- For other civilizations with the same name, see Franks.
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The Franks are a civilization in Empire Earth. It is available from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Age. Manual description[]Around the turn of the 6th Century AD, the tribes known collectively as the Franks united under Clovis I. With Roman power fading in the region, the Franks spread out from their holdings around the Rhine and Belgium to take over northern Gaul (now modern France). Clovis’ successors expanded Frankish territory, especially east of the Rhine. In the 8th Century AD, a new ruling family, the Carolingians, came to power. The best known ruler from this family – indeed of all of Europe during this time period – was Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great. Charlemagne conquered northern Italy and southern Germany, and subdued the Saxons living on the continent. He united most of Christian Western Europe (with the exceptions of Spain and Britain) into one political entity. So great was his power that, in 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned him Holy Roman Emperor. Though his empire did not last long after his death, he left lasting impressions in Europe, particularly in France and Germany. Following this period, France began slowly to emerge from its Frankish roots. By the late 12th Century, kings were known as Kings of France (and not the Franks), and France was reclaiming its place as a major power in Europe. On going disputes with England over land in France were largely settled by the Hundred Years’War. King Charles VII, with the notable help of Joan of Arc, finally succeeded in taking back virtually all English holdings in France by 1453. Years later, Napoleon’s French Empire in 1810 spanned Europe from Iberia to Russia. |
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