...Part 1: Identification and evaluation of sources Step 1 – Planning the Investigation The investigation will explore the question: to what extent did the Christian church influence the politics of the middle ages? The investigation will concentrate on the kingdom of the Franks from the reign of Clovis, who reigned from 481-511 CE, to the reign of Charlemagne from 768-814 CE. With this topic the investigation will go more in depth on why Clovis decided to convert to Christianity, how much power the Christian church had while Charlemagne was in power, how much the Christian church influenced how he reigned and how much influence the church generally had throughout the Frankish kingdom. These topics will be attempted to be answered by researching...
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...What defines a king as being successful is a matter subject to opinion, making it considerably difficult to determine success objectively. However, if one focuses upon the stability of the kingdom alongside its progression during a king’s reign then a sense of general success is being obtained. Being a military leader was a significant quality as it is often depicted as being a central factor of both Carolingian and Anglo-Saxon kingship. Whether it was the most important quality for a successful king to possess in Western Europe c.600 to c.900 is debatable. Other factors such as the relationship with the papacy, religion in its own right, and reforms are also significant in enabling a king to be successful. Yet, with careful consideration...
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...Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne | October 24 2012 | Adrianne Jacobs Western Civilization 77303 Word Count: 927 | Ashlee Graves | Anchorage Woman Part of Archaeological Discovery October 24, 2012 An exciting discovery is being celebrated half way around the world today. Ms. Ashlee Rose of Anchorage, Alaska was working with a field crew on the restoration of the Palatine Chapel, in Germany when a great historical document was unearthed. The document was a narrative written by the Barbarian, Einhard; a fostered son as well as loving and loyal subject to King of the Franks, Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great. This piece of history was Einhards endowment to the legacy of his great king. It was once quoted by the Roman Orator, Cicero, “It is an outrageous abuse both of time and literature for a man to commit his thoughts to writing without having the ability either to arrange them or elucidate them, or attract readers by some charm of style." (Einhard) However some might receive Einhard recount as a disorder of written expression, Ms. Rose described it as, “a romanticized account of a glorious life, which leaves the reader with a little more hope for the compassions of men.” The account of Charles’ life, as written by Einhard recounts the glory of his reign by beginning with the kings’ delegation of power. Pepin, Charles father, had ruled over the Franks for 15 years before dying of dropsy in September of 768. Upon his death, Pepin consecrated his power to his...
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...It’s Good to be the King, Better to be the Emperor At the end of the year 1918, Europe witnessed incredible change to its political and social institutions across the board. Alliances between the countries of Europe plunged the continent into a world war that caused these massive changes to the European status quo of government. Over one thousand years earlier, the continent of Europe’s political and social institutions similarly endured a dramatic change due to an alliance. On Christmas Day 800 CE, King Charles the Great of the Franks (Charlemagne) and the pope of Rome, Pope Leo III, formed this monumental alliance when Pope Leo crowned Charlemagne Imperator Romanorum (emperor of the Romans). However, unlike the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance of the 1900s, the union of Pope Leo and Charlemagne was no formal treaty designed for the means of bailing the other out in some war to come, but simply two men seizing an opportunity to stand by each other for their own ambitions and for a chance at peace. Starting with the accomplishments of their predecessors and ending with the Christmas Day coronation, Charlemagne and Pope Leo created an alliance that brought some disadvantages to the two main protagonists involved, but still yielded more significant political profit for both men, and though Pope Leo stood more to gain from this pact, both men emerged as winners. To have a proper hold on the significance of Charlemagne’s coronation, one must understand the background...
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...Catholic Church - gained great power from the sixth through eighth centuries, and there are several reasons for this surge in influence. Starting around 590, Pope Gregory I sought to convert Teutonic invaders to Christianity. Islam was also in play, as it had taken over most of Asia and Africa. According to Earl Cairns, by trying to win Teutonic tribes to Christianity, the medieval church “…further centralized its organization under papal supremacy and developed the sacramental-hierarchical system characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church.” In addition, the church had started with Christ, who made Peter the first Pope in Rome. Hence, it was evident that this would be fitting for the location of the papacy. Jesus had given Peter the keys to the kingdom, asserting that Peter was the rock on which he would build his church (Matthew 16:18-19). Basing the Church in Rome enabled close coordination of political and ecclesiastical leadership, especially since it was still under Roman rule. Another factor, which gave the Roman church its authority, was Damascus I (366-384), who called the church in Rome the apostolic see and named himself pontifex maximus, a name once held by the emperor of Rome. This elevated the authority of the church in the minds of Christians, and it elevated the political power of the church, making the pope the elect representative of God, similar to an emperor. This behavior of self-importance would later be repeated with King Charlemagne. When Christianity...
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...The Athenians participated in their government by voting. All of the citizens we allowed to vote in assembly, making their government a democracy. 2. The Hellenistic civilization was a blend of Greek, Rome and other civilizations. The civilization was created by Alexander the Great. The Civilization was based around thinking. They would exchange ideas about science, mathematics , medicine, astronomy and philosophy. It was important because, they produced many things out of the ideas in science, mathematics , medicine, astronomy and philosophy. 3. In the Roman Republic there were two classes, the patricians and the plebeians. The patricians were wealthy landowner who controlled the government while the plebeians were common people. 4. The Romans...
