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Creating New Identities (750-900)

13 important questions on Creating New Identities (750-900)

What factors explain the renewed strength of the Byzantine Empire towards the end of the eight century?

The iconoclast conflict came to an end. The Byzantine Empire implemented an effective taxation system. Military reforms – especially the creation of the tagmata (see Terms below) – led to military successes. The Plague of Justinian ended, and the Empire expanded its influence by spreading Orthodox Christianity.

To whom was the choice of Orthodox or Roman Catholic Christianity by the states of East Central Europe important?

Byzantium and the Frankish Kingdoms competed with each other in extending their sphere of influence into East Central Europe. Converting to Roman Catholicism and establishing a Church hierarchy oriented towards the West brought new states under Frankish influence (as was the case for Moravia), while converting to Orthodox Christianity (as did Bulgaria, Serbia, and Rus’) tied them to Byzantium.

What were the similarities between the intellectual revival in the Byzantine world and the so-called Carolingian Renaissance?

Similarities included the increase in book production, the reform of script (Caroline and Byzantine minuscule), the resurgence of Classical Greek and Latin, the role of palace schools, the renewed interest in the works of the Church Fathers, a resurgence of monasticism, the imitation of classical styles in art and written works, and the revival of monumental architecture.

What role did Byzantium have in the Christianization of ninth-century Moravia and Bulgary?

In Moravia, the Christianization process began with Duke Ratislav (r.846–870). Chafing under the Franks, he called on Byzantium for missionaries. In 863 the Byzantine priests Constantine (later called Cyril) and Methodius, equipped with translations of the Gospels and liturgical texts, started to convert Moravia. In the end, however, Moravia rejected Byzantine influence and opted instead for the Roman form of Christianity. In Bulgaria, however, Khan Boris (r.852–889) converted to Byzantine Christianity. Even so, he asserted his independence from Byzantium.

When and how did the Abbasid dynasty take over from the Umayyads?

The Abbasids ousted the Umayyad caliphs in 750. They set up an army in Khurasan (today eastern Iran) and invaded Iraq without resistance. They legitimated their takeover with claims to the caliphate, and they ensured their power with militant supporters, wealth, and a powerful propaganda machine. In 750 al-Saffah became the first Abbasid caliph, and under his successor, al-Mansur, Baghdad became the Abbasid capital in 762.

How prosperous was the Islamic world under the ninth-century Abbasid caliphs? What proofs can you cite to make your claim?

Baghdad was a trade hub between the East and the West. The Abbasids also established trade connections with sub-Saharan Africa, trading textiles, ceramics, glass, armor, and other manufactured goods for gold, food, ivory, animal skins, and enslaved human beings. As a result of this trade, Abbasid arts and crafts flourished. The upper and middle classes filled their homes with splendid furnishings. Some of the general wealth went to support poets and scholars. Treatises on hadith (see Terms below) proliferated at this time, as did critical study of the Qur’an.

What accounts for the brief resettlement of Volubilis/Walila at the end of the eighth century?

Volubilis/Walila became the headquarters of the Shi‘ite prince Idris I who gained control of northern Morocco. He built his own domestic complex and established a new settlement to the southwest of the old Roman wall. When Idris’s son moved the capital of his kingdom to Fez, Volubilis/Walila lost is importance, though it continued to be inhabited.

What factors help account for the successful rise of the Carolingians?

The Carolingians became the de-facto rulers of the Frankish Kingdoms (still nominally ruled by the Merovingians) by monopolizing the office of the mayor of the palace. They accumulated wealth and power through a series of military successes and allied with the popes, who supported their kingships and eventually awarded Charlemagne the title of emperor. The Carolingians profited from a general economic upturn, the institutions of Roman culture and political life that remained in Francia, and their willingness to experiment with new institutions (such as the missi dominici).

What were the similarities between Augustine of Canterbury and Boniface?

Both were missionaries who worked in areas that were already largely Christianized. Their objective was to replace regional and largely independent Church structures by a hierarchy that was firmly oriented towards Rome and the popes. Both were also concerned with establishing one uniform Christian doctrine.

How and why did the papacy become involved in the history of the Carolingian realm? What role did the so-called Donation of Pippin (756) play?

The papacy, alienated from Byzantium, looked to the Carolingians for protection. After Pippin took the throne in 751, Pope Stephen II (752–757) traveled to Francia. He anointed Pippin, blessed him, and begged him to send an army against the encircling Lombards. The so-called Donation of Pippin (756) forced the Lombards to give up important central Italian cities to the pope. It cemented the alliance between the papacy and the Carolingians and acknowledged the fact that the pope, not Byzantium, was the ruler of central Italy.

Compare the economies of the Byzantine, Islamic, and Carolingian worlds in the period 750–900.

All of these economies largely depended on agricultural production. But the Byzantine economy profited as well from territorial expansion, the Islamic from urban centers and long-distance trade, and the Carolingian from expansion, plunder, a “gift economy,” and emporia on the frontiers of their empire.

What roles did women play in the Carolingian Renaissance?

Women at court fostered learning, scholarship, and book production. Abbesses, who headed up monasteries for women, often helped turn their communities into centers of learning. Noblewomen like Dhuoda were well educated.

Considering also the materials in Chapters 1 and 2, identify the three sibling heirs of Rome. List some of the elements of continuity that justify calling them siblings. Try to come up with a fourth heir of the Roman Empire.

The three sibling heirs identified in your textbook are the Islamic Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Post-Roman barbarian kingdoms, especially the Frankish Kingdom. One could argue that the Catholic Church as a whole was yet another heir of the Roman Empire.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

A Short History of the Middle Ages, Sixth Edition | 9781487541019 | Barbara H Rosenwein

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Creating New Identities (750-900)

13 important questions on Creating New Identities (750-900)

What factors explain the renewed strength of the Byzantine Empire towards the end of the eight century?

To whom was the choice of Orthodox or Roman Catholic Christianity by the states of East Central Europe important?

What were the similarities between the intellectual revival in the Byzantine world and the so-called Carolingian Renaissance?

What role did Byzantium have in the Christianization of ninth-century Moravia and Bulgary?

When and how did the Abbasid dynasty take over from the Umayyads?

How prosperous was the Islamic world under the ninth-century Abbasid caliphs? What proofs can you cite to make your claim?

What accounts for the brief resettlement of Volubilis/Walila at the end of the eighth century?

What factors help account for the successful rise of the Carolingians?

What were the similarities between Augustine of Canterbury and Boniface?

How and why did the papacy become involved in the history of the Carolingian realm? What role did the so-called Donation of Pippin (756) play?

Compare the economies of the Byzantine, Islamic, and Carolingian worlds in the period 750–900.

What roles did women play in the Carolingian Renaissance?

Considering also the materials in Chapters 1 and 2, identify the three sibling heirs of Rome. List some of the elements of continuity that justify calling them siblings. Try to come up with a fourth heir of the Roman Empire.

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