# How was France formed?

## Метаданные

- **Канал:** Knowledgia
- **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHK3_TbUCk
- **Источник:** https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/40564

## Транскрипт

### Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) []

How did medieval France begin? How did this territory transform from the chaotic decline of Roman power through to the early Frankish expansion under Clovis? How did the early Franks fight for power and how they resisted and defeated the largest Muslim empire the world has ever seen leading to the rise of the Carol Lingian dynasty. In this video, we will explore the period when key events in early French history took place, forming the backbone of what we know today as France. By the late fifth century, the complex Roman power structures and institutions which had existed for centuries in Gaul had now largely crumbled away. This was a new era and one which presented ample opportunity for emerging powers to expand within the vacuum. The immediate aftermath of Rome's collapse saw a complex patchwork of powers with the Visigoths occupying the south, Franks in the center and northeast, Burgundians in the Ron Valley area, and Celtic Breton immigrants possessing much of Britany. It was the Franks though who would most effectively capitalize on the situation. Originally from around the lower Rin River region in Germany, their push west into Gaelic territory had accelerated in the late Roman era. However, it would take famed King Clovis I to more effectively unite these desperate groups, helping to form a more singular power block. His campaign would begin in earnest in 486 AD at the symbolic battle of Swasson. Here his Frank forces defeated Seagras, the last Roman commander in Gaul. He would go on to battle against other local groups to increase the area of territory under his control. By 500 AD, this compromised most of central and northern France, not to mention large portions of modern-day West Germany and Belgium, too. Paris was also established as the capital during this period, a title it would hold for most of the nation's history. Sights were next set on the Burgundian kingdom, much of which was brought into the fold as a tribute paying region before Clovis finally turned to the wellestablished Visigothths in the south. This powerful rival Germanic group had established a kingdom with its seat of power in Tulus from around the time of their sack of Rome in 410 AD. It was part of a larger and strategically significant territory which stretched from central France down to the Pyrenees and Mediterranean in the southwest. Clovis keen to acquire the Visiggoth territories and remove another enemy would face Goth King Olrich II in 507 AD near Puier. Here at the Battle of Vuier, a better equipped Goth army was ultimately defeated by Frank forces with King Olrich II supposedly killed in the melee by Clovis personally which caused a breaking of the Goth lines. He now possessed the huge territory of Aquitane, formerly known by its Roman name of Noveilani alongside the valuable city of Tulus. The Goths, meanwhile, were forced south, first into the southern border regions of France before eventually into Spain, where they would remain. This furthered a process of cultural separation along future national lines, as the exiled group of Goths would eventually help form the nations of Spain and Portugal over the coming centuries, France's future culturally distinct neighbors. At the time of Clovis's death in 511 AD, he had transformed the Frankish power base in France, a broader area of control which now encompassed much of modern-day France, parts of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. Of key importance, he had also embraced the Christian faith. He was one of the earliest Germanic leaders to convert after a period of much persuasion from his wife the Burgundian princess clo who was a nyine Christian. Clovis was initially resistant especially after two of his sons fell ill shortly after his mother had them secretly baptized. However, he eventually came around with dates of both 496 and 508 AD given for his conversion. The 496 AD conversion ties in with his victory over the Alammani at the battle

