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J
USTI N IAN's
restorati on
of the Roman Empire in
the West in A.D. 554 is
a landmark in history.
For a brief moment, both
" legs" of the old Roma n
Empire-East and West–
a re under his personal con–
trol.
But Justinian's history-mak–
ing restoration barely survives
him.
With the great Emperor 's dea th ,
the Eastern Empire, with its capital
at Byzantium, falls into a period of
weakness and decline.
Al home, civil and rel i-
gious strife tear a l the
fabric of society. T o
the east, the Persians
THE
HISTORY
OF
EUROPE
&
THE
CHURCH
PARTFOUR
becomes the fi rst Catholic king of
the Franks and the only orthodox
C hristian rule r in the Wes t.
U pon C lovis' death in 5 11, his
kingdom is divided among his sons,
who further enla rge its borders.
The Franki s h kingdom rapidly
becomes the West's most powerful
realm.
With the passage of time, howev–
er, the old line of Frankish kings
grows weak. The decadent Mero–
vingian kings succumb to luxurious
living. They will be des ignated by
French historians as
les
rois
fainént-"the
en fe.ebled kings."
During this period , the real
power of the Frankish
kingdom lies in th e
h a nds of t h e court
c ha ncellors , who a re
renew their wars. To
the west, the Germanic
Lombards invade and
conquer much of lta–
ly.
Just inian 's " Imper–
ial Restoral ion" crum-
blcs into the dustbin of
hislory.
Though dying of
lelhargy, the Easlern
Roman Empire, long
since known as Byzan-
CHARLEMAGNE
ANDTIIE
NEWEUROPE
known as
major domus
regiae,
or "mayors of
the pa1ace."
" God' s Anointed"
l t is now 751. Pepin
(or Pippin), surnamed
Le Bref
("the Short"),
holds t he office o f
mayor of the palace
under the Merovingian
king. Pepin, of course,
is also a German Frank
tium, continues to be
recognized as the east-
ern successor of thc old
Roman Empire. This
weakened easlern leg will s tand
precariously for anot he r millen–
nium.
Meanwhile, papal Rome turns its
eyes toward Western Europe. Therc,
a powerful kingdom to lhe northwest
is on the rise-the kingdom of the
Franks. The Franks earlie r had set–
tled along t he Rhine after migrating
up the Danube River.
It
will be und er Frankish tute–
lage that the western leg of the
Roman Empire will rediscover its
vitality and strength.
The Long-haired Kings
The Frankish tribes are ruled by a
royal family of kings known as the
Merovingians. The Merovingians
claim direct descenl from the royal
house of ancient Troy.
The Merovingian rulers possess
an unusual mark of authority. All
the kings of this dynasty wear
long
10
by
Keith W. Stump
Editor's Note: We continue our series
of arcic/es examining the cemuries–
long association between Europe and
the Church. Our first three insta/1-
ments covered rhe story to the death of
Emperor Justinian in A. D. 565. Part
Four examines the important evenrs of
rhe succeeding three centuries.
hair.
They believe lhat their uncut
locks are the secret of thei r king ly
power , reminiscent of the nazarite
vow of Samson in the Old Testa–
ment (Judges 13:5; 16:17; see also
Numbers 6:5).
The Merovi ngian dynasty had
been founded by Clodion in A.D.
427. But its most famous ruler is
Clovis (481 -5 11). La ter historians
wi ll consider C lovis to have been the
founder of the Frankish kingdom.
On December 25, 496, Clovis is
baptized a Catholic, along with
3,000 of his war riors. He thereby
by blood and speech.
Pcpin the Short is
ambit ious . H e is not
content to be merely
the king's chief m inis-
ter or viceroy. He covets the office
of king itsel f.
Pepin asks Pope Zachar ias for an
opinion on the legitimacy of his
bid. The Pope replies that " i t is
better that the man who has the
real power should have the tille of
king instead of the man who has
lhe mere tille but no power."
In Novembcr 75 1, Archbishop
Boni face, the papal legate, anoints
Pepin king of the Franks al a gath–
e ring of Frankish nobles in the
Merovingian capital at Soissons.
Pepin is now " God 's anointed"
Emperor Charlemagne as portrayed
in a 14th-century reliquary (a
container for religious objects) found
today in the Cathedra l Treasure at
Aachen. Charlemagne revived the
tradition of the Roman Caesars and
restored the Roman Empire in
Western Europe.
The PLAIN TRUTH