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Germanic Societies and the
Emergence of the Christian West
Major Questions & Topics

What happened to Roman Empire?
 Division into 2 halves – western and eastern
 Fall of Western Roman Empire
What replaced the Roman Empire?
 Germanic peoples
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 Migration, conquests, kingdoms
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Development of Christianity
 Beliefs, divisions, conflicts, achievements
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“Story of God” video link
Summary of Events
Division of Roman Empire into eastern
and western halves
 Decline of western half
 Replaced by German tribes, localism
 Rise of Christianity
 Installation of Christianity as official
religion of eastern Roman Empire –
Byzantine Empire
 Western Christianity led by Pope
 Rise of feudalism in west
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Rise of Christianity
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Complicated Story
 Not instant success – ups and downs
 Complicated relationship with Roman
Empire
 Roman polytheism – fertile ground for rise of
Christianity
 Religion: unifying or dividing force?
 Development of Christian sects, splinter
groups, official and unofficial
Rise of Christianity
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Roman presence in Canaan since 63 BCE
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Christianity in Roman Empire – link to BBC website on
the Spread of Christianity and Rome.
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Began as Jewish sect around 30 CE
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The Apostle Paul and others spread Gospel (Good
News) about Jesus (primarily in Greek language)
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Christ (Christos) “anointed one”
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Spread of Christianity map
Rome & Christianity
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Relationship changed over time
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From ignoring small cult, to persecution,
to acceptance, to institution of
Christianity as imperial religion
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Roman polytheism open to new gods,
rituals, and cults – groundwork for
acceptance (examples: Mithraism,
Christianity)
Roman Persecution of Christianity
1.
Death of Christ – 64 CE – Great Fire/Nero – blamed
on Christians
2.
Sporadic persecution –100-250 CE – sect grew
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3.
Often personal quarrels
Misperceptions of Christian rites: body and blood of Christ =
cannibalism
Christian refusal to give respect to Roman gods = disrespect
and disloyalty to the empire = possible reprisal from gods
“systematic and brutal persecution” – 250-313 CE
(began with Decius)
External Pressures on Roman
Empire
Germanic Pressure on Roman Empire
The Germanic Peoples
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By 1st century CE, Germanic tribes in constant
confrontation with Roman people as they migrate into
Roman territory
Germanic tribes (and other border groups) either
incorporated, coexisted with, or fought Roman Empire
Germans: more local, society based on tribes, kinship
ties
Tribes foreshadow nations (political community – see
page 210)
Tribal structure also forerunner to warrior kings &
nobles in Europe
Patriarchal
Polytheistic
Decline of the Western Roman Empire

Divided Empire (page 211) and Diocletian
284 CE
Administrative
and military
policies laid
foundation for
division and
eventual rise of
Eastern Empire
Late Roman Empire

Civil Wars 235 – 284 CE (Diocletian)
 Battles between Roman emperors and generals for power
 Diocletian divided empire into two halves in 285

CE to make it easier to manage
Constantine (306 – 337 CE)
 Battle of Melvin Bridge (312 CE)
 Legend: Saw a vision of cross, converted to
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Christianity, won battle (not entirely true)
Sole ruler by 324 CE
Restored unity of empire; enlarged army & bureaucracy
Moved capital of Roman empire to EAST – Constantinople
Constantinople in east gained power at Rome’s expense in
west
Read pg. 208 in text
Transformation of Christianity

Christianity: from one religion among many to
official state religion of Rome
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Under Constantine:
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Supporter of Christian faith (see page 213)
Legalized Christianity in 313 CE
Under Theodosius:
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380 CE made Christianity official
religion of Roman Empire (see page 214,
Document 9.1 Decree)
Banned pagan worship
Closed temples to Roman and Greek gods
Ended Olympic games
Constantine’s Christianity –
Complicated Story
Myth/Legend of conversion written by Christians
 Constantine did not believe in one god – set up pagan
temples and monuments in new capital city,
Constantinople
 Constantine incorporated Jesus/Christian God into
pantheon of Roman gods
 Many Romans had personal cult – favored
god/goddess
 Roman religion was open and accommodated new
cults/gods/figures
 Opening for acceptance of Christianity by Romans

Pressure on Romans: Huns & Germanic Invasions (370
– 500 CE)
•Huns attack Goths (see map for different divisions of Germanic people)
•Visigoths move south against Roman armies – 378 CE
•Theodosius able to hold truce with Visigoths (see page 216-217)
Invasions and Settlement
of Former Roman Empire
Fall of Rome and End of Western Empire
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Vandals took Rome in 455 CE
Last Roman Emperor abdicated in 476 CE, forced by
German warlord
476 CE Roman Empire in West Ended
Major Results:
1.
Localism/tribalism replaced internationalism
2.
Authority in west now rested with Pope – combined
religious and political authority
3.
Eastern Rome (Constantinople) lost authority in West
4.
Continual conflicts between west and east
Early Medieval Europe – Germanic &
Christian Connections
Middle Ages = Medieval Era
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Domination by Germanic Tribes
Roman cities destroyed/disarray
Roads, trade & money unused
Learning & literacy declined
Commerce declined
Central administration gone
Localism – focus on tribe, family, local economy
Link to site on medieval monastery and town in
France
Compare localism to imperial networks,
connections, and politics – Progress?
Emergence of Germanic Kingdoms

