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(intense orchestra theme music)
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(seagulls chirping)
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I'm Christopher Clark, Cambridge Historian.
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I was born in Australia.
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For Europeans that's practically the other end of the world.
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But the European continent and its incredible diversity
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always fascinated me.
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Even in the far off country where I grew up
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I was always aware that so much of our world
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has its roots in Europe and modern Europe
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is one of the greatest achievements in human history.
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I want to share the grand saga of this continent.
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And in the process I hope to rediscover
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its wonders for myself.
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(intense music)
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(indistinct yelling)
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This doesn't look European at all you might say
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but there's also an Oriental Europe
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and that's what I'm looking for here in Istanbul.
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Istanbul is the only major city in the world
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that straddles two continents.
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The European and the Asian on which I'm standing here.
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And between them, the Bosporus.
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One of the world's most strategically sensitive waterways.
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The geography is straightforward enough.
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But where Europe begins and where it ends
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is also a question of religion.
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Today it's fashionable to define Europe
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is terms of a Western Judeo-Christian tradition.
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And yet the origins of this tradition lie outside Europe.
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In the Middle East, in Palestine, Syria.
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Mesopotamia and Egypt.
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And Paul, the most important of
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the early Christian missionaries, came
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from Tassels in today's Turkey.
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And this place too, Constantinople.
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Today Istanbul, once shaped the Christian culture of Europe.
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I'm in Istanbul in the Hagia Sophia.
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The Church of Holy Wisdom that has stood
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on this spot for 1,500 years.
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Before the construction of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome
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this was the largest Christian church in the world
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and Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
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The cultural heart of Europe.
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When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453
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the Hagia Sophia became a mosque.
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But the 11th century mosaics still remain
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as a testimony to the era of Christendom.
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Today this building is mainly a museum
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although parts of it are once again in use as a mosque.
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In this place we can clearly see
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how similar these religions actually are
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and which sources they draw from.
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Nowhere else with the power of the Roman Emperors
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and the authority of the Christian Church
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has tightly intertwined as in this immense structure.
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When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453
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Sultan Mehmed the Second marked the victory
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by riding into the church and conducting
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the Muslim Friday prayer.
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The Hagia Sophia became a mosque
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and it remained one until 1935
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when it was redesignated as a museum.
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But today, things are changing.
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The call to prayer of the muezzin.
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The ganderings out from the four minarets
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and an Imam has recently been appointed.
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(footsteps clicking)
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Important historical buildings like this one
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have always been put to political use
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and that instrumentalization continues today.
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The central themes of the Mosaic Bible
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and the Christian New Testament
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can nearly all be traced back to sources
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in Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and the Levant.
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Moses 10 Commandments for example probably
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have their origins in ethical injunctions
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he encountered in Egypt.
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And the notion that the soul is immortal
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and that the Divine Judgment awaits the dead
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could also be found in the kingdom of the Pharaohs.
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Christianity, that central strand of
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the continent's history, was not a European invention.
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What gave Christianity the power to
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unite Europe over and over again?
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Part of the answer can be found in the New Testament.
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In the book known as "Apostles".
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Having once himself mercilessly persecuted
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the Christians, Paul, a Greek Jew from Tassels
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becomes a fervent believer in the teachings of Christ.
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"Forgiveness and benevolence are the key
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to the kingdom of heaven," he preaches.
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Just as Jesus revealed.
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He presses against the prevailing mentality of the time.
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He favors forgiveness over condemnation.
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Mercy over revenge.
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His message is that God is there for everyone.
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Even the poor and downtrodden.
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And Paul practices what he preaches.
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On his journeys, he leads by example
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standing up for the weak.
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(crowd yelling)
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Paul traveled many thousands of kilometers
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on roads like these.
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All were often on rough terrain or even by boat.
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And in the process he laid the foundations
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for a global church, because Paul's Christianity
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was an offer to everyone.
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Initially to be sure it was above all
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the poor and the weak who responded to his call.
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But the brothers and the sisters
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in the faith stuck together.
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Some were even prepared to die for their religion.
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An active witness that was not lost
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on all of their contemporaries.
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What began as a movement of underdogs
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is today with 2.3 billion members
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the largest faith community in the world.
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But the rise of Christianity doesn't begin in Jerusalem.
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It starts in York, England.
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This is where Constantine the Great
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is name "Roman Emperor" in the year 306.
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Or rather "Quarter Emperor".
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At this point the empire is divided
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up between four emperors.
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They don't rule from Rome but from
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modern day Milan, Trier, Sirmium, and Izmit.
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Why is it Constantine of all people
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who helps Christianity become an established major religion?
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Where is my mother?
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Over there, my lord.
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[Christopher Clark] "Behind every powerful man
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is a strong woman," they used to say.
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And in such cases, a mother can be especially influential.
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Helena, Constantine's mother, is a fine example.
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While Constantine primarily views Christianity
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as a means to power, Helena is baptized.
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She is a true believer in the superiority
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of the Christian God.
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It is likely Constantine's mother
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who familiarizes the new emperor with the new religion
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ushering in a new era for Europe.
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She would later be canonized by the Church.
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(ethereal music)
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And then before a decisive battle
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legend has it that Constantine receives a vision.
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God tells him that he should go into battle marked
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with the sign of Christ.
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That it will help him defeat his enemies.
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At the time Constantine was anything
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but a conventional Christian.
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It isn't until many years later just before his death
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that he resolved to be baptized.
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But Constantine extends his autocratic rule
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under the banner of Christianity
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and the Christogram becomes his trademark.
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His struggle for power is the first religious war.
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The first crusade and the beginning of a fateful alliance
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between the Church and the State
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that will last into Europe's modern era.
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At the Battle of the Milvian Bridge
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as depicted by Renaissance painter Raphael
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Constantine the First defeats his rival Maxentius
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to become sole ruler.
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He believes that God has granted him this victory
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and in gratitude he launches the process
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of Christianizing the Roman Empire.
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Constantine celebrates his victory over his rivals
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with a triumphal procession in the year 312.
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Like Caesar, who saw himself as a demigod
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Constantine parades towards the Temple of Jupiter
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but under a Christian banner.
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However unlike his hero, Constantine symbolically
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turns around when he's halfway to the temple.
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Halt!
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(crowd cheering)
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Turn around.
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But, but my emperor.
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Turn around.
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Now.
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The crowd isn't expecting this and
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they boo him as he rides away.
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It's a good visual representation
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of what would come to be called "The Constantinian Shift".
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Christianity is becoming more and more influential
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and half a century later, it'll become
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the official religion.
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But what were the reasons for the success of Christianity?
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Well, first there's the fact that the alliance of the Church
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with the powerful Roman Imperial State
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greatly increased its appeal.
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The Church was open to anyone who wanted to join.
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This had never been the case with the Jews.
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Then there was the Christian belief in deliverance
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and salvation in the hereafter.
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Death was no longer final.
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For those who'd endured a great deal
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of suffering in their lives, this was
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a powerful and attractive argument.
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It seemed that what Jesus had promised them
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was something that many heathen gods
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they'd worshiped up 'til now simply couldn't offer.
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The Christian Church could even forgive sins
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in the name of Jesus.
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Something that would've seemed very strange
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to the Apostle Paul.
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According to the old Jewish tradition
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the forgiveness of sins was something reserved
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to God and the Last Judgment.
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The emperor commissions the construction
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of the Arch of Constantine in Rome
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to mark this major victory.
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It's a symbol of his claim to power.
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Constantine adorned his claim to power
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with Christian symbols, portraying the events
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and decisions of his reign as expressions of God's will.
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It's an invincible combination.
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We can see here the roots of the religiously
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sanctioned violence that in later centuries
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would scar the history of Europe and its global expansion.
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(reflective music)
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In the year 324, Constantine the Great turns
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his back on Rome forever.
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He heads to the Bosphorus to Byzantium
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where he constructs his new capital Constantinople
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today known as Istanbul.
