TEST... BAPTIZING EUROPE - Continental Identity in Medieval Europe by Christian Villumsen
christiana (the Christian St. Peter and therefore rightfully Community). These territories, entitled to become the next pope. especially Scandinavia and We don’t know if it was the Hungary, did, however, not start threat of a major conflict within BACKGROUND out as members of this “holy the Christian world that “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have community – their roles will prompted Emperor Henry III of reached an agreement.” Those become clear later. During the Germany (1039-56) to travel to were the words of Danish Prime reign of Charles the Great (757- Rome to resolve the situation Minister Anders Fogh 814) Europe was relatively safe and we probably never will but Rasmussen on the last day of the but after his death his empire Henry, nevertheless, solved the European summit after the was divided into three parts (the problem by removing all three expansion of the European former Carolingian Empire, the popes and installed one of his Union had been announced. The Christian Spain and the British own loyalists. While Henry III negotiations had intensified Isles) because his son Louis the cleaned up the Roman mess and during the Danish presidency Pious (778-840) never achieved his son Henry IV had been and had paved the way for ten to do for the empire what his appointed secular leader of the new member states. This father had done. It is therefore church Hildebrand, a reformer expansion closed one of the final also no surprise that Central within the church had been chapters in the story of a divided Europe came under attack from inaugurated as pope and had European continent; a state all sides. Arabs ravaged the taken the name Gregory VII as a which had existed since the Cold Mediterranean, Viking attacks tribute to Gregory VI (whom War. The reason I mention this is terrorized northern Europe and Henry III had deposed) and because during the Middle Ages Eastern Europe (Hungary) was Gregory I, who later became Europe was a fragmented invaded by the Magyars. The known as Gregory the Great. continent of warring states that threat from the Vikings and the Gregory VII was largely fought for power and the scraps Magyars ended in the year 972 responsible for the unification of the decline of the Roman empire when these two peoples the church because of his had left behind. Europe was a converted to Christianity and reforms that e.g. ended papal continent of kingdoms and thereafter Europe was only tolerance to imperial meddling principalities, where local threatened by the Arabs and into affairs of the church. This magnates held power – or at internal power struggles. potential conflict was avoided in least the power that mattered. 1122 when the church and Holy One thing, however, did bind thisA UNIFIED CHURCH Europe continued to be a divided Roman Emperors concluded an divided continent together: agreement, which became known Christianity. This relatively new continent even after “the as the Concordat of Worms. This denomination, at least according savages” had converted. Many agreement gave the emperors the to Rome, was already known in reasons have been named as the right to invest bishops with the territories we now know as cause but the fact that even the secular symbols of authority in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, church was divided seems to be their governed territories, but not the most likely factor. Rome the British Isles, Poland, experienced a minor civil war with sacred symbols of authority. Hungary, Bohemia and Furthermore the Concordat when three popes all declared Scandinavia – territories that that they were the successors of decreed that the clergy had to became known as respublica
imitate the earliest form of life, military might. Bartlett writes nationalities by looking at their names, e.g. Mikhail (the Russian which was described in the Acts that up to 80% of European of the Apostles 4:32: “And the royalty had ties to France with or Croatian patron for the ill). multitude of them that believed the exception of three kingdoms: The name is well known from Sweden, Denmark and Poland. the Eastern Bloc and is were of one heart and of one The aristocracy and royalty in especially linked with a former soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he these three countries traditionallypresident of the Soviet Union possessed was his own; but they married into German families. (Mikhail Gorbatjov). In England, after the Battle of Hastings, the This tendency shows with all had all things in common.” certainty that Europe may have tendency to name children after Gregory and all other reformEnglish saints changed and gave friendly popes wanted to return been more unified than way for Norman names like to the time of Pope Gregory the originally believed – a William, Henry and Robert. The unification of both faith and Great and become servus link to the church was that this servorum Dei (servant of God’s blood. trend actually started among high servants) because this was the MY NAME IS … path to become ruler of all and It is perhaps a bit premature to ranking church officials and the aristocracy. thereby uniting Europe under the talk about unification but one The change was simple but papal banner. cannot deny that the peoples of deeply territorial. France and The church was very powerful at continental Europe had the England believed in the same this moment in history and its similar mentalities regarding God, but the names in the two influence was spreading. Robert many things, e.g. the names that countries were completely were given to newborn children. Bartlett describes the different. It is today very phenomenon in his book “The It was not unusual for the person difficult to find a family in responsible for naming the Making of Europe” as being England that does not have a children to name them after the similar to that of the William, Henry or Robert an Americanization that took place saints that meant most to them. It then we are back at the idea that in Europe after the Second Worldwas, in fact, also customary to a dominant culture rubs off on War; a dominant culture spreads take on a new name if one surrounding, and perhaps married a person of a different into adjacent territories and weaker, cultures and let us be nationality and preferably a thereafter dominates them. honest, this was not an Europe saw two such cultures: name common to the area of uncommon phenomenon in the which one were to live. This was the Frankish and the German. Middle