Homework 3.14.10

The next group of Germanic people we will talk about is the Franks.

The Franks lived somewhere between Russia and Germany. They were large people: they had red hair, they were big chested and big boned, and the men tended to have full beards.

In 496, they had a new warrior lord, Clovis. He claimed the throne for himself and soon became a Christian. I will not say that he was converted because as I read the story, I found it very compelling. God was the one converting and not any earthly person. True, his wife was Christian and spoke to him numerous times to be converted, but it was him...and him alone who changed. As he went into battle at one time, and it was not going in such a way as to favor the Franks, he knelt down and prayed to God (our God) that if he saved them, he would repent and devote his life to God. The story says next that immediately, the opposing side fell under great fear and soon after that their king was killed. True to his word, Clovis, when he returned home, was baptized and became the first Christian king to rule over the Franks. As he came into rule, the Romans used him as a buffer against the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths.

In 508, Clovis made his capital Ile-de-Frace (modern-day Paris). The Franks believed that they the best of all. They had the best part of every tribe out there and that made them the best of the best. You'll notice this in the French to this day. The Franks created their own dialect and were very protective of it.

The Vandals were considered to be the fiercest of all the Germanic tribes. They lived somewhere between Rome and Russia. They didn't really have any cultural achievements and were essentially pirates. This is the reason we have the word "vandal" today. The Vandals didn't come in and conquer and settle down. They loved to tear things up. They would come and rape, burn and destroy and then just move on. There was no negotiating with them. They were monsters. This began to be portrayed in the young Roman children. They began picking up many of these traits.

The Huns were yet another Germanic tribe that we will talk about. They lived in northern Russia and moved southward. The were both fierce and destructive combined. They moved together as a single powerful force! And this is what made them a threat to the entire Roman empire.

In 378 AD, that threat was magnified.

In 451, there was a battle.
In 452, Attila laid siege Rome itself. Leo their bishop, went out and talked to Attila in order to negotiate with him. And due to this, the people of Rome discovered that it was not political men, or imperial men who could change Attila's mind about attacking...it was churchmen. Before this time, churchmen such as pastors or bishops were not regarded very highly. Now, because they were the only thing protecting the cities, they were lifted up on pedestals.

The Burgundians were a Germanic tribe that was called in by the Romans to protect them from the Huns. They were a smaller people group, and had small aspects of the Romans. The Burgundians were given some feudal rights from the Romans. This was the beginning of their feudalism. After that, they began to just take the land.

The Saxons were another Germanic tribe that was brought in to protect Rome from the Huns. They were given land and civilian rights. They became forest people.

The next and last Germanic tribe that we will study today are the Northman tribe, also known as the Normans. There's not a lot to tell about them. They were a lot like the Celts and Franks, though.

There were a few different points that the barbarians invading brought. I will point them out now.

1) The rise of the Church stabilized Rome by keeping its virtues. It began to look like the old empire. That is why in modern days now, the Roman Catholic churches tend to look so grand and magnificent. They were the life and breath; the only thing keeping them alive.

2) The barbarians invading also brought the beginning of feudalism. Everyone was working on their own land.

And 3) It brought about the end of ubanism. The big cities were dangerous. There was less crime, more freedom, and more food in the little towns.

Due to these barbaric invasions, Rome changed and went in a totally new direction. They made a new world.

Absorbing the Barbarians

The Advent of Christianity: Christianity was a threat to the Roman emperor. They believed that the emperor must be above all other gods. Christianity says that God is above the emperor. This was hugely wrong to the Romans

Even the name of Jesus Christ was suggesting the exact thing they didn't believe...that he was the one to save. He was the only on. And he was a threat to the imperial side of life. They had been trained to look at the emperor as god. and not at Christ like that.

The Gospel was written in space and time as opposed to other Roman mythical stories. It's very true and it was all documented. Also, there were many eye witnesses to it.

The Gospel transformed many people. People changed completely because of the gospel. Whenever you killed one Christian, you got five converts because of it! This is the way Christianity spread like wildfire.