Position:Home>History> History ? Changing Role of Kings? (10pts best answer)?

Before 400 AD, much of Western Europe was under the control of the Roman Empire!. At that time, the Roman Emperors depended strongly on the help of local chieftains whom the Roman Emperors made their allies or Federati!.

By 450 A!.D, the Roman Empire in Western Europe had broken down completely - years of corruption, rebellions, economic turmoil, and the barbarian movements had put such a strain on the Empire that the Romans eventually withdrew their troops from Britain and Northern Europe!.

In Western Europe a void was created by the absence of the Roman Emperor!. As the Roman Empire has been split into East and West, the local chieftains of the Germanic tribes have stepped into this power vacuum in Western Europe!. Under the Roman Empire, the local chieftains had learnt Roman laws and adopted Roman fighting practices!. Many barbarians had fought in the Roman army and risen to high ranks!.

The Catholic Church, which had relied on the help and protection of the Roman Emperor, naturally turned to the local chieftains for help!. With the support of the Catholic Church and the local Roman nobility, local chieftains were recognised as Kings in their own right!. A classic example of this was Clovis, the son of the Frankish Chieftain Childeric!.
By protecting the Roman Church in Gaul - modern day france, Clovis was crowned king by the Catholic Church and in turn Clovis protected the Church against rival chieftains as the Vandals and Visigoths!.

Many of these local chieftains are pagans, with their own germanic gods!. But in converting to Christianity, they find they not only gain prestige but they gain the support of the Pope and they gain the help of the Roman Emperor in the East!. Converting to Christianity also gives the local chieftains access to technology such as new farming techniques and therefore new sources of revenue!.

However, these 'kings' were still very weak politically and economically!. They not only depended on the support and recognistion of the Church, but they depended on their own nobles or Earlmen for troops and taxes!.

The power of the Catholic Church really shows itself when Pope Leo III crowns the Frankish King, Charles or Charlemagne, as 'Holy Roman Emperor'!. The crowning itself ties Charles to the defence of Christendom and the papacy!. This is something that later popes will use to force kings to go to fight crusades in the Middle East!. It is also the start of a tug of war between Emperor / King and the Pope!.

The kings are also depended on their nobles for support!. A classic example of this is the Kings of England!. Since the legend of Arthur, the kings of England have depended on their nobles for support!. In turn, the king has not dared to act against his nobles!. Even the Medieval King John tries to assert his own power but is forced to back down and sign the Magna Carta to recognise the rights of his nobles!.

But the real changes toward a king's power come with the Medieval period when new techniques of farming, military power and social reorganisation allow the King to strengthen his own position against the nobles!. As Kings become more powerful, the power of the church weakens and so does the power of the nobles!. Kings such as Frederick II and Henry IV challenge the power of the Catholic Church!.

If you get a chance, read about the showdown between the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the pope Innocent III!.

The powers of kings change when they are able to raise their own troops and finances from outside the landed nobility and the Church!.
Later you see kings and Queens as Elizabeth 1 diversifying royal support towards trade and even pirating to raise money while other kings as Louis XIII start to strengthen royal powers by removing the private armies of the nobles!.

But kings are never really 'powerful' as we might understand it!. They are continually forced to compromise between nobles and Church and later with parliaments!.


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