Date sent:        Sat, 27 Apr 1996 02:56:41 -0600

The King and His People:
Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Medieval 
Traditions as They Shaped Europe


 Coming out of the Dark Ages, several cultures began to shape Western Europe. Greece, Rome,
 and Byzantium helped shape the traditions of medieval Europe. Each culture developed
 different political systems that defined the source of the ruler's authority and the role
 of the "citizen". From city-states to tyrant controlling feudal empires, the Western
 tradition developed a concept of political sovereignty. In Greece there was a different
 kind of development taking place from the resource rich valley and plain civilizations.
 Because of the mountain chains, Greece was divided into pockets of agricultural regions.
 There was no center of farming so consequently there was no looking to a central political
 stronghold. The people settled into isolated villages, called pollises, that proved to be
 fiercely independent. As society became land dependent, classes emerged. Those owning the
 most land were the nobles. Status also depended on the constant wars between the pollises,
 or city-states. A warrior had to supply his own needs. The armies were made up of calvery;
 therefore the soldier had to have enough land to support a horse. There was a need for
 constant military leadership, so the nobles elected a magistrate to rule for as long it was
 needed. Greece was so small; it was quickly over populated. Sailors and colonists moved to
 the Mediterranean and changed the economy with trade and the exchange of new cultural
 traditions. Another major change was the switch from a solely horse carried army to one
 made up of foot soldiers, called hoplites. This gave some of the noble power to the farmers
 who could arm themselves without the need for a horse. They became citizens. The
 combination of these economic and military changes really reshaped the government of
 Greece. When the upper class held all the power the government was considered an
 aristocratic oligarchy. With the expansion of the economy and the spreading of power some
 regions fell under the reign of dictators. Greek governments were often split between the
 democratic ideal of the common man, the citizen, and the military need for a strong leader.
 During the decline of Greece there was a rise in the dictatorships and the common citizens
 lost more and more say in gov! ernment. Popular sovereignty gave way to tyranny and finally
 Greece gave way to Rome. Greece ignored the rising power of Rome and soon fell into their
 powerful republic. Rome was founded as a city-state that compared to the Greeks before
 them. There was a king that held sovereign power, restrained only by the council of
 aristocrats and a popular assembly that had power to approve or disapprove legislation.
 Then the monarchy was abolished, and the patricians became the dominant element in society.
 The difference was that Greece was a direct democracy and Rome was a representative one.
 The common people, plebeians, elected someone to vote for them. The Assembly was made up of
 the common representatives and the Senate was of the patricians. A tribune was elected by
 the Assembly to assure that the Senate still acted for the good of the commoners. The
 consul was the king-like figure elected by the Senate to rule by popular sovereignty. This
 period in Roman history was known as the Republic. The democratic traditions of the
 Republic began to fade as a military leader was needed to control a larger a larger
 country. The government kept the same structure in name, but there was an increasing amount
 of power granted to the consul. Eventually he became the king who ruled the Empire of Rome.
 With the introduction of the "Pontifix Maximus", kings were leaders of the church and
 state. They were seen as divine rulers, even gods, that were granted their power from
 above. Constantine is the first Christian emperor and it is after his reign that Rome
 begins to decline. The factors that influenced the fall of Rome were the impossible task of
 keeping such a huge empire centralized, the economy begins to fail, and foreign invasions
 complete the destruction from without what was weakened from within. 
  Byzantium was founded as an empire and remained such for the 1,000 years of its existence.
  It was protected by land and by sea and held out during the foreign invasions that
  destroyed Rome. Although the size of the Byzantine Empire was reduced, it remained strong
  under their kings and very homogeneous. It had lost the diverse racial, cultural, and
  religious elements of the eastern and western provinces, and the remaining culture was
  Greek. The power of the Emperor was seen as equal to that of the apostles. They elected
  the patriarch, or church leader. The leaders in the church (Christian) had to agree that
  the candidate patriarch was worthy of the post. In the installation ceremony the patriarch
  was chosen "by will of God and the Emperor." In conclusion, Byzantium during these
  centuries was stable, powerful, wealthy, self-satisfying, and inward-looking.
 Finally there was the dawn of the Medieval ages. In the High Middle Ages the Roman Empire
 has collapsed and the weak monarchs looked to the church for guidance. The Pope centralized
 the power under the feudal system. The king separated the land into fiefs for the noble
 lords as payment for military power. These lords gave fiefs to vassals who fought and
 raised crops through the slavery of serfs. During this period, the church has gained much
 power and wealth through the taxation on papal lands and their cathedrals show this. A new
 pointed arch and the use of flying buttresses enables them to expand in awesome wonder.
 After the 1300s, this all falls apart. The power of the church declines with the power of
 the state rising. The rebirth of popular sovereignty is apparent with the signing of the
 Magna Carta in England. This "Great Charter" was an early constitution that granted nobles
 certain rights. One new idea was the institution of the Parliament. With the Great Schism,
 there is an establishment of three Papacies in Europe. This originates in the issue of
 taxation of church property, and one king kicking the Roman Pope out and establishing a
 papacy in Avignon. By the beginning of the Renaissance, the church is nearly powerless and
 the desolving of feudalism causes political tension. With the "rebirth" of a new age many
 changes will sweep Europe and the war between church, king, and people will continue to
 rage.

