His “Holy Roman Empire” shrank rapidly after his death, but it remained a major force in Europe into the Reformation. The Pope crowned him Roman Emperor in 800, centuries after the ancient Roman Empire had collapsed in Europe - a move which infuriated the Eastern Emperor who still claimed to rule both east and west. He also sponsored more subtle missionary efforts, and encouraged the spread of Benedictine monasteries, and especially the copying of theological manuscripts. He was a great military conqueror, and channeled this talent into the service of the church, for in taking over most of Western Europe and a fair bit of the east, he used military force to compel all his subject peoples to become Christian. The others were all pagans or Arians.Īll this changed when Charles the Great, or “Charlemagne” became King of the Franks, ruling from 771 to 814. Although missionaries like Patrick and Augustine had made Christianity hugely successful in the British Isles, there was really only one tribe in the whole of mainland Europe who were mainstream Christians - the Franks, whose King had converted in 496.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |