Feudalism and the Catholic Church
The only force that was powerful enough to unite an extremely disorganized group of people was the Roman Catholic Church. For the time being, religion was very important. From birth to death, whether one was a peasant, a serf, a noble, a lord, or a King, life was all about church. Various religious institutions became important, rich, and powerful. This is because life sucked during the Middle Ages. Times were tough, and they looked toward God to make it better. Because of this, society basically attempted to structure itself politically on a religious basis. Often times, religion in government is effective, but if it’s the only thing, it won’t work well. The proof is in the Middle Ages. Religion in government is nice because it promotes morality. It, moreover, tells the people which is right and which is wrong. Religion is used as means for control. But when one begins to think for him/herself, all of the sudden, religion isn’t as effective. When people began to think about themselves and the amount of potential they had, society changed for the better. This idea, known as humanism, was the basis of the Renaissance. Moving back, after the Roman Empire dissipated, the idea of Europe as one large church-state arose, called Christendom. Christendom consisted of two distinct groups of representatives: the sacerdotium (ecclesiastical hierarchy) and the imperium (secular leaders). Supposedly, these two groups were complements of each other, attending to people's spiritual and temporal needs, respectively. The Pope was considered higher in status than the emperor in those two areas. But, the emperors often attempted to regulate the Church. The church, in turn, not only owned cities and armies but also attempted to regulate the matters of the government as well.
Charlemagne
Pepin's son, Carolus Magnus (Charlemagne), succeeded his father to become one of the most important rulers in medieval history. His empire was known as the Carolingian dynasty, and it included the greater section of central Europe, northern Italy, and central Italy, in addition to realms already conquered by Frankish rule. Charlemagne's ingenious system of government divided the vast realm into different regions, ruled by local rulers, who were overseen by representatives of Charlemagne's own court. In addition, to aid expansion and management of this vast kingdom, Charlemagne promoted, what was later called, the "Carolingian Renaissance." Prior to this revival of learning, practically the entire region (excluding England) was illiterate due to the fall of the Roman Empire. The sub-director of this "Renaissance" was Anglo-Saxon Benedictine Alcuin, who received his learning from a student of Bede. Alcuin set up schools, made sure that classical Latin texts were copied, and developed a new handwriting. On Christmas Day, Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the Pope in Rome. This event showed independence in Western culture that was based upon Western Christianity and Latin linguistics. Charlemagne established schools and monasteries everywhere. This had an enormous impact and probably would have altered history forever had he left competent successors to continue on his legacy. His sole surviving son, Louis the Pious, divided his new kingdom between his own three sons, who engaged in civil war. Charlemagne's united realm was invaded by Scandinavian Vikings, Hungarians, and