Early Middle Ages: Church Power & Political Changes

Flashcards covering the growth of Church power, political changes in the early Middle Ages (400-1000 AD), key vocabulary, and political changes in Eastern Europe.

Papal Governance (400-1000 AD)

The period after the collapse of Rome when popes began governing the city.

Church's Role (400-1000 AD)

Became the new binding social ingredient after Rome's fall.

Episcopal Governments

Governing structures in the 8th century where bishops ruled specific sees and regions.

Clovis's Conversion

The Frankish king who spread Christianity throughout France.

Monasticism

A religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work, which spread significantly during this period.

Monasteries and Aristocracy

Monasteries became linked to the aristocratic class.

Monastic Schools

These institutions became influential centers of learning.

Pope Gregory the Great

Reorganized the financial structures of papal states, used increased revenues to fight poverty, and dispatched monks for conversion, including St. Augustine to Britain.

Conversion of England (early 600s)

The period when Christianity began to spread in Britain, initiated by missionaries like St. Augustine.

Sack of Rome (410 AD)

A significant event marking the decline of the Western Roman Empire.

Vandal Kingdom (430 AD)

Established in Carthage by the Vandals.

Pope Leo I

Known for defending Rome from Attila the Hun.

Odovacar (476 AD)

Deposed the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, and was allowed to govern Italy.

Theodoric the Great (486 AD)

King of the Ostrogoths who invaded Italy, defeated and killed Odovacar, and established the Ostrogothic Kingdom; considered the first modern German king.

Merovingian Dynasty

Frankish kings who followed policies of dividing lands among sons, leading to chaos and weakness.

Localism (Early Middle Ages)

The most effective form of power, as political authority was decentralized and held by local barbarian kings and aristocrats.

Royal Authority and Episcopal Support

Kings could only exercise authority effectively if they had the support of Catholic bishops.

Boethius

A philosopher in Theodoric's court who laid the groundwork for a new medieval intellectual tradition, focusing on the dark ages.

Quadrivium

A medieval curriculum for arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, influenced by Boethius.

Trivium

The elementary medieval curriculum consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic.

Consolation of Philosophy

A work by Boethius emphasizing spiritual growth as supreme over worldly success and virtue.

Cassiodorus

An official who assembled and wrote histories in the first medieval humanism.

St. Benedict

Considered the Father of Western Monasticism, synthesizing ideas of Pachomius.

Oblation

The practice of adding children to monasteries.

Pastoral Care

The definition or duties of a bishop.

Byzantine Statecraft

In the Eastern Roman Empire, focused on theology and survival, characterized by a huge bureaucracy and strict state regulation.

Justinian's Code (Corpus Juris Civilis)

A codification of Roman law undertaken by Emperor Justinian after 532 AD.

Byzantine Reconquests (500s)

Temporary retaking of Rome and North Africa by the Eastern Roman Empire.

Byzantine Retrenchment (800s-900s)

A period when the Byzantine Empire shrank.

Byzantine Missions (Slavic Lands)

Missionary efforts by Byzantine monks who translated Slavic languages and spread Orthodox Christianity to Eastern Europe.

Monophysites

A group that believed in the single nature of Christ, where divinity supersedes humanity.

Byzantine Church-State Relations

Characterized by a strong connection between the imperial government and the Orthodox Church.