Middle Ages --AD 350–1450 Church/state as one— 1 Middle Ages --AD 350–1450 Church/state as one— 1.Why is the beginning of the Middle Ages described as transformations of the Roman world? AD 350-600 2.What were historical backgrounds of the birth of Christianity? The image of God as against the supreme power of the emperor is a symbol of order, equality and love.

Diocletian As emperor of Rome from 284 to 305, Diocletian expanded the boundaries of the empire. In order to improve imperial control over Roman territories, he appointed a co-emperor to rule the eastern half of the empire.

Constantine the Great was the first emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity. During his reign, Christians, previously persecuted, gained freedom of worship. He gave huge estates and other gifts to the Christian church. He established a capital in the eastern provinces, naming it Constantinople (now İstanbul, Turkey).

Medieval Reliquary During the Middle Ages, the bones and other remains of saints were frequently venerated as relics. Artists would often create elaborate boxes, called reliquaries, to contain these sacred remains.

The four leading Fathers of the Western church—Saints Jerome, Gregory the Great, Ambrose, and Augustine—are depicted, left to right, in Madonna and Child Enthroned,

The Koran The revelations of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, were recorded in verse form in the 7th century in a text that came to be known as the Koran. The copy of the Koran shown here dates from the late 8th or early 9th century.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia The al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, holds the holiest shrine of Islam, the Kaaba. As the birthplace of Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad, Mecca is considered a holy city. It is a pilgrimage point for Muslims worldwide, who are expected to visit the city at least once if they are able to do so.

Medina, Saudi Arabia Medina, in western Saudi Arabia, is a sacred city that only Muslims are permitted to enter. The Prophet Muhammad took refuge in Medina after fleeing Mecca in 622 ad, and the city’s numerous mosques remain a destination for large numbers of Muslims on their annual pilgrimage.

Spread of Islam In the 7th and 8th centuries the religion of Islam spread through conversion and military conquest throughout the Middle East and North Africa. By 733, just 100 years after the death of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, an ordered Islamic state stretched from India in the east to Spain in the west.

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire evolved from the Roman Empire’s eastern territories after the Roman Empire’s western regions fell in the 5th century. Initial harmony between the church and state fortified the early empire (4th-6th centuries). The Crusades taxed the territories during the 11th century, precipitating a decline. Constantinople, the capital, fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks, who conquered the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire a few years later.

Merovingian Castle Altes Schloss (Old Castle), in Meersburg, is the oldest inhabited castle in Germany. Meersburg was founded in 628 by the Merovingian king Dagobert, who is believed to have laid the cornerstone for the castle.

3.What were historical backgrounds of the birth of the Byzantine, Islam and the west? (one-God belief) a. The Roman Empire grew too large to control by one emperor and to resist the Persians and Germans; b. The emperor assimilated Germans. c. Its western half came to fragment into smaller and weaker kingdoms. 4.What were their particular features? Trade center; centralized power; thriving trade; centralized power;

poor: cities depopulated and land unproductive; fragmented power; 5 poor: cities depopulated and land unproductive; fragmented power; 5.What were their common features? One God, rural means, local power. 6. Why do we say that Merovingian kings & queens laid the foundations for the formation of later Europe? A. These Germanic Franks controlled the West and divided the kingdoms and fought among themselves. B. They adopted Roman institutions, allied with Christian churches.