1. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Christianity in Western Europe
Preview
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Main Idea / Reading Focus
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New Kingdoms in Europe
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Christian European Society
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Monks and Monasteries
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Map: Missionaries and Monasteries in Europe
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Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
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Video: The Impact of Christianity as a World Religion
2. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Christianity in Western Europe
Main Idea
1. The spread of Christianity, largely through the work of
missionaries and monks, helped unify western Europe after the
collapse of the Roman Empire.
Reading Focus
• What new kingdoms arose in Europe, and how did they
become Christian?
• What characteristics defined Christian European society?
• What roles did monks and monasteries play in European
religion and society?
3. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
New Kingdoms in Europe
The fall of Rome had different results. In the east, the Byzantine
Empire flourished. In the west, no single empire arose from Rome’s
ashes. Germanic groups established many small kingdoms.
Angles, Saxons
• Angles, Saxons
among Germanic
peoples establishing
kingdoms in Europe
• 400s, migrated to
Britain and seven
small, independent
kingdoms established
Anglo-Saxon
England
Christianity Slowly
Spread
• Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms were not
Christian at first
• Augustine converted
many people of Kent
• Late 500s, group of
monks led by
Augustine of
Canterbury arrived in
kingdom of Kent
• Named Archbishop of
Canterbury
• Christianity slowly
spread through rest of
England
4. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
Threat to Independence
• Remained independent for several centuries
• Threat arose that forced them to band together
• Danes invaded northern England, began to march south
Alfred the Great
• Anglo-Saxons united under Alfred the Great, king of Wessex
• Under Alfred, Anglo-Saxon forces pushed Danes back to north
• Later Alfred recognized as ruler of all England
Accomplishments
• As king, Alfred reorganized army, issued own code of laws
• Also improved his court’s financial system
• Greatest achievement, establishing system of schools for adults, children
5. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
The Franks
• 400s, another Germanic kingdom established in former
Roman province of Gaul—modern France—by Franks
• Led by king named Clovis, Franks defeated neighbors to
build powerful kingdom
Major Power
• Clovis vowed to become Christian if troops won
• 496, Clovis, 3,000 Franks baptized in massive public
ceremony
• Franks became major power in western Europe
• 800s, height of Frankish power, led by Charlemagne
6. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Summarize
How did the Anglo-Saxons and Franks
become Christians?
Answer(s): Monks brought Christianity to Kent,
and it slowly spread throughout England. Clovis
was king of the Franks. He vowed to become a
Christian if his troops won.
7. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Christian European Society
When Rome fell in late 400s, Christianity mostly confined to
southern Europe
• By about 600, Christianity had spread northward into other parts of
continent
• Conversion of Anglo-Saxons, Franks helped make western Europe
into largely Christian society
• Following fall of Rome, Christianity appealed to many Europeans
– Period known as Middle Ages, or medieval times
– Many people’s lives filled with doubt, suffering hardship
– Christianity offered comfort, promise of happy afterlife, sense of
community
8. Section 3
Kingdoms and Christianity
Spreading Christianity
Missionaries
• Appeal of Christianity led many
Europeans to want to share
beliefs with others
• Some became missionaries,
people who travel to spread
their religion
• In addition to Augustine of
Canterbury, many others went
to new lands to spread
Christian beliefs
Patrick
• Among most famous, Patrick
• Went to Ireland in 400s; faced
opposition, hostility, but
continued to preach
• At time of death around 460,
nearly all Ireland was Christian
• Through missionary work,
Christian society,
Christendom, linked most
western Europe
9. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Strengthening the Papacy
Pope’s Influence
Gregory the Great
• Early in Middle Ages, most
popes had little authority
• Lack of authority ended with
Gregory the Great
• Most saw pope as just another
bishop
• Worked to change views of
papacy, increase influence
Supreme Patriarch
Gregory’s Reforms
• Gregory thought, as successor
to Peter, pope should be
supreme patriarch of church
• Encouraged missionary work
and monasticism, voluntary
separation from society
• Undertook reforms to
strengthen papacy, canon law
• Encouraged people to care for
poor, less fortunate
10. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Sharing Beliefs
Interpretations of Faith
• As Christianity spread through diverse populations, people interpreted faith in
different ways
• Debates arose over questions like humanity, divinity of Jesus
Written Explanations
• To prevent, resolve conflicts, influential theologians wrote explanations to set
forth church’s official positions
• Most influential of medieval theologians, Augustine of Hippo
Used Ideas of Plato
• Augustine’s writings helped shape Christian doctrine for centuries
• City of God: people should pay less attention to material world than to God’s
plan for world; attempted to convince Romans God had not abandoned them
11. Section 3
Kingdoms and Christianity
Infer
How did Christianity change in the early
Middle Ages?
