Chapter 7: Europe And Western Asia

Question 1

Dioceses

Answer 1

1. 3rd-4th ce B.C.E, Western Roman Empire
2. Dioceses:
   a) geographic administrative districts of the Church, each under authority of bishop and centred around cathedral
   b) This method was used during reign of Diocletion (284-305) to improve economic & cultural efficiency/prosperity
3. Christianity adopted this method of religious administration
   CC: Similar to the political organization of the early Japanese Empire in that both used regional leaders (warlords in Japan and bishops in Rome) to control regions more effectively
   COT- Dioceses’ reform of the organizational structure of the Church increased the Church’s influence over the Roman people and therefore converted more people to Christianity

Question 2

Canon law

Answer 2

1. In the 4th century ce. Emperor Theodosius made Christianity official religion.
2. Theodosius allowed the church to develop their own courts.
3. Church develops canon law, which had jurisdiction over clergy and ecclesiastical disputes.
4. ( ecclesiastical- relating to the Christian church or its clergy)
   CC- Similar to Shari’a law in that both allowed their respective belief systems (Christianity and Islam) to gain a greater degree of influence over their followers both in religious matters as well as political matters
   CoT- The creation of Christian courts allowed the Church to intervene in the political affairs of its subjects, whereas before the creation of the courts, the Church only had limited authority in politics with Dioceses’ organizational structure

Question 3

Spread of Christianity in Europe

Answer 3

1. 4th-5th ce, Europe & Western Asia
2. Monastic Life ( complete separation from the world; spiritual) split into two groups:
   a)Eremitical-isolated; split from organised society to seek god through prayer; church did not approve of.
   b)Coenobitic-communal; lived in monasteries bc they provided training environment; Church encouraged.
3. Franks solidified Christianity as a foundation to empire when Clovis (5th-6th ce.) converted.
   4.Charlemagne used status to promote Christianity. By 11th ce. Christianity was the accepted religion in most of Western Europe.
4. Pope established as the single most important figure in the Church and influential force in Western Europe.
5. The Crusades (11th-13th ce.) Pope Urban 2 called for a Christian holy war against the Muslims. Promoted Christianity bc of social influence/motivation
6. Women had major influence on spread of Christianity in Europe.
   CC- Similar to the spread of Islam through the middle east in that they both fostered conflict with other belief systems they came into contact with
   CoT- Monastic life changed from being unified in all aspects of a belief system to being separated into two parts, eremitical and coenobitic

Question 4

Germanic invasions

Answer 4

1. 7th-8th ce.
2. Ended imperial Roman authority in Western Europe by 5th century. Authority shifts to Byzantium in the east.
3. Led to decentralized rule which allowed for the establishment of the feudal system.
4. Controlled the western half if the Roman Empire.
   CC- Similar to the Yuan Dynasty in China in that both involved a foreign people (Barbarians in Roman Empire, Mongols in Yuan) replacing native peoples as rulers of the natives’ land for the first time in these regions history
   COT- Changed to decentralized rules

Question 5

Feudalism

Answer 5

1. 7th-15th ce.
2. Concept refers to political and social order of medieval Europe; based on a hierarchy of lords and vassals who controlled politics and military affairs.
3. Established by European nobles to maintain order during a time of weak central power and invasions (the Viking invasions, 9th century CE)
4. Local lords had the authority to collect taxes, mobilize armed forces, and settle legal disputes.
5. A feudal system was also used in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate.
   CC- Similar to serfdom in that both were a social hierarchy involving a ruling elite that presided over many persons of lower status
   CoT- Changed from the original hierarchy of a monarch having direct control over all his subjects to being more stratified (having levels)

Question 6

Carolingian Empire

Answer 6

1. 7th to mid 15th ce.
2. High point of the Franks came under Charlemagne (8th-9th) who centralized the imperial rule.
3. Charlemagne extended the empire. The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed that the empire had legitimacy.
   CC- Similar to the unification of Italy in the 18th century because both used the authority of the Pope to unify the divided peoples of the region
   CoT- Changed from the Franks being a tribal, disunited society to having a central government and being unified

Question 7

Decline of Carolingian Empire

Answer 7

1. 9th-10th century.
2. When Charlemagne died his son Louis the Pious took control and lost control of the bureaucracy.
3. Louis’s three sons fought over there inheritance. Treaty of Verdun (mid 9th century) ended the fighting and dissolved the empire.
4. Foreign invasions were also part of the decline.
   CC- Different than the decline of the Roman Empire in that the Roman Empire dissolved because of external attacks (from barbarians) whereas the Carolingian Empire dissolved because of internal problems (Charlemagne’s sons fighting over control of the empire)
   CoT- Carolingian Empire changed from being mostly stable and prosperous to being unstable and eventually dissolving

Question 8

Treaty of Verdun

Answer 8

1. Mid 9th ce.
2. Treaty that divided the territories of Charlemagne between his three grandsons and formed precursor states of modern Germany and France.
3. Charles the bald received the western part, Lothar the middle and title of emperor, Louis the eastern part which he obtained the title “the German”.
   CC-
   CoT- The treaty changed the Carolingian Empire from being a vast empire under one monarch to being three kingdoms, each under their own monarch

Question 9

Petrine Doctrine

Answer 9

1. 4th century.
2. Supported by Christian popes.
3. Statement used by popes, bishops of Rome, based on Jesus’s words to substantiate their claim of being successors of St. Peter and heirs to his authority as chief of apostles.
   CC- Similar to the Mandate of Heaven in China in that they were both used by rulers to claim the divine right to rule and expand their authority
   CoT- Before the Petrine Doctrine, Roman religious authority was decentralized, but after there was a central religious authority

