Historical Highlights 500AD-1100AD
Reformed Church
Previous | Next
Back To
Teaching Ministries
500: |
Many large landlords in Europe have their own armies and prisons |
529: |
Council of Orange (declares semipelagianism to be heretical) |
553: |
The Second Council of Constantinople (decrees that hell is eternal punishment) |
585: |
Many of the wealthy begin to see church as more stable than civil authority—they place themselves and their resources under the church's care greatly boosting the church's influence; in Italy, the church becomes the largest single landowner |
589: |
The plague subsides after wiping out nearly half of Europe's population |
590: |
Gregory the Great becomes pope (bishop of Rome), he opposed the title of "Universal Bishop" for himself or others, he opposed simony (the sale of church offices), Gregorian chant is named after him, he does promote purgatory and the veneration (a term just short of meaning "worship") of saints and relics |
630: |
Muhammad conquers Mecca, which becomes the spiritual center of Islam |
637: |
Arab Muslims conquer Jerusalem |
698: |
Carthage falls to Islamic army |
716: |
The Arab (Islamic) empire extends from China to Lisbon |
725: |
Iconoclastic controversy (whether icons are worthy of devotion—icons are highly symbolic paintings of Christ, Mary, or the saints) |
732: |
Charles Martel, Christian ruler of the Franks, halts the Arab advance at Poitiers (saving Europe from Islam) |
754: |
Christianity spreads through Germany largely through the work of Boniface |
768: |
Charlemagne becomes king of the Franks |
789: |
Charlemagne orders the Roman Rite (liturgy) to be used throughout empire, Vikings begin attack on England and later terrorize Europe |
800: |
Charlemagne crowned first Augustus (emperor) of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III, in return, Leo obtains sovereignty of Rome; Latin becomes language of Scholarship and the church |
848: |
Alfred the Great is born |
899: |
Alfred the Great dies (he halted the Dane invasion, converted the Danish leader, and rebuilt his country (England) |
900: |
Western European society is at lowest ebb, travel is dangerous, formal education sparse, population lives hand to mouth |
959: |
Organs begin to appear in larger churches in England |
1000: |
Manuscript copying becomes a central part of monastic life, literacy begins to reemerge in Europe |
1022: |
Burning becomes a common penalty for severe heresy |
1027: |
The Council of Elne establishes the "Truce of God," prohibiting battle on Sunday |
1028: |
King Olaf II establishes Christianity in Norway |
1054: |
"The Great Schism," officially the end of the last official, long-term unity between the Eastern and Western churches |
1073: |
The title "pope" is reserved exclusively for the bishop of Rome |
1074: |
Priest celibacy is mandated, married priests are excommunicated |
1079: |
Transubstantiation receives papal authority |
1095: |
Pope Urban II proclaims remission of all penances for crusaders fighting in the crusades to liberate Jerusalem from Muslims, succeed in 1099 |