Medieval History Midterm Test Questions – Flashcards

- essential beliefs of christianity set at the council of nicea - doctrinal statement based on the decisions of the council - belief one god, jesus christ, holy spirit - belief in jesus' resurrection and savior - judgement day

Constantine: - sought out divine guidance during war - thought he might rely on god for protection and assistance - emperors before him relied on praying to the old pantheon of gods - found it foolish to worship the multiple of gods they did - prayed to god and eventually a sign was shown to him by god - saw a 'trophy of a cross of light in the heavens...bearing the inscription conquer by this" - was moved and so was his army - christ also appeared to him in a dream - had a spear created inspired by the visions - used this piece as a sign of salvation for safeguard - convinced that god saved him, he determined to devote himself to inspired readings Augustine: - was inspired by the works of cicero's hortensius - turned his heart to god - met with ambrose who took him in "like a father" - studied ambrose and learned from him - went into an emotional frenzy after deep reflection and sobbed, heard a voice telling him to "take up and read" - opened a book on the apostles and read a passage that told him to put his efforts on jesus

- Constantinus and Licinius, the emperors, met at Milan - called for the free facility to let people follow any religion they desired - called for the end of persecution of christians - wanted them to be able to worship without fear or threat - restore property taken from christians, given back to them, reimburse them Dispute Between Symmachus & Ambrose: - Ambrose believed that the Statue of Victory, a pagan symbol, needed to be removed from the Roman Senate house as Christianity became more popular - Symmachus believed that the symbol represented the heritage of previous generations as well as their country - Ambrose argues that the old sacred rites are weak and that the old gods didn't help rome in their time of need - Ambrose believes Symmachus isn't confident because he "doesn't know what he worships" - Ambrose wanted the church protected but also thought the church needed seperation from the state - "priests should judge concerning priests" - bishops should judge bishops, not get involved with outside entities - also believed that emperors should be Christian Augustine and Gelasius: - discussion of the relationship of the Christian church and the Roman Empire - Augustine's belief in "two cities"; one that was made up of those who loved God and the other of those who rejected him - city of god: faithful, look for eternal blessings, use as pilgrims - city of outsiders: sought earthly pleasures, seeks earthly peace - Gelasius defines the difference and roles of priests and royalty - gives the expectations of the priesthood and how they differ - priests have a more weighty responsibility - believe that the emperor needed to submit to the will of god and depend on divine/religious judgement - displays a great duty of the priests to the emperor

- argues for the case of studying non-christian literature by giving biblical examples - gives examples of passages in the bible that cite gentile books, Solomon's interactions with philosophers, and the urging to understand things outside of the sphere of christianity - in doing so they would use it for their own use to further the kingdom of god, had a duty to do so because they could make a better use of it - uses the example of jerusalem; what was devoid of sense and life had to be removed

- examples of what the germanic peoples were like - war songs - large stature, blue eyes, red hair - different climate and resources - use of swords/lances *government* - choose kings by birth - generals for merit - those who are energetic lead because they are admired - family and clan ties very strong - honor women - mercury is the diety they mainly worship - final decisions on matters rest with the people - councils appoint chief magistrates, administer law - battle: the chief can't be surpassed in valour - he fights for victory, vassals fight for him - laws of succession: all children are heirs and there's no wills - have to adopt the feuds and friendships of a father/kinsmen - slaves are more like tenants

- king of italy - brought up in constantinople policies: - strict audit of the money given to the government by the different workmen that try to beautify the city - provinces can only export surplus of crops that exceed their own supply - nothing should lie useless that could be used to beautify the city, only take stones that come from public buildings - conscript fathers are responsible for and must pay for taxes in three installments or all at once - remove all ill-planted customs, welcome old defenders *need to unite barbarian virtue and roman forethought* - "seek to defend the romans with our arms" "subjects shall grieve that they did not earlier acquire the blessings of our dominion"