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...Orthodox Christianity 863 AD, Cyrill and Methodius (brothers), were sent as missionaries by the Christian Church in the Byzantine Empire and they developed an alphabet based on the Greek, that was capable of representing Slavic sounds so they could translate the Bible (The Cyrillic Alphabet) East of Rome hits its highest point under the Emperor Justinian (r. 527 - 565 AD) Charlemagne's ‘Charles the Great’ Government Charlemagne was crowned on December 25, 800 AD by Pope Leo III as the new King of Rome (Holy Roman Emperor) His empire was divided into several hundred regions & each region was governed by a count Each count was responsible to organize an army & make laws Charlemagne would send out two-man-teams (Missi Dominici) to make sure counts weren’t plotting against him There were no taxes and public money was made by harvests from the Emperor’s large estates All peasants had to serve 3 months every year in the army The nobility provided calvary He started schools for the noble children and occasionally a bright, peasant child would be allowed to attend (Carolingian Renaissance) Charlemagne tried to tie together Christianity, the legacy of Rome, and the Barbarian ancestry Decline of Charlemagne’s Empire Declined when Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, took over (wasn’t really holy, Roman, or an empire after Charlemagne’s death in 814) Louis became sole king of the Franks in 814 and then Emperor in 816 after the Pope’s coronation Louis’s sons began fighting...
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...After researching methods including internet and passage, we were able to discover the humanities and the belongings and expansions that the humanities of the Early, High, and Late middle ages had on civilization. The studies of humanities allow us to see the sights in which the changing concepts of temperament and the entity fluctuate in each chronological period and help us differentiate the significant developments of each era. In the humanistic Tradition book, there was a distinctive chapter provided on the middle Ages. Evaluation of the precise mechanisms of the Middle Ages permits us to portray our observations of the modifications that occur and assists to give details how and why the perceptions developed the way they did. After examining several research methods we were able to discover some attention-grabbing results and come up with some stimulating conclusions. The Early Middle Ages In order to speak on Humanities, there must be a clear view on what the meaning of it is. Humanities are a clear investigation of human beings and how they act. This includes their self expression and their culture. The purpose of this paper is to explain how humanities replicate changing concepts of life and individuals in diverse historical periods. In today's civilization human beings are ignorant to the past history of our people. Our ancestors have contributed too many areas that we participate in frequently. The result of researching humanities provides us with a better understanding...
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...of count Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew and right-hand, in serving his country, his king and his faith. A large variety of themes, including religion, faith, loyalty, bravery and heroism, amongst others, recur throughout La Chanson de Roland. I intend to draw upon a few of these themes, paying particular attention to what is considered by most as the climax of the chanson, Roland’s death; more specifically, laisses CLXXI and CLXXII. The importance given to Christian faith and God is both evident and undeniable throughout the chanson, and portrayed quite accurately in laisses CLXXI and CLXXII. For instance, Roland’s plea for help to ‘Sainte Marie’, to an extent, indicates this. Despite Roland's inherent stubbornness and arguably excessive pride, seen, for instance, through his reluctance to blow the Oliphant knowing that defeat was imminent, he doesn’t hesitate in seeking both comfort and help from celestial powers. Further religious importance is revealed through the divine powers Charlemagne is accredited: ‘Carles esteit es vals de Moriane, Quant Deus del cel li mandat par sun angle’. Here, as with his prophetic dreams, Charlemagne, the king, someone who would have been widely admired, and is given divine powers to highlight the power and influence religion would’ve had at the time. Furthermore, despite the fact that throughout these two laisses the main focus is Rolands service to his king, as well as his country, the last line of laisse CLXXII draws emphasis of God: ‘Deus...
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...cloak of the Blessed Virgin and the swaddling clothes of the infant Jesus (Sacred Destinations, 2010). The function of the Palatine chapel was to serve as an imperial church and was too based upon the Byzantine church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. The cathedrals forms and techniques had an eastern appeal with octagonal shapes, striped arches, marble floors, golden mosaics, and ambulatory are just some examples of the many features the chapel possesses. Most importantly historically and culturally, the Palatine Chapel housed an impressive collection of revered relics. Culturally the cathedral held high religious importance and is one of the oldest churches of Germany (Sacred Destinations, 2010). In the Carolingian Renaissance, Charlemagne commissioned the construction of many Benedictine monasteries or abbeys and central to each abbey was a church that served as a place of worship along with a shrine that housed many sacred relics. The architectural plan for a Benedictine monastery followed a strict geometry controlled by classical principles of symmetry and order. The...
