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Brittany Engels
HIST 101 03PR
October 2, 2014
Response Paper 1
During the turn from ancient to medieval, there were multiple vital points that pivoted the shifts between the two periods. Starting out with an imperial anarchy, where emperors seem to come as fast as they go, to the romanization of Christianity and the upbringing methods of this in the Roman society. Diocletian’s attempts at reconstructing and renewing the empire and Constantine with the Christianization of the Roman empire were closer to the middle of the shift, while the German tribes turning into the German Kingdoms in the western part of the empire were closer to the end. Finally, Justinian’s reassertion of Roman influence closed out the shift, moving from ancient to medieval times. For the most part, the three main components to all of these events that happened between this shift were the tardy Roman civilization, the new religion of Christianity along with the Germans and the combination of these three.
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Due to this, the economy declined and the rise of the military came to light. The social classes shifted as the gap between the rich and the poor widened, and inflation ended up taking a toll on the empire from debasement of the Roman coins, and eventually, the population of the Roman empire began its spiral downwards. The rise of Christianity in the Roman empire was becoming more known, however still “underground” and using other methods to communicate theories and stories. The amount of Christians still populated a very small amount in comparison to the entire empire, and was more prevalent in the eastern and country
The year is 476 A.D. and the Roman Empire has collapsed after being overthrown by barbarians. Looking back, the causes of Rome’s decline can be separated into four categories, social, economic, military, and political. The social aspects of Rome’s fall are the rise of christianity and civil wars. The rise of christianity displaced Rome’s polytheistic roots which viewed the emperor as having a godly status. Pope and church leaders took an increased role in political affairs which further complicated governance. Civil wars also deteriorated the empire. More than 20 men took the throne in only 75 years and the empire was thrust into chaos. The economic aspects of Rome’s fall were high taxes from the government and labor deficit. The roman empire
The economics of the Roman Empire soon hit rock bottom due to the high taxation to support the army. Gold was also eroding since Rome was no longer bringing new resources through the expansion. Emperors then tried to mint coins out of silver and copper instead and the end result was inflation and dramatic rises in Noochintra 2 prices on goods. There were many things that brought Rome to its downfall, but the biggest one was the violence and the ruthless ambition of men such as Marius, Sulla, and of course Julius Caesar. That ultimately destroyed the Roman republic.
With the decline of the Western Roman empire Western Europe was a disjointed land that had no true unifying structure till the rise of Christianity. In Roman antiquity people used the State or empire of Rome to define themselves and give them a sense of unity despite having a diverse group of people within the empire. When Western Rome fell this belief based on a Roman cultural identity disappeared and no longer were people able to identify themselves with any particular group as they once have. The Christian religion was able to fill this vacuum by having the people associate themselves to a religion instead of a given state or cultural group. During Medieval Europe Christianity became the unifying force that would define what it meant to be European. Christianity gave political leaders legitimacy by showing that they have been favored by the gods. The clergyman that recorded the histories surrounding the kings of the Medieval Europe also provided a link to the Roman Empire to give the Kings a link to Roman empire of antiquity. Christianity became the center of the cultural life in western Europe and created a new social elite in Europe which would dominate literacy and knowledge within Europe for centuries. Christianity provided Europe with an escape from the disorder of the Medieval ages and give them a spiritual outlet for their fears and desires for a better life, whether in the physical life or in the spiritual world after death.
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, reigned during a time of much turmoil and upheaval in Europe during middle ages. Charlemagne’s background and family history contributed much to his rise to power. The triumphs of his past lineage prepared him to take on the task of governing the Frankish Empire, and defending it from invaders. Charlemagne accomplished much during his supremacy. He not only brought education back into medieval Europe, but also invented an efficient way to govern his people. His conquests against the many adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire expanded his empire across the majority of Europe. His conquests also formed strong ties between the Catholic Church and the State. Charlemagne’s drive to convert Europe’s primitive and pagan tribes to Christianity nearly effaced the Saxons, whom he battled with for the majority of his reign. The crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor created a turning point in history. Within years after his death, however, his once great empire amounted to nothing. Charlemagne’s reign as King of the Franks and as Holy Roman Emperor greatly influenced the course of Europe during the middle ages.
The Medieval Times for Europe, from the 400 AD till 1400 AD, are often labeled as “The Dark Ages”. This time period has begun after a turning point known as Fall of Rome. It caused Rome to divide into two well-known civilizations: Medieval Europe, Islam, and The Byzantine Empire. Also, Medieval Europe led to a well known utopian period of “rebirth” identified as the Renaissance. The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE wasn’t a “Dark Age” for Europe because of progress in academic success, blossom in architecture, and religious unity along with government. It wasn’t a cultural decay or decline because of the legendary time period it led to.