- created new laws to deal with new problems - bishop should not be prideful - if a grave sin is found in a cleric and is convicted by witnesses he has to leave office - those who disobey the council can lose their position - the bishop of certain cities have supervision of different provinces - bishops must be approved by the metropolitan or cannot assume office; majority vote will prevail - catharis (heretics) must certify in writing that they will accept and follow the teachings of the christian church; hold communion with those who have married a second time, lapse in time of persecution, and those in penance; bishop of these cathari isn't to rise above the catholic bishop - no bishop, priest, or deacon can pass from one city to another; he must return to the church he was ordained in

- primitive teutonic code of law - custom of the folk - began getting written down after passing verbally for centuries - crimes were made up for by paying a fine to the victim - the offenses range failing to going to the kings' summon to rape to murder - a women who could bear children/pregnant was seen as much more valuable than a woman who couldn't have children or a child - private property: sons inherit but there's a whole system set up if there is no son to inherit the property - chrenecruda: ceremony-esque type punishment for men that have killed someone, given up property, and doesn't have enough $$ to compensate for the full term of the law. he will throw dust from 4 corners of the house and spring over a hedge; family must pay remaining

- proof of innocence concerning a crime - two ordeals in 'liturgical formulas' *judgement of the glowing iron* - priest involved in the ceremony, gives the person to be tried communion, heats up an iron in the fire and sprinkles holy water on it - the tried person must carry the hot iron for 9 feet - after carrying it the person's hand is covered for 3 days. if it's found to be festering blood they're guilty, if it's uninjured/not festered they're innocent *test of the cold water* - also has a ceremony involved with religious element - submerged in a stream, guilty if he drowned, innocent if he survived

- if a bishop has been accused and wishes to reopen his case & have it heard by bishops then he has to write to the other bishops' neighboring provinces; the other bishops then inquire about the details and determine if he's innocent or not - if the pope sends bishops that are supposed to represent him, they have the pope's authority - it is the first act of the primacy to support the christian faith and the religion *mentions the apostolic succession by means through st. peter* - must comply with what the bishops/apostolic see deems fitting - "the peace of the church will only be preserved when the whole body acknowledges its ruler" - whatever the pope has enacted will be held as law

- from the 5th c. onwards, papal claims became based on the primacy of Peter - peter was trusted by christ and believed in him, so peter was put into the position of the pope by jesus - "thou art peter and upon this rock i will build my church" - "has not abandoned the helm of the church" - christ's trust in him has deemed him worthy of being the first leader of their church - peter's figurehead of the church after christ's death is what has kept it strong

Ireland: Monks & Missionaries: - irish monks adopted a life of voluntary exile as wondering preachers - st. columba converted scotland & much of northern england in the 6th century. *Rule of St. Columba* - be alone in a seperate place near a city - be plainly imitating christ - let the abbott/abbess command how much you possess of anything - cloister yourself away - fortify your mind for white martyrdom (no bloodshed) - constant prayers - three labors in a day: praying, work, reading - work divided into 3 parts: work of your place, your share of your bretheren's work, help neighbors - don't eat, sleep, ect until you feel desire to - don't speak except on business - love god and your neighbor

- benedict transformed the western church, became prevalent in the 9th century - don't flee by fear from salvation - four kinds of monks, those that live in a monastery and as hermits are the best ; other two are looked down upon - abbot should remember what he is called - should not teach/speak/ect anything apart from the precept of the lord - mindful of the judgement of god and keep divine judgement in the mind of his disciples - will rule over his disciples with deeds showing more than words - rules over all in the monastery - appointed by his brethren - has equal charity for all - deals out punishments more severely for those unruly and less severely for those patient - monks and abbot should be obedient, view himself as poor/impoverished and let that help him with his duties/spirituality, humbling himself, only do what's in common rule of the monastery, keep silent most of the time, head inclined looking towards god, have no possessions of their own - should rise during the night to say psalms, sing/chant, keep vigil, praise seven times a day, copy books in a scriptorium, be occupied with manual labor, sacred reading - receiving brothers: have the man knock on the door several times to prove his desire and willingness and sacrifice, has a period of time where he must prove himself worthy before becoming a novice

christianity, greco-roman culture, and germanic peoples

- emphasis on intellectual/educational tradition - knowledge of greek declined - knowledge of philosophy was learned about indirectly through the romans

