Jeremy Keeshin

Medieval western European civilization was a synthesis of classical, Christian and

Germanic elements in the areas of government and the social structure of daily life. Many

ideas, such as the setup of land in Europe at this time were greatly influenced by the

Romans. The church dioceses were the equivalent of the prior Roman division of

provinces. Also the Ostrogoths kept the Roman structure of government for the simple

reason that it worked. The only modification was that there were separate systems for the

Ostrogoths and the Romans. Roman ideas were carried on when the Pope named

Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans in the year 800. This was a symbolic naming

showing that the Carolingian Era was a powerful time and that Charlemagne was great

and strong similar to the Roman Empire. Charlemagne was the epitome of the

combination of Germanic, Christian and classical influences. He was a Germanic ruler

named the Emperor of the Romans by a leader of Christianity.

In addition to classical influences, many Germanic influences were present at this

time in Europe. Germanic ideas regarding family were shown in the government. A

criminal offense was an offense against a person as an individual, and therefore the

punishment was personal. This was the reason for the wergeld, a fine from the offender to

the family of the victim. One way for determining guilt in Germanic society was the

compurgation. This was the swearing of an oath by the accused, backed up by twelve or

twenty-five others. This went with the Germanic concept of the individualism of

Germanic law. Germanic influence was also present in the feudal system. The vassal

knew his lord personally, and this complied with the Germanic idea of close bonds.

Christianity was the major influence on medieval European society. Christianity

was the uniting idea between the people in Europe because there was no common link
 Jeremy Keeshin

like citizenship in the Roman Empire. The way to determine guilt was influenced by

Christianity. The belief was that during the ordeal, if a person were innocent, divine

intervention would protect them. Clovis, Germanic king and the founder of the Frankish

Kingdom, converted to Christianity after being saved in a battle in which doom was

certain. Also, monasticism, which was living in isolation to pursue dedication to God,

was the highest ideal of Christian life. Charlemagne tried to stimulate learning and

because of this monks would copy classical works in rooms known as scriptoria.

The Carolingian Empire fell after the death of Charlemagne, and a new

organizational system for government and military came about. The royal governments

broke down and the powerful nobles took over in a system called feudalism. In

feudalism, Christian influence was also present. When the vassal would swear loyalty to

his lord he would do so in a charter with evident Christian influence. The duties in this

relationship were that the lord would grant a fief and offer justice, while the vassal would

offer his loyalty and service. The unwritten rules for a vassal-lord relationship were set

out in the feudal contract. Since fighting was such a noble occupation at this time, knights

were of a high stature. However killings went out of control and the church helped instate

chivalry, or a code of ethics for knights. The church also established the Peace of God

and Truce of God to try and control unnecessary bloodshed. Like in Rome, forms of

entertainment were organized as distraction from the government. Tournaments were set

up as a way for knights to keep busy and keep from killing. The church’s influence was

apparent in almost every aspect of life. The classical Roman, Christian and Germanic

influences all had an impact on the way that the government, military system and daily

social structure ran in medieval Western Europe.