History of christianity 03

c. 800-1015	The Viking Age Begins Possibly driven by an expanding population, Vikings from Scandinavia raid and trade among Christians and Muslims from the Irish Sea to the Black Sea. After conquering lands in the British Isles, northern France, Iceland, Greenland, and North America, plus lands bordered by the Baltic Sea and the Ural Mountains, some Vikings emigrate permanently, exerting a massive influence on European history.
858-877	The Orthodox Patriarch Acknowledges Roman Pope as Leader of Christianity In Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch Ignatius is exiled; Photius is elected to replace him. In Rome, Pope Nicholas I refuses to recognize the election. The pope and patriarch argue over which city may send missionaries to the Bulgars. Ignatius returns from exile and replaces Photius. When Ignatius dies in 877, Photius resumes his Patriarchate. Pope Adrian II and Photius come to an agreement: Adrian acknowledges Photius as patriarch, Photius sends troops to fight Muslim incursions in Italy, withdraws missionaries from the Bulgars, and acknowledges Rome as the first see of Christendom.
863	Monks Translate the Bible into Slavonic Emperor Michael III sends two brothers, Methodius and Cyril, as missionaries to the Slavic tribes. They translate the Bible into Slavonic, creating the Cyrillic alphabet, based on the Greek alphabet, which many Eastern European countries still use. This first experiment to preach in a local, native language is heavily criticized, but Pope Adrian II gives his blessing in 868.
988	Vladimir Attempts to Unite Russia with Religion The grandson of Christian princess Olga of Kiev, Vladimir is baptized, establishing Christianity as the state religion of Russia. He later marries Anna, daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor, divorces his previous wives, abandons his concubines and idols, and establishes schools and churches using the Slavonic translation of the Bible. According to tradition, Vladimir had previously been a hedonistic ruler with five wives and eight hundred concubines. Seeking to unify his people, he sent out emissaries to examine the major faiths. He disliked the dietary restrictions of Judaism and Islam but was convinced that Eastern Orthodoxy was like heaven on Earth after attending a church service in Constantinople.
11th century	Tensions Rise Between the Western and Eastern Churches Rome forces Latin customs on the Greeks living in southern Italy. In response, Constantinople closes Latin churches in Greece.
1054	The Great Schism In response to conflicts and rising tensions, the Roman and Orthodox Churches cut their religious ties. Cardinal Humbert travels from Rome to Constantinople, protesting the treatment of Latin churches. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, does not receive him with suitable honors. Humbert departs on July 16, leaving a papal letter excommunicating Cerularius on the altar of Hagia Sophia. Cerularius later excommunicates Pope Leo IX. Viewed at the time as a minor schism similar to that between Photius and Adrian, the division, historians now agree, was the end of any real connection between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The separation leads to doctrinal and administrative differences. Roman Catholicism maintains a strict hierarchy with the pope as head of the church, while the Eastern Orthodox branch moves toward autocephalous national or local churches.
1095 Nov. 18	The Pope calls for a Crusade against the Muslims Pope Urban II convenes the Council of Clermont; French bishops are the principal attendees. The Council issues a canon granting plenary indulgence to those who undertake a crusade to aid Christians in the east that had come under Muslim rule. This call and promise of indulgences leads to seven major and several smaller military actions called Crusades, with varying types of participants, and levels of organizations.
1095	The First Crusade: The First Wave or "People’s Crusade" Peter the Hermit begins traveling across France encouraging the motives and the actions of the Crusade. He gathers an army that travels to Constantinople. Upon arriving in May 1096, Peter the Hermit and his army cross into Asia. Peter is unable to maintain order and leaves his army to request aid from Emperor Alexius I at Constantinople. While he is away, his army is annihilated by the Turks on Oct. 21, 1096. Pierre later joined the second wave of the First Crusade.
1096	Crusaders Massacre Jews en route to Palestine Other People’s Crusade groups travel toward Palestine. One, led by Count Emicho, is responsible for massacres of Jews in Speyer, Worms, Mainz, and Cologne. It is considered by historians the beginning of modern anti-Semitism and a pivotal event in Christian-Jewish relations in Europe. The actions are condemned by other Christians. King Coloman of Hungary routs the Emicho crusade group with heavy losses.
1096-1100 Aug.	The First Crusade: The Second Wave Five Crusader forces depart for the East led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine, Germany; Bohemond from southern Italy; Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Count of Toulouse, from France; Robert, Count of Flanders, from Flanders; and Hugh of Vermandois, brother of King Philip I of France from France. On Jul. 1, 1097, the Crusaders meet the Seljuk Turks at Dorylaeum, winning a decisive victory. Bohemond enters Antioch on Jun. 3, 1098, taking possession of the city and then keeping it against a Turkish counterattack. On Jun. 7, 1099, the remaining crusaders (possibly half the original force) besiege Jerusalem, entering the city on Jul. 15. On Nov. 11, 1100, Baldwin (who became duke on the death of his brother, Godfrey) is proclaimed King of Jerusalem.
