailed laws established damages to be paid and fines levied in recompense of injuries to persons and damage to goods, e.g., slaves, theft, and unprovoked insults. One-third of the fine paid court costs. Judicial interpretation was by a jury of peers. These laws and their interpretations grant insight to Frankish society; Salic Law establishes that an individual person is legally unprotected by law if he or she does not belong to a family.

The most formative (geo-)political aspect of Salic inheritance law for Europe's history was its equal division of land amongst all living male children in opposition to primogeniture. This caused not only the break-up of the Carolingian Empire amongst Charlemagne's grandsons (under the Treaty of Verdun), but many kingdoms during the medieval period.

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