| A | B |
|---|
| Clovis | First really strong ruler of the Franks. He was crowned king. |
| Charles Martel | A mayor of the palace who founded the Carolingian dynasty of Frankish rulers, drove the Moors out of Spain and North Africa. |
| Pepin (the Short) | A mayor of the palace who overthrew the Frankish kings descended from Clovis to become king. |
| Charlemagne | A great Frankish king whom the pope crowned Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day, 800 AD. After his death, the Frankish Empire was divided among three grandsons. |
| Henry I (the Fowler) | First really strong ruler of the Germans who was crowned king. |
| Otto I | The first Holy Roman Emperor. |
| Henry IV | Holy Roman Emperor who became embroiled in a conflict with the Pope over the granting of the office of bishop. |
| Gregory VII | Pope who strongly opposed simony and came into conflict with Henry IV over the right to appoint bishops. |
| Woden and Thor | gods of the heathen Franks |
| Gaul | early name for France |
| Papal States | conquered land given to the ruler of the Church (papacy) |
| "Song of Roland" | the story of Charlemagne's campaign in Spain |
| coronation | a ceremony crowning a king or a queen |
| sceptor | a rod carried by a king or a queen as a symbol of authority |
| Holy Roman Empire | an organization of small states with Germany as its center |
| simony | trying to buy spiritual gifts or religious offices (such as that of bishop) with money |
| depose | to put a ruler out of office or power |
| excommunication | to cut off from church membership; a very serious punishment |
| count | ruler of a Frankish county in the empire of Charlemagne |
| counties | the smaller parcels into which Charlemagne divided his kingdom |
| empire | area made up of many peoples and languages |
| Canossa | place in northern Italy where Henry IV went to beg Gregory VII's forgiveness |
| kingdom | area made up of people of similar language and background |
