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Oct 10, 732
The Battle of Tours
The Muslims had conquered Spain and wanted to expand their empire. Charles Martel, the leader of the Franks, stopped them by taking a stand on a wooded hill. The Muslims had to fight uphill which was a huge disadvantage. The Franks never backed down, and the Muslims had to return back to Spain. This was a huge victory for the Franks. It stopped the Muslims from conquering them and gave the Carolingian leaders more power in their kingdom. -
Period: Oct 10, 732 to
The Carolingian Renaissance
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Feb 9, 751
Pepin the Short Becomes King
Pepin the Short was the son of Charles Martel and the leader of the Carolingians. The Carolingians had been considered the "Mayors of the Palace" but held most of the power over the Frankish kingdom. In 751, Pepin the Short asked Pope St. Zachary to officially name him King of the Franks. The Pope agreed, and St. Boniface anointed him. -
Feb 9, 754
The Papal States
In 754, Pope Stephen II anointed Pepin and his two sons again and asked Pepin for protection from invaders. Pepin agreed and went to Italy to protect the Pope from the Lombards. Pepin defeated the Lombards and gave the Pope the Papal States. It included the three territories of Rome, Ravenna, and Perugia. The benefit of this was Papal independnce, but the detriment was Papal corruption. -
The Bloody Verdict of Verdun
Charlemagne, the son of Pepin the Short and a Christian king of the Franks, had defeated the Saxons in one of his conquests. In 782, he arrested around 4,500 Saxon rebels who had been worshipping false gods and attacking his forces. He had them all beheaded and some said the river ran red with blood afterwards. This event was known as the Bloody Verdict of Verdun. It showed that Charlemagne was very brutal, and his Christianity was only external. -
Charlemagne's Coronation
On Christmas Day, 800, Charlemagne knelt at the altar to pray, and Pope Leo III crowned him "Emperor of the Romans." This caused problems with the Roman Empire because the Pope was denying the authority of the Emperor in Constantinople. Charlemagne defended himself by saiying he was the successor of Constantine VI instead of Romulus Augustulus. This coronation created the two separate Empires who would oppose and fight each other for many centuries.