Question 10

Iconoclastic Controversy

Answer 10

1. 8th- 9th ce.
2. Conflict that resulted from the destruction of Christian images in Byzantine churches.
3. Raised the question of right of emperor to intervene in religious disputes.
4. Destruction of icons was supported by Leo the 3rd and Constantine the 5th.
   CC- Different from the spread of Christianity in Scandinavia because Christians forced natives to introduce idols of saints to their religion, as opposed to destroying them
   CoT- was a precursor to the separation of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic church

Question 11

Justinian’s Code

Answer 11

1. 6th century.
2. Justinian (6th century) had a systematic review of all laws in the Roman republic, Justinian codified the Roman law, keeping the legal principles of Ancient Rome.
3. Justinian’s Code has remained an inspiration for civil law codes.
   CC- Similar to Hammurabi’s code in that both codified the rules of their empires
   CoT- Continued with early Roman Law in that the code contained essentially the same rules, it just became codified

Question 12

The Abbey of Cluny

Answer 12

1. 10th century.
2. Established by William the Pious in Burgundy.
3. Monastery to be free from any feudal responsibilities to him or any other lord, it’s members subordinate only to the Pope.
4. First two Abbots of Cluny set high standards of religious behavior and stressed strict observance of “ the Rule of Saint Benedict”.
5. Represented religious and political stability, placed lands under Cluny’s custody and monastic houses under its jurisdiction for reform.
   CC- Similar to Christian monasteries in that both directly controlled the land that they sat on
   CoT- Increased stability among the Catholic church by providing a firm base for orthodox religion

Question 13

Theodora of Constantinople.

Answer 13

1. Late 5th-mid 6th
2. Wife of emperor Justinian.
3. Married Justinian, portrayed as evil, sexual, depraved and cruel.
4. Influenced imperial policy, improved legal status of women.
5. Promoted Christianity
   CC- Compare to Empress Wu (late 7th century) b/c both were women who held pol. authority and influenced the sway of religion with their pol. position (Empress Wu the Buddhist sutras)
   COT- Change b/c she was the first female to hold high pol. authority in Europe

Question 14

Saint Augustine

Answer 14

1. Mid 4th- 5th century
2. One of the most influential church leaders in the west.
3. Writes that all humans are tainted from birth through sexual intercourse. Also writes that humans have have an innate tendency to sin.
4. Augustine’s ideas on sin, grace, and redemption became foundations of all subsequent Western Christian theology.
   CC- Augustine’s views on sexual intercourse were different than Sigmund Freud’s because Augustine believed that sex was sinful whereas Freud believed that sex was an important part of a healthy lifestyle
   CoT- Beliefs of St Augustine continued b/c they became the basis of later ideologies

Question 15

Sassanid Empire

Answer 15

1. 3rd- mid 7th century ce.
2. Sophisticated government which led to the development of a new class of educated bureaucrats who played an important role in government positions.
3. Agriculture was foundation of the economy. Which supported the military forces, government, and residents.
4. Made Zoroastrianism the official state religion. State and religion were tied together.
5. Byzantine monarchy, Roman papacy, and Muslim caliphate copied aspects of this practice
   CC-
   CoT- Social classes in the Sassanid Empire changed in that a new middle class developed

Question 16

Arianism

Answer 16

1. 4th century
2. Originated from Arius (ca. 3rd-4th).
3. Believed that Jesus was created by the will of God the Father and not co eternal with him.
4. Arius reasoned that Jesus must be inferior to God the Father.
   CC- Similar to the Iconoclastic Controversy because both were a conflict within Christianity caused by opposing viewpoints of the correct way to worship God
   CoT- ?

Question 17

Council of Nicaea

Answer 17

1. 4th century.
2. Emperor Constantine had to step in to prevent civil disorder in the wake of Arianism.
3. Constantine summoned important church leaders to this meeting and created the Nicene Creed, which defined the orthodox position that Christ is eternally begotten of the Father.
4. Since the emperor intervened in church business it paved the way for future emperors to clam that they could do the same.
   CC- Different than the reforms of Ataturk because Ataturk created secularized Turkey which limited the ruler’s authority over religious matters
   CoT- Future leaders in Europe used the precedent of Constantine intervening in church affairs to do the same later

Question 18

Jewish diaspora

Answer 18

1. 6th century bce. , Jerusalem
2. The dispersion of Jews from Jerusalem.
3. Began with Babylonians’ conquest of Jerusalem
   CC- Different than Americans pushing Indians out of their native land because Indians resisted violently against being moved, whereas initial Jewish resistance was limited
   CoT- Jews were exiled from Jerusalem during this event, but later (18th century) a Zionist movement arose that attempted to restore the Jews to their homeland

Question 19

Eremitical

Answer 19

1. 3rd century ce.
2. Form of monasticism that began in Egypt, where individuals withdrew and isolated themselves to seek God.
3. Church leaders did not approve because the leaders saw it as a threat to the church.
   CoT- Same as CoT for #20

Question 20

Coenobitic

Answer 20

1. 3rd century ce.
2. Communal living in monasteries, encouraged by church because it provided an environment for training the new priests in the virtues of charity, poverty, and freedom from self-deception.
3. Churches saw this as helpful in aiding the churches ruling and control.
   CoT- Represented a change from unified monastic life