How Did Christianity Change Throughout Western Europe

The Church was the absolute most predominant foundation in medieval life, its impact invading practically every part of individuals’ lives. Its religious observances often shape to the plan; its customs checked every minute in a person 's life; and its lessons supported standard convictions about morals, the significance of life and existence. Church in Western Europe was recognized as the Roman Catholic Church went from the religion of the Roman Empire to the official religion and the most powerful institution of the Middle Ages. All of Europe had been converted to Christianity by the year 1000. Although this process was peaceful at times but other times it got downright ugly.

If there is one thing the Song of Roland is, it is a product of its times. It was written around the time of the first Crusade, when the Christian people of Europe were eager to go out and reclaim the lands where Jesus had lived and secure them for Christianity. The Middle East, where Jesus had lived, was ruled by Muslims at this time, and that was just not acceptable to European Christians. Armed warfare was

The positive influence of Christianity is far reaching especially in the rich history and culture of Western Civilization despite a long standing ignorance or adamant denial of its contributions. The Bible itself is responsible for much of the language, literature, and fine arts we enjoy today as its artists and composers were heavily influenced by its writings. Paul Maier, in writing the forward to the book How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt, says this about the profound impact Christianity has had on the development of Western Civilization:

Throughout time, Christianity has changed constantly. In order to survive, Christianity has had to evolve and split. It has split into many denominations, some of which have become extinct over the centuries. The religion has changed and divided due to influential people and events in time.

Throughout the time period from 800 to 1500 there were several dynamic shifts in power between the Church and the nobility of western Europe. These changes would decide if Europe would be controlled by kings and lords, or ruled by the pope. During periods of prosperity in Europe power rested in the hands of the nobility, while during fragile periods of Western Europe, the church exercised more authority, as a result rule by king was better for Europe. One example of how a European king exercised authority over Europe during a peaceful time of the middle ages was during the reign of Charlemagne.

The Reformation was quite a time of change in Europe during the 16th century. Many people studying the Reformation and learning about what happened at this time make ask several different questions about it. The main question being “How did the Reformation remake Europe?” After studying the Reformation, there are many different topics that could be discussed. However, the main three that will be argued today about the remaking of Europe during the Reformation are the challenging of the medieval system, how Martin Luther started up the Reformation and the spread of several religions throughout Europe.

Christianity had to evolve and adapt over the centuries in order to survive. Christianity had to merge with the cultures and traditions of other religions. It took four centuries for Christianity to become legal.

Tommy Herod AP World History Mr. Thurman 3 November 2014 Continuities and Changes in Western Europe In Western Europe from 600-1200 there were several continuities such as the continuation of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope had jurisdiction over the clergy and all church property. Another continuity was that Western Europe was divided into small kingdoms and never returned to its original state.

Big changes happened in the past time of life in European history. In the Middle Ages to the Renaissance people start thinking different they had new ideas. They went from praising religion to praising humankind. In the text it states, “during the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope were the primary players in Europe.” This is important because it emphasizes that that was the trending topic it was the most important thing to people back then before 1400 until 1700 time period came and it shows who was in charge at that time. However, people move on from religion when the Renaissance came. New invention came like the printing press which causes people to think differently and not always focus on religion and start praising humankind.

Throughout the poem, references are made that suggest the Christian culture had a strong influence on the people of the middle ages. One such reference lies in the details of Roland’s sword. “’Ah, Durendal, fair, hallowed, and devote, what store of relics lie in thy hilt of gold! St Peter’s tooth, St Basil’s blood, it holds, hair of my lord St Denis, there enclosed, likewise a piece of Blessed Mary’s robe” (Roland, 141). The depiction of Durendal shows how Christianity played a major role in the lives of the people of the middle ages because only the best weapon holds such relics. In addition to the description of Roland’s sword, the influence of Christianity and its assimilation into the new culture of the middle ages can be seen when Archbishop Turpin fights alongside Roland. The Archbishop is one of the most skilled warriors in the French army, for he is the second to last soldier alive. Even with a multitude of wounds, including four wounds to his torso and a head wound, Turpin continues to fight alongside Roland until he is physically incapable of fighting any longer and dies (Roland, 131). The assimilation of Christian and Germanic cultures is most evident here, as the Archbishop of the church is killing the Muslim attackers with ferocity. This would not be seen had only one of the cultures been dominant.

People in the middle ages were very religious. People believed that Roman Catholic Church represent God. The church had a big influence on the content spread in the Middle Ages, and they were content with religious or moralistic. The only religion recognized in Middle Ages Europe was Christianity and specifically Catholicism. Christianity in the middle ages dominated the lives. The life of the medieval people was dominated entirely by the church and many religious institutions gained power and wealth. It was single the larges institution in west of Europe. It touched everyone’s life no matter what rank in social class they lived in. Everyone in western Europe was Rome Catholic Christian at that time. From the reaches king all the way down.

The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was regarded to be a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name the “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, the majority of people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in fact, the Middle Ages was a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in orthodox social structure, political instability mostly concerned with succession to the throne, and economic changes and how those changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After certain demographical changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years’ War, Europe began to transform

Western European people had endured a series of changes during the late medieval period. Changes can be categorized into two aspects: politically and socially. On politics, Popes were not as strong as they were due to conflicts between the state and the church. Socially, people began to live a religion- dominated life, and experienced active sexism towards women. These changes, either positive or negative, have become an undivided part of European History.

The single most important aspect of European empires, beginning just prior to the fall of Rome, is the spread of Christianity to all areas of the continent in as little as a few hundred years. Many theologians state that Christianities spread is the indirect influence of God and the adoration of people to one true faith. Though it is true that Christianity has brought about people that even atheists could call saints, it is unquestionable that Christianity was so monumental because it united larger groups of people and its spread is contributed to adherence to local customs and its lack of new ideas in comparison to other religions of the day.

During the 1400s and 1500s in mainly Italy there was a major change that took place in all aspects of life. This was called the Renaissance and was a movement that helped give rebirth to culture and the arts. This movement went away from the medieval times that had forced a feudalist system on its people. The Medieval times were a dark period in European history that saw a major decline in arts and government. This declining can be attributed to a number of different reasons. One of which was the Bubonic Plague that spread throughout Europe and Asia and killed millions of its inhabitants. This was the final nail in the medieval coffin. Throughout these times the major focus for government and the arts were all religion oriented. The Black