Rise of the Franks

Reasons Behind the Rise of the Franks

1. Military Excellence. Pioneered the use of advanced stirrups for better control of swords/weapons while riding horses (cavalry). The Franks were in closer contact to the Romans than other Germanic tribes, learning intimately of their military technology. The Franks also created the first permanent, professional army in Europe since the collapse of Rome. In addition, they introduced the concept of heavily-armoured infantry.

2. Geo-Politics. Unlike other Germanic tribes that started new kingdoms, which traveled vast distances to find territories to conquer, the Franks were able to simply expand from their home territory, building upon their existing power base. Therefore, the Franks were more easily accepted by their Roman populations (in their case, Roman-Gauls – a Romanized Celtic people), helped by fact they were quick to convert to Roman Catholicism. In addition, the Franks were well insulated from the largest threats of the time, such as the Muslims and Vikings. Although the Vikings did raid their northern coasts, these areas were located at the outreaches of their territory, and therefore not strategically threatening.

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3. Politics. In addition to converting to Roman Catholicism in 493 (which pleased their new constituency), the Franks did not employ the same heavy taxation against their new subjects as the Romans had done. They also allowed a fair amount of local autonomy for their new subjects.

4. Centralization. As with most Germanic tribes, the tradition of the Franks was to split personal possessions (including “tribes”) equally amongst all children. Clovis would murder all of his siblings, and even families of other tribes in the 5th century, to consolidate rule among la arge number of tribes, gaining a substantial following. This resulted in a single, powerful nation. However, this tradition would ultimately prove to be the downfall of the Frankish Empire when the massive empire would be divided among heirs in the early 9th century.

5. Leadership. The Franks were fortunate to have successive, highly charismatic, and capable leaders in Clovis, Martel and Charlemagne.

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