Medieval History I Flashcards
Alaric the Goth
he was the king of the Visigoths from 395-410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, marking the decline of the Roman Empire
Ambrose of Milan
was the archbishop of Milan during the 4th century and greatly influenced St. Augustine. Stood up to Theodosius, the Roman Emperor.
Council of Nicea (325 AD)
was a council of bishops who were assembled by Constantine. The council sought to come to a consensus on Christological issues (against Arianism/Subordinationism: Father and Son are homoousia).
Diocletian
was a Roman emperor from 284 to 305, who persecuted the church
Edict of Milan
the declaration that one can worship as he pleases. The empire-wide proclamation that made Christianity legal, in the sense of free and open observation of the Christian religion (and other religions) without molestation/persecution.
Foederati
Gothic troops under the command of their own warleader
Julian the Apostate
was a Roman Emperor from 361-363. He attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the cost of Christianity, capitalizing on Christianity’s power to divide. He rejected Christianity in favour of Neoplatonic paganism. He also brought back Arians to stir up Nicene Christians.
Magister militum
meaning master of the troops. It was a top-level military command that was only below the emperor.
Stilicho
was a magister militum who became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire before he was executed in 408.
Theodosius I
attempted to unify the empire by law and Nicene Christianity, first time the church (by Ambrose) was greater than the emperor. Emperor who declared Nicene Christianity as the one true faith in Roman empire in opposition to Arians and used Roman legal structures to try to unify the empire: heretics were wrong according to theology and the law. At the same time, he held off the Goths using barbarian mercenaries. He was excommunicated from entering the church to pray or come to the Lord’s Table (till he repented within 8 months) by Ambrose because he rashly massacred a riot (with some innocents) that murdered one Roman governor.
Attila the Hun
Traded as a captive to Rome as a young man. After being returned, assumed power of a coalition of Hunnic tribes from his uncle along with his brother.Killed his brother to become sole king of the huns. Lead the Hun forces on raids against the Roman empire. Managed to bring the fight right to the doorsteps of both the eastern and western Empires, but was bought off both times. (by Leo the Great near Rome) Died from drinking too much at his own wedding feast. Huns fell apart after and never recovered.
Council of Chalcedon (451 AD)
Bishops met to clarify the orthodox position on Christ’s two natures (1 person, 2 distinct natures), declaring monophysitism and nestorianism anathema.
Council of Ephesus I (431 AD)
Council where Nestorianism was rejected and Mary declared theotokos, the “God-bearer” or “Birthgiver of God.”
Council of Ephesus II, “Robber Council” (449 AD)
council where Leo’s Tome (written to clarify Christ’s natures i.e. the hypostatic-union) was rejected, later to be received at the Council of Chalcedon.
Geiseric
Geisric, the king of the Vandals in Hispania, built a fleet of ships and sailed to North Africa and started conquering Roman and African kingdoms. In 430, Geisric laid seige for 18 months to Hippo Regius where Saint Augustine was spending his final days. After Hippo fell, Geisric conquered Carthage in 431. Geisric made the Roman soldiers swear that they would never fight the against the Vandals, then he released them. “North Africa was lost to Rome” (Bauer, 107)
Pope Leo I
Bishop of Rome who believed that “the bishop of Rome, as the heir of Peter, was the only churchman with the authority to make final decisions for the entire Christian church. He helped moderate the Council of Chalcedon by writing his Tome detailing the papacy’s position on Christology. He also made peace on Rome’s behalf with Attila the Hun.
Merovech
“the chief of the Saliens [who] led the warriors of the entire Frankish coalition into the Roman camp to help fight against the Huns. He was one of the earliest ‘long-haired kings’ of the Franks” (Bauer, 115). “[Clovis’] descendents, taking their name from the legendary warrior Merovech, would occupy the throne for the next two centuries as the Merovingian dynasty - the first royal dynasty of the Franks” (Bauer, 175).
Monophysitism
Jesus’ two natures become/mix into one nature. they don’t remain distinct.
Nestorianism
Jesus has two natures divine and human which are separate to his person. His natures are divorced, not united, to one Person (Christ the man, Christ the God).
Odovacer
Odovacer was a German, Christian mercenary. He fought for the Romans until he demanded they pay him with more land and the Romans refused. After defeating those Romans, Odovacer marched into Ravenna unopposed and exiled Romulus, the last Roman emperor (see Bauer, 138). This occurred in 476.
