Post Collapse of Western Roman Empire
The term the "Dark Ages" is generally used to depict the period of ignorance and failing economies to follow the collapse of the Western or Latin Roman Empire. Some historians like to apply a date to the end of the Dark Ages, usually in the 10th century. However, there truly is no abrupt end. Instead, the age of darkness disperses gradually over centuries.
The closest event that may signify a new beginning would be the Great Schism between the East and West Churches in 1054. Nevertheless, even after this schism, the Easter Empire continues to exist for another four centuries. Moreover, no ray of modern enlightenment would shine upon Europe until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Subsequent centuries of economic chaos, isolation and barbaric decline after the fall of the Western Roman Empire would finally begin to be transformed with the glow of enlightenment, while the dark bloodlust of heretical persecution would replace the Crusades of previous centuries.
What follows is just a handful of the events that would eventually pull Christian Europe out of darkness and into the light.
Taking just the events above, a thread can be sewn, starting with Joan of Arc's notion of nationalism (1429). National identification would challenge both monarchs and papal supremacy. If France was sovereign, other countries could rise as well to throw off the yoke.
The final failure at reunification of East and West Churches at the Council of Florence (1431-39) would shortly seal the fate of Constantinople and the Easter Empire, for no help would arrive from the West as the Ottoman Turks raised it siege against Constantine's capital city (1453). The Council of Florence would also invent the religious concept of "Purgatory", introducing a gray area regarding the previous black or white fate of the afterlife.
For the Church, Johannes Gutenberg (1395-1468) would open Pandora’s box with the first printing of the Bible (1455). No longer could priests loosely interpret gospels to fit their provincial congregations or circumstantial needs. The evolution of oral tradition and gospel interpretation would forever end as the distilments of original oral verse and early gospel translations would be set in stone as printed word, using contemporary vernacular. This event was yet another expression of lay control over religion, and violated the edict of the Council of Oxford (1408), which had forbidden translation of the Gospels into common (non-Greek/Latin) language.
However, not all events of the 15th century would be forward moving. The tyrannical Spanish Inquisition (1478) was not just aimed at rooting out Muslim and Jewish influence in the Iberian Peninsula, it would also be used to curb leanings towards protestantism. Anyone in disagreement with papal decrees would be categorized as either heretic or witch (1484), which ever suited the pending need.
The Crusades, instigated by one papal bull after another, had lasted for centuries. Having now ended, the Church’s bloodlust would continue with new papal bulls, driving Christian to kill Christian. It would begin the Waldensian Crusade (1987) and eventually advance papal control over Europe's population as well as their monarchs.
Finally, the two most significant events of the 15th century would occur at its close. In 1492 Columbus would discover the New World, opening up wealth and Christian expansion into unchartered territories. That same year the Muslim Moors would be driven from Spain, ending a 781-year occupation of western Europe.
Commentary
If only Christ and the apostles could have revisited the 15th century world of Christianity, incognito. They would have been surprised, possibly arrested by officers of the Inquisition as heretics. So different had the Western Latin Church developed from the Apostolic Church of the first 100 years following Christ.
Would Christ have issued bulls to execute those who challenged his views? Would he insist the Eastern Church believe in a specific detail of the Holy Spirit (Filioque), he himself had deliberately left ambiguous? Yet, the papacy insisted it was the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Soon science would develop in Europe. This would be the result of eastern scholars fleeing the fall of Constantinople. The introduction of science, philosophy and other elements of enlightenment would be classified by the Church as witchcraft. The Church would stand in the way of many forward thinking advancements, using the Inquisition as its tool to police Church followers. It would take more than four centuries for the brutal tortures and killings of the Inquisition to wind down. A conclusion would not occur until the beginning of the 20th century. Christians spilling Christian blood as well as anti-Semitic atrocities, all in the name of Christ.
Click here for 19) A History of Domination
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After the Schism
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| Pursuit of Knowledge |
The closest event that may signify a new beginning would be the Great Schism between the East and West Churches in 1054. Nevertheless, even after this schism, the Easter Empire continues to exist for another four centuries. Moreover, no ray of modern enlightenment would shine upon Europe until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
15th Century Discovery
Next to the 20th century, the 15th century experienced more historic events than any proceeding century. These happenings lead Europe into the Renaissance, scientific discovery and the exploration of the new world. However, not all the occurrences of the 15th century were forward thinking. Papal control would become tyrannical, creating the Inquisition and employing capital punishment to control theological belief.Subsequent centuries of economic chaos, isolation and barbaric decline after the fall of the Western Roman Empire would finally begin to be transformed with the glow of enlightenment, while the dark bloodlust of heretical persecution would replace the Crusades of previous centuries.
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| 1492: Moors driven from Iberian Peninsula after 781 years of occupation and the discovery of New World |
What follows is just a handful of the events that would eventually pull Christian Europe out of darkness and into the light.
Significant events of the 15th Century
- 1429: Joan of Arc, in her fight to free France of English rule, defeats the English at the Siege of Orléans (April 29), giving birth to the concept of "Nationalism". A bold concept that would immediately begin to reshape the whole of Europe, challenge the institution of Holy Roman Emperor, and weaken the papacy's hold on Europe's capitals.