### Segment 2 (05:00 - 10:00) [5:00]

of Tolbak and was popularized by chronicers for its symbolic parallels to Constantine and his own conversion after the battle of Milvian Bridge. Regardless of when exactly it occurred, his conversion was a significant event for the future nation. He was one of the few Germanic leaders of the period to convert to nyine or the accepted orthodox of Christianity of the time with the majority of other Germanic groups adopting the Aryan variety of the faith. This further predisposed the Roman church towards him and helped cement the Franks as natural allies as well as secure his wife a saintthood. It aligned him with the variant of the faith of most of his Celtic Romano subjects and it also established the religion as a state norm for an area encompassing much of modern-day Europe. The alliances he built with the church would ultimately help legitimize both Frankish rule and the future nation of France, not to mention mark a key development of this national trend of Christianization at all levels of society. However, despite Clovis's strengths, the Germanic inheritance model split holdings between all sons as a custom of old Salian law. This meant the kingdom was divided at the time of his death into four separate entities. A division process which would be repeated again with the death of King Clar I in 564. It was a severe weak point in their power system as it diluted the empire at the point of inheritance, encouraging fragmentation and interfamilial conflict. It was an issue which would not be fully addressed until the rise of a more enduring inheritance model in the 11th century under the Capescian dynasty. They would be the ones to usher in primogenature and passing of rule onto the firstborn son. also a key facet of future monarchical France. The remainder of the sixth century passed in this way with periods of increased fragmentation of the kingdom when it was split between multiple heirs followed by shorter periods of a more successful heir consolidating power. One such example of this is Clotar II who in co-rule with his son Daggobert are regarded as the last ruling Meovenians before the rise of the figurehead leaders without real power. Clotar was responsible for the edict of Paris in 614 AD. an important collection of legislation which attempted to strengthen the state church practice of law and also rights of the aristocracy. It would in turn help cement the early feudal system developing through this period by confirming the privileges of aristocratic land owners. Militarily, the rebelling Saxons in the northeast were defeated in 622 and their territory brought back into the kingdom while Dagobart would bring most areas under his sole rule. It's also in this period that we see the first writings by Nustrians that is the northwestern Frank Kingdom in which they refer to their region simply as Francia. This is in distinction to the Australasian kingdom which sits in much of what is modern-day West Germany and up towards the Netherlands and North Sea coast. These linguistic signs show broader cultural divergence emerging in the region which would ultimately give way to more modern European national distinctions. As the Meovvenian dynasty's central authority waned through the 7th century, regional autonomy grew. Clovis's unifying power had long since faded, and many local rulers and nobility had begun to act independently, establishing their own laws and customs. This served to further fragment the realm, coinciding with the decline of central authority. The period also saw the emergence of a new hierarchical labor and social system, particularly in rural areas. This system was polarized between an increasingly small proportion of land owners and the majority of surfs. Many local elites had been consolidating their control over huge estates, essentially establishing ownership of land previously held in the commons. This bound surfs to the land owners and baronss, exchanging their labor or rent, often alongside military service in return for the right to use an area of land.

### Segment 3 (10:00 - 15:00) [10:00]

These evolving relationships between the two groups were the foundations of feudalism in France, a system which would remain in place until the revolution nearly 1,000 years later. Directly connected with the Meovvenian decline was the increasing importance of a role known as mayor of the palace. This was a position at the head of a ruler's court managing all of its aspects with each territory of the realm having its own. However, as kings slowly became little more than figureheads, it was the mayor of the palace role which often took the reigns of power. This was the case with Pepin of Herstal, a significant figure who after seven years spent in this very role moved to acquire power for himself over the broader realm. His move was achieved with the help of victory at the battle of Tertri in 687 AD when he defeated a rival power base in Nustria. Her style was also significant as the first from the Carolinian dynasty to rule the Franks and start of the lineage which would produce Charles Martell, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne. After a period of civil war, now near customary between the competing inheritors, it was Charles Martell, one of Pepin's illegitimate sons, who would take the role of duke and prince of the kingdom in 718 AD. Though initially focusing on defeating the Saxons, who had invaded in the northeast, he would soon be faced with an external threat of greater magnitude. You see, in this transitionary period between the two dynasties, another empire had been on the march, that of the Islamic Caliphate. By the early 700s, following its rapid capture of North Africa, it had now taken almost the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula. The Franks alongside Odo the Great who ruled in the semi-independent Aquitane region were faced with an unfamiliar threat in the form of these Islamic forces who sat just south of the Pyrenees. They would not remain behind the mountain range for long and in around 718 AD began expansion into the province of Septtoania which travels up into south central France. Ostenibly they came to remove the Visiggoth nobles who had fled there following defeat in Iberia. But just as many empires before them also to capture the strategic Mediterranean coastline which included gems such as the ancient port city of Ma. Narbon was captured in the early phases of the campaign before the Umiad advance was temporarily halted in 721 AD by Odo the Great of Aquitane. Here at Tulus, he made a stand and after savage fighting managed to push back the invaders towards the Pyrenees. However, around 7:24 AD, the Islamic campaign would be reinvigorated under the leadership of Anbasa Iban Sahayam al- Kalbi. After recapturing Tulus, Nee and a string of smaller towns, the Muslim army looked to pose an existential threat, causing great constonnation among Frank leaders. The Umiad armies got to within around 30 km of Paris in a huge push north, though facing resistance eventually retreated south back to Septtoania with their ample spoils. This was more of a raiding and exploration campaign than a fullscale settlement drive. It nevertheless demonstrated the capabilities of the Islamic armies at the time. Alongside the relative weakness of European resistance, it would remain the furthest into Europe invading Islamic armies ever reached. Though there was Islamic raiding from Septtoania in the following years, it wouldn't be until 732 AD that a new full-scale invasion into Francia would occur. An army led by Algafiki crossed the Pyrenees. First reinforcing garrisons in Septtoania before pivoting west into Aquitane to face the powerful Odo the Great. Following numerous encounters, Odo's forces ultimately withdrew north, leaving the majority of Aquitane open to the invading army. The Umiads now had control of much of southern France in what was a serious blow to the Frankish rulers. Algafiki was wary of the resupply distance between their home of Cardoba and their current position in central France. However, he decided to push on towards

