Preview

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Christianity in Western Europe

• Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• New Kingdoms in Europe
• Christian European Society
• Monks and Monasteries
• Map Missionaries and Monasteries in Europe
• Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
• Video The Impact of Christianity as a World
  Religion

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Christianity in Western Europe
Main Idea The spread of Christianity, largely
through the work of missionaries and monks,
helped unify western Europe after the collapse of
the Roman Empire.

• Reading Focus
• What new kingdoms arose in Europe, and how did
  they become Christian?
• What characteristics defined Christian European
  society?
• What roles did monks and monasteries play in
  European religion and society?

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New Kingdoms in Europe
The fall of Rome had different results. In the
east, the Byzantine Empire flourished. In the
west, no single empire arose from Romes ashes.
Germanic groups established many small kingdoms.
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Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

• Threat to Independence
• Remained independent for several centuries
• Threat arose that forced them to band together
• Danes invaded northern England, began to march
  south

• Alfred the Great
• Anglo-Saxons united under Alfred the Great, king
  of Wessex
• Under Alfred, Anglo-Saxon forces pushed Danes
  back to north
• Later Alfred recognized as ruler of all England

• Accomplishments
• As king, Alfred reorganized army, issued own code
  of laws
• Also improved his courts financial system
• Greatest achievement, establishing system of
  schools for adults, children

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• The Franks
• 400s, another Germanic kingdom established in
  former Roman province of Gaulmodern Franceby
  Franks
• Led by king named Clovis, Franks defeated
  neighbors to build powerful kingdom

• Major Power
• Clovis vowed to become Christian if troops won
• 496, Clovis, 3,000 Franks baptized in massive
  public ceremony
• Franks became major power in western Europe
• 800s, height of Frankish power, led by Charlemagne

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Summarize How did the Anglo-Saxons and Franks
become Christians?
Answer(s) Monks brought Christianity to Kent,
and it slowly spread throughout England. Clovis
was king of the Franks. He vowed to become a
Christian if his troops won.
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Christian European Society

• When Rome fell in late 400s, Christianity mostly
  confined to southern Europe
• By about 600, Christianity had spread northward
  into other parts of continent
• Conversion of Anglo-Saxons, Franks helped make
  western Europe into largely Christian society
• Following fall of Rome, Christianity appealed to
  many Europeans
• Period known as Middle Ages, or medieval times
• Many peoples lives filled with doubt, suffering
  hardship
• Christianity offered comfort, promise of happy
  afterlife, sense of community

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Spreading Christianity
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Strengthening the Papacy

• Popes Influence
• Early in Middle Ages, most popes had little
  authority
• Most saw pope as just another bishop

• Gregory the Great
• Lack of authority ended with Gregory the Great
• Worked to change views of papacy, increase
  influence

• Supreme Patriarch
• Gregory thought, as successor to Peter, pope
  should be supreme patriarch of church
• Undertook reforms to strengthen papacy, canon law

• Gregorys Reforms
• Encouraged missionary work and monasticism,
  voluntary separation from society
• Encouraged people to care for poor, less fortunate

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Sharing Beliefs

• Interpretations of Faith
• As Christianity spread through diverse
  populations, people interpreted faith in
  different ways
• Debates arose over questions like humanity,
  divinity of Jesus

• Written Explanations
• To prevent, resolve conflicts, influential
  theologians wrote explanations to set forth
  churchs official positions
• Most influential of medieval theologians,
  Augustine of Hippo

• Used Ideas of Plato
• Augustines writings helped shape Christian
  doctrine for centuries
• City of God people should pay less attention to
  material world than to Gods plan for world
  attempted to convince Romans God had not
  abandoned them

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Infer How did Christianity change in the early
Middle Ages?
Answer(s) Christianity spread throughout Europe,
the pope became one of the most influential
figures in Europe, and different interpretations
arose.
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Monks and Monasteries

• Gregory the Great increased emphasis on
  monasticism
• Believed monks played important role in church
• Monasticism gained popularity in the early Middle
  Ages.

Both forms had similar rules about communal life,
but the organization and details of life in their
monasteries were quite different.
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Monks and Monasteries
The most common form of monasticism in most of
Europe during the Middle Ages was Benedictine
monasticism.
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Benedictine Monks

• Benedictine monasticism made tremendous
  contributions to Europe
• Monks ran schools that trained some of finest
  minds of Middle Ages
• Copied ancient manuscripts, helped preserve
  knowledge of Greece, Rome
• Monasteries became centers of wealth, power
• Kings, nobles donated money, gifts in exchange
  for prayers said on their behalf
• As they became wealthier, monasteries drawn into
  local politics
• Many monks acted as advisers, aides to local,
  national rulers in Europe

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Celtic Monasteries

• Other branch of monasticism developed in Ireland
• Celtic monks more ascetic, or severe, than
  Benedictines
• Fasted and spent days in solitary contemplation
• Built monasteries on small islands to separate
  monks, rest of society believed isolation helped
  focus on faith

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Make Generalizations What contributions did
monks make to Europe?
Answer(s) ran schools, preserved the knowledge
of Greece and Rome, served as advisers and aides
to European rulers
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VideoThe Impact of Christianity as a World
Religion
Click above to play the video.