Answer(s): Christianity spread throughout
Europe, the pope became one of the most
influential figures in Europe, and different
interpretations arose.
12. Section 3
Kingdoms and Christianity
Monks and Monasteries
•Gregory the Great increased emphasis on monasticism
•Believed monks played important role in church
•Monasticism gained popularity in the early Middle Ages.
Monasticism
• Not new, first Christian monks
in Egypt in the 200s
• Lived alone as hermits, or in
small groups
• During Middle Ages, new form
of monasticism developed
Monasteries
• Groups of monks lived in
monasteries, abided by strict
code of rules
• Two monastic forms common in
Europe in early Middle Ages:
Benedictine, Celtic
Both forms had similar rules about communal life, but the organization
and details of life in their monasteries were quite different.
13. Section 3
Kingdoms and Christianity
Monks and Monasteries
The most common form of monasticism in most of Europe during the
Middle Ages was Benedictine monasticism.
Benedictines
• Benedict of Nursia lived in Italy
early 500s
• Son of Roman noble, abandoned
city to become hermit
– Inspired others to live as he did
– 529, persuaded Benedict to
establish monastery with himself as
first abbot
• In time other monasteries adopted
Benedict’s teachings as guidelines
• Benedictine Order; vows of
poverty, obedience
Benedictine Rule
• Benedict’s rule, collection of
guidelines for monks, called
Benedictine Rule
• Based on daily schedule;
combination of prayer, labor
• Organization of Benedictine Order
– Each monastery a distinct entity
– No central authority
– Each run by abbot chosen by
monks, or local noble
14. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Benedictine Monks
2. Benedictine monasticism made tremendous
contributions to Europe
• Monks ran schools that trained some of finest minds of
Middle Ages
• Copied ancient manuscripts, helped preserve knowledge
of Greece, Rome
• Monasteries became centers of wealth, power
– Kings, nobles donated money, gifts in exchange for prayers said
on their behalf
– As they became wealthier, monasteries drawn into local politics
– Many monks acted as advisers, aides to local, national rulers in
Europe
15. Section 3
Kingdoms and Christianity
Celtic Monasteries
• 3. Other branch of monasticism developed in Ireland
• Celtic monks more ascetic, or severe, than Benedictines
• Fasted and spent days in solitary contemplation
• Built monasteries on small islands to separate monks, rest of society;
believed isolation helped focus on faith
Abbots’ Authority
• Led by abbots with more authority
than Benedictine counterparts
• Since Ireland had no large cities,
people looked to abbots of local
monasteries for spiritual guidance
Scholars, Missionaries
• Lindisfarne Gospels among
greatest artistic achievements of
Middle Ages
• Monks were scholars, ran schools;
preserved ancient knowledge
• Others active missionaries in British
Isles; built monasteries in Europe
17. Kingdoms and Christianity
Section 3
Make Generalizations
What contributions did monks make to
Europe?
Answer(s): ran schools, preserved the knowledge
of Greece and Rome, served as advisers and
aides to European rulers
