Humanities Chapter 8

Diocletian

(r. 284-305) Roman emperor who established the tetrarchy (rule by four) and initiated the Great Persecution, a time when many Christians became martyrs for their faith.

Constantine the Great

(r. 312-337) The first emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity, and he founded a new imperial capital, Constantinople, in 324.

Pope

Bishop of Rome and leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The power of the Roman bishop is largely derived from his role as the traditional successor of St. Peter, to whom, according to the Bible, Jesus gave the keys of Heaven, naming him the rock on which the church would be built.

Nicene Creed

Statement of fundamental Christian beliefs issued by an ecumenical council convened by the Roman emperor Constantine in 323-325.

Rule of Saint Benedict

A communal handbook written by Saint Benedict of Nursia (480-547) to guide the monastery he had established; its focus was on the physical and intellectual as well as spiritual wellbeing of monks led to its being widely adopted by monastic communities across medieval Europe.

Constantinople

Founded by Emperor Constantine on the site of a maritime settlement known as the Byzantium, it became the new capital of the Roman Empire in 324 and continued to be the seat of imperial power by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. It is now known as Istanbul.

Monasticism

In the rapidly Christianizing world, the movement to reject normal family and social life, in favor of a harsh life of solitude and spiritual discipline in communities of other monks.

Edict of Milan

Issued by the Roman emperor Constantine in 313 AD, it legalized Christianity and guaranteed religious freedom for all faiths within the empire.

Themes

New system of organising the army under Byzantine emperor Heraclitus in the 7th century that redistributed land to military officers and soldiers.

Wergeld (wergild)

Old Germanic term--"man money," literally--for the compensation owed by an offender to his victim, according to custom.

Justinian I

Sixth century emperor of the eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, famous for waging costly wars to reunite the empire.

Dark Ages

The period in Western Europe from the 4th to 8the centuries, so named because of the chaos that reigned after the fall of the western Roman Empire and the endless depredations of various barbarian invasions. Also known as Late Antiquity.

Middle Ages

The period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453), or, more narrowly, from circa 1100 to 1453.

Great Persecution

The violent program initiated by Roman emperor Diocletian in 303 to make Christians convert to the traditional religion or risk confiscation of their property and even death.

Tetrarchy

Under Diocletian, a new system whereby the Roman Empire was formally divided into two halves, with a separate emperor (augustus, in Latin) for each. Each half was further divided in half again, and each augustus therefore had a subordinate vice emperor, or caesar.