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Europe after the Roman Empire

In A.D. 476 Odoacer the barbarian took control of the city of Rome. He removed the emperor Romulus Augustulus.

To Romans, it must have seemed the end of the world. All along the 10,000-mile border of the empire, there was war. A Roman poet in the 400s wrote:
See how quickly death comes upon the world, and how many people the violence of war has killed. Some became food for dogs; others were killed by the flames that destroyed their homes. In the villages and country houses, in the fields and in the countryside, on every road- death, sorrow, slaughter, and fires.

Rise of the Germanic Kingdoms

The fall of Rome meant the end of the ancient world and the beginning of a new time period. Historians call this period 3 different names: the Middle Ages, the Medieval Period, and the "Dark Ages". They called it the "Dark Ages" because few of the writings of that time have survived.
After Attila the Hun's defeat, the Visigoths in Gaul had to fight a new group invading their land . These new invaders called themselves the Franks, which means "the bold". They came from lands to the north of the Roman Empire called Germany . Find the part of Europe where the Franks settled. Other invaders from Germany came too, and they all set up new kingdoms. The map below shows where they ruled in Europe.

A Conquering People

In 481, Clovis became the king of the Franks. He was a 15- year-old warrior.

He did 2 important things :
1. For 30 years he led the Franks in wars that expanded their kingdom into what are now France and Germany.
2. Clovis also became a Christian and encouraged the Franks to believe in Christianity.

The church supported Clovis so that Franks could become Christian. Once Clovis had been baptized, the leaders of the church encouraged him to spread Christianity. "Every battle you fight is a victory for us," a bishop wrote to Clovis.