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...As both complex structures grew many questions were raised on who had the right to do certain things. The evolution of church and state relations was heavily dependent on many events, but several historical factors were very influential in this time period such as; Charlemagne being crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, church participation in feudalism, lay investiture, simony, and finally the Concordat of Worms. These topics are the major factors that outline the evolution of church and state relations so their effects will be discussed in great detail throughout this paper. Charles Augustus being crowned emperor by Pope Leo III most definitely marks the beginning of church relations in the given time period. Charles Augustus along with many previous Frankish rulers had constantly fought for the Christian church, preserving it throughout its many vulnerable time periods. Charles Martel held back the Muslim invasion while Peppin had succeeded in subduing the Lombards. Charles Augustus only continued the French’s support of the Christian church by conquering many German tribes, and then converting them to Christianity. All the while Augustus also had enforced a tithe, or 10% tax on the income of all Christians to benefit church properties and support them materially. Pope Leo III crowning Augustus also showed the Rome's independence from the Greeks in Constantinople. Since the days of Constantine things had changed extremely, the eastern part of the Roman Empire...
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...The Hero as a Reflection of Culture Belen Lowrey Abstract: In works of literature, a hero is a man to be admired and emulated. For this reason, the hero always demonstrates the embodiment of the ideals of the creating culture. Historical events and social conditions of different cultures cause different attributes to become valued in leaders. These cultural values are reflected in both the actions of a hero and in the heroic motivations. This paper focuses on the heroes of the Iliad, the Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Song of Roland and examines how historical events and cultural circumstances shaped the portrayal of the heroes in these works. Sabiduria, vol.1,1 Hero as a Reflection of Culture 1 Every culture has heroes. In works of literature, is an individual to be admired and emulated, and because of this he is the embodiment of the greatest virtues of the culture that created him. The ideals of every culture were shaped by the social conditions of the time and therefore different attributes became valued. To different degrees, the hero in a work is a result of not only the culture from which the hero comes, but also the culture of the author. Cultural values are reflected in both the actions of a hero and his motivations. As heroes, Achilles, Aeneas, Beowulf, and Roland reflect the values of the societies that created them. One of the oldest works of ancient literature is Homer‟s Iliad. Homer‟s works are dated to between 900 and 750 B.C. (Krieger,...
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...Rome, the Etruscan civilization more or less begins. * 659 BC - The enemy city of Alba Longa is destroyed by the Romans. * 616 BC - The first Etruscan king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus establishes a Forum and a Circus Maximus. * c.600 BC - Cloaca Maxima is probably first built around this year. * 578 BC - Servius Tullius becomes the next Etruscan king of Rome * 565 BC - Servian Walls are built. * 534 BC - King Servius is assassinated. * 510 BC - Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol is completed and consecrated. * 509 BC - Lucius Brutus founds the republic and expels the Etruscans and Tarquin the Proud from Rome. * 508 BC - A Treaty is made between Rome and Carthage. * 507 BC - The famous war against the Etruscans begins, featuring hero Horatio. Republic * 499 BC - A battle against foreign tribes commences, including the construction of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. * 396 BC - The Etruscan city of Veio is defeated by the Romans * 390 BC - Rome is sacked by the Gauls after the Battle of the Allia * 380 BC - The once destroyed Servian Wall is reconstructed. * 312 BC - The Via Appia and Aqua Appia are constructed. * 264 - 241 BC - First Punic War * 220 BC - Via Flamina is constructed. * 218 - 202 BC - Second Punic War * 168 BC - The Romans have a great victory in the Macedonian War, conquering Greece. * 149 - 146 BC - The Third Punic War * 133 BC - 120 BC - The Gracchi brothers are controversially killed...
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...THE RISE OF THE PAPACY Presented to Professor G. Johnson For CHHI 301-D06 LUO By Dana Peebles August 2, 2015 Introduction During the 6th century, the rise of the Roman Catholic Church increased in power. With the leadership of the papacy, this endured up until the 9th century. While there were both positive and negative ramifications of this reality, the biggest is the influence of papal authority and the effect that it had over Christianity. The collapse of the Roman Empire brought order to not only orthodoxy, but also the government. Throughout this essay, it is my desire to touch on these areas. In addition, I will also discuss some of the contributing factors to the dominion of Western Europe and what happened up until the Reformation. The effect of the barbarian invasion and the continuation of Western Civilization during the Middle Ages, is truly a time within history that impacts the church and its association with supremacy. The How And Why Of The Papacy And The Power It Had In understanding the significance of the papacy and the power it had, it only makes sense to begin with a good solid definition of it. “The term pappa, from which the word “pope” is derived, originated in ancient colloquial Greek as an endearing term for “father,’ and was then applied, beginning in the third century, to Eastern patriarchs, bishops, abbots, and eventually parish priests.” [1]. Throughout Rome and the Western part of the Empire, this term “became...
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...The Christian church was created in the Roman Empire. It was thought to have originated from the East. There were plenty of other religions that were growing but it was really the Jewish religion that was attracting the most significance. The Jews were considered “God’s chosen people” throughout the Bible and this acted as a drawing force to the religion . Because the ancient Roman religion was still enforced, Christianity was not a popular belief. This faith was angering many Roman officials and historians. One roman historian specifically spoke out against the Christian faith saying “All that is loathsome comes from the East” . Many might wonder how, with so much hate and controversy, Christianity made such an impact on the world. As one...
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