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It becomes the center of Christian culture
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outshining even Rome.
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Where today the skyline is dominated by minarets
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Constantine and his successors built churches.
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He wanted the Christ Pantocrator, ruler of the world
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to radiate from this city to the rest of Europe
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as the mosaics and paintings in the Chora church indicate.
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Back then, the actual heart of Christendom
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was not in Rome, but in the East of Europe.
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But what became of Rome?
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That eternal city where everything supposedly began
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ravaged by the raids of dramatic tribes
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from the Fifth century onwards.
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And Rome, the former world metropolis
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fell into decline and decay.
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Ruins everywhere.
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What didn't decline with ancient Rome
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was Roman Christianity.
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The Germanic tribal leaders accepted and adopted the faith
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albeit in the somewhat simplified form.
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And so the Germans in Rome became Roman Christians
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and thereby heirs to the Roman Imperial heritage.
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A profound rupture and at the same time a deep continuity.
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In the history of Europe, this is not a contradiction.
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And at the other end of the continent
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far to the west, it's Ireland of all places.
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That emerald isle at the outer edge of Europe
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never conquered by the Romans that becomes
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one of the most important starting points
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for the process of Christianization.
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Iris missionaries begin to find their way to other countries
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as early as the Sixth century.
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But why does it all start in Ireland.
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Here in Ireland is where Christianity
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and the nature worshiping faith of the Celts meet.
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The Book of Kells, a true treasure of the middle ages
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is a good example of the way these
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two religions crossed paths.
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Filled with images of nature, it blends
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traditional Celtic motifs with Christian symbols.
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It was this distinctive mix, the simplicity
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and the credibility of a religion
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that had not yet drifted too far from its heathen roots
270
00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,840
that gave Irish Christianity its special appeal.
271
00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:46,820
And Irish monasteries were special
272
00:13:46,820 --> 00:13:48,675
in another respect as well.
273
00:13:48,675 --> 00:13:50,890
They were open to young people who wish to study
274
00:13:50,890 --> 00:13:53,720
without necessarily becoming monks or nuns.
275
00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,460
And this open traffic between the cloister
276
00:13:56,460 --> 00:14:00,100
and the world beyond was another important feature
277
00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:02,890
of early Irish Christianity.
278
00:14:02,890 --> 00:14:04,533
It all starts in the Fourth century
279
00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,070
with a monk named Patrick, the son
280
00:14:15,070 --> 00:14:17,440
of a Roman officer from Brittania.
281
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,430
He is considered the Apostle of Ireland
282
00:14:19,430 --> 00:14:21,483
at the time Ireland is still a land of druids and pagans.
283
00:14:21,483 --> 00:14:25,523
According to legend, Patrick starts a fire
284
00:14:29,850 --> 00:14:32,950
on the Hill of Slane at Easter in the year 433.
285
00:14:32,950 --> 00:14:37,900
The fire is larger and burns longer
286
00:14:37,900 --> 00:14:40,670
than the ones set by his pagan opponents
287
00:14:40,670 --> 00:14:42,627
on the Hill of Tara.
288
00:14:42,627 --> 00:14:44,420
An ancient Celtic ritual site across the valley.
289
00:14:44,420 --> 00:14:47,570
And that is Patrick's strategy in a nutshell.
290
00:14:47,570 --> 00:14:50,850
Ireland's patron Saint wins people over
291
00:14:50,850 --> 00:14:53,700
with simple signs and symbols, feeding
292
00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:56,540
their spiritual hunger and helping
293
00:14:56,540 --> 00:14:58,580
them to become developed Christians.
294
00:14:58,580 --> 00:15:00,633
He explained the Trinity for example
295
00:15:02,610 --> 00:15:05,120
with the help of a clover leaf.
296
00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,090
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
297
00:15:07,090 --> 00:15:10,680
Today the clover leaf is the national symbol of the Irish.
298
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,920
An icon, like Saint Patrick himself.
299
00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,293
Monasteries like Clonmacnoise served as an incubator
300
00:15:19,350 --> 00:15:22,660
for this fledgling religious faith in Ireland.
301
00:15:22,660 --> 00:15:25,500
Saint Patrick was clever enough
302
00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:27,050
not to contradict the prevailing social order
303
00:15:27,050 --> 00:15:29,490
or act against the clans in the country.
304
00:15:29,490 --> 00:15:31,770
He imported the Roman alphabet and helped to ensure
305
00:15:31,770 --> 00:15:34,980
that the Celtic traditions were recorded in writing.
306
00:15:34,980 --> 00:15:37,763
In order to understand the expansiveness
307
00:15:39,150 --> 00:15:41,690
of Irish religion, the scope of its influence
308
00:15:41,690 --> 00:15:44,490
across Western Europe, we need to remember
309
00:15:44,490 --> 00:15:46,630
another peculiarity of the Irish monks.
310
00:15:46,630 --> 00:15:49,180
Namely the.
311
00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:50,013
(foreign language)
312
00:15:50,013 --> 00:15:51,700
The Pilgrimage for Christ.
313
00:15:51,700 --> 00:15:53,640
Which was not a journey to a specific sacred location
314
00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,813
but a protracted exile of wandering
315
00:15:56,813 --> 00:16:00,081
in which the monks took upon themselves
316
00:16:00,081 --> 00:16:02,380
the risks and privations of early medieval travel
317
00:16:02,380 --> 00:16:05,196
as a kind of penance.
318
00:16:05,196 --> 00:16:06,980
A form of martyrdom.
319
00:16:06,980 --> 00:16:08,510
Far from their beloved country, their language
320
00:16:08,510 --> 00:16:11,076
and their kinship groups, a form of ascetic piety.
321
00:16:11,076 --> 00:16:15,020
Without which the course of the spread
322
00:16:15,020 --> 00:16:17,440
of Christianity in Europe might have been very different.
323
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,290
In the Sixth century, the monks Columbanus
324
00:16:21,930 --> 00:16:25,060
and Gallus gather 10 of their religious brothers
325
00:16:25,060 --> 00:16:27,800
around them in remembrance of the 12 Apostles.
326
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,850
The walking stick, the symbol of Pilgrims
327
00:16:30,850 --> 00:16:33,430
becomes their trademark.
328
00:16:33,430 --> 00:16:35,150
They set out to convert their European neighbors
329
00:16:35,150 --> 00:16:37,710
on the continent.
330
00:16:37,710 --> 00:16:38,770
For them, all of life is a pilgrimage.
331
00:16:38,770 --> 00:16:41,253
The Irish monks bring Christianity
332
00:16:45,810 --> 00:16:47,860
to Gallia, modern day Switzerland.
333
00:16:47,860 --> 00:16:50,800
To Italy.
334
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:51,750
To Galicia.
335
00:16:51,750 --> 00:16:52,600
And later to places as far off as Iceland.
336
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,870
Monasteries are established throughout the continent
337
00:16:55,870 --> 00:16:58,360
creating a tight knit Christian network.
338
00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,883
Columbanus is responsible for the establishment
339
00:17:08,603 --> 00:17:11,100
of over 300 monasteries in the Frankish Empire alone.
340
00:17:11,100 --> 00:17:15,070
The missionary is memorialized in Luxeuil
341
00:17:15,070 --> 00:17:18,780
in the Vosges region of France.
342
00:17:18,780 --> 00:17:20,983
When Columbinus and Gallus encounter pagan ritual sites
343
00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:27,200
their radical side rears its head.
344
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:29,540
They invoke the Old Testament which reads
345
00:17:29,540 --> 00:17:32,117
"You must tear down their pagan altars
346
00:17:32,117 --> 00:17:34,910
and shatter their sacred pillars."
347
00:17:34,910 --> 00:17:37,057
There is much for us to do here, Gallus.
348
00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,663
In the name of God.
349
00:17:43,410 --> 00:17:44,473
Our Holy Father.
