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Running head: THE WORLDS OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE
The Worlds of Medieval Europe
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THE WORLDS OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE
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The Worlds of Medieval Europe
Question 1
The conversion of Constantine to Christianity meant that the whole of the Roman
emperor adopted the religion in effect. The pagan practices that Romans enjoyed before became
taboo and Christians started persecuting those that did not convert. Because Constantine was the
highest authority, his decrees for others to convert to Christianity affected the culture of the
people in the areas they controlled. The previous persecutions directed at Christians ended, and
the tradition advocated by the new religion became the norm.
Marriage practises changed due to the growth of Christianity in the emperor. The new
religion did not accept polygamy as practiced by Romans. The pagan culture did not factor the
people’s morals something the new religion took seriously. Misogynistic ideas started spreading
with women prohibited from engaging in activities that portrayed them as being morally loose.
Therefore, the marriage rules changed after the adoption of Christianity as it got changed to go in
line with the new religions teachings.
Due to the spread of Christianity, pagan festivals became illegal. The only allowed
festivals were those that went in line with Christianity. As a result, the eating and drinking habits
changed as all people wanted to align their practices with their new beliefs. The calendar
changed with the adoption of the Jewish calendar. Social structures also changed with the priests
taking a higher position. Leadership revolved around the elite and the persons deemed more
religious enjoyed higher positions of power. This was a radical change from what Christians
experienced before Constantine converted.
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Question 2
The battle of Adrianople is recognized because it introduced new changes in military
fighting. The war also had an impact on how the Romans would interact with the barbarians in
the future. Before the war, Romans imposed their authority as well as their religion on their
subjects in Western Europe. The Roman leaders led by Theodosius I intervened and stopped
forced conversions saying that only a sincere and willing change would embody Christian
teachings. Theodosius I offered the Goths living in the Balkan region an alliance with the
Roman Emperor, granting them semi-autonomy to determine their destiny. Prior to the war, the
emperor would violently crush any opposition to his rule. Although suspicion between the two
groups remained, the enemies became allies and started taking part in attacks together. Chieftains
in the Balkans gained more stature by leading their warriors into war alongside the Romans
rather than against them. Theodosius I gave them ranks in the army and paid them better than
Roman soldiers solidifying his support in their society. It is only through that diplomatic
intervention that they remained loyal to the Roman Emperor.
The war also signified to the Eastern empires military that they needed to adopt the use of
efficient cavalries. New military practises and formations helped the Romans together with the
Goths vanquish many of Theodosius’ rivals at the time. The change in dealings between the
Romans and the Anglo-Saxons yielded results because the people embraced Christianity
willingly unlike in the previous period. The Catholic Church grew as a result because many of
the chieftains accepted Christianity as their new religion. Because they had the alliance to defend
captured regions, Christianity grew and many more societies accepted it as their official religion.
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Question 3
Before the spread of Christianity in Western Europe, the Germanic tribes opposed
Romans rule that imposed their laws as well as their religion on the conquered areas. After the
battle of Adrianople, the people proposed peaceful coexistence with the Romans and willingly
converted to Christianity. Instead of taking part in a conflict like they had in previous times, they
suggested monastic living that was more communal. The new form of living supported the
integration of the communities rather than shaving each life in isolation. This new form of life
supported spiritual brotherhood and service to the world.
The tribes converged to form Kingdoms and exert their influence on the population.
However, the groups did not destroy Romanic way of life in the areas they conquered. The
kingdoms did not establish themselves as autonomous entities but as imperially recognized allies
of Rome. Each group respected the agreement and when the Roman Emperor wanted
reinforcements, the tribes would provide soldiers who fought alongside those of the Romans as
equals rather than as subjects. The corporation played a huge role in minimizing the levels of
violence in Western Europe. As a result, Europe enjoyed a period of stability and peace leading
to the development of agriculture and cities. However, the growth would be hampered by the fall
of the Roman Empire with kingdoms controlling their areas and imposing heavy taxes on the
people to sustain their rule. Due to that, many fled the cities leading to their disintegration but the
tribes did not fall to the blood feuds that existed before monastic living started.
