How did the Franks build and govern a European empire?
Most barbarian kingdoms did not last very long, but one that did — and that came to have a decisive role in history — was that of the Franks. The Franks were a confederation of Germanic peoples who came from the marshy lowlands north and east of the northernmost part of the Roman Empire. In the fourth and fifth centuries they settled within the empire and allied with the Romans, some attaining high military and civil positions. Though at that time the Frankish kingdom was simply one barbarian kingdom among many, rulers after the influential Clovis used a variety of tactics to expand their holdings, enhance their authority, and create a stable system. Charles the Great (r. 768–