### Segment 4 (15:00 - 20:00) [15:00]

Poatier. It would be here somewhere north of the city that the two armies would climactically meet at the Battle of Tours. After a period of days staking each other out, Umiad forces finally began a reluctant assault uphill against Martell's men who occupied the higher ground. Despite the quality of the Muslim heavy cavalry and complete lack of any in the Frankish ranks, Martell's heavy infantry held strong. described as taking the Macedonian felanks position. Wave after wave were resisted until eventually the battle turned with the Muslim armies making a tactical retreat during the night. This was a key turning point not only in the history of France but arguably the whole of Europe too. Though Islamic forces would continue to hold on to French southern possessions into the mid 8th century, this battle marked the point where their seemingly unstoppable push into Europe was halted. While it became apparent Berber revolts in North Africa had played a part in the general Umiad pivot away from France, this didn't matter to Martell. It was a victory of great value. Heed symbolically defeated an invading Islamic army, gaining both prestige among his own population as well as earning great favor with central Catholic authority. The battle would also help cement the rise of the Carolindians with Martell's son Pepin the Short being the first of the faction to officially be crowned as king rather than holding the title of duke and prince. Pepin assumes the throne in 751 AD after deposing the last official Marovvenian king Schilder III. As the first Carolian king of the Franks, Pepin had a fairly illustrious reign. He finally pushed out the remnants of the Umiad forces in Septtoania as well as extending territory under his control as far south as Barcelona at one point. Pepin also consolidated internal rule, legal systems, and further deepened the alliance with the Roman church, dramatically sending relief forces to Pope Steven II around 754 AD in their battle against the invading Lombard tribes in central Italy. This essentially secured territory on the papacy's behalf and was a crucial lifeline. It became known as the donation of pepin and also established the legal precedent for the papal state. However, despite his consequential reign, it is his son Charlemagne who generally takes the spotlight in this period for his contribution to the formation of the nation. One man's empire would shatter into a thousand pieces. And from that chaos, modern France was born. This is the story of how the greatest empire in Europe fell apart and why that destruction created one of the most powerful nations in history. It starts with Charlemagne's death in 814. Within decades, his vast empire stretching from Spain to Germany fractures. Vikings tear through the coastlines. Local lords seize power. The kingdom of the Franks is dying. But something unexpected happens in these centuries of violence. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, three forces collide. Charlemagne's imperial dream, the church's growing power, and the Vikings relentless raids. Out of this collision emerges something no one planned. A new identity, a new people, a nation that would shape the next thousand years of European history. This is how France was born. Pepin the short had cemented the dynastic transition and by the time of his death the powerful Frank kingdom was firmly in Carolian hands. His son Charlemagne who inherited rule would go on to become the most famous of the Frankish kings and a key figure in the formation of modern France. Pepin's kingdom was extensive and encompassed most of modern-day France, Western Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium at the time of his death. Charlemagne and his brother Carlan I initially shared rule between them in what would become an uneasy alliance. Embarking first on a joint campaign against the rebellious province of Aquitane in the southwest which had long bothered their father. Carlaman though

