HST 197 Chapter Notes - Chapter 25: Pope Gregory Vii, Elbe, Pope John Xii
Document Summary
After the roman empire disappeared, european philosophers, theologians and rulers dreamed of a centralized political structure embracing all of christian europe. Byzantine empire experienced domestic social and economic difficulties as well as foreign pressures from the east and west. Byzantine influenced the emergence of new states in russia and eastern europe. Byzantium eventually declined and fell into muslim turkish invaders. German prince formed the so-called holy roman empire in the late 10th century. Viewed as the christian revival of the early holy roman empire. Independent monarchies emerged in france and england and other authorities ruled in various regions of italy and spain. Medieval europe was a political mosaic of independent and competing regional states. The theme system served the byzantine empire for 3 centuries and supported a powerful army and prosperous independent peasantry. Wealthy landowners increasingly undermined the theme system by acquiring the properties of independent peasants and accumulating them into large estates.
