During much of what is considered the migration period (300 AD-700 AD), many different peoples moved into the region...particularly the barbarian tribes. As a result, many competing beliefs developed within the Catholic religion.
In 376, the Visigoths were the first of the barbarian tribes to officially enter Rome. Only allowed to stay under an agreement that they would defend the Danube frontier, they eventually rebelled.
By 410 AD, the Visigoths had invaded Italy, effectively sacking Rome. Soon Italy was occupied by the Ostrogoths, who were led by Theodoric the Great.
(Even though the offical Roman government eventually dissolved, the control and influence of the Catholic church continued gaining momentum. Many barbarian tribes converted over to Catholicism and consequently, influenced Catholic faith... merging much of their own traditions, just as pagan Rome had. Where do you suppose the Roman cathedrals got their "gothic" infrastructure from? The gargoyles atop many cathedrals, whose said purpose is to ward off evil spirits, was a tradition observed by the goth tribes.)
In 496 AD Clovis the I, pagan king of the Franks, converted to Catholicism. This conversion marked the beginning for much of the growth of Catholicism in the West.
In 530 AD under the rule of St. Benedict, much of the blueprint for the organization of the Catholic monastary was developed. These monastaries later became major conduits of civilization, offering agricultral and economic centers especially in remote areas of the region.
Around 600 AD, Pope Gregory the Great reformed the administrations of the church and its practices. Through his efforts, he renewed missionary efforts further spreading Catholicism outside the region. Missionaries such as Augustine of Canterbury, Ansgar, and Saint Boniface helped spread Catholic doctrine to the Anglo-Saxons, the barbarians who had occupied most of the western settlements.
In 664 AD, the "Synod of Whitby" merged the Celtic churches of Britain into Catholicism. Missionary progress and religious influence certainly was on the "up and up" for the Catholic religion, until the beginning of the 6th century when Muslims began swiftly conquering the region. (We will divulge into the Muslim religion in the next series "The History of Islam".)
By 787 AD, many conflicts in the scattered doctrinal teachings of Catholicism began to surface, and in 787 AD, the Second Council of Nicaea convened. One such dilemma among practicing Catholics was the use of images in religious practices. The Second Nicaea council ruled in favor of the use of icons, but the debate continued. So much so, that the region eventually split-in-two primarily because of the issue of icon use. (And you wonder where the Protestant churches got the idea of church denominations. Small interpreted deviations in doctrine leading to separation within the church... Most of the the church doctrine that was accepted, was accepted to appease the majority of the people simply to maintain their allegiance to the Papal throne and therefore to continue the exertion of control.)
The iconodules (supporters of icon use) had the support of most of the Byzantine emperors. This resulted in the alliance between the Pope and the Franks. Consequently, this further divided the region into papal states.
In 800 AD, The Frankish King Charlemagne was crowned the emperor of the West. During this time, Eastern and Western Christendom grew further apart. Disputes and disagreements commenced between both regions, and escalated as time progressed.
In 1054 AD, the disputes on particular jurisdictions between both East and West regions eventually resulted in the Pope and the Patriarch excommunicating one another. Considered the East-West schism, because of these actions, the East developed into the Eastern Orthodox Church and out of the West, the Catholic church was firmly established.
In 1059 AD, the college of Cardinals was developed to supposedly keep Nobility and Emperor interference from influencing papal elections.
In 1066, William the Conqueror overtook England and took the right to privately own land away from the people.
In 1095 AD, Pope Urban II spoke of the First Crusade at the Council of Clarmont, which later became known as the manuscript of illumination. The Muslim invasions were thriving and at Byzantine emperor Alexius I request, Pope Urban launched the First Crusade in an effort to return the Holy Land to Christian control.
During the following few centuries, several factions of ordered knights developed among the crusades including the Hospitallers, the Teutonic Knights, and the controversial Knights Templar.
The Templars started their order out of a desire to protect travelers on trade routes through the region but developed into noted creditors and bankers. They continued as the Knights Templar until the early 1300's, when they were supposidly wiped out by King Phillip IV of France who was in debt to the order of knights.
(Just as the Roman empire developed into the Catholic church, the Templars never actually disbanded... they went underground and re-emerged as the Rosicrucians, eventually incorporating their gnostic dogma and effectively hi-jacking the Freemasons guild in the 1600's. Soon to follow.....the establishment of the Luciferian Illuminati in the late 1700's. More on this later.)
Up until 1122 AD, it was hotly debated as to the dominance over the church by the emperor or the pope. This led to what is known as the Concordat of Worms, where it was agreed that bishops would be selected according to church law.
Catharism also emerged during the 12th century, whose doctrine included marriage prohibition, encouragement of suicide and merged asceticism with immorality. (wikipedia describes asceticism as a "life-style characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures [especially sexual activity and consumption of alcohol] often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals.").
In 1199 AD, King John of England acknowledging the country's bankrupt economy, declared the Law of Mortmain. This law did not allow citizens in England to pass the land they lived on to the church or anyone else without permission from the King. (Property rights had mostly been removed by the King more than a century earlier.) Pope Innocent III did not like this, as England had acquired an immense amount of debt to the Vatican.
In 1205 AD, King John further defied the Pope's authority and following the death of Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Walker, King John refused the appointment of Stephen Langton as Hubert's successor. The Vatican, through the college of Cardinals, had chosen Langton as the Archbishop of Canterbury. This position was the ruling authority in England on behalf of Papal Rome. Remember, it was the Concordat of Worms agreement of 1122 that allowed the college of cardinals of the Catholic church to be the legal authority in the appointment of bishops.
In 1208 AD, England was placed under interdict (prohibition) and King John was excommunicated. In an attempt to regain his stature, King John groveled before the Pope and returned the title of the kingdoms of England and Ireland back to the Pope as vassals, swearing unwavering submission and loyalty to the Pope.
Ironically, in the same year, a papal legate (basically a legate is an ambassador to the Pope, addressing political issues to foreign governments on his behalf) was put to death by the Cathars and Pope Innocent III declared the Albigensian Crusade. The first inquisition was then instituted to root out and destroy the remaining Cathars. This was to be the beginning of many horrific inquisitions that would follow in an attempt to purge and purify the souls of so called "heretics".
In July of 1213 AD, King John was absolved of excommunication by acknowledging Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. In October of that year, King John and the Pope signed a treaty, effectively ratifying the surrender of his kingdoms to the Pope, as Vicar of Christ who claimed ownership of everything and everyone on earth as tradition.
Understand that this treaty between England and Papal Rome has always stood and has never been denounced on behalf of the Catholic church. Therefore, all treaties or declarations of separation from Britain since 1213 AD (i.e. the Magna Carta and yes, our very own Declaration of Independence) are null and void!! And... any subsequent British colonies (i.e. The United States, Australia etc.) according to the treaty of 1213 AD, are property of the Pope of the Roman Catholic church on behalf of our lord Jesus Christ!!
As long as there are heirs on both sides of this contract, it remains legally binding!
(I would like to thank Ron
To Be Continued...
