1. Middle Ages

2. Fall of Rome
With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many smaller independent kingdoms came into focus.
The Vandals took Carthage in 439 and in 455 ransacked Rome heaping more destruction that the Goths did 45 years earlier.
Bad impact on the church as they were Arians
Vandals ruled for a century until conquered by Byzantine Empire

3. Germanic Tribes
Northern Germania-Present day: Netherlands, Belgium, Western Germany
Southern Germania-Switzerland, Southwestern Germany, eastern France
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4. Tribes
Visigoths defeated Rome in 410 and in Spain in 415 where they remained until Muslims ran them out in 8th century
Visigoths were also Arian but did not persecute like the Vandals did but eventually Arianism was stamped out of Visigoths
King Recared was converted to Nicene Christianity
Visigoth Christianity said priests could only marry with bishop permission and Jews who had been forced to convert could not go back.

5. Visigoths Only 15 of 34 Kings died of natural causes
King Recesvinth killed 700 of his enemies and distributed their wives to his friends
King Roderick, Muslim, conquered the area and ended the Visigoth reign but Christianity was imbedded
This later led to Christians trying to take back the land from the Moors

6. Gaul
Present day: France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Northern Italy and part of Germany and Netherlands.
In 5th Century divided by 2 invading groups: Burgundians and Franks (later France)
Burgundians didn’t persecute Christians as Vandals did
Clovis, Frank King, promised he would convert to Christianity if God gave him victory in battle

7. Tribes In 534, Franks conquered the Burgundians
Charles “The Hammer” Martel led troops against Muslims, who had taken Spain, in the battle of Tours.
Pepin, Charles’ son, became king and his son Charlemagne is considered greatest ruler in middle ages
During these times, powerful Kings decided who would be bishop
Bishops acted as lords and not pastors

8. Scottish-Irish
Scottish-Irish was different in that it was not bishop ruled but led by monasteries
They brought about confession to priests
Sent missionaries and eventually reached land held by Saxons and Angles (Great Britain)
They also disagreed on date for Easter

9. Invasion
Lombards (Germanic Tribe) invaded Italy and Constantinople was weakening a little so the Pope’s developed an alliance with Frankish Kings thus ultimately crowning Charlemagne emperor of the west
5th-8th century western Europe was hit hard by invasions. Paganism and Arianism had ruled much but invaders brought Nicene Christianity and monasteries and Papacy played a role in sustaining it

10. Papacy In 452, the west was invaded by Attila and the Huns
Constantinople diverted him to west by offering him gold
No leadership in west so Bishop or “Pope” Leo was sent to negotiate and he turned Attila back thus gaining much power and prestige

11. Beginnings
According to Roman Catholic church, Jesus established Peter, as bishop of Rome, as the first Pope so his successors would follow
Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches deny this
Pope means father
The term was only reserved for bishop of Rome in 6th century which is well after claims for the title

12. Pope
Bishop of Rome had prestige: Imperial city, church was largest and wealthiest
By 3rd century, probably 30,000 in church of Rome with 150 clerics and 1,500 widows
Several writers refereed to Peter and Paul as founders of church
Until Constantine, the Roman Bishop did not have an jurisdiction outside of Rome

13. Pope
Church developed in 3rd-4th centuries into importance of church councils and bishops having authority over other bishops.
Councils sent bishops but those whom the apostles started had more influence
Church adopted empire. This means Rome was the imperial city so the “pope” was in Rome

14. Pope
Country churches were established but Bishops did not oversee them. Instead, presbyters were sent to them.
These were controlled by bishops but could
Council of Nicaea recognized Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria as preeminent in their areas

15. Pope
When Constantine switched his imperial city to Constantinople in 330, the bishop here gained power as well
In 381 at the Council of Constantinople, Thesodious ruled the bishop of Constantinople to be 2nd to Rome because this was the new Rome
At a Synod in 382, the bishops said that Rome was preeminent and thus the first saying of this

16. Pope
Leo-On his entrance sermon he preached that Christ had promised to build his church on Peter and the bishops of Rome are his successors in that authority
Different political climate than in east where Constantinople was still strong
Rome relied more on bishops and this played into them having more power

17. Pope Leo’s words were perfect timing for an uncertain Rome
In 445, Emperor Valentinian III issued a decree for the army to bring to the imperial court any bishop who refused
This brought into law Leo’s words that the bishop of Rome was the head of the church
But, in 451 at Council of Chalcedon, the bishop of Constantinople was given equal power thus creating 2 heads

18. Pope In 455, the Vandals overtook Rome and Leo again went to negiotate
This time King Gaiseric did not destroy all of the city but he looted for 14 days
Leo was credited for saving the city as he negotiated since the emperor Maximus was slain by one of his bodyguards as he tried to escape