- christians were first opposed to using any sort of pagan literature because they were afraid that it would transmit untrue knowledge - also worried that it would anger god because it was not christian - st. jerome & st. augustine both argued for the use of pagan literature because god had let it be created and as christians they needed to use it to exemplify god and make better use of it that non-christians

- celibacy was the ultimate goal - sex in marriage could only occur for procreation - adultery & incest not allowed - monogamous marriage - chaste marriages were highly encouraged - worst offense if you were the receiver rather than the giver of sexual actions in male relations - small sin if you lusted with your spouse - bigger sin if you're committing adultery or preventing conception - marital debt

- eventually became a requirement for church clergy by the 12th century - not everyone followed it because some priests were married - if priests were married they had to be chaste with their wives

living together with marital relations

true. they tried to impose the definition because germanic people had a practice of polygamy and if they were going to be missionaries to them/convert them, that practice had to be outlawed

- virginity is ideal state - it's ok to get married though

- began to write because of their legal system - "face to face society" - families, clans, and warbands - their ties are to people not to nations - gift giving (illustrates bonds, v. important) - values violence - war focused - war leaders - polygamy

- bishop of rome - the development of his power was a long faught battle that took place over time - claims authority over rome, the church, bishops, has judicial authority, doctrinal authority - only 1 legitimate pope at a time - apolostic succession - most cities under his jurisdiction in the post-roman world

- christian princesses were married to them example: clothilde and clovis

- apostolic succession is the continuous line of popes spanning back to peter and paul. it's very important because peter was the first head of the church and anyone who comes after him also has his authority

- theory that jesus made peter the head of the church during his time - relates closely to papal authority and apolistic succession

- once concencrated, bishops became a bishop for life - someone could become a bishop by being recommended by the emperor, ect - college of cardinals would decide on new bishops

- rome colonized them

- they began to cause an influx - became more influential as they were invited in by the emperors as military forces - they used their influence to gain a place in roman society - would learn latin and do other things to strengthen their position

- moved into the balkans - revolted against the emperor after being mistreated - alaric, their leader, was seen as a roman and received the magister militum (head of military) position - he marched his people into rome after he wasn't paid tribute by the western emperor -sack and take rome after crossing the danube - they caused rome's borders to fall - forcing their way in

- the influx of germanic peoples helped normalize their presence and allowed them to gain influence - breakdown of civic government allowed them to continue to gain entry into the empire - germanic people heavily involved in the civil wars - the last roman emperor was overthrown in 476, allowing odoacer to be in power of rome for 10 years - after this time many germanic people assumed roles of power, including theodocaris when he declared himself king of italy

- example: theoderic: tried to rule of the roman model and established law codes - visagoths & ostragoths tried to preserve roman culture

- when they moved into rome & central italy they encountered both law of person and roman law both in motion - tried to preserve the elements of roman culture and keep things "roman" - maintain bread dole for the poor, maintain aqueducts and other public works - tried to make the tax system more effective by making the elite pay their fair share

- hispano-roman population - breviary of alaric: work commissioned by alaric II to compile roman law - theodocian code - their king eventually converted to catholic christianity

- throne worthy succession: blood related but not closely related people could be appointed - strengthen their status by anointing them in oils - salic law: injuries against a person are paid for by a fine to the victim

- cassiodorus, boethius, irish monks

- served in theodorius' court and from an elite family - knew greek & got his education in constantinople - theodoric's secretary - writes about "conscript fathers" - wrote a "history of goths" and helped preserve classical culture - also draws on pre-medieval historical flourishes - tried to found a school for greek but founded a monastery instead - preserved books & classic roman texts - made copying books a sacred duty

- a philosopher from roman ancestry - translated aristotle's works from greek to latin - translated from only one work - wrote "the consolation of philosophy" in prison - draws on neo-platonism & stocism in his work

- starting in the 6th century they become major preservers of ancient literature - somehow import greek workds - also import latin grammar books - learn both latin & greek

- conversion from pagans to christianity thanks to clothilde - roman-gallo aristocrats that traced their ancestry to rome rather than germanic people - had surviving roman institutions as the government didn't dissolve so easily gaul - bishops still controlled cities - bishops also taxed citizens - law of persons but gallo-romans under a different code

