Ingraining Christianity; Charlemagne’s Legacy
Ingraining Christianity; Charlemagne’s Legacy
“From this account and from his work a remarkably vivid picture can be formed of a dignified, majestic figure, striving to make the transition from warlord to ruler of a great Christian empire, and having remarkable success” (Roberts). Soon after his death, Charlemagne’s empire collapsed. However, he left in place a structure that allowed Christianity to flourish in Europe. Charlemagne’s empire cemented Christianity as the dominant religion in Europe because of his efforts in forming a strong alliance between the church and government, his success in teaching through the scriptures, and his military success in conquering and converting pagan territories. Charlemagne’s alliance between the church and state ingrained and spread Christianity by creating a lasting political structure which involved both counts and bishops. These alliances also legitimized the Pope’s position. Additionally, Charlemagne provided the church with land, which gave it power. Furthermore, Charlemagne combined education with learning Christianity by creating a center of learning where priests would read and teach the Holy Scriptures. These educated bishops and priests were appointed to key positions throughout the empire. During his rule, Charlemagne’s military campaigns helped spread Christianity by forcing people to obey the Christian Church and by eliminating any competition the church had at that time.
The relationships Charlemagne formed between the church and state engrained Christianity into Europe for the future. Charlemagne created a political structure where counts and bishops ran different regions side by side. In Gaul and particularly Italy, the county corresponded to the diocese, while in areas that had been Christianized later, the dioceses were much larger and covered several counties (Barbero 157). Therefore, every count was obligated to work along with a bishop sometimes in a one to one ratio. This gave the church power
“From this account and from his work a remarkably vivid picture can be formed of a dignified, majestic figure, striving to make the transition from warlord to ruler of a great Christian empire, and having remarkable success” (Roberts). Soon after his death, Charlemagne’s empire collapsed. However, he left in place a structure that allowed Christianity to flourish in Europe. Charlemagne’s empire cemented Christianity as the dominant religion in Europe because of his efforts in forming a strong alliance between the church and government, his success in teaching through the scriptures, and his military success in conquering and converting pagan territories. Charlemagne’s alliance between the church and state ingrained and spread Christianity by creating a lasting political structure which involved both counts and bishops. These alliances also legitimized the Pope’s position. Additionally, Charlemagne provided the church with land, which gave it power. Furthermore, Charlemagne combined education with learning Christianity by creating a center of learning where priests would read and teach the Holy Scriptures. These educated bishops and priests were appointed to key positions throughout the empire. During his rule, Charlemagne’s military campaigns helped spread Christianity by forcing people to obey the Christian Church and by eliminating any competition the church had at that time.
The relationships Charlemagne formed between the church and state engrained Christianity into Europe for the future. Charlemagne created a political structure where counts and bishops ran different regions side by side. In Gaul and particularly Italy, the county corresponded to the diocese, while in areas that had been Christianized later, the dioceses were much larger and covered several counties (Barbero 157). Therefore, every count was obligated to work along with a bishop sometimes in a one to one ratio. This gave the church power