Charlemagne and
what is he the king of?
He was originally the king of the Franks, but became emerpor of Rome.
Why were they so violent (pt 1)
They were harsh because of there harsh conditions
What was the greatest honor?
To die in war
The three main social classes
Karls:Middle class, free men, and full protection of law
Jarls:Slaves
Thralls:Wealthy people
Primary trade partners and what was traded
Primarily traded with the European, Arabic, and Byzantine empires. They traded iron, silver, and slaves.
Goals for the Carolingian renaissance
Revive art, culture, and education.
What was the economy based on?
Trade, farming, and plunder. Long term wealth came from trade routes
Why were they so violent (pt 2)
They were violent being their gods were violent. The gods and giants fighting set an example of how the vikings should act.
Why did vikings switch from trading to raiding
There were many places that were easy targets and could gain them wealth quickly
What was the thing?
The thing was a legislature in court that consisted of karls and jarls. All disagreements and laws are settled here.
What were his accomplishments?
He expanded his empire, establishes a strong government and promoted Christianity.
Where were they from? Describe it.
They were from Scandinavia. It has harsh\extreme weather conditions which caused them to be violent people
How did the gods form?
A cow named Audhumia licked ice to create a god. Ymir was the ancient giant.
What was the Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard was a military unit of personal body guards for the byzantine emperor.
What happened in 793?
The vikings attacked lindisfarne, which started the beginning of the viking age. Many monks were killed, many artifacts\relics were taken and other monasteries were attacked
Summarize the Saxon wars
Between the Franks(Charlemagne) and the saxons. Charlemagne's goal was to convert the saxons to Christianity. The outcome was a forced conversion and the complete political control of the saxons.
How did longships help them?
It allowed them to easily dominate the sea because they could go in shallow waters. They were able to go to coastal settlements and quickly raid harbors. This made reaching North America, Greenland, and Iceland easy for them.
What did they pray for? What did they rely on?
They prayed for good harvest. They relied on whether for farming and these for raiding.
Summarize Alcuin's letter and why he was concerned.
His letter was telling the people to protect themselves and to convert to Christianity(Charlemagne to the saxons). He said that is was a punishment from the gods for the mortal corruption of Northumbrias nobility and clergy.
How did the Carolingian Renaissance contribute to the revival of learning?
Charlemagne promoted education, preserved classical texts, and standardized latin. It was a period of intellectual and cultural revival under his rule.
Outcome of the Carolingian renaissance
What was Norse mythology about?
A tree called Yggdrasil with 9 realms, the top one being Asgard for the gods, the middle being Midgard for the humans, Valhalla for Odin, and Folkvangr for freya.
Describe the Siege of Paris
This was the largest attempt to capture Paris. The Vikings demanded the Parisians would pay so they wouldn't attack, but Odo refused so the vikings surrounded Paris. Odo went to Charles and arrived with an army but paid them off.
How did early written accounts portray the Vikings?
The vikings were portrayed as brutal pagan raiders and were later portrayed as complex figures in heroic kings. Earlier accounts were written by Christian monks and clergy while later accounts were written by Irelanders.