- wore purple robes - christian - in touch with the emperor in the east - councils for monarchs

- the defining characteristic of medieval christianity because of the turbulent times - monks came about from the end of the persecution of christians - originally from syria and egypt - imitating the martyrs by giving everything up - mortification of the flesh - taking themselves out of normal society - self denial reached an apex in 6th c. syria - tension between monks and bishops because bishops thought that monks were unruly - some monks gained a following, they tried to control it through encouraging men to join a formal, overseen community - if someone was to become a monk, they'd go to one near by them and would have to come back several times

- a person that had the rule over a monastery - any punishment given was dealt out by them - had their own official set of rules that they established - the rules formalized already adopted practices

- imitating a hermit's life - early communities drawn together - spend most of their time in isolation - most relative to early christian life - very common in the irish world - self-inflicted discipline

- emphasizes community as part of the experience - communal life - benedictine system

- became prevalent in the 9th century - dominant in the west - developed by benedict of nursia - founded a community in monte cassino - focuses on poverty, chastity, and obedience

giving up all earthly posessions to serve god

not only celibacy but also giving up the ability to have a family and your family status

obedient to the abbot

- non-heretic belief focuses on the fact that jesus is made of the same material that god is. - developed through councils (council at nicea, ect) and gave a framework for christians to work with after christianity was accepted by rome - it developed because christian leaders felt that there needed to be a standard set of beliefs - father, son, and holy ghost - belief that jesus was resurrected, that there will be a judgement day - turn away from pagan gods that were used in the roman pantheon - devote efforts to god rather than worldly things - it developed in this way as a reaction to the popularity of christianity, the different creeds, writings of church fathers like augustine, jerome, and ambrose, and councils. - it's significant because as an emerging religion it needed to take on things that would define it. these beliefs unified the christian people as one and set the framework for how their religious world would operate through bishops, priests, ect. the development was spread throughout the roman empire and eventually beyond, strengthening the religion.

- abbey can own property, usually fairly wealthy by 8th-9th cemetery - lots of property because it was given to the abbey when people would join

- prayer, work, study - prayer: communal songs that are to be sung at different hours - study: biblical texts, commentary, or the bible - reading works by the church fathers (Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose) - do part of their study in a scriptorium work: brewing beer, farming, ect

* illustrates a major shift in the thought on monasticism and this book acknowledges the imperfectness of humanity* - obedience to the abbot - choose to enter the monastery - live in decent conditions

- leaders began to give people what they wanted rather than what they needed

- withdraw from the world - supposed to give alms and offer up spaces for travelers that needed a place to stay for the night - prayer is the most important aspect to them

the house may be rich but the individual is poor; the house is engaged but the individual is cloistered

- more eremitic and focused on the individual - more time spent alone and in individual study - tons of effort into devotional readings - some actually knew greek - evolved into an emphasis on teaching and preaching - missionaries spreading to non christians and thinly christianized world

- preached to both ordinary people and the court - preached to king guntram about polygamy and got kicked out - founded the monastaries at luxeuil and bobbio - also got kicked out of brunhilde's court because he denied her grandsons getting legitimized

they found and support some monastaries, treating them as retirement homes for themselves in some cases

- female houses modeled on St. Benedict's rule - Cesaro of Aro founded one for females - can never be completely cloistered because they need a priest to do sacraments

- both male & female presence - female house larger - men served as protection because marriage by abduction was common during this time - men under the abess' spiritual authority

- heretics believe that jesus was not made of the same material that god & the holy spirit are - challenges the belief that jesus really saved humanity - arian christianity - viewed as incorrect - orthodox is believing that jesus was both man & superhuman but made out of the same being that god was - full confidence in jesus' salvation - the correct belief, the belief adopted by the church

- emphasis on the emperor's connection to the gods - 303-311 - begins persecuting christians but fails because there's too many of them and they're not really seen as a threat - dislikes christianity because of the bishops

arian

the church

to work out the issues between arian christians & orthodox christians

bishops decided against arian teachings, created the nicean creed to protect them from outsiders' ignorance

- brought in an era of peace, felt he had god's favor by making christianity the main religion of rome, thought that christianity & the empire would grow together, council of nicea