Free Sample Essays > European History
What was the most influential event to affect history or modern day
the clergy.
The rich men would do this for two reasons. One, to get tax exemptions so they can retain their wealth and not have to pay for any more than they have to and two because they are fearful of joining the military. Since not all these new clergies have to join the military, there is no one left to join but the peasants and farmers. If they join, they can’t afford to buy all the equipment to fight or to even travel with the military. If all the farmers are forced to join and all there is left are the wealthy clergyman who don’t have to do anything but be devoted to Christianity, there will be a food shortage that can’t supply the city let alone a military. Constantine also gave a great deal of money to the Christians so they could build beautiful churches. The money allowed Christians to build magnificent churches throughout the empire to spread the Word.
The church and the state were distracted by religious party. The emperor’s focus turned from military to being pro-Christianity. Although designed to renew the religion of the empire, this proclamation placed a special burden on Christians who refused to partake in the sacrificial ritual. (Chidester, 87) If the people refused, the emperors would have them killed. An example is when Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian, had over 3000 Christians executed because their interpretation of the Bible did not agree with his. Another is when Charlemagne, a devout Christian, after conquering the Saxon rebels, gave them a choice between baptism and execution. When they refused to convert, he had 4500 of them beheaded in one morning. The Saxons could have benefited the Empire by adding soldiers and farmers to increase the military and the economy of Rome. However, since they refused to partake in sacrificial worships, he killed them all.
When an emperor died or was thrown out of power and his successor wasn’t Christian, this created problems with the people and the military. If the generals disagreed with what the emperor was doing or how he was ruling, he would kill the emperor and he would take charge of the empire or he would find someone to rule that had the same beliefs he had. At one time, there were 12 emperors in 36 years. This shows how unstable the ruling was when the empire was in decline and couldn’t find a balance. They turned to Christianity for stability because of its strict moral code and laws. It appealed to the Romans because it appealed to the poor because it promised a better life after people died. Poor and mistreated people were attracted to a faith that taught that all people were equal. The founder of Christianity was an actual person whose life could be easily understood. Many Christians were persecuted, but the faith and courage [next page]