Romulus Augustulus
“Little Augustus”. The last Roman Emperor. Was exiled to the castle “Castel dell’Ovo” where he lived the remainder of his life in obscurity.
Theoderic the Great
king of Italy, and as king he had no duty to pay the eastern Roman emperor. One of his first acts was to declare that only the Romans who had supported him in his takeover of Italy could still claim to be Roman citizens; the rest were deprived of their rights. Roman citizenship, that once-prized distinction, was now connected directly to the person of Theoderic the Great
Vortigern
high king of Ireland who by 455 had the unenviable task of defending Britain from invaders determined to take the island for their own (Bauer, Kindle Location 2595). He was (held) responsible for bringing the Angles & Saxons to Ireland.
Battle of Toulouse (721 AD)
in 721, the tiny army of Aquitaine met the Arab armies at the Battle of Toulouse, under Odo’s command (Bauer, Kindle Locations 6221-6222). Odo defeated the Arabs at the Battle of Toulouse, killing the governor of al-Andalus in the fighting, and halted the Arab advance into Europe. It was one of the worst (and most unexpected) defeats suffered by an advancing Islamic army.
Battle of Tours / Poitiers (732 AD)
Battle between the Islamic army & Franks, led by both Odo & Charles Martel (Martel got all the glory though). The battle at Poitiers in 732, immortalized by Frankish historians as the Battle of Tours, did turn the Arab advance back; the Muslim empire halted at the border of Aquitaine and did not again press forward.
Charles Martel
drove back the Franks, fought against his step-mother in a Civil war and won, conquered much of southern Francia, encouraged Christian missions.
Charlemagne
King of Carolingian; expanded Frankish territory, fighting Saxons, Lombards, al-Andalus, and Avars; destroyed pagan shrines- subdued other religions by force; Crowned imperator et augustus (emperor and augustus) on Christmas Day. Enlivened education and scholarship (theological and otherwise) in his day.
Donation of Constantine
Pope Stephen II gave a forged document under Constantine’s name to Pippin justifying the Pope/Church’s possession of Roman lands (Italy, Ravenna, Rome, etc.).
Gottschalk of Orbais
was a Saxon theologian, monk from birth and poet who is best known for being an early advocate of the doctrine of two-fold predestination which he refused to recant till his death. He failed to meet Pope Nicholas I to settle matters of his doctrine, often declared heretical.
John Scotus Eriugena
opposed Gottschalk. was an Irish theologian, Neoplatonist philosopher, and poet. He wrote a number of works, but is best known today, and had most influence in subsequent centuries, for having translated and made commentaries upon the work of Pseudo-Dionysius
Mayors of the Palace
Frankish title for the king’s right-hand man, or sub-kings.
the official who took care of the royal estates, supervised the other government offices, and generally acted as prime minister and household steward combined. When the king was a child, or weak, or dead, his mayor ran the realm. (Bauer, 250-251) For a time, they were appointed been appointed by the king. But by Pippin the Elder’s time (643), they were adopting the royal custom of blood succession (Bauer, 253).
Odo of Aquitaine
defeated Arabs at Battle of Toulouse (721), stopped Arab advance into Europe.
Opus Caroli and icons
the work Charlemagne arranged by committee against icons.
“The Libri Carolini (“Charles’ books”), Opus Caroli regis contra synodum (‘The work of King Charles against the Synod’) … are the work in four books composed on the command of Charlemagne, around 790, to refute the supposed conclusions of the Byzantine Second Council of Nicaea (787), particularly as regards its acts and decrees in the matter of sacred images” (Wikipedia).
Paschasius Radbertus
monk/cleric who fumed at Charles the Landless’s failure to deal with the Vikings (after many ransoms) and believed in transubstantiation.
a French-born monk, and the Abbot of Corbie, a small town in present-day northern France. His most well-known and influential work is De Corpore et Sanguine Domini, an exposition on the nature of the Eucharist, written about 831 (wikipediea). He said: “I do not think that even a few years ago any ruler on earth would have imagined…that a foreigner would enter Paris…. Who would have thought that such a glorious kingdom, so strong, so vast, so populous, and so vigorous would be humiliated and smeared with the filth of such people?”