350
00:17:46,070 --> 00:17:47,293
(grunts)
351
00:17:50,071 --> 00:17:51,301
(crashing)
352
00:17:51,301 --> 00:17:53,551
(panting)
353
00:17:57,627 --> 00:17:59,794
(bell chiming)
354
00:18:13,831 --> 00:18:15,480
The missionary efforts of the Irish monks
355
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,560
have a lasting effect.
356
00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:19,030
In fact, Columbanus and Gallus were the ones
357
00:18:19,030 --> 00:18:21,340
who brought church bells to the continent
358
00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:23,810
which still call the faithful to worship today.
359
00:18:23,810 --> 00:18:26,283
Welcome.
360
00:18:29,260 --> 00:18:30,360
And growing numbers of pagans to convert to Christianity.
361
00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:33,623
During the migration period and the various invasions
362
00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,440
of the Roman Empire, many state structures collapsed.
363
00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:42,140
The only force that was still capable of creating
364
00:18:42,140 --> 00:18:44,860
and maintaining a certain degree of order was Christianity.
365
00:18:44,860 --> 00:18:48,490
It wasn't just a matter of belief.
366
00:18:48,490 --> 00:18:50,359
The Church became an organizing force
367
00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,290
in the life of the people.
368
00:18:53,290 --> 00:18:54,660
Steadily expanding its power and its moral authority.
369
00:18:54,660 --> 00:18:58,380
Between the Sixth and the 10th centuries
370
00:18:58,380 --> 00:19:00,690
this melding of Roman and Germanic elements
371
00:19:00,690 --> 00:19:03,458
created something entirely new.
372
00:19:03,458 --> 00:19:05,963
Monasteries now become the nucleus
373
00:19:07,730 --> 00:19:10,180
of Christian culture in Europe.
374
00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:12,320
Gallus settles near Lake Constance
375
00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,280
in modern day Switzerland.
376
00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:15,810
The city of St. Gallen is named after him.
377
00:19:15,810 --> 00:19:18,690
Here hundreds of years later, a monastery
378
00:19:18,690 --> 00:19:21,660
is constructed over his grave.
379
00:19:21,660 --> 00:19:23,830
Today, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site.
380
00:19:23,830 --> 00:19:26,713
And the monastery shape more than just people's faith.
381
00:19:30,990 --> 00:19:34,810
Their libraries are the new centers of knowledge in Europe.
382
00:19:34,810 --> 00:19:38,200
The ancient wisdom of the Greeks and Romans
383
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,410
is also preserved here, although the prevailing mindset
384
00:19:40,410 --> 00:19:43,830
of the era would label its authors "pagans".
385
00:19:43,830 --> 00:19:46,940
The old works are carried over into a new age.
386
00:19:46,940 --> 00:19:50,323
It was like a salvage operation for World Cultural Heritage.
387
00:19:56,510 --> 00:20:00,950
Respect for the traditions and knowledge
388
00:20:00,950 --> 00:20:03,040
of previous generations would become
389
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,070
a defining characteristic of European culture.
390
00:20:05,070 --> 00:20:07,783
This is how monasteries and churches become
391
00:20:10,620 --> 00:20:13,180
the focal points of European civilization
392
00:20:13,180 --> 00:20:15,550
in the Middle Ages, and because they're
393
00:20:15,550 --> 00:20:17,381
at the center of cities and villages on the continent
394
00:20:17,381 --> 00:20:20,540
they also shape the landscape.
395
00:20:20,540 --> 00:20:22,800
They may come in different shapes and sizes
396
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,230
but church spires are always the defining feature of Europe.
397
00:20:25,230 --> 00:20:29,113
Even today the influence of Christianity
398
00:20:40,890 --> 00:20:43,330
can be felt throughout Europe, including here in Reims.
399
00:20:43,330 --> 00:20:46,080
(bell chiming)
400
00:20:48,646 --> 00:20:51,130
Over the centuries, so many creations
401
00:20:51,130 --> 00:20:53,101
from music and literature to the incredible architecture
402
00:20:53,101 --> 00:20:56,620
of the churches, were inspired by a desire to praise God.
403
00:20:56,620 --> 00:21:00,673
Reims, with its famous cathedral
404
00:21:06,483 --> 00:21:09,270
could be called the birth place of a Christian Europe.
405
00:21:09,270 --> 00:21:12,370
This is where Clovis, King of the Franks
406
00:21:12,370 --> 00:21:14,630
and founder of Merovingian Dynasty
407
00:21:14,630 --> 00:21:17,090
was baptized as a reward for defeating
408
00:21:17,090 --> 00:21:19,740
the Tribe of the Alemanni.
409
00:21:19,740 --> 00:21:21,900
Legend has it that during the decisive battle
410
00:21:21,900 --> 00:21:24,140
he cried out, "Jesus Christ, if You give me victory
411
00:21:24,140 --> 00:21:28,380
over these enemies I will believe
412
00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:30,420
in You and will be baptized in Your Name."
413
00:21:30,420 --> 00:21:33,610
Very much like Emperor Constantine in ancient Rome.
414
00:21:33,610 --> 00:21:36,806
Another case of the powerful falling back
415
00:21:36,806 --> 00:21:39,930
on religion for support.
416
00:21:39,930 --> 00:21:42,060
Clovis allied himself with the influential
417
00:21:42,060 --> 00:21:44,330
Roman Catholic Church, a decisive step
418
00:21:44,330 --> 00:21:47,125
that enabled the Frankish rulers over time
419
00:21:47,125 --> 00:21:49,937
to merge with their Gallo-Roman subjects.
420
00:21:49,937 --> 00:21:52,825
(intense music)
421
00:21:52,825 --> 00:21:55,492
This solemn baptism on Christmas day in the year 500
422
00:22:02,940 --> 00:22:07,240
left a lasting impression on the people of the day.
423
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,330
3,000 warriors decided to be baptized alongside Clovis
424
00:22:10,330 --> 00:22:15,017
prefiguring the eventual conversion
425
00:22:15,017 --> 00:22:17,530
of the entire Frankish people to the Christian faith.
426
00:22:17,530 --> 00:22:20,363
Clovis's conversion laid the spiritual foundations
427
00:22:25,896 --> 00:22:28,665
for Charlemagne's immense empire.
428
00:22:28,665 --> 00:22:31,860
And for a Christian Europe.
429
00:22:31,860 --> 00:22:33,363
Naturally, Clovis's successors also expand
430
00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:37,950
their power as they spread the Christian religion.
431
00:22:37,950 --> 00:22:40,740
Charlemagne is particularly ruthless.
432
00:22:40,740 --> 00:22:43,080
He ignores the Christian method show brotherly love
433
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,130
deciding to focus instead on conversion by the sword.
434
00:22:46,130 --> 00:22:49,760
Thousands die as a result.
435
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:51,900
The Saxons suffer most for their resistance to Charlemagne
436
00:22:51,900 --> 00:22:55,270
who uses extreme violence to bring them to heel.
437
00:22:55,270 --> 00:22:58,300
They are forced to convert to Christianity.
438
00:22:58,300 --> 00:23:00,563
But for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire
439
00:23:02,420 --> 00:23:05,386
broad swathes of Western Europe are unified
440
00:23:05,386 --> 00:23:08,720
and even share the same faith.
441
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,000
The Frankish Empire will later become France, Germany
442
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,530
and the Benelux countries.
443
00:23:14,530 --> 00:23:16,110
The core countries of the modern day European Union.
444
00:23:16,110 --> 00:23:19,663
EU officials seem to have learned
445
00:23:21,297 --> 00:23:24,060
a thing or two from Charlemagne.
446
00:23:24,060 --> 00:23:26,020
The emperor enacted Europe's first agricultural regulations
447
00:23:26,020 --> 00:23:29,800
which dictated the medicinal and cropped plants
448
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,330
that could be found in his empire
449
00:23:32,330 --> 00:23:34,170
as well as the standards of quality
450
00:23:34,170 --> 00:23:35,850
those plants had to meet.
