Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
The church also entered into a long period of missionary activity and expansion
among the former barbarian tribes. Catholicism spread among the Germanic
peoples (initially in competition with Arianism), the Celtic and Slavic peoples, the
Hungarians and the Scandinavian and Baltic peoples.
Around 500, monasticism became a powerful force throughout Europe, and gave
rise to many early centers of learning, most famously in Ireland, Scotland and Gaul,
contributing to the Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century.
From the 7th century onwards, Islam conquered the Christian lands of the Middle
East, North Africa and much of Spain, resulting in oppression of Christianity and
numerous military struggles, including the Crusades, the Spanish Reconquista and
wars against the Turks.
The Middle Ages brought about major changes within the church. Pope Gregory the
Great dramatically reformed ecclesiastical structure and administration.
In the early 8th century, iconoclasm became a divisive issue. In the early 10th
century, western monasticism was further rejuvenated through the leadership of the
great Benedictine monastery of Cluny.
3.3 High and Late Middle Ages