The Spread of Christianity: From Rome to the Crusades



The Spread of Christianity: From Rome to the Crusades

I. Christianity and Roman Emperors

• 312 CE: Constantine: Roman general, converted to Christianity, later that year became Emperor

– Christians protected ( churches built quickly

• 392 CE: Theodosius declared Christianity the state religion and outlawed other practices

– Christianity practiced border to border

II. Beginning of Church Structure

• Once official religion of Roman Empire, membership grew

– Churches (Parishes, overseen by priests

– Several Parishes ( Diocese, led by a Bishop

– Bishop in Rome claim authority over other bishops( ‘Papa’ or Pope

• Western Churches( (Roman Catholic Church) accepted the Pope

• Eastern Churches( (Eastern Orthodox Church) did not

III. Christianity Takes Europe

• As the Roman Empire crumbled, the Roman Catholic Church flourished

• During the Dark and Early Middle Ages, the only accepted Christian religion was the Catholic religion

– Catholic( Middle English ‘catholik’ ( Old French ‘catholique’ ( Latin ‘catholicus’ = universal or whole

– Middle Ages: life dominated by Roman Catholic Church

IV. Church in the Middle Ages

• Roman Catholic Church dominated life

• Church had own land, laws and taxes

• Political power of the Church grew with wealth (influenced kings and rulers of Europe

• It was during this time of expansive power the Church fought the Crusades

V. The Crusades

• Definition: The Holy Wars were great military expeditions undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing the holy places of Palestine from the ruling Muslims (Saracens).

• Started in 1095 under Pope Claremont

• Holy Wars = Crusade (old French word 'crois' ('cross'.

• Cause of the Crusades: A war between Christians and Muslims which centered around the city of Jerusalem. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken by the Turks and 3000 Christians were massacred starting a chain of events which contributed to the cause of the crusades.

• Objectives of the Crusades: The Objectives of the crusades was at first to release the Holy Land, in particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but in time was extended to seizing Spain from the Moors, the Slavs and Pagans from Eastern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean.

• How many Crusades?

• There were a total of 9 crusades, lasting 200 years. The first four = the Principal Crusades, the remaining four = Minor Crusades, plus the Children's Crusade.

VI. Effects of the Crusades

• Wealth and power of the Roman Catholic Church grew

• Interaction between cultures ( Renaissance, age of exploration, the Enlightenment and early industrial development

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