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Lecture Notes THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA LECTURE I CHRISTIANITY vs ISLAM LECTURE II THE DISCOVERY LECTURE III THE JOURNEY LECTURE IV THE CHURCH Copyright © 2013 by Dr. William J. Neidinger, Stylus Productions and The Texas Foundation for Archaeological & Historical Research 2 CHRISTIANITY vs ISLAM I. INTRODUCTION - 812 / 813 / 814 discovery - stars / star / angels attract shepherds / hermit Pelagius - excavation of site - discovery of 3 graves in ruins - Bishop Theodomir / Theodamar / Teodomir of Iria Flavia - Theodomir verifies: James and two disciples (Athanasius and Theodore) - Theodomir notifies: Alfonso II the Chaste, Pope Leo III, Charlemagne - pilgrimage of Charlemagne > “Camino de Santiago” - Charlemagne dies 814; Leo III dies 816 - Alfonso II dies 842; Theodomir dies 847 - Camino de Santiago - well known fame as a pilgrimage site - commonplace re: transmission artistic and architectural styles - transmission of poetry, prayers, liturgical practices, ballads, music II. THE CREATION OF GERMANIC EUROPE - 476 “fall” of the Roman Empire - deposition and exile of Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer - Odoacer with German army - contemporaries: “re-unification of Empire under Zeno” - Odoacer hands symbols of authority to Zeno in Constantinople - Odoacer as Patricius - Romulus Augustulus last to be hailed as an Augustus in the west - Byzantine chroniclers of 6th c. declare 476 as: “Fall of the Empire in the West” - Germanic invasions, migrations, settlement since 2nd c. AD - foederati since Marcus Aurelius (reg. 167-180) - German imperial bodyguards of Pupienus and Balbinus - 3rd c. Germanic invasions: Ostrogoths, Heruli, Aurelian Wall, Dacia - by 5th c. western Europe a series of Germanic kingdoms owing nominal allegiance to Emperor of the Romans in Constantinople - Visigoths: Spain-Gaul - Suevi: northwest Spain-Portugal; conquered by Visigoths in 585 - Vandals: 439 conquered Carthage > piracy; 455 sack Rome - Franks: northern Gaul; Burgundians: central Gaul; conquered by Franks in 534 - Ostrogoths: Italy - Britannia: overrun by Scots, Picts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians after 406 - 5th c. “Roman Empire” Christian - Catholic and Orthodox; Arian, Nestorian, Monophysite - Justinian (reg. 527-565) - building, Codex Justinianus - Reconquest: 533-534 Vandal Africa - 535-551 Ostrogothic Italy and Sicily - 551 invasion of Visigothic Spain - 568 Lombards invade Italy III. THE PERSIANS - 610 Heraclius (reg. 610-641) deposes Phocas - 611 Chosroes II (reg. 590-628) invades Byzantium - two-pronged attack: to Constantinople, to Egypt - 614 Jerusalem falls; peaceful surrender; Jews put in charge (?) - Jews take revenge on Christians 3 - destruction of Christian shrines in Palestine - Christian revolt > 3-week siege; Chosroes sacks Jerusalem - Church of the Holy Sepulchre largely destroyed - True Cross captured, taken to Persia along with Christian POWs - 62,455 Christians executed (accd. Thomas the Gravedigger) - Christian refugees with relics to Cyprus, Constantinople, Rome, Sicily - 619 Egypt (Alexandria) captured; grain to Constantinople cut; Christian refugees - Heraclius: abandon Constantinople, launch re-conquest from Carthage - Patriarch Sergius’ vow from Heraclius; church treasures hocked 5 April 622 (Easter Monday) Heraclius leads troops from Constantinople - Patriarch Sergius as regent, defense of city - letter from Chosroes II to Heraclius: blasphemies - 623 Heraclius advances into Persian territory - 627 Heraclius into heart of Persian territory - Chosroes II deposed > peace with Byzantium - Persian troops abandon all Byzantine provinces - 628 Heraclius returns to Constantinople - 630 Heraclius restores Cross to Church of the Holy Sepulchre - builds Golden Gate (?) - patriarch recognizes seals on Cross - legend: Heraclius divides Cross into 19 parts - post-630 clean up the destruction; make city livable; minor repairs of some churches IV. ISLAM - 630 Mohammed enters Mecca in triumph; cleanses Ka’aba - 632 Mohammed dies 1. Great Apostasy 2. successor to the faith - Abu Bekr chosen as khalafa = (Ar) successor - prayer leader, religious and military authority - dissension from Abbas and Ali - succession through bloodline of Mohammed - Shi’at Ali = (Ar) partisans of Ali > Shi’ites - Khalid ibn al-Walid suppresses revolt - 634 Khalid ibn al-Walid attacks Persia, Byzantium; “Sword of God” - 635 Damascus falls to Islamic armies - 636 Antioch falls - 637/8 Jerusalem surrenders after siege - Bishop Sophronius surrenders city to Omar (reg. 634-644) - Heraclius abandons Syria-Palestine - flight of Orthodox Christians to Byzantine territory - Monophysite Christians remain - 641 Edessa falls; Heraclius dies - 642 Persian Empire conquered - 642 Egypt conquered (670 Cairo founded) - 649 Cyprus falls; flight of