Chapter 10 Flashcards
Roman Catholic Church of West established independence from political authorities k
The Eastern Orthodox Church did not
Christianity provided common ground for post classical societies in western Eurasia
Yes
Western church was more _______ than Byzantium
Rural
Western Europe was a hybrid civilization
Classical, Germanic, Celtic…
Only 1/3 of all Christians lived in Europe
- many distinct forms of Christianity in other regions
- many branches survived through out Afro-Eurasia, others were eliminated by spread of alternative religion
Christendom deeply divided the Byzantine empire and western
- byz continued roman imperial traditions
- western tried to maintain links to the classical world
- roman imperial order disintegrated in the west
Christendom _____________ in Asia & Africa
Contracted
The rise of Islam accounted for the contraction of Christianity in Africa and Asia
Asian Christianity
- after Muhammad’s death, few Christian groups remained
- Jewish and Christian communities felt the impact of Islam
- much depended on attitudes of Muslim leaders
- – churches were destroyed; Christians forced to wear certain clothing
Asian Christianity: Syria and Persia
- Arab conquest & warefare ppl turned to Islam
- Christian leaders negotiated with Muslims
- right to practice religion if special tax was paid
Nestorian churches survived Islam assault
In Persia, Iraq, Syria..
Church took root in china
The mongol conquest on Asia…
Was the renewal for Christianity
–welcomed new religions most mongols became christen
African Christianity
- African christen found themselves on decline bc of the expanding Islam
- Coptic church– ppl practiced as dhimmis (practice religion pay special tax)
Christian crusaders and mongol invaders threatened Egypt
- Many Egyptians converted to Islam and moved toward Arabic rather than Coptic (soon died out)
New center of Christianity was taking shape in Africa
- Several new kingdoms in Nubia & South Egypt
- faith introduced by Muslim traders& missionaries
- bible translated
- kings served as priests & Christian bishops
- Nubian armies defeated Arabs
Soon Nubian Christianity disappeared
Exception to contractions: Ethiopia
- Rulers of Axum adopted Christianity
- became Christian island in Muslim seas
- protected by mountains
- at a distance form others places
- underground churches
Byzantine Christendom (building on roman past)
- Contraction of Asia & Africa left Europe and Anatolia as centers of Christendom
- Expansion of Islam & Arab – Spain under Muslim control
Byzantine empire did not have a clear starting point
- Continuation of Roman Empire
- Western Europe collapsed; eastern stayed for 1000 more years
- Eastern Europe contained ancient civilizations
Byzantine advantages over Western Europe
- Wealthier and more urbanized
- More defensible capital (Constantinople)
- Shorter frontier
- Access to Black Sea
- Stronger army, navy, & merchant marine
- Conscious effort to preserve roman ways
The Byzantine state
- Byz empire much smaller than the roman
- Remained a major force of the Easter Mediterranean
- reinforced adm. System: generals had civil authority
- Political authority in Constantinople was tightly centralized
- Territory shrank as W. Europe & Turks attacked
Byzantine church and christen divergence
- Caesaropapism (church closely tied to state)
- Orthodox Christianity deeply influence byz
- made legit imperial rule
- pervasiveness of church icons
- Latin Christianity
- centered on pope
Byzantine and the world
- Byzantine had a foot in both Asia & Europe (interacted with neighbors)
- Continuation of long roman fight with Persia
- left open to conquests, byz lost territory
- Byzantine center of long distance trade
- Important cultural influence on Byzantine
Conversion of Russia
- Most significant expansion of Eastern Orthodox occurred among the Slavic people
- Prince Vladimir of Kiev
Western Christendom (constructing a hybrid civ)
- Western world followed different path than byz
- Most post-classical millennium
- far removed from growing trade routes
- European geography made political unity difficult
- moderate climate enable pop growth
With the roman collapse…
- Large scale centralized rule vanished
- European population fell from war & disease
- Contraction of land under cultivation
- Great reduction of urban life
- Long distance trade outside of Italy shriveled up
- Great decline of literacy
Society and the church:
Within the new kingdoms…
- Society was highly fragmented and decentralized
- Great local variation
- Landowning warrior elites excersize powers
Western empire had social hierarchies
- lesser lords and knights became vassals of kings
- serfdom displaced slavery
Catholic Church was a major source of stability in the western empire
- became very rich
Western europes conversion of non-Christians
- top down process
- occasional coercion
- considerable cultural accommodation
Accelerating change in the west
- series of invasions hindered European development
- wearing improved with warming trend
- high Middle Ages (time of growth & expansion)
- opening of new land for cultivation
- growth of long distance trade centers
- population Rose
- new opportunities for women
- widows could continue husband business
- urban professions open to women
- opportunities soon declined
- growth of states and better organized governments
- kings consolidated authority
- territorial kingdoms
Medieval expansion of Christendom in the west
- same time byz declined
- clearance of land
- crusade movement began
Europes crusade movement began
- wars at gods command
- authority by pope
- most famous aimed to regain Jerusalem & holy place
- attacks on byz & Russia
- little lasting political/religious impact on ME
- significant impact on Europe
- hardened cultural barriers
Hybrid civ of Western Europe was ____ __________ than byz! China! India and Islamic world
Less developed
Western Europe catching up
- European economies reconnected with Eurasian trading systems
- most significant borrowing was from China
Europe eventually caught up sign china and the Islamic world
Surpassed them in some areas
Western europes agriculture..
- development of heavy wheeled plows
- greater dependence on horses
- crop rotation
Europe had new reliance on non-animals sourcesof energy
Wind mills
Water mills
Pluralism in politics
- Europe crystallized into system of competing city states
- shaped western europes
- -led to frequent wars and militarization
- - stimulated technology development
Reason and faith
- intellectual life flourished after 1000
- creation of universities
- seRching for Classical Greek texts
- no similar development occurred in byz
In what ways did byz continue the patterns of the Roman Empire!
Continuance in roads, military structures, centralized administrative, imperial court, laws, Christian organization
What differences seperated the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church?
Roman Catholic: Latin Pope-final authority More independence from political structures Eastern: Greek Allowed hair and beards to grow long Could marry Rejected claims of roman pope Saw ceaser as head of church
