Late Antiquity (284-) Flashcards
Constantine the Great
Constantine who was born around 280 and died in 337 was the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. He not only initiated the evolution of the empire into a Christian state but also provided the impulse for a distinctively Christian culture that prepared the way for the growth of Byzantine and Western medieval culture. He converted to Christianity after having a vision where Christ told him to paint the cross on his soldiers’ shields, and he won the battle at Milvian Bridge because of this.
Julianus Apostata
Julian who was born in AD 332 became a Roman emperor in AD 361 through usurpation and civil war. He was nephew of Constantine the Great, and noted scholar and military leader who was proclaimed emperor by his troops. He was a persistent enemy of Christianity, he publicly announced his conversion to paganism in 361, thus acquiring the epithet “the Apostate.” He also tried to revert to the political regime of the second century, but it was short lived as he died in Mesopotamia in AD 363 after attacking the Persians.
Diocletian
Diocletian lived was a Roman emperor from 284–305 CE. He restored efficient government to the empire after the near anarchy of the 3rd century. His reorganization of the fiscal, administrative, and military machinery of the empire laid the foundation for the Byzantine Empire in the East and temporarily shored up the decaying empire in the West. For example he bound people to their jobs. The last major persecution of Christians occurred during his reign and attempted to have two emperors and two co-emperors.
Soldier Emperors
From 235-284 AD wars broke out on all frontiers and individual armies fought in constantly recurring struggles for power. Many emperors and usurpers succeeded one another at amazing speed. These were the ‘soldier emperors’, because their power rested exclusively on their soldiers’ might and because they acquired that power through military coups. The empire’s unity even came under threat when different emperors governed different parts of the empire. Diocletian eventually ruled from 284–305.
Franks
Franks were Germanic-speaking people who invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. They emerged into recorded history in the 3rd century CE as a tribe living of the lower Rhine River. In the mid-3rd century and in the mid-4th century the Franks tried unsuccessfully to expand across the Rhine into Roman-held Gaul. Franks were gradually influenced by Roman civilization. Some Frankish leaders became Roman allies in the defence of the Roman frontier, and many Franks served as auxiliary soldiers in the Roman army.
Nicaea
In 325 AD the first ecumenical council of the Christian church met in ancient Nicaea. It was called by Constantine I, an unbaptized catechumen, who presided over the opening session and took part in the discussions. He hoped a general council of the church would solve the problem created in the Eastern church by Arianism, a heresy first proposed by Arius of Alexandria that affirmed that Christ is not divine but a created being. Pope Sylvester I did not attend the council but was represented by legates.
Why is the period of Late Antiquity usually started with the reign of Diocletian? What measures did he implement, and why were those measures necessary?
Late Antiquity begins with the reign of Diocletian because he put an end to the period of the soldier emperors (235-284 AD) through a number of measures, causing the Roman Empire to once again enter a period of considerable prosperity (in Constantinople the Roman Empire continued to exist until 1453). Diocletian’s measures concerned politics (tetrarchy; reorganization of provinces), the army (fortification and expansion; strengthening of the borders) and the economy (price edict). All these measures were aimed at countering the political, economic and military fragmentation characteristic of the period of the soldier emperors (partial empires such as Palmyra). The period of Late Antiquity is often referred to as Dominate.
What role did Emperor Constantine play in the rise and spread of (early) Christianity?
Constantine who was born around 280 and died in 337 was the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. He not only initiated the evolution of the empire into a Christian state but also provided the impulse for a distinctively Christian culture that prepared the way for the growth of Byzantine and Western medieval culture. He converted to Christianity after having a vision where Christ told him to paint the cross on his soldiers’ shields, and he won the battle at Milvian Bridge because of this.
What are heretics and what role did they play in late Roman society? Which heretical movements are known by name?
The story about the mosaics in Ravenna. Heretics refer to all people who were not orthodox Christians. Heretics could therefore be pagans or Christians who held nonorthodox views (but usually use the term to indicate nonorthodox Christians; about orthodoxy. Because the term “heretic” has negative connotations, the term “heterodox” is often used today. Heretical movements played an enormous role in the history of the early church. The best-known heretical movement is that of the Arians. But there were also countless other heretical movements that were often regional in character. From a political point of view, heretical movements posed an enormous threat to the political unity of the Roman Empire, which is why many
emperors from Constantine to Justinian dealt with the problem of heretical movements and tried to achieve
reconciliation through large international church assemblies or councils of which that of Nicaea (325 AD) is not only the
first, but also the best known. Another famous council took place at Chalcedon (451 AD). The Dutch term for Miaphysitism is monophysitism.
Invasion of Italy by Lombards
568 CE (late 6th century): Germanic people swiftly conquered northern Italy, leading to the establishment of the Lombard Kingdom with Pavia as its capital. This invasion weakened the Byzantine Empire’s control over Italy and resulted in political fragmentation. The Lombards introduced their culture and laws, and their rule had significant implications for the Papacy. Ultimately, Charlemagne’s conquest in the late 8th century absorbed the Lombard Kingdom into the Carolingian Empire, ending Lombard rule in Italy.
Division Roman Empire into East and West
364-476 CE: The Roman Empire was divided into an eastern half and a western half in 285 CE by the Emperor Diocletian but Constantine established Constantinople as the Eastern Roman Empire’s new capital, signaling a shift in power to the east. which was largely greek speaking. The death of Emperor Theodosius I in 395 CE formalized the split, with his sons governing the East and the West separately. The Western Roman Empire eventually fell in 476 CE, while the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) endured for many more centuries, influencing the course of European history.
Emperor Justinian + reclamation of Italy & North Africa
527-565 CE: The Gothic War between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place in the Italian Peninsula, Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica. It was one of the last of the many Gothic Wars against the Roman Empire. The war had its roots in the ambition of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinian I to recover the provinces of the former Western Roman Empire, which the Romans had lost to invading barbarian tribes in the previous century, during the Migration Period.
