The Worlds of European Christendom Connected and Divided, 500–1300
Chapter Learning Objectives • To examine European society after the breakup of the Roman Empire • To compare the diverse legacies of Rome in Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire • To explore medieval European expansion • To present the backwardness of medieval Europe relative to other civilizations, and the steps by which it caught up
Key Terms
Aristotle and classical Greek learning: Some works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 b.c.e.) had always been known in Western Europe, but beginning in the eleventh century, medieval thought was increasingly shaped by a great recovery of Aristotle’s works and a fascination with other Greek authors; this infusion of Greek rationalism into Europe’s universities shaped intellectual …show more content…
Holy Roman Empire: Term invented in the twelfth century to describe the Germany-based empire founded by Otto I in 962 c.e. “hybrid civilization,” the West as a: The distinctive path of Western Europe in the centuries following the fall of the western Roman Empire, leading to a society that included elements of ancient Rome, the practices of Germanic invaders who formed new states, Christianity, and elements of pre-Roman culture that still survived. iconoclasm: The destruction of holy images; a term most often used to describe the Byzantine state policy of image destruction from 726 to 843. (pron. eye-KON-oh-klasm) indulgence: A remission of the penalty (penance) for confessed sin that could be granted only by a pope, at first to Crusaders and later for a variety of reasons.
Justinian: Byzantine emperor (r. 527–565 c.e.), noted for his short-lived reconquest of much of the former western Roman Empire and for his codification of Roman