Mechanism of the Unification and Dissolution of the Frankish Kingdom in the Eighth and the Ninth Century

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

What meaning has the unification and dissolution of the Carolingian kingdom for the formation of Europe ; in order to solve this problem, this study remarked a geographical name "Francia" and investigated the changes of that political concept concerning an "Idea of the Carolingian unity". The results from the researches should be summarized in the following three points. 1."Francia" is originally the name of a fixed abode of the Franks, but in the process to construct the Carolingian Empire had the symbolic institutional character for the national unification. Charelemagne aimed at the constitutional unity of the great kingdom which has growed into a multiracial nation. In this stage "Franca" played an important role as a conception of the unified Frankish territory, occasionally used instead of "regnum Francorum". It should be to say, an "Idea of unity" of the kingdom, upholded since Charlemagne, meant in fact the "Unity of Francis". 2. What means the collapse of this "indivisibility … More of Francia" as a constitutional principle. The treaty of Verdun in 843 brought the partition of Francia into the three portions, namely three independent kingdoms again. Moreover, the treaty of Meersen in 870 divided the "middle Francia" which has been the knotting place of the confederation of three kingdoms. So this central area as "sedes imperii" was no more core to unify these portions into the Empire. 3. The ecclesiastical authoritie of middle Francia which has supported the dynasty in this land could not stop the tendency of the political and territorial dissolution of the middle kingdom. Because two hegemonical metropoles Cologne and Trier have been for a long while(863-870) deposing by the pope, so that this land came to the disunion. As result of above reasons, "Francis" was divided into the East and West Frankish kingdoms and lost a function of unity. Instead of that, the "diminished" Francia became the nucleus of the idea of unity in the West and soon gave the name "France" for the succeeding monarchy. In the German East, Francia became the name "Franken" at the pivot area of this new kingdom. Less