Rachel's Western Civ Blog

Research Guide:  1. The Church converted many people to Christianity which was Clovis' main religion. These Germanic people would follow him for their religion. 2. He used religion in the government and made it worldly. This allowed more people to see Christianity. 3. If Muslims won the battle, Western Europe might have to become part of the Muslim Empire. 4. He fought the Lombards who had invaded previously and created the Carolingian Dynasty. 5. A pope had claimed the political right to confer the title "Roman Emperor" on a European king. 6. He limited the authority to the nobles and sent out royal agents. Assessment:  Middle Ages - the period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West to the fall of Constantinople Franks - a group of Germanic people monastery - a building or building occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows secular - not subject to or bound by a religious rule Carolingian Dynasty - a Frankish nob...

1. The idea of the Dark Ages came from later scholars who were heavily biased toward Ancient Rome.  - most of the written records of the time had a strong Rome-centric bias - literacy rate was not as high in the early Middle Ages as in Ancient Rome - the "Dark Ages" came from renaissance scholars who viewed Rome and Ancient Rome as a pinnacle of human achievement - they dismissed the era where no greater leaders emerged, no scientific accomplishments were made and no greater art was produced 2. The Church replaced the Roman Empire as the most powerful force in Europe, redefining the relationship between church and state.  - Europe lacked a large kingdom or other political structure as a centralizing force - the Medieval church grew into the most powerful institution in Europe - Kings, Queens and other rulers drew most of their authority and power into their relationship with the Church - The rise of a strong papacy started with Gregory the Great - This meant th...

1. One of the internal factors that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire is the economic trouble and over reliance on slave labor. At one point, Rome had too many slaves that they entrusted to take care of and till their fields. Once these slaves were gone and Rome had no more war treasures, they were extremely poor and could be easily taken over. Another was over expansion and military overspending. Because of the vast distances, the troops could not communicate quickly to each other and didn't have much money for spending to send the messages. This sent Rome into a deeper disrepair. Another internal factor is the government corruption and political instability. The political corruption led to the people not trusting or believing in the government. Another internal factor is Christianity and the loss of values. This shifted the focus from the government to the religion of the citizens. The last internal factor is the weakening of Roman legions. Because of not enough people trus...

Reading Guide:  Disruption of Trade: this led to the loss of many different goods that were needed Gold and Silver Drain: taxes were raised to try to make up for the loss of gold and silver Inflation: the economy was going into debt and the new leaders didn't know how to handle it Decline of Loyalty and Discipline in Military: the Roman soldiers began to give their loyalty to the commanders of the army instead of to Rome. This lead to Rome hiring mercenaries Citizen Indifference and Loss of Patriotism: the citizens no longer trusted the authorities of Rome with their lives Assessment:  inflation: a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money mercenary: a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army Diocletian: Roman emperor from 284 to 305 and army commander Constantinople: the capital city of the Roman Empire Attila: ruler of the Huns from 434 until March 453 3. The main causes of the empire's decline were disruption of trade, g...

Reading Guide:  Jesus of Nazareth: He was believed to be the Messiah and taught about God and loving one another The Jews: Many Jews followed Jesus and twelve were later called the apostles Pontius Pilate: Pontius Pilate arrested Jesus for blasphemy and sentenced him to be crucified Peter: traveled from Jerusalem to Rome and became the first bishop there Pax Romana: this allowed Christianity to be easily spread to different places in the world Paul: Paul had never met Jesus and was an enemy of Christianity. He later had a vision fo Jesus and devoted his life to teaching others and spreading God's word Constantine: The day before battle, Constantine prayed for safety and made all of his soldiers put a cross on their shoulder. They were victorious in battle and Constantine credited the success to the help of a Christian God. The next year, he announced the end to the persecution of Christians and declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor Theodos...

Reading Guide:  A:  Economy: the economy was falling and more and more people from the upper class were falling into lower classes because of their financial state Form of Government: Rome's empire was ruled by one man Values: gained values as the empire grew Social Structure: different classes had very little in common Religion: worshipped gods and goddesses Entertainment: the government provided free games, races, mock battles and gladiator contests B:  civil war: Julies Caesar took over Rome during the civil war period Triumvirate: Julis Caesar was part of a Triumvirate Absolute Rule: He had absolute rule when he took over and was killed for it Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius: these are the men who killed Julius Caesar because they were threatened by his power Assessment:  Civil War: conflict between groups within the same country Julius Caesar: a Roman statesman and military general triumvirate: a group of three rulers Pax Romana...