Carolingian Empire · 814-888

843: one empire becomes three kingdoms

Charlemagne's grandsons fight a civil war and then split his empire in three. Students compare the maps of 800 and 900 and trace how the Treaty of Verdun drew lines that later became France, Germany and the contested lands in between.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 800 to AD 885
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Charlemagne's grandsons fight a civil war and then split his empire in three. Students compare the maps of 800 and 900 and trace how the Treaty of Verdun drew lines that later became France, Germany and the contested lands in between.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why the Carolingian Empire was divided in 843 and who received each part.
  • Compare the maps of 800 and 900 and describe how the empire changed.
  • Explain why the lands of the middle kingdom were fought over for centuries.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 800

One empire

Open the map in 800 and look at the Carolingian Empire. Note where it begins and ends. How long do you think a messenger on horseback needed to cross it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 900

Divided

Move the slider to 900. Find West Francia and East Francia. What lies between them, and which present-day countries do the two kingdoms remind you of?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 885

Vikings on the rivers

Set the year to 885 and zoom in on Paris on the Seine. A Viking fleet sailed up this river and besieged the city in 885-886. Why were rivers both useful and dangerous?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Frankish custom divided a father's lands among his sons. What are the risks of that custom for a large empire?
  2. At Strasbourg in 842 two brothers swore oaths in each other's languages so the soldiers on both sides could understand. What does that tell us about their armies?
  3. Lothair received the middle strip from the North Sea to Italy. Why was it the hardest part to hold?
  4. Viking raids grew worse during the civil wars. Why might division invite attack?
  5. Is the Treaty of Verdun the birth certificate of France and Germany? Why or why not?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Rule History as Charlemagne. When the question of an heir comes up, ask the class: should an empire go to one son or be shared? Then compare with what his grandsons did at Verdun in 843.

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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