Western Civilization 750 CE- 1400 CE

Charlemagne

771

Charlemagne was the emperor of Europe and later became king of the Franks. From here he made it his goal to unite his kingdom and convert his subjects to Christianity. He later became the emperor of the Romans. When he died Charlemagne had brought so much power and following to the church that it was able to stand strong.

Isaurian Dynasty

802

This dynasty was found by emperor Leo III whose main goal was to force Jews to convert to Christianity and ban the icons. This resulted in Orthodoxy no longer being able to be practiced, which centeraled the power in the church. This was the idea and split that occurred until the dynasty fell.

Victory over the Byzantines

810

A major moment in Bulgarian history is when Bulgar Khan, Krum, converted the skull of slain empire into a goblet to celebrate their victory over the Byzantine army. This resulted in a large power gain and expansion.

Ban of Icons was Lifted

843

Empress Theodora lifted the ban of icons and put a charge in to restore them. This resulted in people having to split between Orthodoxy and Catholicism This gave the church more followings by forcing people to pick, but also made them lose some by Catholicism not being the only option. This brought the empress more power as followers of Orthodoxy were drawn to her.

Khan, Boris I

860

Khan, Boris I, was a leader who converted to Christianity, and reopened diplomatic relations with Constantinople. This was a major decisions because essentially he told his barbarian followers to stop being barbarians and to convert to Christianity. This large conversion resulted in more power to the church

Basil I

867

This was the last of the Byzantium's great rule of strength under the Macedonian Dynasty, with a leader named Basil I. He was a murderous leader that pushed back the boarders gaining more territory for the empire. He also made the Byzantium the center of international trade, which enriched the Constantinople and the region. This brought the Byzantine and the king their last great power and strength.

Vladimir The Great

980

United Russia and the Ukraine by conquering their rival cities. He had control from his capital in Kiev. He converted to Orthodox Christianity. All of this brought him as a king great power.

Constantinople

1025

This was when the Byzantine empire was in its late golden age. It is important to remember that during this time Constantinople stood central politically and geographically bringing in a securing the empire's power.

The Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism is the split (or break) between the eastern and western churches. This occured when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I no longer communicated with each other after Micheal refused to acknowledge the Pope's superiority. This brought both sides of the church more power, but also split the power of the church as a whole.

The Dark Ages

1300

The beginning of the Renaissance and the fall of Rome is marked as the dark ages. This fall allowed more power to go to the church as they had to carry on Roman civilization, learning, and culture.