Question 4
Arians were the Christians in the Germanic society who questioned the relationship
between Jesus Christ and God the father. Their argument anchored on the argument that if he was
not part of the trilogy of God because if his father begot him he did not exist in the period prior
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to his birth. The disagreements between Arius, a priest, and Athanasius, a church father, led to a
split of the church for over fifty years and caused the spread of Arianism. Arianism is a form of
utilitarian theology that stresses the unity of God rather than the existence of the Trinity. Arius
basic presume was that God was self-existent and had the power to bring into existence his son.
The opponents argued that not recognizing Jesus as God was reducing him into a demigod.
The council of Nicaea brought the groups together and aimed to settle the controversy. It
suggested a return to the basic Christian teachings; the division remained until the death of
Constantine. His death followed a persecution of the supporters of Arianism and a split of the
empire. Christian groups which opposed Arians consolidated power and defeated the supporters
of Arianism. As a result, a large number of them migrated west. The remnants of the Arians
remained for several years but the success of the non- Arians. Their number reduced with time,
so their Christian ideology waned with time. Arians fought to have their beliefs recognised by the
church but the fact that they did not have a clear strategy saw them become overpowered and
their ideology dwindled with time.
Question 5
Christians in the early communities obtained forgiveness from practising good deeds,
praying, fasting and giving of alms. Only the priests knew the sins of individuals from
confession. However, after some time the people started publicly stating their sins in which led
some to claim that it was excommunication. The Catholic Church teaches that confession is one
of the seven sacraments. According to the church, the sacrament of penance is for the baptized
members. The recognition of penance first emerged in its form in the third century. The penance
involved the whole community where the sinners would publicly state their deeds and seek for
forgiveness.
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The Catholic Church accepted the teaching of Jesus and believed in the power of
forgiveness he gave to the apostles. It is from the powers believed to have been granted by Jesus
that they started taking into consideration the practice with those given the powers to forgive
changing in the centuries that followed. The practice started with Jesus who left it to the Apostles
who passed it to the priests. The power to forgive extends to all sins because the power of the
priest would transform from the priest penetrate the sinners soul and reach heaven. Just as a
person gets cleansed through baptism is forgiven by the Holy Spirit, the practice of penance also
results in the cleansing of the sins by the grace of Jesus transmitted through the priest. The
church describes Penance as the souls remedy for the sins that a person commits after birth.
During the practice, priests appeal to the words of Christ from an interpretation given by the
church in later centuries. It remains prevalent, and an important part of the church practice as
religious teachings urge people to repent their sins while they are still on this earth. For the
priests involved, confidentiality to what the penitents say is vital in ensuring the course of
confession is absolute.
Section B
Question 1:
Development of the Papacy
The pre-eminence of the bishop of Rome over the Catholic Church, an institution referred
as “The Papacy”, took centuries to develop. During the early church, bishops enjoyed little
influence or powers. Only after Constantine converted to Christianity did he give them authority.
However, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the ruling families determined the posts influence.
In the early days, the term pope which means father got only used for the respected bishops. The
bishop of Rome was one of the other important figures in the church together with the one in
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centres such as Constantinople and Alexandria. The Catholic Church recognises any pope who
takes the position as a successor to Saint Peter. Many of the popes of the early centuries are not
recognized because, in most cases, they died as martyrs together with their flock due to
persecution. The position grew in stature after the recognition by Emperor Constantine and
continued to do so in the successive appointments.
Rome would later become the central place and residence for the holder of the office
because of the political power and the recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the
Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, to the barbarians the pope urged their leader Attila the
Hun not to burn the city to the ground. The fact that they heeded his pledge highlighted the
growing stature of the holder of the position. However, the fall of the Rome to the Huns led to a
collapse of the previously established structures. As other structures disintegrated, the pope
remained as the defender of people’s rights trough introduction of the “Primacy of Jurisdiction”.
