In spite of the hindrances to fusion, it seems true that the Germans and
the Romans felt no great dislike for each other and that, as a rule, they
freely intermingled. Certain conditions directly favored this result.
First, many Germans had found their way within the empire as hired
soldiers, colonists, and slaves, long before the invasions began. Second,
the Germanic invaders came in relatively small numbers. Third, the Germans
entered the Roman world not as destroyers, but as homeseekers. They felt a
real reverence for Roman civilization. And fourth, some of the principal
Germanic nations, including the Visigoths, Burgundians, and Vandals, were
already Christians at the time of their invasions, while other nations,
such as the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons, were afterwards converted to
Christianity. As long, however, as most of the Germans remained Arian
Christians [32] their belief stood in the way of friendly intercourse with
the Roman provincials, who had accepted the Catholic faith.
[Illustration: Map, THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE at the beginning of the Tenth
Century.]
CONTRAST BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
If western Europe during the early Middle Ages presented a scene of
violence and confusion while the Germans were settling in their new homes,
a different picture was afforded by eastern Europe. Here the Roman Empire
still survived and continued to uphold for centuries the Roman tradition
of law and order. The history of that empire forms the theme of the
following chapter.
STUDIES
1. On an outline map indicate the boundaries of the empire of Charlemagne,
distinguishing his hereditary possessions from those which he acquired by
conquest.
2. On an outline map indicate the boundaries of the empire of Otto the
Great.
3. What events are connected with the following places: Soissons; Mersen;
Whitby; Reims; Verdun; Canterbury; and Strassburg?
4. What is the historical importance of Augustine, Henry the Fowler, Pepin
the Short, Charles Martel, Egbert, and Ethelbert?
5. Give dates for the following events: battle of Tours; crowning of
Charlemagne as emperor; crowning of Otto the Great as emperor; deposition
of Romulus Augustulus; Augustine's mission to England; and the Treaty of
Verdun.
6. Explain the following expressions: "do-nothing kings"; _missi
dominici_; Holy Roman Empire; and "Donation of Pepin."
7. Why was the extinction of the Ostrogothic kingdom a misfortune for
Italy?
8. Why did Italy remain for so many centuries after the Lombard invasion
merely "a geographical expression"?
9. What difference did it make whether Clovis became an Arian or a
Catholic?
10. What events in the lives of Clovis and Pepin the Short contributed to
the alliance between the Franks and the popes?
11. What provinces of the Roman Empire in the West were not included
within the limits of Charlemagne's empire?
12. What countries of modern Europe are included within the limits of
Charlemagne's empire?
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