Transcript europe lg 1

Christianity in the
Middle Ages
Learning Goal 1: Explain how Christianity was a
unifying and political factor in medieval Europe and
Byzantine Europe and describe the characteristics
of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Fall of the Roman Empire
Let’s review…
The Roman Empire
dominated Europe for
over 500 years
Powerful & prosperous,
with a well-organized
bureaucracy
Centered on the ideas of
the rule of law & classical
(Greek) learning
Roman Empire at its height 117 C.E.
What happened?
Plagues devastate the
population (less taxes)
Bad emperors weaken
the government
Barbarian invasions!
(Visigoths, Vandals, Huns,
Ostrogoths…)
Too large to govern as
one Empire, so it divides
in half (East & West) in
the 3rd century A.D.
Constantine
1st Christian Emperor –
spread the religion
through the Empire
Moves capital from
Western Empire (Rome)
to Eastern Empire
(Constantinople)
The Two Empires
East
• Wealthy Commercial economy
•Dense urban
population
•Similar languages &
cultures
•Better geographic
defenses against
invasions
• Literate population
West
VS
• Poor Agricultural
economy
•Rural, tribal based
population
•Diverse languages
& cultures
•Invasions from
Germanic tribes
•Mostly illiterate
The Two Empires
East
• Wealthy Commercial economy
•Dense urban
population
•Similar languages &
cultures
•Better geographic
defenses against
invasions
• Literate population
VS
West
• Poor Agricultural
economy
•Rural, tribal based
population
•Diverse languages
& cultures
•Invasions from
Germanic tribes
•Mostly illiterate
Medieval Europe
Western Empire disintegrates – will become small
kingdoms ruled by their barbarian conquerors
Eastern Empire will last for another 1000 years,
but with a new name – The Byzantine Empire
Christianity is the one common factor between the
two.
Middle Ages in the West
Invasions change western Europe
• Loss of trade destroyed economy
• Cities are abandoned
• Population moved to countryside
 Population became rural
• Loss of reading and writing
 Only priests and church officials are
literate
 Germans had oral traditions
• Latin changed; evolved into French,
Spanish, etc.
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
Small kingdoms developed, church
remained intact
Church provided stability
Small communities governed by
traditions
Franks held power in Gaul
Clovis, their leader, brought
Christianity
511 he created a united Frankish
Kingdom with the support of the
Church – Merovingian Dynasty
(500-751)
The beginning of a partnership
with the Roman Catholic Church
European Empire Evolves
Charles Martel, mayor of the
palace
Had more power than the
king
Extended the kingdom
Defeated the Muslims at the
Battle of Tours in 732
Passed power to his son,
Pepin the Short
• Church appointed him
king “by the grace of
G-d”, began the Carolingian
Dynasty (751-987)
Charlemagne & The Holy
Roman Empire
Son of Pepin the Short
Spread Christianity
Reunited Western
Europe
Protected the pope in
Rome, who crowned
him “Roman Emperor”
Encouraged education,
had many schools built
After his death, Empire
is divided again
between his 3 sons
Leadership in the Roman
Catholic Church
Pope
Cardinals
Archbishops
Bishops
Priests
Head of Catholic
Church is the Pope –
chosen by Cardinals,
not by Kings,
Emperors, etc.
Roman Catholic Church hierarchy based on
Roman imperial structure with Pope as the
head of the Church
Popes appointed some bishops, regulated
doctrine, and sponsored missionary activity
Latin was the language used in Catholic
mass
Building covenants and monasteries provide
educational opportunities
Monks served as examples of holy life,
improved cultivation techniques, stressed
productive work, and preserved the heritage of
Greco-Roman culture
Rome was established as the capital of the
Roman Catholic Church
Priests could not marry and vowed life of
celibacy
The Medieval Church
590 Gregory I, or
Gregory the Great,
became pope
Broadened power of
the Pope
Church became
secular, worldly,
power in politics
Mayor of Rome
Believed
Christendom was
his responsibility
Church was the only stable force in
Europe
Monasteries were religious
communities
Monks and nuns were servants of
G-d
Became best educated community
Preserved Rome’s intellect
The Church and various European
kingdoms competed for power
All Christians were subject to canon
law, law of the Church
Used excommunication and
interdict against political rulers
The Byzantine Empire
Constantinople – “The New Rome”
The eastern half of the Roman Empire
• Consisted of southern Europe, Anatolia, Palestine,
and Egypt
Political structure
Centered around the Emperor
Empire organized through a bureaucracy
• Officials trained in Hellenistic classics, philosophy
& science
• Regulated trade, taxes and prices
Eastern Orthodoxy
Led by the Patriarch
Appointed by the Byzantine Emperor
effectively making the Emperor the head of the
state and the church resulting in political
centralization
Developed a monastic tradition with monks
and nuns forming religious communities
Constantinople became the capital of the
Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox
Church
Priests could marry and were generally
unshaven
Local languages could be used in church
services
Justinian
Ruled Byzantine Empire 527-565 AD
Expanded Empire to include Rome,
North Africa through military conquests
Oversaw church and state
Called Absolute Rule
Established a code of laws: Justinian’s Code
He regulated the laws and adapted them to the
changing times
This code lasted over 900 years as the basis of law for
the Byzantine Empire and still
Justinian’s Projects
Hagia Sophia
Means Holy Wisdom
Showed the world the wealth of the Empire
Also built great baths, aqueducts, courts of
law, schools, hospitals, etc
Justinian was creating a “new Rome” with
all the wonderful things Rome enjoyed
during its 207 years of peace…what was
that called?
Hagia Sophia
Life in Constantinople
Mese
Literally the Middle Way
Shopping center
• Goods from every corner of the world
Hippodrome
Chariot races
Circus acts
Held 60,000
Gangs watched and wore their colors - Blues vs. Greens
Education
Preserved Greek and Roman literature
Hippodrome
After Justinian
Plague hits (bubonic plague…more on this later)
542 AD: 10,000 people died/day at its peak
Centuries of fighting with Persian Empire
Islamic Empire captures much of Byzantine land
Crusaders destroyed it in 1204
By 1450—Ottoman Turks totally take it over