Intro to Rome Midterm 2 Flashcards

Diocletian

Roman emperor who instituted the Tetrarchy and whose life spanned AD 242–AD 312.

Battle of the Milvian Bridge

AD 312 military encounter in which Constantine defeated Maxentius.

Edict of Milan

AD 313 proclamation legalizing Christianity and granting religious tolerance across the Roman Empire.

Council of Nicaea

AD 325 ecumenical church council convened and presided over by Constantine.

Foundation of Constantinople

AD 330 establishment of the 'second Rome' as a Christian imperial capital.

Death of Constantine

Occurred in AD 337, concluding the reign of Rome's first Christian emperor.

Sack of Rome by the Visigoths

AD 410 capture and looting of the city led by King Alaric.

Sack of Rome by the Vandals

AD 455 plundering of the city, recognized as far more devastating than the first sack in 410.

Deposition of Romulus Augustulus

AD 476 event marking the fall of the Western Roman Empire when its last emperor was overthrown.

Conversion of Clovis

AD 496 event where the first king of the Franks embraced Christianity.

Battle of Tours

AD 732 victory in which the Franks, led by Charles Martel, halted the Muslim advance into Western Europe.

Charlemagne (lifespan)

AD 748–AD 814; King of the Franks who united Western Europe and was crowned emperor.

Conquest of the Lombard Kingdom of Italy

AD 774 military victory completed by Charlemagne.

Imperial coronation of Charlemagne

Christmas Day, AD 800 event in the Basilica of St. Peter where the Pope crowned the Frankish king Emperor of the Romans (founding the Holy Roman Empire).

Death of Charlemagne

Occurred in AD 814, leaving the popes in Rome unprotected and once again abandoned.

The Dark Century of Rome

Era from the early 10th century to the early 11th century dominated by Theophylact and his aristocratic clan.

Imperial reforms of Henry III

1050s campaign to attain the imperial crown and eradicate simony by installing German popes.

Avignon Papacy

Period from 1309 to 1376 during which the popes resided in France rather than Rome.

Francesco Petrarca

Renowned Italian humanist scholar and poet who lived from 1304 to 1374.

Cola di Rienzo (lifespan)

1313–1354; Roman notary and political leader born Nicola Gabrini.

Establishment of the Buono Stato

1347 coup supported by the bovattieri in which Cola di Rienzo seized control of Rome and assumed the title of tribune.

Voluntary exile of Cola di Rienzo

Occurred on 15 December 1347 when the Roman tribune chose to step down and flee the city.

Great medieval earthquake of Rome

1349 natural disaster that inflicted catastrophic structural damage on the city.

Death of Cola di Rienzo

Violent killing of the former Roman tribune in 1354.

Papal election of Alfonso Borgia

1455 ascension of the Spanish prelate to the papal throne as Pope Callixtus III.

Death of Pope Callixtus III

Occurred in 1458, at a time when his nephew Roderigo already held the office of vice-chancellor of the Church.

Cesare Borgia (lifespan)

1475–1507; Italian condottiero and nobleman known as il Valentino.

Lucrezia Borgia (lifespan)

1480–1519; influential Italian noblewoman and daughter of Pope Alexander VI.

Pontificate of Alexander VI

Papal reign of Roderigo Borgia that lasted from 1492 to 1503.

Italian invasion of Charles VIII

September 1494 military expedition launched by the French king to seize control of the Kingdom of Naples.

Great Rome flood of 1495

December 1495 catastrophic overflowing of the Tiber River that submerged significant portions of the city.

Recovery of Pedro Calderon's corpse

14 February 1498 discovery of the murdered papal chamberlain's body in the Tiber River.

Papal accession of Giuliano della Rovere

1503 election of the cardinal to the papacy as Pope Julius II.

Arrest of Cesare Borgia

1504 detainment executed by the Spanish military commander Gonsalvo de Cordoba.

Death of Cesare Borgia

Occurred in 1507 outside the Castle of Viana, where he was killed in battle at age thirty-one.

First marriage of Lucrezia Borgia

Union with Giovanni Sforza, lasting from 1493 to 1497.

Second marriage of Lucrezia Borgia

Union with Alfonso d'Aragona, lasting from 1498 to 1500.

Third marriage of Lucrezia Borgia

Union with Alfonso I d'Este, lasting from 1502 to 1519.