A Christianized Empire
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HIST 107 1st Edition Exam # 1 Study Guide Lectures: 1 – 13 Time Period Until about 500 CE 500 - 1500 CE 1500 - Classical World Middle Ages Modern Era Defining factors - Fall of the Roman - Feudalism - Renaissance during the era Empire (unity) (fragmentation) - Nation- State - End of paganism - Monarchs/ nobles - New World - Decline of learning - Christian Church - Enlightenment - “Dark Ages” The table highlights the shifts in political organization and values that took place over time A Christianized Empire Required Reading: Edict of Milan Roman Empire o Encompassed the entire Mediterranean world o Driven by cities and trade o Dominant languages- Latin and Greek o Emperors (Imperators) ruled the Roman Empire . Augustus was the 1st Roman Emperor . Emperors led the army, formed laws, and bound the empire together . They were figures of great authority . Emperors also held the role of Chief Priest (Pontifex Maximus) in which they served as mediators to connect heaven to earth and to appease gods They restored temples and gave gifts to religious groups, made sacrifices for the public, and attempted to maintain order o Provinces started to play an increasingly important role in the Roman Empire . For example: the spread of Christianity occurred gradually in various provinces, but was temporarily halted by the Great Persecution (see below) . A lot of the ideas of “Jesus” and the roles he held were new to average Roman citizens . Christians were largely ignored in the Roman Empire at first and were occasionally persecuted for a lack of precipitation in religious rituals involving the emperor (they were perceived as defying the sacrificial tendencies of the Roman Empire) . Christianity gradually spread to surround the Roman Empire o The “crisis of the third century” (235-284) involved a series of invasions, civil strife, assassinations, and an unstable political system throughout the Roman Empire . At the close of third century: Emperor Diocletian (284-305) (claimed to be a god/ divine figure) calmed the crisis, ended the period of turmoil, and restored general order to the Roman Empire Administrative reforms were put in place, such as a division through the Empire into West and East He insisted on one religious worship in the Roman World He was responsible for the Great Persecution of Christians: church property was confiscated, the religion was not recognized, people were imprisoned and/or executed . Diocletian retired in 305 and a fight breaks out for determining the new Emperor Battle at Milvian Bridge: Constantine wins and is acknowledged as Emperor of West and Licinious becomes Emperor of East Constantine started to become a Christian after attributing his victory to the Christian god… he then started to openly support and recognize Christians, primarily through the creation of the Edict of Milan Constantine is baptized on his death bed, and after that point every emperor except one was Christian Two powers: Regnum (power of kings) Vs. Sacredotium (power of religious figures) o Shows that there must be a cooperative facet to this relationship . This image embraces the idea that Saint Peter and the Pope (who has power of Peter) have the greatest amount of power because Peter delegates it to the King (right) and Pope (left) . This concept differs from the view of Charlemagne who believes that the majority of the power lies with the king Good Source for this: Gregory of Tours Feudalistic Period: 10th and 11th centuries Fragmentation o Treaty of Verdun (843): divided the Carolingian kingdom among the three sons of Louis the Pious Even with the immense division, there were still strong kings etc. o Allowed for strong economic systems of commerce o Had some political authority The most extreme localization and fragmentation of the 10th century was present in present- day France Saint Faith ***In this section of the review there were also images to represent those who work, those who fight, and those who pray Source: Agreements between Count William of the Aquitanians and Hugh IV of Lusignan Highlights dependency (should be reciprocity) Relationships between lords and vassals o Private bonds were the source of political order .