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Constantine’s recognition of Christianity in 313 A.D. and Charlemagne’s crowing by the Pope in 800 A.D. are similar in that both events encourage the spreading and acceptance of Christianity in the early European world. Constantine first recognized Christianity on the battle field. The war Constantine was in the midst of fighting was a fight against his brother-in-law and co-emperor, Maxentius. (Northpark) Believing he needed Divine help, Constantine prayed for assistance. While praying the Roman ruler saw a vision of a cross in the midday light. On the cross were the words “in hoc signo vinces” which means “in this sign you will be victorious.” Later that night, Constantine claimed to have had a dream that reaffirmed what he had seen at battle.
From that point on Constantine accepted Christianity. The newly converted ruler helped Christianity in numerous ways. Christians were no longer persecuted for their faith, and the Emperor gave many gifts to Christian leaders. With the acceptance of Christianity, the faith was able to spread throughout Constantine’s empire. With the emperor converted, Christianity became apart of the government. Children were taught Christian beliefs and these were passed down through generations.
Constantine believed that the church and state should be as close as possible. (Northpark) With this belief came the distortion of the Christian faith. In order to please all of his subjects, Constantine combined pagan worship with Christianity. Some see this action as proof that Constantine did not really understand the theology of Christianity. (Northpark) However, though Constantine’s conversion is questionable when it comes to his true acceptance of the faith, he put all his power into advancing the cause of the Church of Christ.
With the church and state so closely intertwined, the empire became stronger. A council of 300 bishops was formed called the Council of Nicea. This council dealt with controversy about the divinity of Jesus. This council made an official statement claiming Jesus divinity, and because the church and state were so closely connected, Constantine supported this statement politically.
Years after Constantine’s rule Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome on Christmas Day, 800 A.D. Charlemagne’s reputation of an accomplished military leader, and the numerous times he fought for Christianity which led people to call him “the strong right hand of God”. (Northpark)
The crowning of Charlemagne by the Pope at the Church of St. Peters proved the closeness of the church and state. Some did not like the fact that the Pope had the authority to make Charlemagne emperor of Rome. However, Charlemagne was accepted as emperor, and he developed a very successful empire. By developing three elements: the Roman past, the Germanic way of life, and Christianity, the Roman Empire became very stable. (Capitol Hill)
Charlemagne took advantage of Christianity’s moral and ethical standards, and he made laws in favor of the spreading of the faith. Also, after Charlemagne became Emperor he came up with two policies for success. The first policy was expansion, and with Charlemagne’s military experience this was not difficult to achieve. The second policy was the conversion of all his lands to Christianity. (Capitol Hill) With this policy, the Christian faith spread rapidly throughout the lands, and many were converted.
In both Constantine’s and Charlemagne’s causes the spread Christianity is what made their empire so successful. And with the close relationship between the church and state, the spread of Christianity was not a difficult task. The two emperors enforced it because without the peaceful faith of Christianity, their massive empires would not have succeeded.
Multiple Choice
1. Where did Constantine first recognize Christianity?
a. In Church
b. In Battle
c. In his vacation house
d. In his living room
e. In Jerusalem
2. On what day was Charlemagne crowned Emperor?
a. Easter
b. Christmas
c. Thanksgiving
d. New Year’s Day
e. Groundhog’s Day
3. What council debated the divinity of Christ?
a. Council of Nicea
b. Council of the Pope
c. Council of Roman Catholicism
d. Council of Christianity
e. Council of St. Peter’s Church
4. Who was co-emperor(ess) with Constantine before he defeated him/her?
a. Lucentio
b. Gremio
c. Petruchio
d. Maxentius
e. Maximus Aurelious
5. What religion did both emperors spread through Europe?
a. Islam
b. Hinduism
c. New Age
d. Christianity
e. Mormonism
Bibliography:
1. http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WedChron/WestEurope/CharlCrown.CP.html,
NorthPark, 11/19/03
2. http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/charlemgane.html, History Guide, 11/19/03
3. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Embassy/1221/family history/charlma.htm,
Capitol Hill, 11/19/03
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