451
00:23:35,850 --> 00:23:37,420
These regulations were strictly enforced
452
00:23:37,420 --> 00:23:39,720
the empire's markets.
453
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,200
There were also standardized units
454
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:42,910
of weight and a standard currency.
455
00:23:42,910 --> 00:23:45,490
The denarius, or Charlemagne penny.
456
00:23:45,490 --> 00:23:48,453
How much for all?
457
00:23:50,210 --> 00:23:51,930
Just one denarius.
458
00:23:51,930 --> 00:23:54,143
The denarius is used as currency in France
459
00:23:58,350 --> 00:24:01,200
and beyond, even in England.
460
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,755
Your padden-economic and monitor union of sorts.
461
00:24:03,755 --> 00:24:07,680
1,200 years before the introduction of the euro.
462
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,813
It's no wonder that Charlemagne is celebrated
463
00:24:13,310 --> 00:24:15,640
as the Father of Europe today.
464
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,680
His capitol Aachen is considered the Rome of the North.
465
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,445
Art and culture reach a new peak under Charlemagne
466
00:24:21,445 --> 00:24:25,820
earning this era the name "Carolingian Renaissance".
467
00:24:25,820 --> 00:24:30,070
Charlemagne brings scholars from
468
00:24:30,070 --> 00:24:32,030
all over Europe to his court.
469
00:24:32,030 --> 00:24:33,710
And his court's school becomes the heart
470
00:24:33,710 --> 00:24:36,120
of education on the continent, bringing forth
471
00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,530
new ideas and poetry, theology, and historiography.
472
00:24:38,530 --> 00:24:42,640
A collective memory is born.
473
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,840
Charlemagne makes the ancient world
474
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,862
accessible to the Germanic peoples.
475
00:24:46,862 --> 00:24:49,303
The writing system also develops during this period.
476
00:24:50,590 --> 00:24:53,460
The Carolingian minuscule forms the basis
477
00:24:53,460 --> 00:24:56,210
for the times new Roman font we still use today.
478
00:24:56,210 --> 00:24:59,943
Charlemagne's power politics with all
479
00:25:06,140 --> 00:25:08,420
the associated crusades and conquests
480
00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:11,076
help the Frankish Empire become a global power.
481
00:25:11,076 --> 00:25:14,400
The likes of which haven't been seen
482
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,270
since the fall of Western Rome.
483
00:25:16,270 --> 00:25:18,013
Aachen, with its magnificent imperial palace
484
00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,530
was Charlemagne's main place of residence
485
00:25:26,530 --> 00:25:28,642
but the emperor was always on the move
486
00:25:28,642 --> 00:25:31,800
keeping a firm grip on the far flung
487
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,140
territories of his empire.
488
00:25:34,140 --> 00:25:35,543
Whenever he was home he enjoyed
489
00:25:37,710 --> 00:25:39,600
the local culture and luxuries including the hot springs.
490
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:43,570
He specifically built his imperial palace
491
00:25:43,570 --> 00:25:46,060
across from a Roman bath.
492
00:25:46,060 --> 00:25:48,316
The foundation and scale of today's Aachen city hall
493
00:25:48,316 --> 00:25:52,590
are identical to the former royal residence.
494
00:25:52,590 --> 00:25:55,384
This is where all the royal feasts
495
00:25:55,384 --> 00:25:58,430
and coronations were held.
496
00:25:58,430 --> 00:25:59,993
The octagonal Aachen Cathedral
497
00:26:02,140 --> 00:26:04,260
is another famous Carolingian landmark.
498
00:26:04,260 --> 00:26:07,060
The architects of the age clearly drew
499
00:26:07,060 --> 00:26:09,070
on Byzantine art in their designs.
500
00:26:09,070 --> 00:26:11,240
The focal point is the marble throne.
501
00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,680
The ruler who sits here has nothing
502
00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,030
above him but the heavens.
503
00:26:17,030 --> 00:26:18,690
And below him are his people.
504
00:26:18,690 --> 00:26:20,623
But Charlemagne wants to be more
505
00:26:25,830 --> 00:26:27,610
than just King of the Franks.
506
00:26:27,610 --> 00:26:29,710
He has bigger plans.
507
00:26:29,710 --> 00:26:31,230
He hopes to secure lasting power for the Frankish people.
508
00:26:31,230 --> 00:26:34,900
In autumn of the year 800, he crosses the Alps to Rome
509
00:26:34,900 --> 00:26:38,470
with a large procession in tow.
510
00:26:38,470 --> 00:26:40,803
His destination is Old Saint Peter's Basilica
511
00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:50,960
which once stood where the dome of the Cathedral
512
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,820
rises above the city today.
513
00:26:53,820 --> 00:26:55,583
The Pope would crown him Emperor here on Christmas day.
514
00:26:57,310 --> 00:27:00,680
A spectacle of historic proportions.
515
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,063
Charlemagne wears the crimson robes
516
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,710
of the ancient Roman Emperors.
517
00:27:08,710 --> 00:27:10,830
A ruler of a Germanic Tribe takes up
518
00:27:10,830 --> 00:27:13,130
the mantle of the Roman rulers
519
00:27:13,130 --> 00:27:15,050
and becomes the founder of the Western
520
00:27:15,050 --> 00:27:17,240
European medieval empire.
521
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,182
The emperor swears an oath to restore the Roman Empire
522
00:27:19,182 --> 00:27:22,854
and to protect the holy Roman Church.
523
00:27:22,854 --> 00:27:26,140
In the centuries to come, the holy Roman Emperors
524
00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:29,279
will continue to be crowned here.
525
00:27:29,279 --> 00:27:31,293
But the Franks are not the only ones spreading
526
00:27:36,850 --> 00:27:39,370
their faith at Swordpoint across Europe.
527
00:27:39,370 --> 00:27:41,950
The Christian West was on the rise in the middle ages
528
00:27:41,950 --> 00:27:44,410
but so was the Islamic West.
529
00:27:44,410 --> 00:27:47,840
In April 711, the Muslim Wars of North Africa
530
00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:52,267
land on the southern tip of Spain.
531
00:27:52,267 --> 00:27:55,083
Within seven years, they've conquered almost
532
00:27:56,620 --> 00:27:59,460
the entire Iberian Peninsula.
533
00:27:59,460 --> 00:28:02,240
The invaders crossed the Pyrenees
534
00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,396
and advanced deep into France reaching as far as Tours.
535
00:28:04,396 --> 00:28:09,396
The Franks call on the Europeans
536
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,170
to fight back and stop the invaders.
537
00:28:14,170 --> 00:28:17,080
Charles Martel, an experienced strategist
538
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,060
serves as the military leader of
539
00:28:20,060 --> 00:28:21,690
the Franks, Lombards, and Aachentanians.
540
00:28:21,690 --> 00:28:24,126
(foreboding music)
541
00:28:24,126 --> 00:28:27,043
The Arab warriors are feared.
542
00:28:31,510 --> 00:28:33,750
In recent decades, they have conquered
543
00:28:33,750 --> 00:28:35,590
the Middle Eastern North Africa
544
00:28:35,590 --> 00:28:37,440
but Charles Martel's men have sworn
545
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:38,944
to hold the line at all costs.
546
00:28:38,944 --> 00:28:41,460
They repel the invaders and the battle
547
00:28:41,460 --> 00:28:43,670
is later exhorted as a fight for Europe itself.
548
00:28:43,670 --> 00:28:46,663
On the Iberian Peninsula, the Moors hold their ground
549
00:28:57,590 --> 00:29:01,450
and establish the Islamic Empire of Al Andalus
550
00:29:01,450 --> 00:29:04,880
which would shape the southwest of Europe
551
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:06,790
for early 800 years.
552
00:29:06,790 --> 00:29:08,673
As the capital city, Quaterbore begins to expand.
553
00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,480
By the end of the millennium, this home
554
00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,100
of the Caliphs is the most important metropolis
555
00:29:16,100 --> 00:29:18,580
in the Western World.
