Christianity in Western Europe Chapter 12 Section 3

Germanic Kingdoms Germanic people began moving into Rome in the 3 rd century Visigoths occupied Spain & Italy until the Ostrogoths took control of Italy in the 5 th century By 500 Western Roman empire had became # of states ruled by German kings Germanic Angles & Saxons = Anglo-Saxons moved into Britain in 5 th century Clovis-Christian convert, established Frankish kingdom -500

Germanic Kingdoms Clovis converted to Christianity after calling for Jesus’ help during battle – the enemy fled after the plea Clovis gained support of the Roman Catholic Church By 510, Clovis established Frankish kingdom from Pyrenees to present day Germany After Clovis’ death, his sons divided the kingdom

England King Alfred the Great united the various kingdoms of England that had been ruled by Anglo-Saxon kings Angles, Saxons, Germanic people were united

Alfred the Great Unified The Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy

Role of the Church Christianity became main religion of Roman empire by 4 th century Roman church developed a system of organization Priest was head of parishes – local communities Bishop was head of diocese - a group of parishes Archbishop – head of groups of diocese Bishop of Rome became known as Pope – the head of what is now known as the Roman Catholic Church

Patriarch Archdiocese/Archbishop Bishop/Diocese Priest/Parish Pope

Roman Catholic Church Pope claim was based on the belief that Jesus gave Peter the keys to Heaven Peter was considered to be the chief apostle & the first bishop of Rome Bishops who succeeded Peter were called popes = Latin word for “papa” – father Western Christians accepted the pope as the church’s leader, but could not agree on the pope’s powers Gregory I strengthened power by taking political control of Rome & surrounding territories

Gregory I

Role of Church Gregory – pope from , extended papal authority over the Western Church & actively converted non-Christians Monk = man who separates himself from the rest of the world to become closer to God Monasticism is the practice of living like a monk Saint Benedict founded an order of Monks & wrote rules for their practice Benedict’s rules divided the day into activities; emphasizing prayer & physical labor to keep monks busy

Role of Church Monks meditated & read privately/ They prayed together seven times a day All aspects of Benedict life was communal Abbot (father) ruled each Benedictine monastery Monks were to obey the Abbot/ took a vow of poverty/monks dedication made them new heroes of Christian civilization/ were social workers in communities Monks spread Christianity throughout Europe/Irish & English monks were enthusiastic missionaries

Role of Church Nuns = women who withdrew from the world to dedicate themselves to God Nuns lived in convents headed abbesses Abess Hilda founded a monastery in Whitby in 657 where she educated five future bishops

Nuns Monks