Visigothic, Irish, Benedictine, and Anglo-Saxon influences all came together in Frankish Gaul by the early 700’s. The Carolingian Family came to power in an alliance with the Papacy, which could no longer work with the Emperors in Constantinople and needed help against the Lombards in Italy. Dr. John Rao discusses the great medieval coalition of the Popes, Roman culture, and the Germans creating a new western Empire. The so-called “Carolingian Renaissance” enriched learning, art, and architecture.