Transcript 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.
 Clovis was waging war against the
Alemanni and was about to be defeated.
 He promised to convert if he’d win the
battle.
King Clovis (466-511)
497: The Franks were triumphant at the
Battle of Tolbiac;Clovis kept his promise.

Eldest Daughter of the Church







Cathedral of Rheims,
France

Clovis presented himself at the church in
Rheims for baptism.
Accompanied by 3,000 of his troops
Dressed in fur coats, long hair, and battleaxes 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.
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
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
St. Hermengild in prison
Arianism and makes Catholicism the
official religion of Spain.
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:
1.
Live under Mohammedan rule
(Mozarabs);
2.
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.
The Rise of Islam
“There is no god but Allah, and
Mohammed is his prophet.”
- Shahada
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.
Unholy Plagiarism




The “Prophet”

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”
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.
Peace…by Submission!
Kaaba: a hut
“Abraham” built
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.
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)
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!