556
00:29:18,580 --> 00:29:19,413
A mega city with half a million residents.
557
00:29:19,413 --> 00:29:22,593
The mass the Moors construct on the ruins
558
00:29:24,970 --> 00:29:27,000
of a Roman temple and a Christian church
559
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,912
is the largest house of worship in the world at the time.
560
00:29:28,912 --> 00:29:32,910
Today, it's a Christian cathedral once again.
561
00:29:32,910 --> 00:29:35,513
That's Europe for you.
562
00:29:36,950 --> 00:29:38,200
Always this back and forth.
563
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:40,363
Does Islam belong in Europe?
564
00:29:42,140 --> 00:29:44,470
Well it's certainly part of the European continent.
565
00:29:44,470 --> 00:29:47,570
And at times it's been a deeply important
566
00:29:47,570 --> 00:29:49,930
part of that history.
567
00:29:49,930 --> 00:29:51,370
Islamic medieval Spain became the conduit
568
00:29:51,370 --> 00:29:53,740
between Western Europe and the great academies
569
00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:56,330
of the Middle East.
570
00:29:56,330 --> 00:29:57,590
In centers of learning like Baghdad
571
00:29:57,590 --> 00:29:59,318
Muslim scholars were pushing back
572
00:29:59,318 --> 00:30:01,790
the horizons of knowledge.
573
00:30:01,790 --> 00:30:03,570
It's not just that scholars in
574
00:30:03,570 --> 00:30:04,758
the Arabic tradition translated
575
00:30:04,758 --> 00:30:06,307
and analyzed important works from ancient Greek
576
00:30:06,307 --> 00:30:09,360
and thereby preserved them for the West.
577
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,760
Muslim scientists also engaged in experimental research.
578
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:15,710
Even citing passages in the Koran
579
00:30:15,710 --> 00:30:17,600
that called upon the faithful to observe nature
580
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,720
as a divine sign and to obtain knowledge.
581
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,082
(reflective music)
582
00:30:24,082 --> 00:30:26,999
An Islamic Renaissance began.
583
00:30:37,140 --> 00:30:39,240
Biology, zoology, geography, optometry, medicine.
584
00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:42,910
Astronomy and mathematics all boomed.
585
00:30:42,910 --> 00:30:45,920
And this new knowledge was also taught
586
00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:47,900
in the Muslim universities of Spain
587
00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:50,140
which were attended by Jewish and Catholic students
588
00:30:50,140 --> 00:30:52,900
including the man who would later become
589
00:30:52,900 --> 00:30:55,250
Pope Sylvester the Second.
590
00:30:55,250 --> 00:30:56,873
And this is how the expertise of the Arab world
591
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:02,610
came to the European continent.
592
00:31:02,610 --> 00:31:04,630
For nearly a millennium, Islam was
593
00:31:04,630 --> 00:31:07,120
a culturally decisive force in Europe.
594
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,820
The Alhambra in Granada is an eloquent
595
00:31:09,820 --> 00:31:13,230
expression of that fact.
596
00:31:13,230 --> 00:31:14,430
The Caliphs open-minded cosmopolitan attitude
597
00:31:16,660 --> 00:31:19,450
attracts scholars from all over Europe and the Middle East.
598
00:31:19,450 --> 00:31:22,910
And as a result, something incredible happens here
599
00:31:22,910 --> 00:31:25,880
in the south of the continent.
600
00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:27,380
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars
601
00:31:33,850 --> 00:31:36,740
launch what one might call a "joint research project".
602
00:31:36,740 --> 00:31:40,480
Jewish scholars help to translate
603
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:42,610
the ancient writings collected and translated by the Arabs
604
00:31:42,610 --> 00:31:46,110
including works by Aristotle into Latin
605
00:31:46,110 --> 00:31:49,500
making them accessible to Christian Europe
606
00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,900
and preserving them for generations to come.
607
00:31:51,900 --> 00:31:54,513
Even back then it was clear that cooperation
608
00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,719
between the Arabic and Hebraic cultures
609
00:31:58,719 --> 00:32:02,160
could be extremely productive.
610
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,650
It seems that we still have something to learn
611
00:32:04,650 --> 00:32:06,950
from the Golden Age of Isla de Luz.
612
00:32:06,950 --> 00:32:08,813
So Europe definitely benefited from Muslim rule
613
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,560
over the Iberian Peninsula.
614
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:23,010
Of the European zest for research through experimentation
615
00:32:23,010 --> 00:32:26,242
likely had its roots in this era.
616
00:32:26,242 --> 00:32:28,838
But then it all came to a very sudden end.
617
00:32:28,838 --> 00:32:32,992
(creaking)
618
00:32:32,992 --> 00:32:35,242
The Alhambra Granada was the last basting
619
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:39,780
of the Moors in Spain.
620
00:32:39,780 --> 00:32:41,790
In 1492, the last of the Amyas to rule
621
00:32:41,790 --> 00:32:44,830
in this magnificent fortress was obliged
622
00:32:44,830 --> 00:32:47,200
to surrender the key to the Queen of Spain.
623
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,300
Isabella of Castile.
624
00:32:50,300 --> 00:32:51,966
(upbeat music)
625
00:32:51,966 --> 00:32:54,950
The Moors were promised freedom of religion
626
00:32:54,950 --> 00:32:57,510
by the ruling Spaniards, but there's tolerance
627
00:32:57,510 --> 00:33:00,380
were soon replaced by religious zealotry.
628
00:33:00,380 --> 00:33:03,610
The first crusade had sown the spirit of conquest
629
00:33:03,610 --> 00:33:06,750
and persecution throughout Europe.
630
00:33:06,750 --> 00:33:08,513
Pope Urban the Second fired the starting shot
631
00:33:14,610 --> 00:33:17,610
from Clermont in the French Auvergne.
632
00:33:17,610 --> 00:33:20,240
When he convened a center against immorality
633
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,897
and faithlessness and called on the faithful
634
00:33:22,897 --> 00:33:26,290
to arm themselves and travel to Jerusalem.
635
00:33:26,290 --> 00:33:29,980
It had become increasingly difficult to access
636
00:33:29,980 --> 00:33:32,220
the holy sites there.
637
00:33:32,220 --> 00:33:33,531
(foreign language)
638
00:33:33,531 --> 00:33:34,927
"It is God's will," Pope Urban declared
639
00:33:34,927 --> 00:33:37,450
and thousands followed his call.
640
00:33:37,450 --> 00:33:40,010
Nobles, knights, and peasants alike.
641
00:33:40,010 --> 00:33:43,030
All of them were driven by the Pope's promise
642
00:33:43,030 --> 00:33:45,150
of heavenly rewards and the forgiveness of sins.
643
00:33:45,150 --> 00:33:48,263
The slaughter began before the crusaders
644
00:33:50,710 --> 00:33:52,870
had even left Europe.
645
00:33:52,870 --> 00:33:54,404
Among the first victims of the crusades
646
00:33:54,404 --> 00:33:56,550
were the Jews in cities such as Mainz and Speyer
647
00:33:56,550 --> 00:34:00,470
where Jewish life, culture and faith
648
00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:03,130
were an integral part of urban life.
649
00:34:03,130 --> 00:34:05,283
Their neighborhoods and shops helped shape
650
00:34:09,820 --> 00:34:12,340
the face of those cities.
651
00:34:12,340 --> 00:34:13,890
They worked as traders and artisans.
652
00:34:13,890 --> 00:34:16,193
In a sense, the period before the crusades
653
00:34:17,970 --> 00:34:20,075
had been a Golden Age of relatively peaceful coexistence
654
00:34:20,075 --> 00:34:23,690
between Jews and Christians in Western Europe.
655
00:34:23,690 --> 00:34:26,660
The local rulers protected the individual Jewish communities
656
00:34:26,660 --> 00:34:30,080
which had their own administrative structures.
657
00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:32,420
The synagogue was the focal point of community life.
