Collapse of Rome
This period of late-Roman history was characterized by its turbulent leadership, mass inflation, and Barbarian attacks.
What is the Crisis of the 3rd Century?
The Five Pillars of this religion require its followers to worship the one true God, worship daily, fast during Ramadan, give to the poor, and visit the city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
What is Islam?
Cassiodorus wrote this text to help monks with their Latin grammar and spelling.
What is On Spelling?
This Merovingian leader is remembered for turning on Rome, seizing control of Western Europe, and founding the "Kingdom of the Franks". Known for his brutality, he once lobbed off a soldier's head with the soldier's own sword for taking booty without his permission!
Who is King Clovis I?
This king was crowned Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day in the year 800 by Pope Leo as a reward for helping reinstate him to power.
Who is Charlemagne?
This Roman emperor who ruled from 284-305 was known as the leader who split the Roman Empire in two, leading to the creation of the 2 Augusti and the 2 Caesars, otherwise known as the Tetrarchy.
Who is Diocletian?
This Byzantine consort began her life as a prostitute, but was promoted to co-emperor through her marriage to Justinian.
Who is Theodora?
St. Augustine spent his youth as a hedonist and lived with a mistress for 20 years until he saw the error of his ways and converted to Christianity. He wrote this work in the late 4th century about his redemption.
What is Confessions?
This barbarian prince was raised in Constantinople by the Emperor. He later rebelled against him and declared himself "King of Italy" in 493, along with some other Roman titles.
Who was Theodoric the Ostrogoth?
Perhaps one of the greatest forged documents in history, this fake edict, supposedly written by Emperor Constantine, confers the authority of the Emperor to the Pope to give power to other kings.
What is the Donation of Constantine?
This Roman emperor was the first to convert to Christianity after he famously saw a Christian symbol in battle.
Who is Constantine?
This prophet claimed to have heard the voice of the one true God, who gave him a series of revelations over the course of 20 years. Then, he and his followers went on a Hijrah and took the city of Mecca.
Who is Muhammed?
Boethius wrote this work while in prison to reconcile himself to his own execution after being falsely accused of plotting against Emperor Theodoric. It features an imagined dialogue between himself and Lady Philosophy.
What is The Consolation of Philosophy?
This Merovingian queen convinced her warlord husband to baptise their first two children and convert to Catholic, not Arian, Christianity.
Who is Queen Clotilda?
This 843 treaty was signed by the grandsons of Charlemagne to divide the Kingdom of the Franks into three separate kingdoms that later became the present-day territories of France and Germany.
What is the Treaty of Verdun?
This 313 edict announced the legalization of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Though it did not require Roman citizens to convert, it did put money and power behind the Christian church.
What is the Edict of Milan?
This Byzantine emperor was known for squashing civilian dissent during the Nika Riots, founding the Orthodox Christian church, and creating the Corpus Juris Civilis, a textbook of legal principles.
Who is Justinian?
This academic founded one of the first European monasteries in Monte Cassino in 529. He also wrote On Divine and Human Readings in 562, advising monks on what Christian and Classical texts they should read, a list that included, among other things, racy love poetry!
Who is Cassidorus?
This Merovingian consort ran away from King Clothar and founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross in 555, becoming queen of her own mini kingdom!
Who is Ratagund?
Who is Einhard?
This council was held in 325 by Emperor Constantine to decide the nature of the Holy Trinity. Were the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost separate, or one?
What is the Council of Nicaea?
These two branches of Islam were the result of a succession crisis. One branch believes that the leader of Islam must be a direct descendant of Muhammad, while the other believes that Islamic leadership is not hereditary.
What is Shia and Sunni?
This philosopher worked on the first Latin translation of the Bible, commonly known as the Vulgate. He also wrote On Illustrious Men, a chronicle of important Christian writers up to himself, naturally.
Who is St. Jerome?
This Visigothic leader sacked Rome in 410, leading to the execution of Stilicho, a Roman general from a barbarian background.
Who is Alaric the Ostrogoth?
This "short king" was the son of Charles Martel and the father of Charlemagne. After winning power from the Merovingians, he legitimized his claim to power by being crowned by the Pope.
Who is Pepin the Short?