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Diocletian
Emperor of Rome (r. 284-305) who divided the empire into east and west (286) in an attempt to rule the territory more effectively. His desire to revive the old religion of Rome led to the last major persecution of the Christians (303). TERM 2
Tetrarchy
DEFINITION 2 The Roman practice of dividing authority over provinces among four governors. TERM 3
Helena
DEFINITION 3 (ca. 250-330)Mother of the emperor Constantine who believed she had discovered the cross on which Christ was crucified. TERM 4
Constantine
DEFINITION 4 (r. 306-337)Roman emperor who completed the restoration of the Roman Empire and made Christianity a favored religion. TERM 5
Battle of Milvian Bridge
DEFINITION 5 Battle in which Constantine attributed his victory over Maxentius, outside Rome in 312, to the support of the Christian God.
Edict of Milan
Law issued by Constantine in 313 making Christianity a legal religion. TERM 7
Hippodrome
DEFINITION 7 Chariot race-course in Constantinople and a site for gatherings of the people. TERM 8
Arianism
DEFINITION 8 Form of Christian belief introduced by the priest Arius, who taught that Christ the Son was subordinate to God the Father; condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325. TERM 9
Nicene Creed
DEFINITION 9 A formal statement of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 to defend orthodoxy from Arianism and expanded in later councils. TERM 10
Neoplatonism
DEFINITION 10 Late Roman philosophical belief descending from Plato that taught the existence of a single overall god and stressed morality and self-discipline.
Theodosius I
(r. 379-395)Emperor who made Christianity the only legal religion of the empire. TERM 17
Hypatia
DEFINITION 17 Head of the Neoplatonic philosophy school of Alexandria who was murdered by fanatical Christians in 415. TERM 18
Melania the Younger
DEFINITION 18 A Christian Saint who along with her grandmother was famous for leading lives of Christian asceticism and doing good works. TERM 19
St. Genevieve
DEFINITION 19 The patron saint of Paris in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition. TERM 20
Attila
DEFINITION 20 (r. 435-453)King of the Huns who terrorized the Eastern Roman Empire and was defeated at the Battle of Chalons.
Adrianople
Location of a battle in 378 in which the Romans were disastrously defeated by the Visigoths. TERM 22
Leo the Great
DEFINITION 22 Bishop of Rome from 441 to 460 who persuaded Attila the Hun to withdraw from Italy. TERM 23
Clovis
DEFINITION 23 (r. 481-511)King of the Franks who converted to Christianity in 496 and defeated the Visigoths in 507. TERM 24
Salic Law
DEFINITION 24 Frankish law code introduced by Clovis in the early sixth century, named after the Salians, one of several Frankish peoples. TERM 25
Theoderic the Great
DEFINITION 25 (r. 493-526)Ruler of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy.
