1 / 16

The Conversion of the Barbarians

The Conversion of the Barbarians. France. The Franks (unlike other barbarians) were not Arians when they settled Gaul in 485 . Clovis, the Frankish chief, was introduced to the beautiful St. Clotilda (a Christian) by a bishop. She tried to convert her husband but failed.

catherinesilva
Download Presentation

The Conversion of the Barbarians

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Conversionof theBarbarians

  2. France • The Franks (unlike other barbarians) were not Arians when they settled Gaul in 485. • Clovis, the Frankish chief, was introduced to the beautiful St. Clotilda (a Christian) by a bishop. • She tried to convert her husband but failed. • Clovis was waging war against the Alemanni and was about to be defeated. • He promised to convert if he’d win the battle. 497: The Franks were triumphant at the Battle of Tolbiac;Clovis kept his promise. King Clovis (466-511)

  3. Eldest Daughter of the Church • Clovis presented himself at the church in Rheims for baptism. • Accompanied by 3,000 of his troops • Dressed in fur coats, long hair, and battle-axes in hand. • Baptized by Bishop Remigius. • This made the Franks the first of the Germanic tribes to embrace the Catholic Faith. • Clovis united Gaul by conquering neighbor Germanic tribes. • Fusion of Greco-Roman culture with the German warrior culture. • Descendants of Clovis were known as the Merovingian Dynasty. Cathedral of Rheims, France

  4. Spain • Christianity had been in Spain since the time of St. James the Greater and St. Paul. • The Catholic Church flourished despite heavy Roman persecutions. By mid-4th century: Spain had a stable hierarchy of bishops who met regularly in council to combat heresies. • Spain collapsed with the Visigoth invasions. • The Church also suffered greatly, the Visigoths being Arians. Church of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

  5. Light in Spain mid-6th century: St. Hermengild, son of Visigoth king Leovigild, married the Catholic Merovingian princess, Ingund. • St. Hermengild converted, but led to a stand-off with his Arian father; civil war ensued. 585: St. Hermengild dies in captivity. • Leovigild dies and his other son Reccard becomes king. 587: Reccard executes his brother’s murderers and becomes Catholic. 589: 3rd Council of Toledo condemns Arianism and makes Catholicism the official religion of Spain. St. Hermengild in prison

  6. Muslim Darkness in Spain 711: Mohammedans invade and conquer the Iberian Peninsula within 3 years. • It had taken the Roman legions almost 100 years to do the same! Spaniards chose to either: • Live under Mohammedan rule (Mozarabs); • Retreat to the northernmost provinces of Spain 9th century: fierce persecutions against the Mozarabs. • Will not end until the Reconquest of 1492 under Queen Isabela the Catholic.

  7. The Rise of Islam

  8. “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.”- Shahada

  9. Origins 6th century: Arabian Peninsula was in a constant state of warfare and in economic hardship. • Arabs were nomadic (Bedouin) pagans (worshipped objects of nature) 570: Mohammed born near Mecca. • Worked as a camel driver until he married a wealthy widow, Khadeejah, when he was 25. • Had six children; all died except his daughter Fatima.

  10. Unholy Plagiarism • Mohammed combined stories from the Old and New Testaments, and added natural morality into his system. • Claims that God has given him the true revelation in the Koran, which he dictated personally. • “Jews and Christians have misinterpreted God’s message” • “Christ is only a prophet, like Moses. He is not Son of God.” • “Mohammed is greater than Moses and Christ because he is the last of the prophets of God” The “Prophet”

  11. Mohammedan Expansion 16 July 622: Mohammed’s critique of Arabian paganism forced him to flee from Mecca into Medina. • This is the first year in the Islamic calendar (hejira = flight) • In Medina, Mohammed is invited to be their new ruler. • Islamic religious belief was always tied to secular power. • Mohammed now has an army by which to spread his ideas.

  12. Peace…by Submission! 624: Mohammed changes orientation of Muslim prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca. 624: Mohammed leads his army in jihad (holy war) against Meccans at the Battle of Badr. • Mohammed wins, and Badr is often referred to as the Muslim “exodus”. • Mecca was purged of all paganism and forced to accept the new religion. • Only the Kaaba was spared, and its meaning changed to be a pilgrimage point for Islam. Kaaba: a hut “Abraham” built

  13. Mohammedan Expansion Jihad: “holy war”; those who die fighting in jihad are martyrs. • Islam has always been a religion of warfare and conquest. • Christians fight if they have to for defense; Muslims fight as part of their “evangelization” First Conquests: Syria and Mesopotamia (modern Iran-Iraq) • Within 80 years of Mohammed’s death in 632, Islam had spread into India, North Africa, and into Spain. • As Muslim Army expands, so does the religion. • Excellent cavalry and light archery (learned from Persians and Byzantines)

  14. Hammer Time! • After 711, Muslims crossed the Pyrenees mountains and invaded France. Goal: to make all of Europe Muslim! 732 The Battle of Tours: the Muslim infidels were met by a Frankish army under the command of Charles Martel (“The Hammer”) • Muslim army defeated and humiliated • Muslims forced to retreat back into Spain. • They never attempted another invasion into France again!

More Related