After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Europe entered a dark and long Middle Ages, the barbarians fought fiercely and fiercely, the ambitions of the Holy See swelled, morality was degraded, and the European continent was shrouded in blood and brutality. Known as the "Father of Europe", Charlemagne brought brief peace and stability to Europe with his outstanding talents and outstanding military achievements, and the Frankish Kingdom was once close to unifying Europe. Nevertheless, I still think that the Frankish kingdom cannot be compared with the once glorious Roman Empire, the Franks, although they have their own customs and habits, are still rare and cruel, and the light of this regime is at best a firework in the night.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > Charlemagne did not consider himself a Frank</h1>
Let's start with an interesting phenomenon, which is that Charlemagne actually did not think of himself as a Frank. Clovis, the founder of the Frankish kingdom and the founder of the Merovingian dynasty, and the Clovisons did not place themselves outside of the Gauls, while Charlemagne and his father Pepin the Dwarf did not count themselves as Frankish. In article IV of the decree on the division of the land, he declared: "If the Franks come to invade our territory, they shall be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the Franks." To the Romans, the Carolingians appeared to be German, and Pope Adrian IV, in a letter to the Archbishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier, stated: "The Empire has been transferred from the Greeks to the Germans. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="8" > barbarian legal system: ferocity and superstition are laws</h1>
The importance of the legal system to a country is like the significance of the spine to the human body. Charlemagne's ancestors began by looting and killing, so his performance in this regard is extremely lackluster. With Charlemagne's wisdom, it should have thought of formulating a code that conformed to the trend of the times, and if it could not establish a complete legal system like the ancient Romans, it should also get rid of the bad habits of the barbarians. But constrained by cultural constraints, he had to compromise with reality and confirm the Salic Code, the Ribeer Code, and the Burgundy Code. And what are the contents of these codes? Let's briefly list:
For felonies such as murder, amputation, rape and poisoning, silver money can be atonened; anyone who can pay 400 sues can kill a bishop with impunity; killing a priest costs only 200 sues; rape and poisoning can also be atonened for 200 sus. In the case of inheritance, who owns the estate and whether the will is valid can be resolved by duels and divine judgments. Here's an explanation of what a divine judgment is.
There are many ways to judge divinely, such as cold water, boiling water, and soldering irons. For example, a divine judgment with boiling water is to have the defendant stretch out his bare arm and put it into the boiling water to catch a sacred ring at the bottom of the tank, and then the judge will bandage the defendant's arm in front of the priest and the crowd, wrap the bag in a pocket, seal the mouth of the bag, and if there is no burn mark on the arm after 3 days, God tells us that the person is not guilty. Charlemagne's granddaughter-in-law, Berghi, was accused of having an improper relationship with her brother and was subjected to this divine judgment. And the queen finally passed the test, in fact, this kind of referee is just a false performance, through the means of deception can determine the final result.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" > nobles had the power to elect kings</h1>
The question of succession was a matter of paramount importance to any conqueror, and although Charlemagne was the greatest conqueror in Frankish history, he had to succumb to the power of habit when it came to the question of heir. At that time the Frankish nobles were given the power to elect kings, a practice that later continued into the Holy Roman Empire of Germany. It was only the powerful Charlemagne who would encourage his men to elect one of his sons as future kings.
It is worth mentioning that in the aristocratic assembly, Charlemagne would often flatter or please some nobles, but after the meeting, if anyone is against the decision of the assembly, then he must be ready to move his head. Charlemagne once wrote in an edict: "If one of my three princes gives birth to a son, and the whole nation is willing to let him succeed to the father's throne, I hope his uncles will agree." "Judging from this edict, at least nominally, the nobles had the right to elect a king. It is just that the strength of this power is inversely proportional to the strength of the king's ability.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="20" > Charlemagne, who was fooled by the bishop, pit his descendants</h1>
Charlemagne made a mistake in his later years when he granted the bishops a power that ultimately brought endless misfortune to his descendants. Perhaps in his later years there will always be confusion, and the clever bishops have convinced the "Emperor of the Romans" that in the Code of Theodosius, if two secular people have a legal dispute, and one of them asks the bishop to be the judge, then the other party must obey the judgment and cannot appeal. Unfortunately, Charlemagne believed the bishops' lies and confirmed this power.
This is tantamount to confirming the ultimate jurisdiction of the bishop, and it is absurd that the bishop has jurisdiction over everything in the future, including civil, criminal, and even in relation to the royal power. What a terrible thing it was for the episcopal class to have full jurisdiction. The descendants of the Carolingians and the kings of later Europe, who have suffered from civil strife because of the papal jurisdiction, came from Charlemagne's decision.
However, in that era, bishops often established a pivotal position in the process of establishing a regime. In Gaul and the regions east of the Rhine, many bishops brought their serfs to war. Charlemagne once said to his wife: "In the battle between the Franks and the Avars, a bishop in the Austrian region fought valiantly at his side. "It's really a christ church martial art, and no one can stop it." At a popular assembly in 803 AD, there were complaints that many priests had been killed in the war, so Charlemagne forbade church priests from participating in the war, but this edict was not effectively enforced.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > the desert of culture and art</h1>
The Middle Ages are known as a period of great regression of civilization, which is not false at all. Although Charlemagne spoke Latin, he did not write his name in Latin. Einhard records: "He was still trying to learn to write, but he started too late to get his grades on the ground. "Einhard is his secretary, and his words should be credible. Charlemagne invited Alquin of England and Peter the Pisa to the court to help him, both of whom had studied in Rome.
As for art, it was nothing more than a mirror for the Franks, who were deeply bound by barbarian customs. At that time, churches in France had singers, and they were called Gallic chanters. It was nothing more than an imitation of the Romans. Once Charlemagne asked them to sing to the Italian tone, and the Pope even sent them sheet music and sent two Italian musicians to help the poor technically, when France did not have an organ and had to be transported from Italy. Charlemagne finally listened. As for the unfathomable philosophy, astronomy, physics, etc. may not have even been born at that time.
Text: Lantai Lingjun
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