Local German tribes and warrior kings
attempted to consolidate power and
control of territory (Textbook, page 219)
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Different Germanic Kingdoms formed
Ostrogoths and Lombards = Italy
Visigoths = Spain
Franks = France
Angles & Saxons = England
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Medieval Germanic Kingdoms
Early Medieval Church
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Church had various goals, links, and
levels of power:
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Pope assumed religious and secular authority in the
west – all kings owed power to him (not always true)
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Christian missionaries attempted to convert various
German tribes and kingdoms
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Political intrigue and conflicts
Celts & Germans adapted Christianity into their traditions
Development of Monasticism (page 220)
Saint Benedict (480-543 CE) - Be familiar with
the Rule of St. Benedict
Monasticism in Medieval Christianity (Art) Link
Monastic Culture
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In western Europe, religious devotion and learning
focused on monasteries
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“High” church people were educated
Monks withdrew from general society, engaged in prayer and
study, established monasteries
Benedictine Monks (based on Rules of St. Benedict):
Obedience to lead monk, the abbot
Prescribed program of prayer, study, and work
Chastity
Poverty – denial of worldly luxuries
Missionary work
Clothing – robes
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Link to Yale archaeological work on Egyptian monastery
Benedictine Monastery: Church, cloister, surrounding fields
Germanic Kings - Attempts to Reunify
the West
German kings claimed connections to Roman
Empire (power, glory, respect), but were very
different in culture, politics, religion
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Frankish Kingdom (modern France)
King Clovis (482-511 CE)
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warrior German chieftain
founded 1st Frankish Dynasty (Merovingian)
Roman province of Gaul became France
Merovingian Dynasty (Clovis’ line)
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Constant struggle between “one” and “many” in
kingdoms and feudal society
a. Kings (Clovis’ sons) = centralized government
b. Local rulers fought for regional autonomy
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Held together through Pacts
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Created new officials – “Count”
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By 7th century “Mayor of Palace” held real authority
Charlemagne’s Attempts at
Reunification
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Charlemagne symbolized fusion of Roman,
Christian, and Germanic elements that make up
the foundations of consequent European history
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Carolingian Dynasty, Charles the Great or “Charlemagne”
(768-814 AD)
Charlemagne, like other Germanic kings, tried to reunify
Roman Empire and to gain that prestige for himself
Accomplishments:
1. finished conquering Italy’s Lombards and assumed crown
2. devoted life to expansion of kingdom
3. Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor - Pontificus Maximus
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4.
Imperial “Look”
a. Festive courts
b. “counts”
5.
King’s Palace School
a. Latin in official documents
b. New and legible style of handwriting (standardized)
6.
Carolingian feudal manor
a. Chief ECONOMIC institution (communal farm)
1. medieval farms in clustered villages
2. status of peasants determined by nature of holdings
(Serfs)
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Military = Knights & nobility
8.
Creation of new Agriculture and methods - crop rotation
and plow
The coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III,
as depicted in a medieval French manuscript
© Scala/Art Resource, NY
Church of Charlamagne
Development of Feudal Society in
Western Europe
Hierarchy of Patriarchal rule – interlocking
dependencies and loyalties between male
rulers, lords, knights, and serfs (peasants)
 Germanic Kingdoms and Kings
 Sanctioned by Roman Popes
 Feudal land relations – manor lords
controlled land, serfs tied to land, provided
farm labor and produce, given “protection”
 Hierarchy within household as well
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Europe’s Warrior Nobility
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Feudal Society evolved as survival tactic for Germanic
peoples – local power (compared to Roman Imperial
power & global economic ties)
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Knight Vassals - chief obligation was military
1. ransom lord from enemy
2. outfit for major military campaigns
3. defray costs of festivities at marriages…
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Lord Vassals
1. protect vassal from physical harm
2. stand as advocate in courts
3. provide maintenance by giving fief
Vocabulary:
Vassal
Lord
Serf
Knight
Feudal
Manor
local power
land power
surveillance
patriarchal
unchanging
Ways to challenge
power?
Historical change?
The Manor
Break up of Carolingian Kingdom
After Charlemagne's death his 3 sons took over …
843 CE – Treaty divided the kingdom
Created a vacuum
in Europe
that Church
tried to fill Plummeted
into Dark
Ages ….
Vikings, Muslims &
Magyars
After Charlemagne
a new set of
invaders
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Norsemen
(Vikings) (see text
pages 224-225)
Muslims
(Saracens) (see
text page 226)
Magyars (see text
page 226)
918 CE Henry I (Duke of Saxon)
consolidated Bavaria, Saxony, Francia and Lothargina
Otto I “The Great” (936 – 973 CE) (son of Henry I)
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invaded Italy and proclaimed self
King
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Otto defeated Hungarians
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secured German borders and
established western frontiers of
Europe
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appointed bishops and abbots
to administer lands
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Pope John bestowed Imperial
Title on Otto
Further Questions
Was life better under Romans or medieval
kings?
 Comparisons between development of
western Europe and Byzantine Empire?
 Differences between western and eastern
Christianity?
 How did development of Germanic
kingdoms influence later European history?
 What conflicts or connections developed
between Christian kingdoms and Islam?
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