1101	The First Crusade: The Third Wave Pope Paschal II organizes reinforcements for the Kingdom of Jerusalem; it collapses before they reach the city. However, King Baldwin takes advantage of rivalries among neighboring Muslim rulers and extends his domain. By 1112, the entire coast of present-day Lebanon (excluding Ascalon and Tyre) are under crusader control. Other Crusade leaders established similar states in the Middle East.
1145	Pope Calls for the Second Crusade Pope Eugenius III issues "Quantum Praedecessores", recounting the First Crusade and lamenting the losses incurred of Edessa in Mesopotamia. Addressed to Louis VII of France and his subjects, the papal bull guaranteed the remission of sins for all those who died and "ecclesiastical protection" for their families and possessions. Bernard of Clairvaux asserts that the Crusade is a means of redemption or avenue of salvation.
1147-1148	The Second Crusade is Launched Two crusader forces depart for the east. Emperor Conrad III leads a German contingent, while King Louis VII leads a French contingent. Other semi-related armies attack the Muslim Moors in Spain and the Wends on the Baltic Sea. On Oct. 25, Conrad's army meets the Turks at Dorylaeum and is routed; Conrad and the survivors retreat. The French join Conrad, and the crusader force arrives at Jerusalem. They decide to take Damascus, Syria. On Jul. 28, 1148, after a brief siege, it becomes clear that failure is inevitable; the crusaders retreat and soon disband.
1187 Jul. 4	The Loss of Jerusalem Inspires the Third Crusade Christian knights are defeated at Hattin by forces of the Muslim Sultan Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn). When the news reaches Europe, Pope Gregory VIII issues a papal bull calling for fasting, penitence, and a new crusade.
1170	Waldo Begins Preaching in Lyon Peter Waldo (also called Valdes or Valdo) hears a tale of altruism that inspires him to donate his wealth and preach to the poor. He and his followers, calling themselves the Poor Men of Lyon, travel like the apostles of the New Testament—two by two, without purse or scrip—teaching the gospel to the common people. Local bishops oppose this organized lay ministry (un-ordained members performing clerical functions), but Pope Alexander II takes no action beyond warning them not to preach without approval of their bishops. This approval is not granted. The Waldesians continue their ministry, and Pope Lucius III, Alexander's successor, excommunicates them. This is the first major challenge to the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic clergy. In 1207, Pope Innocent III invites the Waldensians back to the Church, but not all accept. Although the Waldensians broke from Catholic tradition prior to the Protestant reformation, they eventually come to be known as some of the first Protestants in history.
1189-1192 May	The Third Crusade is Launched Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, a veteran of the Second Crusade, leads the largest crusader army. Emperor Isaac II Angelus obstructs the crusaders' travel across the Eastern Empire because of a treaty with Saladin. Finally arriving in Asia in 1190, Frederick drowns while crossing a river. Most of his army disbands. Only a small force, under Leopold of Austria, arrives in Tyre. Also in 1190, the French, under Philip II Augustus, and English, under Richard I (known as the Lionheart), depart to join Frederick. Philip brings the French fleet to Acre and lays siege. Richard captures Cyrus, which remains a Christian stronghold for four hundred years. Joining forces, Philip and Richard take Acre. Philip and Leopold soon return home. On Sep. 2, 1192, a treaty is concluded with Saladin. Jerusalem remains under Muslim control, but free access is given to pilgrims. Richard heads home, but is imprisoned by Leopold. Saladin dies soon after.
1198	The Pope Calls for the Fourth Crusade Pope Innocent III issues legates and encyclical letters calling for a new crusade, imposing a tax on clerical incomes in 1199 to pay for it and engaging Fulk of Neuilly to preach in its favor. Among the leaders was Geoffrey of Villehardouin, a major chronicler of this Crusade.
1200-1204	The Fourth Crusade is Launched Boniface of Montferrat leads the Fourth Crusade. Boniface is well connected: His late brother, Conrad of Montferrat, had been king of Jerusalem. During the Crusade, he marries the sister of Eastern Emperor Isaac II Angelus, receiving the title of Caesar from the Emperor. His army arrives in Venice at one-third its expected size and cannot pay for the ships and provisions as contracted, so the Doge of Venice asks them to conquer a Christian city (present-day Zadar, Hungary) as payment. The crusaders agree, whereupon a Byzantine prince asks the crusaders to help him overthrow the Emperor for a price, to which they also agree. In 1203, the Crusaders attack and burn Constantinople, and replace Alexius III with Alexius IV. When Alexius IV fails to pay as promised, the Crusaders pillage the city and elect a Frankish emperor and Italian patriarch.