658
00:34:32,420 --> 00:34:35,833
Synagogues were centers of spiritual life and tradition.
659
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:43,760
But now during the Crusades, the Jews were targeted
660
00:34:43,810 --> 00:34:47,267
as the enemies of Christ, the infidels of Europe.
661
00:34:47,267 --> 00:34:51,600
Horrifying pogroms were the result.
662
00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:53,710
Thousands of Jews were murdered or committed suicide.
663
00:34:53,710 --> 00:34:56,920
It was a prefiguration of the antisemitism
664
00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:59,770
of centuries to come and it casts
665
00:34:59,770 --> 00:35:01,860
a long shadow of the European history.
666
00:35:01,860 --> 00:35:03,883
In fact, the primary mission of the Crusaders
667
00:35:08,030 --> 00:35:11,090
was to remove the other so-called "infidels"
668
00:35:11,090 --> 00:35:14,070
who controlled the territory that housed Christ's tomb.
669
00:35:14,070 --> 00:35:18,320
In June 1099 after three years
670
00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:21,620
the Christian armies finally reached their destination.
671
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:25,040
Jerusalem.
672
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:25,873
This city was home to some of the most important
673
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,410
Christian holy places.
674
00:35:29,410 --> 00:35:31,060
In recent years it has been alternatively dominated
675
00:35:31,060 --> 00:35:33,580
by various opposing forces under whose rule
676
00:35:33,580 --> 00:35:36,398
non Muslims have often suffered.
677
00:35:36,398 --> 00:35:39,240
The Crusaders wanted to reclaim Jerusalem for Christianity.
678
00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,220
And what followed was a bloody siege with heavy losses.
679
00:35:43,220 --> 00:35:47,420
The Christian Crusaders were responsible
680
00:35:47,420 --> 00:35:49,400
for the gruesome murders of thousands of Muslims and Jews.
681
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:53,433
They then constructed churches on the ruins
682
00:35:56,100 --> 00:35:59,090
of the destroyed mosques and synagogues.
683
00:35:59,090 --> 00:36:01,223
Sadly the first crusade is only the beginning.
684
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,510
The Europeans would pillage and plunder
685
00:36:06,510 --> 00:36:08,700
the Holy Land four more times.
686
00:36:08,700 --> 00:36:11,360
Jerusalem remains a bone of contention
687
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:13,760
among the three monotheistic world faiths today.
688
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,750
For centuries the Crusades would strain
689
00:36:16,750 --> 00:36:19,610
the relationship between East and West
690
00:36:19,610 --> 00:36:21,629
and between Muslims and Christians.
691
00:36:21,629 --> 00:36:23,673
And then, the pendulum swings in the other direction.
692
00:36:28,090 --> 00:36:32,210
In 1453, Constantinople falls to its enemies.
693
00:36:32,210 --> 00:36:36,300
The Ottomens strike at the heart
694
00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:38,560
of Christianity in the East.
695
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:40,363
(wind blowing)
696
00:36:41,387 --> 00:36:43,970
The city is plundered.
697
00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:46,811
The conquerors advanced all the way to the Hagia Sophia
698
00:36:46,811 --> 00:36:50,080
where many residents have sought refuge.
699
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,700
There is another bloodbath.
700
00:36:52,700 --> 00:36:54,642
(intense music)
701
00:36:54,642 --> 00:36:57,309
But the fall of Constantinople doesn't
702
00:37:07,428 --> 00:37:09,530
mean the end of Christianity in the east of Europe.
703
00:37:09,530 --> 00:37:12,560
The faith had long sense made its way northward
704
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,470
where it found its new center.
705
00:37:15,470 --> 00:37:17,163
I'm on my way to the Kiev Monastery
706
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,480
of Caves founded in 1051.
707
00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,640
It's a place rich in symbolism.
708
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:34,773
The patriarch of Moscow regularly holds church services here
709
00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:40,410
and I'm attending one today.
710
00:37:40,410 --> 00:37:42,320
The piety of the Eastern Orthodox Church
711
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:44,580
is characterized by fixed rituals.
712
00:37:44,580 --> 00:37:47,170
The mass, liturgy, and sacraments cannot be changed.
713
00:37:47,170 --> 00:37:51,110
These believers rejected the Pope and still do so today.
714
00:37:51,110 --> 00:37:55,200
For them, church is of the place
715
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,040
where God resides, but nothing more.
716
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:59,700
There is no organ, just voices raised in song.
717
00:37:59,700 --> 00:38:03,293
Kiev was the first center of Russian Christianity.
718
00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,770
It was known as the "Jerusalem of the East".
719
00:38:08,770 --> 00:38:11,400
Only in the 14th century did Moscow begin to emerge
720
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:14,231
as the religious capital of Orthodox Christendom.
721
00:38:14,231 --> 00:38:17,750
Since the era of Emperor Constantine
722
00:38:17,750 --> 00:38:20,200
Byzantium had been the second Rome.
723
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:23,110
After the conquest of Constantinople
724
00:38:23,110 --> 00:38:24,900
by the Ottomens in the 15th Century
725
00:38:24,900 --> 00:38:27,430
Moscow was hailed as the third.
726
00:38:27,430 --> 00:38:29,451
(foreign language)
727
00:38:29,451 --> 00:38:30,987
"The Third Rome".
728
00:38:30,987 --> 00:38:31,923
Signified not just religious authority
729
00:38:31,923 --> 00:38:34,660
but also imperial power.
730
00:38:34,660 --> 00:38:36,900
The Russian rulers called themselves "czars".
731
00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:40,090
Caesars or emperors.
732
00:38:40,090 --> 00:38:42,160
And in this tradition, they were also defenders
733
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,480
of the Christian faith.
734
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:45,920
They ruled over the Eastern Church
735
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:47,819
which defined itself in opposition
736
00:38:47,819 --> 00:38:50,290
to the Catholic Church of the West.
737
00:38:50,290 --> 00:38:52,158
Both churches continued to vie for supremacy
738
00:38:52,158 --> 00:38:55,260
and the alienation between them
739
00:38:55,260 --> 00:38:57,000
has never entirely been overcome.
740
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,320
This can also be felt in Ukraine which lies
741
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:01,414
on the crossroads between Eastern and Central Europe.
742
00:39:01,414 --> 00:39:06,030
Orthodoxy dominates in the East of the country
743
00:39:06,030 --> 00:39:08,617
that several million Western Ukrainians
744
00:39:08,617 --> 00:39:11,490
view Rome as the center of their faith.
745
00:39:11,490 --> 00:39:13,890
And here again as so often in the history of Europe
746
00:39:13,890 --> 00:39:16,600
we're confronted with the question, "Is Christianity
747
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,326
a unifying bond or a divisive force?"
748
00:39:19,326 --> 00:39:23,567
And what about Western Christianity?
749
00:39:26,510 --> 00:39:28,930
In the 14th century there are two Popes.
750
00:39:28,930 --> 00:39:31,850
One in Rome and one in Auvergne in Southern France.
751
00:39:31,850 --> 00:39:35,290
At one point there are actually three.
752
00:39:35,290 --> 00:39:37,580
They're all fighting over the Holy See.
753
00:39:37,580 --> 00:39:39,880
They seem more interested in wealth and power
754
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,550
than in the salvation of the faithful.
755
00:39:42,550 --> 00:39:44,810
Critics increasingly begin to question
756
00:39:44,810 --> 00:39:47,060
the medieval order of Western Europe
757
00:39:47,060 --> 00:39:48,951
which is dominated by the Emperor and the Pope.
758
00:39:48,951 --> 00:39:51,716
Many of the faithful abandon the church altogether
759
00:39:51,716 --> 00:39:55,230
in an era of starvation, plague, and the discord.
760
00:39:55,230 --> 00:39:58,740
A peopled church focused only on itself
761
00:39:58,740 --> 00:40:01,800
provides little stability or hope for the people.
