HIS 101
Unit 7: Charlemagne
Reconstructed Viking ships, docked so peacefully in Vyburg, Finland.
Charlemagne was a warrior king, and most of his reign was spent in
battle with adversaries on the frontiers of his empire as he expanded
that empire across Europe. Charlemagne's most implacable foes
included the Vikings from Scandinavia, who used their Viking long boats
to constantly threaten the European mainland throughout the eighth and
ninth centuries, but it was not until after Charlemagne's death in 815
that the Vikings became a real threat to European mainland
society. Charlemagne's successors did not maintain the expensive
fort system that Charlemagne had put in place to prevent the Vikings
from sailing up European rivers and raping, pillaging and burning.
What you
must do in this unit
- Review chapter 7 in the textbook especially the sections on western Europe and Charlemagne.
- Read my notes on Charlemagne and watch the short video. I also have some longer remarks on Charlemagne from the mid 1990s that I used on the TV version of the course.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit.
- Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments about this unit's reading in the discussion forum (5 points).
What you can do in this unit
- Listen to some further information about this unit
as a mp3 file. You can also read the information as
a txt file.
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 50 points of extra credit, read the Song of Roland and submit the Song of Roland paper.
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, using such sources as The Vikings, Vikings by the BBC, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga or Vikings (and any other sites you may wish to consult),
write a one-page paper (maybe two pages), in which you argue either that the
Viking excursions were (a) beneficial or (b) harmful to the development of
Europe.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Einhard's Life of Charlemagne and write a long paragraph: How did Charlemagne use the church to his
advantage during his reign?
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the Capitulary of Charlemagne (802; English translation), and in a long paragraph comment upon Charlemagne's conception of political leadership.
- For up to 5 points of extra credit, answer the Song of Roland study sheet questions.
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the scope of the Carolingian Renaissance and (2) identify reasons why Charlemagne's empire did not long survive his death.
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