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St. Patrick Research Paper

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During the fifth century, a monk named St. Patrick came to Ireland. He had previously been held captive there in his youth, but had escaped and became a monk in Gaul. St. Patrick “…returned to evangelize the land of his former captors.” (Hayes, Baldwin, and Cole). From about AD 500 to 700, the Irish Church grew so much that Ireland was nicknamed the “Island of Saints.” (Mills). Many monasteries were built and the Irish were converted in masses. These converts became some of the earliest missionaries of the Middle Ages, sending monks such as St. Columba to Scotland (Mills). Before the mass conversion of Ireland, a group of pagan people known as the Celts inhabited Britain and even parts of France. First recognized in the writings Gallic Wars of …show more content…

The father of Clovis, Childeric, was found in 1653 by a mason. The first items discovered were a bag of coins, iron fragments, and a large quantity of jewelry, including Childeric’s gold signet ring (Périn and Feffer). Many of the items were distinctly Roman in style, such as the ring and a gold cruciform buckle, while the weapons were similar to those found in the graves of Barbarian princes across Northern Gaul. Childeric’s tomb was consistent with other wealthy warriors’ burials, except for the presence of a collective sacrifice of a herd of horses. Usually, a warrior was buried with his horse, or one was sacrificed at his death and buried with him. Childeric must have been highly revered to have a whole herd killed and buried around his tomb (Périn and Feffer). Unfortunately, because Childeric’s tomb was discovered in the 1600s, many of the artifacts have not only been stolen, but also moved from their original positions. These changes make it difficult to understand the true meaning and significance of the items buried with Childeric. Even those that are still untouched serve purposes that have yet to be agreed upon (Périn and

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