Ages. done in order to avoid being These two cultures could HIGHER LEARNING actually be combined into one looked upon as a foreigner as Another way to spread because Charles the Great built was the case of the two Bohemian princesses Swatawa Christianity was by using the up an empire which also consisted of parts of the territory and Markéta, who became the latest trend in Europe, the German Countess Luitgard and universities, which the church we now call Germany. Both held power over. People, mostly cultures had the Christian faith in Queen Dagmar of Denmark. from the aristocracy and the common and were both eager to Another example regards the upper class, became obsessed spread the word. The church of expansion of the French with education and wanted to aristocracy. The children that course led the conversionlearn more. Education in e.g. campaign in Medieval Europe, were sent out to be married eventually lost contact with their Denmark was handled by the but the church was not solely homeland and became more and monasteries until the 12th responsible for the spread of century and it was therefore not Christianity. European aristocrats more a part of their societies. often send their children away to This may not seem as something unusual that the training of a foreign states in order to place of which the church had much to priest was conducted at home if do with, but that changed in the the trainee’s father was a priest. them in positions of power, either by marriage and political 11th and 12th centuries – more The would-be priests managed ingenuity as was the case with precisely at around 1066. It was but without a formal education in e.g. Naples and Hungary or by relatively easy to guess people’s the liturgical language, Latin, the
young priests had to memorize archbishop in Lund from 1201- but countries like Germany, certain Latin phrases in order to 1224 and had traveled through England and Italy also cope. On a positive note a priest most of the major countries for contributed on a large scale. was never hard to find but the higher learning, e.g. France, Italy Nothing unifies a world better priest was probably not schooled and England. He did this because than the battle against a common in Latin. This was however not Denmark did not offer the same foe. We have seen this level of education as was found phenomenon on a global scale the case with priests from the with the battle against terrorism city as they were able to travel in other countries and by abroad to receive proper training. knowing that he spearheaded the and on a more homely scale The ones that did travel abroad effort to make education more during the Second World War where the world united against usually went to Paris and not just accessible. He did by writing because the very first university two works, in Latin of course: the Axis powers. The majority of in Europe was founded there but the first one was a compendium crusaders were peasants, who of Christian verses, which was had been captivated by Urban’s also because that the teaching rhetoric about cleansing the Holy inspired by the French elite went to Paris in order to theologians and the second was a Land of the infidels. When the share their knowledge. army of 15,000 reached Furthermore Paris was also the Latin version of the laws of Denmark, that bore the impress Jerusalem only about a tenth of European centre for cathedral schools. These schools were not of his knowledge of Roman law. them were knights, which would just in Paris but all over Europe. He was later stationed in Estonia imply that the price of recruiting These schools offered a higher with the Danish forces, where he a proper army was rather expensive. was the spiritual head in the form of education and made When the Christian army battle against the heathen people pilgrimage to these stormed Jerusalem and the Estonians. places. One who made such a looting began another form of The stories of Gunnar and journey was Gunnar, who solidarity showed its face. The Anders show us that the became bishop in Viborg, infidels – in this case the universities and the clerical Denmark in 1222. Paris gave Gunnar the opportunity to create society are intertwined. Within Muslims – were, according to eye witnesses, rounded up and a network of clerical equals, one the educated societies people beaten to within an inch of their spoke the same language, the of which was to become the papal legate. This was in fact a liturgical language Latin. Today, lives, and it did not matter if they fellow student from Paris named we communicate in English if were woman, children or men. Esmark and McGuire describes it Gregorio of Crescenti, who came we do not speak the native in their book Europa 1000-1300 tongue of a country we are to Denmark in 1221 and, via visiting – another example of the as a form of religious high and a Gunnar, created a clerical friendship network with Viborg fact that Europe, even back then, spiritual cleansing. It went on to the point that the Christian was getting smaller. diocese. invaders had a saying that went: The story about Gunnar CRUSADING MENTALITY “heathens are better dead than exemplifies the level of I have stated that many factors alive” and the more “merciful”: international cooperation that were involved in the unification the faster you kill them the less took place during the Middle of Europe, but the single most Ages, whether it be clerical or important thing was probably the time they will spend in Purgatory.” secular. In that kind of society crusades. Never before in the education was the key, which is history of Europe had one seen Say what you will about the crusades but they did help on a not unlike today. such dedication as when Pope large scale with the creation of a Another example of the Urban II in 1095 in Clermont common European identity. The connection between education urged the Christian world to and church is Anders Sunesen. unite against the Muslim threat actual creation did not occur during this time and one can He was born into the Danish and to retake the Holy Land. He aristocracy and by that right he recruited soldiers from almost argue that it does not exist even today, but the smaller Europe got was almost certain to play a role every strata of society with the easier it got to cooperate with within the church. He was France being a major contributor,
one another.
London, 1994
Bibliography
Esmark, Kim and McGuire, Brian Patrick “Europa 1000-1300” Roskilde, 1999
Bartlett, Robert “The Making of Europe”
Roach, Andrew P. “The Devil’s World” Pearson Education Limited, 2005