Relationship with Secular Rulers
Beyond the health and growth of the religion, the ninth century papacy had descendent to
its low point due to spiritual decline. The malaise continued into the late 900s and the early years
of the new millennium with the German emperor appointees only being marginally better at the
time. The papal office became a prize over which several leading families fought over. The
jostling for the appointment of a pope loyal to a particular family eroded the ethical nature in
which the position should have remained. The popes got appointed for aristocratic leadership.
The by the end of the millennium, the institution had reached its lowest point with
practises such as simony, clerical marriages and the subservience to secular feudal leaders being
the norm. The institution became corrupt and only served at the mercy of the leading families.
The people did not revere the post like they had done in previous times. Some of the popes
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during this dark period brought their ecclesiastical positions with some even lacking proper
qualification undermining the authority of the institution and perpetuating incompetence. Many
of the popes broke their vows of celibacy and others had concubines. The moral degradation of
the holders of the office led to a decline in the number of people converting to Christianity.
The appointment of Pope Leo in 1049 began the period of restoration for the pride and
legitimacy of the position. He did two major achievements that helped reverse the trend that has
seen the fall of the papal powers. He made strides geared at riding the church the influence of the
Roman nobles. He set a body of prelates that advised him and had the mandate of choosing later
popes. Leo also began a campaign to rid the church of corrupt clergy. He began an anti-simony
and anti-marriage campaign that removed the previously corrupt members from the church
leadership. His legacy and imposition of a body mandated with selecting a pope ensured the
position had legitimate holders since that time.
Question 2
Reasons behind the Slow Disintegration of Charlemagne’s Empire
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth-century civilisation, many of the
systems that had held the community together fell apart. The dark ages lasted for 500 years.
However, Charlemagne came to power and tried to salvage what had remained by first
reacquiring the land covered by the Roman Empire. He had a desire of acquiring a large and
accomplished kingdom. After conquering most of the areas, he started by infusing his German
Catholicism. Charlemagne felt that he had to ensure that his people practised the religion led by
the bishop of Rome. The whole of Western Europe turned Christian on his command. Having a
solid foundation in faith meant there were established structures that people in the society
followed. His defence of Pope Leo when he got attacked by the Roman nobles is an indicator of
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the dedication he had to maintain a strong church. That foundation ensured the empire remained
strong during his reign, and it also took time for the system to disintegrate after his death.
Charlemagne wanted to maintain a legitimate and powerful leadership. He wanted to
build a centralized and progressive state run as an entity. He wanted control of affairs as much as
he could and felt responsible for the welfare of his subject. To help him run the empire, he
appointed dukes and counts and gave them some degree of autonomy. However, they ultimately
answered to him, and those that rebelled got replaced. During his rule, he also made some
unannounced visits and whenever he could not reach he sent inspectors. Charlemagne also had
royal judges who had the duty of enacting laws and ordinances. This organized system meant his
emperor remained strong during his lifetime. However, after his death there was no one to hold
the system together and without a unifying figure the systems power to control situations began
to decline.
Charlemagne had a passionate policy of cultural and intellectual advantage. He wanted to
renew the dying Latin culture that had crumbled with the fall of the Roman Empire. A revived
culture would give him a unifying language that would help him communicate with all his
subjects. It would also help the people understand the language of the Catholic Church. He
initiated educational reform urging the clergy to learn different languages and started libraries
across the empire. From that education, he could get learned leaders to fill positions in his
leadership and the churches. The education system did not crash immediately after his death
meaning it survived on the system in place.
Charlemagne had initiated a currency that helped regulate trade in his empire. Silver
currency became the accepted medium of payment making the system efficient. The regulated
trade made a prosperous empire that catered for all its citizens. Justice and fairness helped people
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love their emperor. They remained loyal until his death, but the systems could not hole without
him because he did not leave a legitimate hair. His sons inherited his kingdom dividing it into
three kingdoms, and that meant the unity he had worked fro could remain for long after she died.
The sibling began civil wars. The emperor died three decades after he died.