- 1431: The Ecumenical Council of Florence is held to defeat the Conciliar Movement and establishes the Pope as "…the Roman Pontiff, to hold primacy throughout the entire world..."
- 1431-39 Council is reconvened in an attempt to re-unify with Easter Orthodox Churches. It moves to Ferrara and again back to Florence because of plague. However, the earlier assertion of Papal Supremacy, the Latin Church's invention of "Purgatory" and the ever present, hotly debated concept of the Filioque, proved to be beyond possible agreement by the Eastern Orthodox attendees.
- 1453: Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks, the end of Byzantium and the Eastern Christian Empire: No help was forthcoming from their Christian brethren in the West.
- Immigrant Byzantine scholars brought math, science, along with antique Greek and Roman studies to the West, resulting in the late 15th century renaissance in Europe.
- 1455: Gutenberg Bible is printed, despite the restrictions imposed by the Council of Oxford (1408), forbidding translations of scriptures into vernacular.
- Enabling the bible to be quoted as literal text, more than 14 centuries after the original gospels and oral tradition.
- 1478: Spanish Inquisition established by Pope Sixtus IV, to counter earlier Muslim conversions on the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) as the Reconquista draws to its conclusion. It is also employed to persecute Jews and remove any who question the authority of the "Catholic" church.
- 1484: Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull issued by Pope Innocent VIII which defines sorcery and witchcraft, provides additional momentum to the ongoing Inquisition.
- Pope Innocent VIII also accepts 100 Moorish slaves from King Ferdinand of Aragon, in effect, condoning slavery.
- 1987: The Waldensians "Crusade" is initiated by Pope Innocent VII in a papal bull to exterminate Northern Italian, French and Swiss Christians known as Waldensians (after Founder Peter Waldo), whose beliefs, though Christian, differ from those of Rome.
- No longer satisfied with the blood of Muslims and Jews, Christian turns against Christian.
- Ironically, resulting sympathy lead to further questioning of papal authority, planting the seeds which would grow to Protestantism and the eventual Reformation.
- 1492: Columbus discovers the New World, signaling an end to religious crusades to Palestine, as Christianity moves to colonize and convert newly discovered lands in the West.
- 1492: Capitulation of the Moors at Granada, ending the Reconquista, in a final effort by Christian Europeans to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim Moors, after 781 years of Muslim occupation.
Shaping the Future
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| Joan of Arc |
The final failure at reunification of East and West Churches at the Council of Florence (1431-39) would shortly seal the fate of Constantinople and the Easter Empire, for no help would arrive from the West as the Ottoman Turks raised it siege against Constantine's capital city (1453). The Council of Florence would also invent the religious concept of "Purgatory", introducing a gray area regarding the previous black or white fate of the afterlife.
 |
| Gutenberg Press |
However, not all events of the 15th century would be forward moving. The tyrannical Spanish Inquisition (1478) was not just aimed at rooting out Muslim and Jewish influence in the Iberian Peninsula, it would also be used to curb leanings towards protestantism. Anyone in disagreement with papal decrees would be categorized as either heretic or witch (1484), which ever suited the pending need.
 |
| Inquisition and Capital Punishment |
Finally, the two most significant events of the 15th century would occur at its close. In 1492 Columbus would discover the New World, opening up wealth and Christian expansion into unchartered territories. That same year the Muslim Moors would be driven from Spain, ending a 781-year occupation of western Europe.
If only Christ and the apostles could have revisited the 15th century world of Christianity, incognito. They would have been surprised, possibly arrested by officers of the Inquisition as heretics. So different had the Western Latin Church developed from the Apostolic Church of the first 100 years following Christ.
Would Christ have issued bulls to execute those who challenged his views? Would he insist the Eastern Church believe in a specific detail of the Holy Spirit (Filioque), he himself had deliberately left ambiguous? Yet, the papacy insisted it was the Vicar of Christ on earth.
Soon science would develop in Europe. This would be the result of eastern scholars fleeing the fall of Constantinople. The introduction of science, philosophy and other elements of enlightenment would be classified by the Church as witchcraft. The Church would stand in the way of many forward thinking advancements, using the Inquisition as its tool to police Church followers. It would take more than four centuries for the brutal tortures and killings of the Inquisition to wind down. A conclusion would not occur until the beginning of the 20th century. Christians spilling Christian blood as well as anti-Semitic atrocities, all in the name of Christ.
Click here for 19) A History of Domination
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Got Feedback?
Comments? Questions? Corrections? Any feedback at all? Just click on the comments box at the bottom of this page and enter your thoughts. All comments are welcome.
Santuario de Guadalupe, the oil painting by Tom Mallon. This 42" x 22" canvas is the latest addition to the Santa Fe Portrait Series. The Santuario is the oldest shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the US.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Shostakovich and Cultural Snobbery, Could anyone survive Stalin's Purges, compose a large body, write for himself and the masses while producing constantly great work?
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
Tom Mallon's website "MallonArt". This website will provide you with links to all his paintings, drawings and other artwork portfolios, including the ongoing series entitled the Santa Fe Portrait.
Visit this later update by CLICKING HERE
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