762
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,250
A new movement begins here in Prague primarily led
763
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:18,650
by priests and theology professor Jan Hus
764
00:40:18,650 --> 00:40:22,090
who becomes a prominent critic of the old Church.
765
00:40:22,090 --> 00:40:25,290
Hus is the rector at the renowned Child's University
766
00:40:25,290 --> 00:40:29,000
and a highly respected figure.
767
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:30,880
He blasts the clergy in his lectures
768
00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:33,620
and sermons, gradually attracting larger
769
00:40:33,620 --> 00:40:36,400
and larger crowds of interested followers.
770
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,020
He rejects Latin, opting instead to deliver his message
771
00:40:39,020 --> 00:40:42,990
in the language of the people.
772
00:40:42,990 --> 00:40:44,720
And they're hearing him loud and clear.
773
00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:47,600
Now I tell you, our church needs no Pope.
774
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:52,600
Not at all.
775
00:40:52,900 --> 00:40:55,250
Nowhere does the Bible mention him.
776
00:40:55,250 --> 00:40:58,560
Our Lord Jesus Christ would lead
777
00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:00,630
our faith much better through you.
778
00:41:00,630 --> 00:41:04,280
Jan Hus repeatedly denounces the practices
779
00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,930
of the Papal Church, which he feels
780
00:41:06,930 --> 00:41:08,870
are capitalizing on people's fear of hellfire and damnation.
781
00:41:08,870 --> 00:41:13,300
The Church promises you salvation
782
00:41:13,300 --> 00:41:16,780
for buying letters of indulgence.
783
00:41:16,780 --> 00:41:20,070
But all they want is to fill their coffers.
784
00:41:20,070 --> 00:41:22,493
(crowd cheering)
785
00:41:24,971 --> 00:41:27,721
Yes, he's right!
786
00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:30,713
Here.
787
00:41:34,012 --> 00:41:34,845
Here is one of them.
788
00:41:34,845 --> 00:41:36,440
He's got a coffer right in his hands.
789
00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:38,560
There is no longer a distinction
790
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,420
between church leaders and secular rulers
791
00:41:40,420 --> 00:41:43,270
whose argues just as English the allergen
792
00:41:43,270 --> 00:41:45,750
John Wakeley had done before him.
793
00:41:45,750 --> 00:41:47,925
Jan Hus's ideas light a spark that burns
794
00:41:47,925 --> 00:41:50,920
like a wildfire across Europe.
795
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:53,180
Only God can forgive sins.
796
00:41:53,180 --> 00:41:55,343
Hus's critics burned his books in retaliation.
797
00:41:55,343 --> 00:41:58,303
The emperor summons the agitated de Constance.
798
00:41:59,740 --> 00:42:02,880
A formal council is called to resolve
799
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,450
the system of the Church and silence the heretic.
800
00:42:05,450 --> 00:42:08,540
After weeks of interrogation and torture
801
00:42:08,540 --> 00:42:11,339
Jan Hus is subjected to the same fate as his writings.
802
00:42:11,339 --> 00:42:14,930
He's burned at the stake.
803
00:42:14,930 --> 00:42:17,010
But his ideas live on.
804
00:42:17,010 --> 00:42:19,113
St. Peter's Basilica.
805
00:42:22,530 --> 00:42:24,590
This colossal structure built in the 16th century
806
00:42:24,590 --> 00:42:27,920
is the power of the Papal Church rendered into stone.
807
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,690
But just as they're putting the finishing touches
808
00:42:31,690 --> 00:42:33,780
to St. Peters, the reformation broke out
809
00:42:33,780 --> 00:42:36,330
in Western and Central Europe.
810
00:42:36,330 --> 00:42:38,260
The power of the Pope's was shaken.
811
00:42:38,260 --> 00:42:40,670
The reformation never quite reached Rome
812
00:42:40,670 --> 00:42:42,910
but it did divide the European continent.
813
00:42:42,910 --> 00:42:46,030
Martin Luther coined a revolutionary term.
814
00:42:46,030 --> 00:42:48,837
"The Priesthood of all believers."
815
00:42:48,837 --> 00:42:51,490
The Printing Press facilitated
816
00:42:51,490 --> 00:42:53,060
the spread of ideas of an industrial scale
817
00:42:53,060 --> 00:42:56,060
whether a formed religion gained ground
818
00:42:56,060 --> 00:42:58,560
the monopoly of the Old Church over
819
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:00,950
the interpretation of sacred text was lost.
820
00:43:00,950 --> 00:43:04,053
Luther burns the document containing
821
00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:07,880
the Pope's official threat of excommunication.
822
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:10,780
He is already drawn up and distributed 95 thesis
823
00:43:10,780 --> 00:43:14,600
directed mainly against the practice of selling indulgences.
824
00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:18,440
This is the spark that unites the reformation.
825
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:21,690
Support for Luther among the people is growing.
826
00:43:21,690 --> 00:43:24,650
They see him as a champion for their cause.
827
00:43:24,650 --> 00:43:27,163
Luther takes a strong stance against
828
00:43:28,010 --> 00:43:30,395
an ecclesiastical system that seems
829
00:43:30,395 --> 00:43:32,920
to be commercializing the forgiveness of sins.
830
00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,230
Just like Jan Hus 100 years before him.
831
00:43:36,230 --> 00:43:39,340
He says, "Even councils of Bishops can make mistakes."
832
00:43:39,340 --> 00:43:43,890
And this is when the split with
833
00:43:43,890 --> 00:43:45,960
the Catholic Church comes about.
834
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,090
Luther is summoned to the dieter Vams
835
00:43:48,090 --> 00:43:50,660
where he is told her must renounce his thesis.
836
00:43:50,660 --> 00:43:53,470
He's chosen a difficult path for himself
837
00:43:53,470 --> 00:43:56,390
and everyone involved.
838
00:43:56,390 --> 00:43:57,741
(suspensful music)
839
00:43:57,741 --> 00:43:59,300
In his writings he questioned the authority of the Church.
840
00:43:59,300 --> 00:44:02,970
And thus destroyed the unity of Christendom.
841
00:44:02,970 --> 00:44:05,170
Luther stands his ground
842
00:44:09,580 --> 00:44:11,437
invoking God's protection.
843
00:44:11,437 --> 00:44:13,283
God help me.
844
00:44:16,870 --> 00:44:17,823
Amen.
845
00:44:20,090 --> 00:44:20,923
Luther is placed under imperial ban
846
00:44:22,460 --> 00:44:25,480
and declared an outlaw in the empire
847
00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:27,367
but he's granted safe passage.
848
00:44:27,367 --> 00:44:29,740
Soldiers escort him back to Wartburg Castle
849
00:44:29,740 --> 00:44:32,300
where the reformer would be extremely productive
850
00:44:32,300 --> 00:44:35,150
in the months to come.
851
00:44:35,150 --> 00:44:36,250
Luther's thesis are now reprinted thousands of times over.
852
00:44:37,630 --> 00:44:41,710
The reformers refuse to be silenced.
853
00:44:41,710 --> 00:44:44,310
Luther translates the New Testament
854
00:44:44,310 --> 00:44:46,410
into German for the people.
855
00:44:46,410 --> 00:44:48,540
A broad segment of the European populous is on his side.
856
00:44:48,540 --> 00:44:52,060
They can now read the Bible themselves
857
00:44:52,060 --> 00:44:54,500
or have it read to them.
858
00:44:54,500 --> 00:44:55,700
"As Jesus sat near the temple treasury
859
00:44:57,937 --> 00:45:00,440
He watched the people as they dropped in their money."
860
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,377
"Many rich men dropped in a lot of money."
861
00:45:05,617 --> 00:45:09,337
"Then a poor widow came along and dropped in
862
00:45:09,337 --> 00:45:12,660
two little cup of coins worth about a penny."
863
00:45:12,660 --> 00:45:15,867
One of Luther's early followers
864
00:45:17,380 --> 00:45:19,190
is French pastor John Calvin.
