Chapter 4: Eastern and Western Europe in the Early Medieval Period- Vocab Flashcards
Aegean Sea
Sea located between the mainlands of modern Greece and Turkey.
Asceticism
The practice of severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
Byzantine Empire
Long-lasting empire centered at Constantinople; it grew out of the end of the Roman empire, carried the legacy of Roman greatness, and was the only classical society to survive into the early modern age; it reached its early peak during the reign of Justinian (483–565).
Carolinginan Dynasty
Germanic dynasty that was named after its most famous member, Charlemagne.
Caesaropapism
Concept relating to the mixing of political and religious authority, as with the Roman emperors, that was central to the church-versus-state controversy in medieval Europe.
Charlemagne
Ruler of the European Carolingian Empire from 748–814 C.E.
Constantinople
The purpose-built capital of the late-Roman and Byzantine empires from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries. The name translates as “city of Constantine,” the Roman emperor who founded the city.
Corpus Iuris Civillis
Body of the Civil Law, the Byzantine emperor Justinian’s attempt to codify all Roman law.
Franks
The most successful and influential Germanic people that had conquered most of Roman Gaul and Western Europe by the early 6th century.
Greek Fire
Devastating incendiary weapon used mainly at sea by Byzantine forces in the seventh and eighth centuries C.E.
Hagia Sofia
Massive Christian church constructed by the Byzantine emperor Justinian and later converted into a mosque.
Iconoclasm
Supporters of the movement, begun by the Byzantine Emperor Leo III (r. 717–741), to destroy religious icons because their veneration was considered sinful.
Justinian
Important early emperor of the Byzantine Empire, who reigned from 527 to 565 C.E.
Louis the Pious
(814-840 CE) The only surviving son of Charlemagne, who held his father’s empire together until his sons split it up after his death in 843.
Magyars
Hungarian invaders who raided towns in Germany, Italy, and France in the ninth and tenth centuries.
Missi Dominici
“Envoys of the lord ruler,” the noble and church emissaries sent out by Charlemagne.
Missionaries
People who travel on religious missions to help spread their faith.
Monasticism
A movement that, for Christians, grew out of the efforts of devout individuals to lead holy lives. Early Christian ascetics adopted regimes of self-denial, living alone as hermits or devoting themselves to holiness.
Odoacer
A Germanic general who deposed the last of the western Roman emperors in 476.
Papacy
The office or authority of the pope.
Patriarchs
Leader of the Greek Orthodox church, which in 1054 officially split with the pope and the Roman Catholic church.
Pope Gregory I
(590–604 CE.) was pope of the Roman Church who faced challenges (like the campaigns of Germanic Lombards). He mobilized local resources and organized the defense of Rome. He also reasserted claims to papal primacy.
Schism
Mutual excommunication of the Roman pope and Byzantine patriarch in 1054 over ritual, doctrinal, and political differences between the two Christian churches.
St. Basil
A reformer in Byzantium (329-379 CE) that prepared regulations for monasteries.
St. Benedict
A reformer in Italy (480-547 CE) that prepared regulations for monasteries.
St. Scholastica
St. Benedict’s sister, a nun living from 482-543 who provided guidance for the religious life of women living in convents.
Theme System
A system utilized by the Byzantine Empire that placed an imperial province (a theme) under the authority of an appointed general who handled military and civil administration. These generals recruited armies of peasants, who recieved allotments of land for their military service.
Theodora
Wife of the Emperor Justinian, who played a key role in the success of his reign.
Vikings
A group that raided the British Isles from their home at Vik in southern Norway.