Christianity greatly influenced the Early Middle Ages. This epoch existed between 500-1000 C.E. There was little stability during this time. Western Europe was under attack from Germanic tribes and Eastern Europe was battling against the Arabs. Fiero (2002) states, “the Germanic tribal people and practices blended with those of classical Rome and Western Christianity to forge the basic economic, social and cultural patterns of medieval life” (p.69). According to the website German Culture, in the Merovingian Dynasty (482-751 C.E.) under the rule of Clovis, “the Franks reluctantly began to adopt Christianity following the baptism of Clovis, an event that inaugurated the alliance between the Frankish kingdom and the Roman Catholic Church” (Medieval Germany -, n.d.). Christianity would reach an all time high during the reign of Charlemagne. After being crowned emperor of the Romans in 800 by Pope Leo III, Charlemagne brought education and enlightenment to his people (Fiero, 2002, p.74-75). The Metropolitan Museum of Art website outlines Charlemagne’s accomplishments
In many societies, ancient and modern, religion has performed a major role in their development, and the Roman Empire was no different. From the beginning Roman religion was polytheistic. From an initial array of gods and spirits, Rome added to this collection to include both Greek gods as well as a number of foreign cults. As the empire expanded, the Romans refrained from imposing their own religious beliefs upon those they conquered; however, this inclusion must not be misinterpreted as tolerance - this can be seen with their early reaction to the Jewish and Christian population. Eventually, all of their gods would be washed away, gradually replaced by Christianity, and in the eyes of some, this change brought about the decline of the western empire.
The Carolingian Renaissance had remarkable impact on the history of the Christian Church. Although sometimes it can be an afterthought, the contributions made by Charlemagne and his court are essential to understanding the development of the church. As Europe entered into the Medieval time period directly after the fall of the Roman Empire, areas surrounding the Mediterranean saw a lack of education and literacy. Hence the time period was referred to as the Dark ages, and scholasticism seized to exist. Charlemagne’s court allowed for a rebirth or renaissance because of his focus on education. A renaissance was in order for the church as well. Charlemagne placed a great deal of emphasis on contributing to the church financially as well as politically. Christianity and Charlemagne’s court were heavily linked. As his court flourished, his impacts on the church of the time period were numerous and influential. In many ways, the claim can be made that he was essential in ensuring the survival of the church during the medieval time period.
There were many reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Each one interweaved with the other. Many even blame the initiation of Christianity in 337 AD by Constantine the Great as the definitive cause while others blame it on increases in unemployment, inflation, military expenditure and slave labour while others blame it on the ethical issues such the decline in morals, the lack of discipline of the armies and the political corruption within the Empire. Three major contributions that led to the collapse of the once great empire were: the heavy military spending in order to expand the Empire, the over-reliance on slave labour which led to an increase in unemployment, and the political corruption and abuse of power by the Praetorian Guard leading to the unfair selection of many disreputable emperors and the assassination of those not favoured by the Guard.
Constantinople was viewed as the political capital of the East and Rome was the capital of the West (Cairns 1996, 119). Emperors of each region had distinct views of secularism and needed to reform their state’s religion to conform to their political agenda. Governance in the East resisted the pope’s want for greater political power. Finally, the Norman conquest of southern Italy affirmed that geographical differences would have large impacts on the unified Church (Dennis, 1990). The unified Christian Church maintained a harmony between state and religion, but as culture and technology began to develop in the Western Europe the need for their religion to change followed.
The Roman Empire used to be a prosperous place to live in until it started to experience many problems which led its decline. The status of the economy was affected by many reasons including economic inequality between the wealthy and the lower class, inflation, the ransom of Rome with the Germanic Barbarians and finally, the de-specialization of the economy. Rome’s foolish actions along with some outside influence led Rome to its demise.
The middle ages was a time of change in Europe. Disrupted government fought against one another in Enormous wars. Individuals’ perspectives on life and religion became much distinctive amid occasions like the Black Plague and the Crusades. System of working were improved, such as un the feudal system. These political, social and monetary ideas shaped the Middle Ages and the world around them.
A Major shift in religion was seen in the beginning of the middle ages. The early fourth century saw a huge shift in religious views to Christianity which also changed government thinking and many other ideas (Vallee). This shift would have an impact on the course of the middle ages and the rest of eternity. Starting in the eighth century many conquest arose to push Christianity arose. Christianity had an elaborate undermining in the sculpting of medieval Europe through its role in government, construction of religious buildings and devastating crusades.
This assignment is both a comparison and an analysis of two essays; The Decay of Ancient Civilization written by Michael Rostovtzeff and Mohammed and Charlemagne by Henri Pirenne. The two essays offer varying perspectives on the fall of the Roman Empire and more specifically the transition between late antiquity to the beginning of the middle ages. The collapse of the Roman Empire is generally known to have concluded through one particular event; the sack of the great city of Rome. Although both essays give different accounts as the eventual collapse of the Roman Empire entails more than the “Barbaric” invasion as they further delve into from different perspectives. When further examining the Historiography and perception of the Authors we
In conclusion, there were many different explanations as to how the Roman Empire lost its grandeur and power. There was severe corruption in the politics of the empire leading to uncertainty and lack of unity. The tremendous stagflation affected the Roman population by devaluing coinage and creating thousands of unemployed workers who needed government assistance to survive. Continued efforts to attain more land proved costly because the Romans conquered more than they could effectively govern. All of these factors combined to cripple the empire’s power. In this weakened state, they were unable to defend themselves from the rebelling Visigoths and subsequent Germanic invaders.