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would pull out early on for reasons unknown. Charlemagne, demonstrating his emerging military prowess, finished the campaign alone and subdued the province after 10 years of unrest there. Carlaman's unexpected death soon after in 771 AD would resolve the issue of their rivalry, handing sole rule to Charlemagne. He quickly sought to consolidate power in his brother's former realms by turning his attention to the Saxons in the northeast who were resisting frank authority. A sign of the expansionist drive which would define his rule. Though this campaign would not end the Saxon threat as they would rebel intermittently for another 33 years, it did help boost his standing among the military and help secure allegiance from remaining factions previously loyal to his brother. This campaigning was followed almost immediately in 772 by a request from new Pope Adrien I for Charlemagne's assistance in recapturing papal territory from the hostile Lombard people. This was an opportunity for Charlemagne to gain favor and deepen his relationship with the church which he seized. The Lombards had been taking over territory from the Papal States in their drive to dominate the Italian peninsula. This had left the papacy in a vulnerable position and in need of outside assistance. Charlemagne first tried to resolve things diplomatically with Desidarius, the Lombard king. When this failed, he prepared an army to cross the Alps into Italy and besiege the Lombard capital at Pavia from late 773, aiming to starve them out. By June 774, with disease running through the city, the Lombards at Pavia surrendered with Charlemagne assuming the title King of the Lombards. Not only had he gained great favor with the papacy, further legitimizing his dynasty and rule over much of Europe, but he had also greatly expanded the area under his control. The Frank Kingdom now incorporated northern Italy alongside most of Western Europe, increasing the wealth of his court and standing among his people. In 781, Charlemagne made the journey to Rome at the request of Pope Adrien for the baptism of his young son, illustrating the depth of his relationship with the church by this point. In Rome, the young Carlan was baptized and renamed Pepin alongside his brother Louie. Both toddlers were then crowned by the Pope and given the titles King of the Lombards and King of Aquitane, respectively. in part a debt of gratitude by the papacy but also recognition of Charlemagne's power. Much of the next years would be spent dealing with the Saxons again who under their new leader Widukind had started mounting attacks on Frank positions in Saxony. This led to some of the most brutal recorded actions of Charlemagne's rule when he had up to 4,500 Saxon prisoners beheaded in reprisal at the massacre of Verden. This was followed by years of highintensity campaigns which proved successful in putting down the resistance. The revolt ended in 785 with the surrender of Widowkind and his conversion to Christianity with Charlemagne acting as godfather into the 790s and Charlemagne's focus was increasingly internal. He organized a council in Regensburg in 792 to try and deal with the religious controversy of the time known as adoptionism. This was followed in 794 by another in Frankfurt and shows an increasing role as a central Christian authority. This was a significant transition away from earlier Frank rulers and became standard practice for all future monarchs of France as expressed in the divine right of kings concept. This position as sole legitimate Christian emperor of Europe was bolstered further in 800 with his coronation in Rome. Carried out on Christmas Day by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne was declared Empirator Romanorum or Emperor of the Romans, the first to hold the title since the last Roman emperor in the west, Rmulus Augustus, more than 300 years prior. This was a key turning point in both the history of Europe and the future nation of France. As well as creating the idea of a successor state to Rome in Europe

### Segment 6 (25:00 - 30:00) [25:00]

it would also help cement Charlemagne's place as a national reference point and symbol for the nation for centuries to come. Alongside his military expansion, the reign of Charlemagne had also seen a remarkable flourishing in the arts, law, architecture, and other areas of civil society. The period was known as the Carolinian Renaissance and reached its peak in the 9th century. It revived the great classical works of ancient Greece and Rome with a new network of religious and educational institutions. To illustrate the scale just in the architectural area, Charlemagne's reign alone saw over 400 monastic buildings, 100 royal residences, and 27 new cathedrals built. This would have been a drastic reshaping of society across areas of modern-day France under Frank control. The last period of his reign was spent in relative peace, though campaigns did continue against the late Saxon resistance and a new front against the Danes further north. He was more of a statesman in this period, though, not leading campaigns, but rather establishing diplomatic channels with various external states and building alliances, which included hosting numerous ousted Anglo-Saxon kings for periods at his court. This interesting development also indicated a transition towards more medieval diplomatic models and practices between nation states, an area again where Charlemagne was a trailblazer. On his death in 814, Charlemagne left an empire transformed and a new power dynamic in Europe. Although he couldn't have done much more to pass down a good inheritance to his soul surviving son and heir Louie, storm clouds were brewing for the Carolinian line. King Louis I kept the empire together for the most part, though increasing rebellions showed a decline in central authority. The real drama would unfold at the time of his death with a spectre of the Germanic inheritance feud returning with sons battling for supremacy. In the treaty of Verdun in 843, the sprawling empire Charlemagne had worked so hard to unite was divided between Louis's three sons, Charles, Loair, and Louie. This created three new territories referred to as West, Central and East Francia. Although a blow to Frank unity, it was also a key stepping stone towards the birth of modern France. As the region of West Francia, ruled initially by son Charles II, corresponds quite closely with the nation's modern borders. As the Frank Empire was weakened through its own internal problems into the 10th century, there were also deadly new external threats. Primarily among these was the arrival of Viking raiders. These fearsome warriors who traveled from their homelands in Scandinavia in fleets of efficient long ships had first started to make their presence felt in 799 during the reign of Charlemagne. Initially, it involved groups from just Denmark. However, in time, they would expand to include Norwegians as well. Low-level raiding alternated between the French and English coastline during the period. The scale of the attacks would escalate into the middle part of the century with the Vikings making use of the instability within the kingdom around the time of the Treaty of Verdon to launch their first attack on Paris. In 843, they successfully occupied and plundered the city, only retreating when King Charles II paid a ransom of around 2,500 kg of gold and silver. Viking raiding would continue intermittently over the next decades, contributing to the woes of West Francia and a series of short-lived kings. The largest attack on Paris would come in 885 when as many as 40,000 Viking warriors in 700 ships descended upon the capital. Despite having only hundreds of fighting men at his disposal, the valiant Odo, Count of Paris, would nonetheless mount an effective defense. The siege was held for nearly a year until the arrival of King Charles the Fat, who to the population of Paris's dismay, allowed the Viking forces to continue up the Sen to raid Burgundy. While not the last of the significant Viking raids, this attack on Paris was key as it elevated

