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Ancient Male Rulers
Constantine the Great lived from 272 AD to 337 AD. Charlemagne lived from 742 AD to 814 AD. They were separated by four hundred years, ruled over separate parts of the world—yet they shared some things in common that united them in spite of their differences: they were both, for example, warrior-kings—rulers who wielded the sword to dominate and hold power; they were both, also, members of the Christian faith. Constantine’s mother Helena is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, while Constantine himself ended the persecution of the Christians in Rome and brought the Church out of the underground. Charlemagne, for his part, was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor by the pope on Christmas Day in 800 AD for saving Rome from the barbarians. Charlemagne ruled over the Germanic lands while Constantine ruled over the declining Roman Empire prior to the onset of the Dark Ages. Though separated by four centuries and two cultural experiences, Constantine and Charlemagne were actually rather similar as a result of their penchant for war and for the Faith.
Constantine was not a baptized Christian when he won the Roman throne. The story of his victory, with the vision of the sign in...
However, the fact is that he was not baptized until towards the end of his life. He did not free the Christian religion in what till then had been pagan Rome—but he himself was not like Charlemagne, who was baptized Christian as a prince of the Franks. Charlemagne, like Constantine, also engaged in battles to secure his kingdom—but unlike Constantine, he never had to engage rivals for the throne. Charlemagne instead subdued the various barbarian tribes all around the Frankish kingdom. He even saved Rome from invaders at one point, which led the pope to recognize Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor—the successor, in other words, to Constantine. Thus, both Charlemagne and Constantine were warrior-rulers and were supporters of the Christian Church. Both were also called “the Great.” Constantine is known as Constantine the Great and Charlemagne means literally Charles the Great. However, Constantine was born a pagan and only later became a Christian. He also ruled over a pagan empire whereas Charlemagne, who was baptized as a child ruled over the Christian Franks and subdued…
References
Shanzer, D. (1998). Dating the baptism of Clovis: the bishop of Vienne vs the bishop of Tours. Early Medieval Europe, 7(1), 29-57.
Odahl, C. M. (1981). The Celestial Sign on Constantine's Shields at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Journal of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, 2, 15-28.
The New Testament both influenced Western political philosophy and it influenced the geo-political landscape of the Western World. Greek political philosophy, which is related to New Testament political philosophy, has dominated the way that Americans perceive their governmental systems. The ways the Western justice systems work were in part based on New Testament thought in the same way that Christian morality influences public opinion of leaders and citizens. Christianity
Introduction Joan of Arc was just a young girl when she took command of the French army against the English in the Hundred Years War. In the 15th century it was unheard of for a woman, much less a teenage girl, to lead men—let alone lead them into battle. Joan donned the attire of the soldiers and led them courageously not because she wanted to be a man or because she
This he accomplished in part by donating lands and money for the foundations of abbeys such as Echternach. In the following decade Charles led the Frankish army against the eastern duchies. He dealt with the ongoing conflict with the Frisians and Saxons to his northeast with some success, but full conquest of the Saxons and their incorporation into the Frankish empire would wait for his grandson Charlemagne. Most importantly, instead of concentrating
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Rise of Vernacular Languages It has been said that the development of the vernacular languages of Europe began in Tours in the year 813 with "the appearance of the first texts prepared in a Romance script." (Wright, 1991, p.165) Prior to this time, all official documentation was done in Latin, the language of the old Roman Empire. In fact, as parts of the Roman Empire were overrun by barbarians, marking the