865
00:45:19,190 --> 00:45:22,140
Persecution of Protestants soon begins
866
00:45:22,140 --> 00:45:24,280
in his home country, and he flees to Switzerland.
867
00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:27,390
Like Luther, he believes that the written word of the Bible
868
00:45:27,390 --> 00:45:30,490
is the only thing that matters.
869
00:45:30,490 --> 00:45:32,810
He never studied theology but he continues
870
00:45:32,810 --> 00:45:35,410
to refine Luther's ideas in his own way.
871
00:45:35,410 --> 00:45:38,490
Calvin is stricter than Luther.
872
00:45:38,490 --> 00:45:40,390
He places particular emphasis on values
873
00:45:40,390 --> 00:45:43,000
such as thrift and discipline.
874
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:44,993
The protest against the Papal Church
875
00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,680
divides the continent even across national borders.
876
00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:57,310
In the Christian West, unity is a thing of the past.
877
00:45:57,310 --> 00:46:00,703
During the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572
878
00:46:06,420 --> 00:46:10,470
Parisian Protestants are slaughtered on the King's orders.
879
00:46:10,470 --> 00:46:14,390
The massacre is a prelude to a wave
880
00:46:14,390 --> 00:46:16,550
of murders throughout the country.
881
00:46:16,550 --> 00:46:18,210
More than 10,000 people lose their lives.
882
00:46:18,210 --> 00:46:21,220
The Catholic Kings of France enforce
883
00:46:21,220 --> 00:46:23,870
the primacy of their religion with violence.
884
00:46:23,870 --> 00:46:26,723
(vulture crowing)
885
00:46:28,242 --> 00:46:31,075
It was the most gruesome conflict
886
00:46:37,290 --> 00:46:39,580
the continent had experienced up to that point
887
00:46:39,580 --> 00:46:42,200
and it began in 1618.
888
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:45,202
The 30 Years War divided the countries of Europe
889
00:46:45,202 --> 00:46:48,250
into fiercely opposed camps.
890
00:46:48,250 --> 00:46:50,286
It's no longer about religion and
891
00:46:50,286 --> 00:46:52,570
it hasn't been for some time.
892
00:46:52,570 --> 00:46:54,420
It's about power across all denominations.
893
00:46:54,420 --> 00:46:57,573
Adherence to the various Christian faiths
894
00:47:00,890 --> 00:47:03,470
fight for control of Europe in the name of God.
895
00:47:03,470 --> 00:47:06,730
Christians against Christians.
896
00:47:06,730 --> 00:47:08,800
It's one of the greatest tragedies
897
00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:10,350
the continent has ever seen, surpassed only
898
00:47:10,350 --> 00:47:12,856
by the two World Wars of the 20th century.
899
00:47:12,856 --> 00:47:16,193
(explosion)
900
00:47:17,599 --> 00:47:19,932
This seminal catastrophe of European history
901
00:47:23,540 --> 00:47:26,649
a struggle over religion and power
902
00:47:26,649 --> 00:47:29,620
claimed six million lives.
903
00:47:29,620 --> 00:47:31,563
For three decades Central Europe is a battlefield.
904
00:47:39,870 --> 00:47:44,450
Only then do cooler heads prevail.
905
00:47:44,450 --> 00:47:47,033
History is made in Westphalia.
906
00:47:51,040 --> 00:47:53,650
Around 1645 the representatives of the waring parties
907
00:47:53,650 --> 00:47:57,743
make their way to the cities of Osnabruck and Munster
908
00:47:57,743 --> 00:48:01,530
to seek a solution to the stalemate.
909
00:48:01,530 --> 00:48:03,693
Now it's the diplomats turn.
910
00:48:10,180 --> 00:48:12,700
Nearly all the great powers of Europe are represented here.
911
00:48:12,700 --> 00:48:15,730
It's the first Pan-European peace conference in history.
912
00:48:15,730 --> 00:48:19,540
A year long experiment with an uncertain outcome.
913
00:48:19,540 --> 00:48:22,919
No one wants to be short changed
914
00:48:22,919 --> 00:48:25,350
and everyone wants to come away looking good.
915
00:48:25,350 --> 00:48:28,000
But reaching a compromise proves difficult.
916
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,850
It's a skill they still need to learn.
917
00:48:30,850 --> 00:48:32,993
Finally in May 1648, delegates from Spain
918
00:48:36,730 --> 00:48:40,480
and the Netherlands finally make a breakthrough
919
00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,836
after three years of negotiations.
920
00:48:42,836 --> 00:48:45,680
At Munster City hall, they are the first
921
00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:48,550
to sign the Treaty of Westphalia.
922
00:48:48,550 --> 00:48:51,090
The other European powers follow suit in the months to come.
923
00:48:51,090 --> 00:48:54,213
"Should the madding world not betake itself to peace?"
924
00:48:59,557 --> 00:49:03,347
"A weighty punishment shall it face," cries
925
00:49:03,347 --> 00:49:06,550
an angel on this flier from 1646.
926
00:49:06,550 --> 00:49:10,130
He's addressing the invoice of the negotiations
927
00:49:10,130 --> 00:49:12,930
surrounding the peace of Westphalia.
928
00:49:12,930 --> 00:49:15,230
The angel was expressing the people's most fervent wish.
929
00:49:15,230 --> 00:49:18,670
They wanted peace.
930
00:49:18,670 --> 00:49:20,200
But how did the delegates, who traveled
931
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:21,840
from all over Europe to Munster, manage to achieve it?
932
00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:25,570
Over there in the Austrian State archives
933
00:49:25,570 --> 00:49:28,170
behind the Hofburg Imperial Palace is
934
00:49:28,170 --> 00:49:30,680
the original Treaty of Westphalia.
935
00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:32,593
As so often in European history
936
00:49:34,900 --> 00:49:37,484
numerous compromises were acquired
937
00:49:37,484 --> 00:49:40,370
to bring about this peaceful resolution.
938
00:49:40,370 --> 00:49:43,210
And here it is.
939
00:49:43,210 --> 00:49:44,617
The birth certificate of modern diplomacy.
940
00:49:44,617 --> 00:49:47,780
A major war was brought to an end.
941
00:49:47,780 --> 00:49:50,090
Not by the victory of one of the antagonists.
942
00:49:50,090 --> 00:49:52,670
But through negotiation.
943
00:49:52,670 --> 00:49:54,093
And here you can see the Peace Treaty.
944
00:49:55,290 --> 00:49:57,540
And at the end of it, the seals
945
00:49:57,540 --> 00:49:59,810
and the signatures of the representatives
946
00:49:59,810 --> 00:50:01,780
of the signatory powers.
947
00:50:01,780 --> 00:50:03,560
France here.
948
00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:04,460
Here the negotiator, the Chief negotiator
949
00:50:04,460 --> 00:50:06,767
for the Keiser Vohemar.
950
00:50:06,767 --> 00:50:08,920
Brandenburg, Saxony, Bamberg, the city of Frankfurt.
951
00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:12,700
All of Central Europe is represented here.
952
00:50:12,700 --> 00:50:14,883
Deadly enemies became partners in
953
00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:19,870
a community of equal nations.
954
00:50:19,870 --> 00:50:21,750
It was the beginning of international law
955
00:50:21,750 --> 00:50:23,810
as we still know it today nearly 370 years later.
956
00:50:23,810 --> 00:50:27,698
The Peace of Westphalia also marks
957
00:50:27,698 --> 00:50:30,310
another important departure, at least in Western Europe.
958
00:50:30,310 --> 00:50:33,880
In the years that followed, Europeans would continue
959
00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:36,540
to wage wars against one another
960
00:50:36,540 --> 00:50:38,630
but they gradually came to accept
961
00:50:38,630 --> 00:50:41,080
that it was best to keep religion and politics separate.
962
00:50:41,080 --> 00:50:44,743
(intense music)
963
00:50:45,819 --> 00:50:46,851
(footsteps)
75632
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