Roman Emperor
Decriminalized Christianity and rebuilt Byzantium to be his new capital
Who was Constantine?
Leader of the Huns from Central Asia, known as the “Scourge of God”
Who was Attila the Hun?
What is "bread and circuses"?
The opposite of "clergy"
What is "laity"?
The ecumenical council convened by Constantine in which a creed was written to formally explain Christian beliefs and identity. The idea of the Trinity was promoted in response to the growing popularity of Arianism
What was the Council of Nicaea?
Established the Tetrarchy and ended the Crisis of the Third Century through reform
Who was Diocletian?
First king of the Visigoths, responsible for the 410 Sack of Rome
Who was Alaric the Goth?
A military leader who was elevated by his troops to seize the title of Roman emperor, ignoring the senate and the people.
What was a barracks emperor?
The label given to ideas that go against the established values, beliefs, and practices of the mainstream (in this case, specifically the early Christian church)
What is "heresy"?
Battle in which Constantine defeated his rival (Maxentius) outside of Rome. He famously had a dream/vision instructing him to carry the symbol of Christianity into battle.
Built a wall around Rome and defeated the rebel Palmyrene and Gallic Empires
Who was Aurelian?
Deposed the last Western Roman emperor and crowned himself the barbarian King of Italy
Who was Odoacer?
The devaluing of currency, including the act of shaving precious metals from the edge of coins.
What is debasement?
The cult promoted by Aurelian and which became the most popular religion in Rome until it was replaced by Christianity.
What was the cult of Sol Invictus?
At this battle, emperor Valens was killed and the Goths devastated the Roman army in the east, signaling the end of Roman military supremacy over the barbarians.
What was the Battle of Adrianople?
Built walls around Constantinople and compiled the laws of previous emperors into one standardized volume
Who was Theodosius II?
King of the Ostrogoths who threatened the Eastern Roman Empire and was persuaded to conquer the Italian Peninsula
Who was Theodoric the Great?
The scattering (mostly forced) of a people group across a wide area, away from their homeland.
What is diaspora?
The ethnic/cultural group of Jews who settled in Germany, Poland, and Russia
Who are Ashkenazi Jews?
This event occurred during the Crisis of the Third Century and resulted in the deaths of countless people throughout the Roman Empire. So much death led to changing views on Christianity and the afterlife.
What was the Plague of Cyprian?
Emperor during the Sack of Rome, withdrew Roman troops from Britannia
Who was Honorius?
Romanized German and magister militum who controlled, deposed, and appointed several emperors
Ricimer
Groups of roving peasants pillaging and causing chaos in response to ineffective government and widespread hunger during the Crisis of the Third Century.
What were bagaudae?
The ethnic/cultural group of Jews who settled in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)
Who are Sephardi Jews?
What was the Edict of Thessalonica?
What was the Edict of Milan?
Enforced Christianity as the official state religion of Rome and convened an ecumenical council to revise the Nicene Creed
Who was Theodosius I?
Romanized German who served as regent for Honorius and was the real power behind the throne during the wars with Alaric
Who was Stilicho?
The word used to describe the Roman Empire following Diocletian, when the emperor stopped using "princeps", or "first citizen".
What is "Dominate"?
This cult, a product of syncretism between Roman and Persian religions, was categorized as a "mystery religion" and was very popular among soldiers and merchants before going extinct after the Edict of Thessalonica.
What was Mithraism?
At this battle, Aetius led a coalition of Romans, Franks, and Goths against Attila and his Hunnic Empire. Though he lived to fight another day, Attila was defeated.
What was the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, OR the Battle of Chalons?
At this ecumenical council, the Nicene Creed was revised and Arianism was strongly condemned with the full force of the law.
What was the First Council of Constantinople?