HIST 107 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 13 Time Period Defining factors during the era Until about 500 CE 500 1500 CE 1500 Classical World Middle Ages Modern Era Fall of the Roman Empire unity Feudalism fragmentation Renaissance End of paganism Monarchs nobles Decline of learning Christian Church Nation State New World 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 o Christianity gradually spread to surround the Roman Empire 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 THE ROMAN WORLD TRANSFORMED A Short History of the Middle Ages p 1 In the third century the Roman empire wrapped around the Mediterranean Sea like a scarf The church began to serve as a social institution In 313 Christianity was legally recognized through the Edict of Milan which was created by Constantine and Licinious Christ was seen as miracle worker messiah and Son of God The basic church layout Bishops overseers of local communities start becoming important leaders Priests leaders of smaller congregations specialists in ritual Laity the people men and women not part of the clerical hierarchy The Barbarians Important barbarian figures Stilicho Roman barbarian warlord general and his wife Serena with their son Eucherius Barbarians lived along the edges of the Roman World for generations Roman Barbarian frontier was a zone of communication and interaction 410 Rome is sacked and invaded by Allorick his reasoning is supposedly tied to debts owed to him by Rome The relationship between the Romans and the Barbarians was described as a married couple in a bitter divorce Barbarian Kingdoms The barbarian kingdoms of Western Europe no longer resembled a scarf but more of a mosaic Trade was disrupted armies were the driving economic force in the Western Roman Empire and consequently the economy dried up and began to struggle Localism and ruralization the Empire s horizons shrunk Winners elite landowners traditional Roman families wealthy and new barbarian groups kings bishops etc Losers everybody else slaves small landowners people living in cities THE BENEDICTINE RULE c 540 Monastery a school for the lord s service Monasteries valued obedience discipline and humility They regulated how individuals ate drank slept and worked The Benedictine Rule was a set of guidelines that outlined these regulations as a means of bringing the individuals closer to the lord Question to consider What is the place of the church in the world Martyrdom dying for your faith Many martyrs believed that the world was prison and the afterlife was true freedom They believed that through death they were escaping the flaws of the world Perpetua Roman matron and martyr c 200 Saint Peter chief disciple that was killed his relics remained in the city of Rome Christ born during the reign of Augustus Augustine wrote City of God was a North African bishop that cautioned society that life was a pilgrimage and people were bound toward eternal life in the City of God o He additionally believed that the church was imperfect but was a necessary gateway into the City of God Monks o Monks fasted prayed battled demons etc o Groups of monks began to develop monastic rule The Benedictine Rule was the dominant monastic rule in Europe o Monks owned nothing but monasteries did they became prominent and wealthy Two major transformations 1 The Christianization of the Empire 2 The emergence of new Barbarian Kingdoms extreme provincialization Document of Interest Reading the Middle Ages 1 15 Gregory of Tours History Addressed life in the post Roman barbarian world Frankish kingdom Described a story in which authoritative figures are trying to push Gregory a bishop out of his position They claim that Gregory is accusing Queen Radegund of adultery What do politics look like in the Frankish Kingdom o Things are violent and chaotic o There is a system of justice but a decrease in courts o No standing army no taxes o Bureaucratic systems associated with the Roman Empire are replaced by the personalized leadership of the barbarian kings Barbarian warlords having previously dwelled on the outer portions of the Roman Empire declared themselves as