Mr. Pelham
AP World History Period 2
16 December 2015
The influence of Christianity on Europe has impacted the lives of many. Artists, philosophers, and soldiers alike were all affected by Christianity in Europe. The impact of the Church’s action shaped the future of Europe. Intellectual life, art during the Renaissance, and holy wars were influenced by Christianity in Western Europe. Intellectual life and art changed throughout this time period because of new ideas such as rationalism, while holy wars remained the same because of the Church’s justification that God wills such actions. Another factor that remained the same throughout this time period was the influence of the Roman Empire on the Churches of Europe because some …show more content…
A series of holy wars was known as the crusades. The idea behind the crusades was that God commanded them to provide security for their own religion. As stated in Ways of the World, “…the Crusades were wars undertaken at God’s command and authorized by the pope as the Vicar of Christ on earth.” Crusading remained the same throughout this time period because those who participated in them justified their actions by insisting that “God wills it.” A memorable Crusade targeted taking control of their holy lands that were under Islamic control. Crusaders that were all different from each other came together to seize Jerusalem. However, in the Middle East the crusades did not affect them crucially. Not many converted to the religion and they took control of the lands again by 1300. In contrast, European contact with other foreign lands encouraged tastes for Asian luxuries. “…cross-cultural contacts born of crusading opened channels of trade, technology transfer, and intellectual exchange…” The Crusades remained part of Europe during this time …show more content…
The Bulliet textbook states, “Throughout the middle ages, people in the Latin West lived amid reminders of the achievements of the Roman Empire. They wrote and worshipped in a version of its language, traveled its roads, and obeyed some of its laws” In Western Europe, Latin remained the language used within the Church of Western Europe even when vernacular languages were learned. Also, both the Pope and the King learned Latin which gave them access to church doctrine. Even the hierarchy of the church was influenced by the Roman Empire. Similar to Western Europe was Eastern Christendom which also based itself on the Roman Empire. They used the same roads, tax system, military structures, and other aspects of Roman culture. This was similar to the Tang dynasty imitating the Han Era. In an attempt to maintain the former glory of past empires, the influence of Roman Empire remained the same throughout this time