Medieval Christianity and European Political Developments (500–1500 C.E.)

Justinian I

Byzantine emperor who tried to rebuild the Roman Empire and created the Justinian Law Code.

Santa Sophia (Hagia Sophia)

A huge church built by Justinian, showing the glory of Byzantine Christianity.

Feudalism

A system where land was traded for loyalty and military service.

Clovis

King of the Franks who converted to Christianity and united much of Gaul.

Charles Martel

Frankish leader who stopped Muslim expansion at the Battle of Tours.

Charlemagne

Frankish king who created a large Christian empire and was crowned 'Emperor' in 800.

Pope Leo III

Pope who crowned Charlemagne as Emperor, linking church and state.

Symphonia

The Byzantine idea that church and state should work together in harmony.

Ulfilas

Missionary who converted the Goths and created a Gothic Bible.

Rostislav

Moravian ruler who asked for missionaries to teach Christianity in the Slavic language.

Cyril & Methodius

Brothers who converted the Slavs and created the first Slavic alphabet.

Monophysites

Christians who believed Jesus had only one divine nature, not two.

Monothelitism

The belief that Jesus had two natures but only one will.

Iconoclasts vs. Iconodules

A conflict between those who opposed religious images (iconoclasts) and those who supported them (iconodules).

'Filioque'

A Western church phrase saying the Holy Spirit comes from the Father 'and the Son,' which caused East-West tension.

Papal Primacy

The belief that the Pope has supreme authority over all Christians.

Pope Gregory I

Early pope who strengthened the church, sent missionaries, and shaped medieval Christianity.

Relics

Holy objects linked to saints, believed to have spiritual power.

Patrimony of Saint Peter

Land controlled by the pope, forming the start of the Papal States.

'Donation of Constantine'

A forged document claiming the Roman Empire gave huge power and land to the Pope.

Saint Patrick

Missionary who converted Ireland to Christianity.

King Ethelbert

English king who accepted Christianity from Saint Augustine.

Magna Carta

A charter forcing the English king to obey the law and respect basic rights.

Black Death

A deadly plague that killed millions and reshaped European society.

Renaissance

A cultural rebirth focused on art, learning, and human potential.

Henry I

English king who strengthened royal courts and administration.

Lay Investiture

The practice of kings appointing bishops, which the church opposed.

Pope John XII & Otto

Their conflict showed the struggle between emperors and popes over power.

Simony

Buying and selling church offices.

Cluny Monastery

A reform movement that pushed for stricter, purer monastic life.

College of Cardinals

A body created to elect popes independently from kings.

Pope Gregory VII & Henry IV

Their fight over lay investiture showed church vs. state power struggles.

Concordat of Worms

A deal that ended the investiture conflict by separating church and king powers.

Crusades

Holy wars fought mainly to retake the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

Children's Crusade

A disastrous crusade based on children believing God would give them victory.

Indulgences

Church grants that reduced punishment for sins.

Purgatory

A place of purification after death before entering heaven.

Fourth Crusade (1204)

Crusaders attacked and looted Christian Constantinople instead of the Holy Land.

Scholasticism

A method that used logic and reason to explain Christian faith.

'Cur Deus Homo'

Anselm's argument explaining why God became human to save us.

Peter Abelard: moral theory

He taught that intention, not just action, determines moral guilt.

Thomas Aquinas: reason & faith

He argued that faith and reason work together to understand God.

Mendicants

Preaching monks who lived in poverty and traveled to teach.

Francis of Assisi: stigmata

Saint who received wounds like Christ's as a sign of deep holiness.

Saint Clare

Founder of a women's order that followed Francis's poverty and devotion.

Dominicans

An order focused on teaching, preaching, and fighting heresy.

Albigenses (Cathari)

A heretical group that believed the physical world was evil.

Waldenses

A reform group that preached poverty and scripture without church approval.

John Wycliffe

English reformer who criticized church corruption and promoted Bible translations.

John Hus

Czech reformer burned for attacking church abuses and supporting Wycliffe's ideas.

Hundred Years' War

Long conflict between England and France over land and power.

Babylonian Captivity of the Church

Period when popes lived in France, not Rome, weakening the church.

Great Western Schism

Time when multiple popes claimed authority, dividing the church.

Conciliarism

The idea that church councils have more authority than the pope.

Pope Julius II

A Renaissance pope known for art patronage and military leadership.

Prince Vladimir of Kiev

Leader who converted his people to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Third Rome Theory

Idea that Moscow became the true center of Christianity after Rome and Constantinople fell.