Rather interesting post I found from another message board.
gmaharriet
Venerable Crone
Posts: 21
(6/23/03 6:49 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Justinian a Cause of the Middle Ages?
I found this to be an interesting summary of Justinian's reconquest of the western portion of the Roman Empire:
We often view history as a series of "achievements," and think that great men and women control the course of events. In the case of Justinian, the view may be partly true. The results of his decisions were crucial in the development of western Europe.
The Middle Ages would not have happened had it not been for Justinian. But it was not because of his "achievements," but because of his failures that history turned out the way that it did.
His ill-conceived western venture led to a clear split between the westerners and the eastern Romans; his abandonment of Latin made the division permanent, and so he failed to reunited the empire, as the leaders of the other classical civilizations had done.
He weakened the eastern empire and strengthened the Persians, setting a stage for a devastating war that weakened the eastern empire to such an extent that it could not effectively resist the spread of Islam.
Finally, he destroyed those western Germanic powers that were committed to attempting to preserve as much of imperial civilization as possible. And this led, indirectly, to the rise of the medieval church.
orb.rhodes.edu/textbooks/...inian.html
It was the least advanced and Romanized Germanic tribes that formed the foundation of medieval European society, and the most important of these were the Franks.
orb.rhodes.edu/textbooks/..._rise.html
gmaharriet
Venerable Crone
Posts: 21
(6/23/03 6:49 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Justinian a Cause of the Middle Ages?
I found this to be an interesting summary of Justinian's reconquest of the western portion of the Roman Empire:
We often view history as a series of "achievements," and think that great men and women control the course of events. In the case of Justinian, the view may be partly true. The results of his decisions were crucial in the development of western Europe.
The Middle Ages would not have happened had it not been for Justinian. But it was not because of his "achievements," but because of his failures that history turned out the way that it did.
His ill-conceived western venture led to a clear split between the westerners and the eastern Romans; his abandonment of Latin made the division permanent, and so he failed to reunited the empire, as the leaders of the other classical civilizations had done.
He weakened the eastern empire and strengthened the Persians, setting a stage for a devastating war that weakened the eastern empire to such an extent that it could not effectively resist the spread of Islam.
Finally, he destroyed those western Germanic powers that were committed to attempting to preserve as much of imperial civilization as possible. And this led, indirectly, to the rise of the medieval church.
orb.rhodes.edu/textbooks/...inian.html
It was the least advanced and Romanized Germanic tribes that formed the foundation of medieval European society, and the most important of these were the Franks.
orb.rhodes.edu/textbooks/..._rise.html
Comment