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F
OR
three decades t he
illustrious Charlemagne
has lai n in his grave at
Aachen. T he great Em–
peror had .revived the tradi–
tion of the Roman Caesars,
and shown Europeans the
ideal of a unified Christian
Empire in the West.
But Charlemagne's New Eu–
rope is not destined to endure.
His descendants have little of his
genius. Charlemagne's quarrelsome
grandsons finally settle their differ–
ences by the Treaty of Yerdun in
843. The treaty parti-
tions Charlemagne's
Empire, foreshadowing
the modero geography
of Western Europe. In
its wake , a French
realm and a German
realm will slowly begin
to crystallize.
But for tbe moment,
the domain s of the
once-great Carolingian
Empire further disi nte–
grate into wa r ring
principalities and king–
doms. The once-uni–
fied Empire falls into
chaos. The política!
unity forged by Char–
lemagne goes com–
pletely to pieces.
Europe is a sham–
bles.
Europe's política!
weakness tempts outside powers,
notably Norsemen, Slavs, Magyars
and Saracens. Destructive raids
from the north , east and south
place the vulnerable continent in
imminent jeopardy.
The Papacy, too, has sunk to a
miserable condition. Several Popes
openly lead corrupt lives and are
widely despised by devout Catholic
and non-Catholic alike.
Battered and torn by invasions
and civil strife, Western civilization
appears to be on a fast slide down–
ward. Throughout Europe the gen–
eral mood is one of apprehension
and foreboding.
A great-grand son of Charle–
magne is crowned Emperor by the
Pope in 915 . After his death in 924,
there is an imperial vacancy for
nearly four decades.
8
THE
HISTORY
OF
EUROPE
&
THE
CHURCH
PART FIVE
THE
FIRST
REICH
by
Keith W. Stump
Editor's Note: We continue our series
of articles examining the centuries–
long relationship between Europe and
che Church- a relationship that has
shaped the history of the Western
world.
Europe LOday stands at a momen–
tous crossroads . Events taking shape
there wi/1 radical/y change the face of
che Continent- and the world.
Our first four installments covered
the stOry to the collapse of Charle–
magne's Empire.
Part Five
examines
che events ofthe next four centuries, to
the accession of Rudolf of Habsburg
in 1273.
Something must be done-and
quickly- to rescue Europe. Who
will resist t he barbarian invaders
and reimpose order on the frag–
mented West?
The answer will come from
northeast of the Rhine- from the
evolving power of Germany.
Sieg und He il!
T here is no Emperor. But in Ger–
many, kings still rule. The geo–
graphical territory of Germany has
become the dominant region of
Europe.
1n 918 the rulers of the great
German duchíes choose Henry the
Fowler, duke of the Saxons, as their
king. He is called Fowler because
he was laying bird snares when
informed of his election as king.
Henry is founder of the Saxon
dynasty of kings, which wíll rule
until
1024.
He
strengthens the Ger–
man army and con–
fronts the many invad–
ers threatening Eu–
rope.
Upon Henry's death
in 936, his 24-year-old
son Otto ís elected king
by the German dukes.
The people raise their
right hands to show
approval.
"Sieg und
Heil! "
they shout–
"Victory and Salva–
tion!"
The archbishops of
Mainz and Cologne
crown Otto and hand
him the imperial sword
with which to fight the
enemies of Christ.
Otto quickly consol-
idates the German
realm by suppressing rebellious
nobles and ambitious relatives. By
bringing t he duchies under central–
ized control, he unites Germany
under his rule.
Otto also intervenes in ltalian
affairs. In 951 he marches into war–
torn Italy to assist Adelheid (Ade–
laide), the widow of an Italian king
being abused by her husband's suc–
cessor. Otto declares himself king
of the Lombards and marries Adel–
heid, thereby becoming ruler of
northern Italy.
Carolingian Tradition Revived
In August 955, Otto halts an inva–
sion of the pagan Magyars, who
have been conducting annual raids
on Germany. In this momentous
Battle of Lechfeld (Augsbu rg), he
delivers a decisive blow to the
The
PLAIN TRUTH