Kingdoms of medieval civilization

The fall of Rome and the rise of Germanic states mark the end of ancient eons and the beginning of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the amount of atomic number 63an culture shifted from the nations around the Mediterranean Sea to regions that had barely been moved(p) by Greco-Roman civilization. A new civilization, medieval civilization, took shape during the early onish Middle come ons (A.D. 500-1050). There were few strong rulers or governances in this period, and a semipolitical system grew up in which power was divided among many local lords (Perry, 1988,).By the fifth century, Germanic races had established kingdoms in Italy, Spain, Gaul, and England. These lands in one case belong to Rome (Crofton, 1994, 254). At its height, the Roman Empire had been a human race of cities with a rich culture. By the end of the Empire, many towns were abandoned as people fled to country estates. The center of political, social, and economic life shifted from city to countr yside. Since the Germanic invaders were rural people, they did not try to revive the old cultural centers or build new ones of their own. The decline of Roman rule left the Hesperian and central Europe disorganized.A new medieval style of government appeared in the kingdom of the Franks. A Germanic people, the Franks had migrated double-uward from their homeland in the valley of the Rhine River. As Romes border defenses weakened in the fourth and fifth centuries, Frankish tribes settled in Roman territory. almost 481 a Frankish ruler named Clovis united the various Frankish tribes and conquered the Romans and some other Germans in northern Gaul. In 768, Charlemagne became king of the Franks. Charlemagne was an extraordinary figure in medieval history. Charlemagne expanded his kingdom by conquering the Lombard kingdom in Italy and taking part of northern Spain from the Muslims.He added Bavaria (in what is now Germany) to his kingdom and afterward terrible wars forced the Germani c Saxons to submit to his rule and convert to Christianity. Charlemagne was enthrone Emperor of Rome in 800 which indicated that the Roman idea of strong centralized government had not died. Charlemagnes conglomerate did not, however, have Roman justice or political organization. Moreover, it had no great cities that could serve as centers of workmanship and learning. What Charlemagne did however, was to blend Germanic, Christian and Roman elements that came to characterize the civilization of the Middle Ages (Perry, 1988, 141-143).The kingdom of Charlemagne break apart after his death and divided Europe which was past threatened with invasions from the Viking raiders ( Vikings are the ancestors of the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes of today) from the north , the Magyars from Central Asia , and the Muslims. The terrible invasions went on until early in the tenth century and had terrible consequences for Western Europe. Like the precedent Germanic invasions, they weakened centra l authority, disrupted trade, hurt agriculture, and left settlements and monasteries in ruins. Few kingdoms had the capacity to protect its own people so that people no longer look to a central ruler for security. They turned instead to local lords who had their own armies.As a result, western Europe had entered an age in which lords, not kings, held political power. In fact, kings at that that time were regarded only as chief feudalistic lord. Living in age of warfare and disorder, lords sought allies among their fellow nobles. The basis for these alliances was the lords land. In counterchange for military assistance and other services, one lord granted land called a fief to another noble. The system of relationships that grew out of this granting of fiefs was called feudalism. It became the main political arrangement in Europe after the breakup of Charlemagnes empire in the ninth century.In some ways, feudalism grew out of the traditions of the Germanic tribes. Feudal law inclu ded many elements of Germanic law and feudal attitudes reflected Germanic respect for the warrior (Perry, 1988,144-145 ). Because they lived in violent times feudal lords build homes designed to serve as fortresses .The first castle was built in the ninth century at the time of the Viking raids. These castles were encircled by immense walls and strong guard towers. Sometimes, feudal lords would fight against each other for control (Crofton, 1994, 265).It is obvious therefore, that because of the disorder of territories brought about by the fall of Roman Empire, the Germanic kingdoms flourished, which combined the Germanic, Roman and Christian elements that characterized the western kingdoms of the medieval civilization. And as invasions plaqued the west from all quarters, small self-protecting feudal kingdoms governed by nobles or lords was established.ReferencesCrofton, Ian (e d). (1994). The Guinness Compact Encyclopedia. capital of the United Kingdom Guinness Publishing Limite dPerry, Marvin. (1988). A World in History. New York Houghton-Mifflin, Inc.