1215	The Fourth Council of the Lateran Proclaims the Pope the "Vicar of Christ" Pope Innocent III, unsatisfied with the title "vicar of Peter," claims the title "vicar of Christ" and tries to establish himself as superior to all other religious and political powers. The Fourth Council of the Lateran convenes with just shy of twelve hundred attendees, including bishops, abbots, priors, and royal envoys who adopt many of Innocent's proposals. He ordered Jews and Muslims to wear distinctive clothing, obligated Catholics to make annual confession and receive communion at Easter, sanctioned transubstantiation as the proper description of the Eucharist, and reaffirming papal authority to appoint bishops.
1235	The Orthodox Patriarch Creates the Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Autorianus, grants ecclesiastical independence to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church with a patriarchate in Trnovo.
1245–1274	Ministry of Thomas Aquinas During his thirty-year ecclesiastical career, Thomas Aquinas writes over eighty books, including Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles and founds a doctrinal system known as "Thomism." He integrates doctrinal traditions of early Church fathers with Aristotle's classical philosophy "Scholasticism." Aquinas's goal is the synthesis of faith and reason. Though not all modern theologians agree with Aquinas's thoughts, he is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as its foremost philosopher and theologian.
1375	The Orthodox Patriarch Creates the Serbian Orthodox Church The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Philotheus Kokkinos, recognizes the 1346 declaration of ecclesiastical independence by the Serbian Orthodox Church with an archbishopric at Peć. The patriarchate has been abolished and restored several times; the current patriarchate dates from Serbia's independence in 1920.
1382	Wycliffe Translates the Bible into English John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, questions Catholic teachings, including the requirement that scripture is to be written exclusively in Latin, a language few common people could read. Briefly a national hero for his resistance to Rome, Wycliffe ultimately loses both influence and his professorship. From 1380-82, he compiles an English translation of the Bible, translating his first edition in 1382. A second edition is published after his death in 1384, and becomes known as the Wycliffe Bible. In an act of revenge, the Catholic Church excommunicated him thirty-one years after his death and, in 1428, exhumed his bones, burned them and scattered his ashes.
1389	The First Display of the Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that is 14 feet 3 inches by 3 feet 7 inches that is said to show the face of man who has experienced a physical trauma that is similar to depictions of the face of Jesus during the crucifixion. Since 1354, it was known to be in the possession of French knight Geoffroi de Charnay, seigneur de Lirey. In 1389, the shroud is put on public display for the first time. Geoffroi's granddaughter gives it to the Savoy family in 1453. The Savoys then move to Turin in 1578, and the cloth becomes known as the Shroud of Turin.
1448	Russians Establish Russian Orthodox Church Russian bishops elect Bishop Jonas as Metropolitan of all Russia, declaring their autocephalous status within the Orthodox tradition.
1453	The Orthodox Church Survives the Fall of Constantinople Sultan Mehmed II assaults and captures Constantinople, ending the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire, and bringing its remnants into the Ottoman Empire. Though Islam is the Ottoman state religion, the Sultan allows the Orthodox faith to continue, giving the Patriarch of Constantinople full spiritual and considerable temporal authority over Christians in the Empire. The patriarchate continues today. The Patriarch of Constantinople is considered the first among equals—that is to say, among the other patriarchs, archbishops and metropolitans of the autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox churches.
1455	Gutenberg Prints the Vulgate Bible After years of experimentation, possibly stretching back as far as 1436, Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg completes Europe's first working printing press with movable type. His first printing project is two hundred copies of the Vulgate Bible.
1478	The Spanish Inquisition Begins Sentiments of the Jewish population in what was a highly populated Christian part of Spain were high at first, but began to decline in the late 14th century. A group of "new Christians", or conversos, became a highly controversial group in Spain. They began to establish themselves in high political ranks as well establish wealth among themselves. In addition to the conversos was a group called the Marranos, who were Jewish converts to Christianity who converted to avoid persecution. The new profitable converts, as well as the Marranos who were suspected to still practice Judaism, secretly became a major source of conflict for those who had already been practicing the Christian faith. The Catholics obtained an official document from Sixtus IV, the pope at the time, for an inquisition to attempt to deal with those whose conversion seemed to be insincere. These inquisitions spawn great fear as tactics such as torture, lack of rights, and the confiscation of property, were used in the beginning stages of the Inquisition.
1492	Columbus Lands in the New World Christopher Columbus sails under Spanish patronage looking for a westward passage to Asia. He lands in what becomes known as America, though he never acknowledges this discovery. Over the next three centuries, Europeans establish numerous American colonies. Reasons for this colonization include expanding the domain of their religion and obtaining personal religious freedom.
1508-12	Michelangelo Paints the Sistine Chapel Under the patronage of Popes Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII and Paul III, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, portraying numerous biblical events and characters in realistic form and style. In 1534, he returns to the chapel to paint the Last Judgment on the wall above the altar. More than five hundred years after its completion, the frescoes are still considered by many to be the greatest works of art in European culture.

Source : www.faithology.com