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Odo, a protocapian from the Robertian dynasty, to the throne 2 years later in large part through the glory he gained in the defense of Paris. It would effectively help transition power away from the fading Carolians as well as cement a national sense of resistance against the invading force. Through the period of the Viking raids into the 10th century, power was increasingly decentralized in West Francia. This was likely in part a response to the external threat, but also the waning authority of Carolian kings. As a result, local nobility and baronss often held effective regional power with the king more of a figurehead. The territory of West Francia was made up of a series of duchies such as that of Aquitane, Brittany, and Anju. This decentralization was accompanied by the growing dominance of the surf labor system and early feudal land use model where a nearly indentured class of peasants scraped a living off the land of wealthy baronss. This fragmented power map presented new challenges for the Robertian dynasty which had taken over the reigns from the Carlians. Odo and his brother Robert I had given way to Hugh the Great, who in turn would hand over rule to his son Hugh Cape, a respected noble from Eel de France. He was the first king from the house of Cape and key figure in the next chapter of early French history. Cape assumed power facing this challenging situation. Many duchies were effectively independent and territory directly under his control was small. Nonetheless, he made attempts to pull back control from regional authorities to the center. This was a tussle which would last centuries but ultimately lead to the emergence of the more modern state. He had also established his Capescian dynasty as the ones who would oversee this process, ruling directly through descendants until 1328 and a France at the height of the medieval era. Helping to cement this new house's early hold on power was the long reign of his son, King Robert II. Ruling as sole king from 96 to 1031, he oversaw important reforms which helped build out the state as well as overseeing a period of economic growth. Portrayed as a particularly pious figure who could work miracles, he deepened the relationship between monarch and religion. He also contributed to the rise of the peace and truth of God movement, a mass peace movement aimed at reducing societal violence in the region of Western Europe during the period. The process of trying to pull power back towards the king away from baronss and nobles continued through the remainder of the 11th century under Robert's son, King Henry I, and grandson, King Phillip I. Although it wouldn't be until the 12th century that Capian royal authority was more generally accepted, there is no doubt the work towards this point was underway. West Francia became ever more pious in line with the general heightened zeal of the millennial era and anticipation of many spiritual events including the apocalypse and return of Christ. This zeal can be seen expressed in the reconista movement in Spain which was gathering pace through this period and heavily participated in by French nobles but also in the start of the first crusade in 1096. It was at the council of Claremont on French territory that Pope Urban II gave his rousing call to arms which began mobilization for the crusade. As the 11th century drew to a close, West Francia was increasingly defined as a nation. It was a kingdom transformed from the situation even in 800 AD with the once monolithic Carolian Empire now divided up into territories more closely resembling the states of modern Europe. Charlemagne's mighty legacy had given way to the Capcians, who would focus themselves on the internal work of consolidating power around the king at the center, with previously autonomous regions gradually brought to heal. This was the final stage of a process which would give rise to a truly monarchical and modern French nation. Though it wouldn't be until the following high medieval era that it would fully emerge, the foundations had been laid during the

### Segment 8 (35:00 - 35:00) [35:00]

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