Orthodox Christians - 655 Battle of the Masts - 670 Kairouan founded - 677 siege of Constantinople fails (669-677) - 693 all Armenia conquered - 698 Carthage falls - 710 Samarkand falls 4 - violence within Islam - Omar (reg. 634-644) and Othman (reg.644-656) assassinated - Mecca besieged in partisan civil wars; Ka’aba attacked - division within Islam - 656 Shi’at Ali raise Ali to caliph, protest of Muawiya (Umayyad) > Sunni - Kharijites = (Ar) Secessionists; put caliphate to vote - Shi’ites battle Kharijites - 661 Ali assassinated at al-Kufah; 669 Hasan assassinated V. VISIGOTHIC SPAIN - 408-409 civil unrest in Spain - Roman troops in Pyrenean passes withdraw - bumper harvest in Spain - 409 Vandals, Suevi and Alans into Spain - Vandals to south; (V)Andalusia - Alans (Iranian people) to center - Suevi to northwest - 410 Visigoths hold Rome ransom > “sack of Rome” - Alaric dies in southern Italy - Atawulf leads Visigoths out of Italy into Gaul - 411 Visigoths settle in Aquitania and Narbonensis - Toulouse (Tolosa) as capital - 416 Visigoths as foederati allied with Rome - 415 Visigoths capture Barcelona (Barcino) - 417 Visigoths battle Vandals, Suevi and Alans on Spanish soil - on imperial orders to eliminate them from Spain - 429 Vandals cross into Africa; Suevi dominate Spain from Mérida (Emerita Augusta) - 451 Visigoths and Aetius defeat Attila the Hun - 456 Visigoths (as foederati) invade Spain, battle Suevi - 468 Visigoths capture Mérida - Visigoths administer Spanish provinces for Rome - 475 Euric declares an independent Visigothic kingdom -capital in Toulouse - 476 Romulus Augustulus deposed - 507 Clovis (reg. 481-511) defeats Visigoths at Vouillé - Visigothic defeat because of steady migration to Spain since 490s - capital: Toulouse > Toledo (Toletum) - functioning anarchy rather than a stable province or kingdom - Leovegild (reg. 568-586) - halts slide into chaos and establishes a stable kingdom - subdues Basques; hems in Byzantines (551 Justinian’s Reconquest) - 585 eliminates Suevi kingdom - dons imperial regalia: crown and throne; mints imperial style coinage - Latin official court language (Gothic language dying since 450s) - 580 Arian Church Council of Toledo: enticements for converts to Arianism - conflicts > failure - 587 Reccared (reg. 586-601) converts to Roman Catholicism - smooth transition; accommodation of Arian bishops’ claims - conversion makes possible alliance of throne + altar - Toledo as political capital, royal residence and chief ecclesiastical city; bureaucracy - Toledo also as intellectual center of VG kingdom - Roman Catholicism official religion; un-Christianized areas of north - 78 bishoprics in Visigothic Kingdom 5 - regular councils of Spanish church held at Toledo - councils called by king; bishops acclaim king’s decrees; kings approve bishops’ edicts - unique liturgy - developed from native Hispano-Roman Christian liturgy - Filioque recited in Creed - monasticism slow to develop in Spain - late 6th - early 7th c. monasteries to northern mountain ranges > Christianize rural pagans - pilgrimage shrines: St. Vincent (Zaragosa), St. Eulalia (Córdoba, Mérida, Barcelona) - Leander of Seville (ca. 540-ca. 600) - archbishop of Seville; traveled to Constantinople on Church matters - critical in conversion and teaching of Reccared - facilitates transition and unification of Visigothic + Hispano-Roman churches - Isidore of Seville (560-636) - educated by Leander - standardizes Mozarabic rite (legend: its creator) - extensive writings on science, history of the world, history of the VGs, theology, etc. - Etymologiae / Origines (620- incomplete) - encyclopedia of all knowledge - understanding through etymology - fundamental source of information for Middle Ages - mentions James preached in Spain before his death in Jerusalem - Reccesvinth (reg. 649-672) and Wamba (reg. 672-680) - fl. of Visigothic Kingdom - 680 Wamba’s coma, crown removed > tonsured and re-awakening - Erwig to throne > precarious hold - unrest and factionalism - Witiza (reg. 702-710) - attempt to establish principle of dynastic succession; son as co-ruler - fuels further unrest - Chronicle of Moissac - later medieval sources seeking to explain fall of Visigothic Kingdom - religious reasons: decadence, corruption and sin - modern sources: seeking to explain fall of Visigothic Kingdom - moral reasons: decadence and corruption VI. THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM IN SPAIN - 698 Carthage and Ceuta fall - 698-710 final subjugation of Berbers in northern Africa - 710/711 Witiza dies; Roderic elected; opposition (?) - Musa ibn Nusayr sends Tariq Aba Zara into Spain - previous piratical raids - Berber army with Berber commanders - Arab component uncertain - 12,000-15,000 Berbers, miscellaneous north Africans - 711Tariq defeats Roderic, Battle of the Guadalete River
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