PortalsOS

The conversion of the Franks to Catholicism was a strategic alliance with the local ruling class, enabling them to become the predominant military power in Western Europe. This contrasts with the Visigoths and Ostrogoths, who opposed the local ruling class by adhering to Arianism.

The irony of the Catholic Church's fear of Protestant volatility is that their rigid response may have inadvertently fostered atheism. Both Catholics and Protestants over-relied on religious rules to combat each other, leading to centuries of brutal wars, including the Thirty Years' War, which devastated central Europe.

Abelard, a Breton philosopher in the late 11th century, was already making rationalistic criticisms of Christianity during the First Crusade. This highlights how quickly Europeans began using new intellectual traditions, often challenging the Catholic Church itself.

The Catholic Church played a pivotal role during the Dark Ages by preserving knowledge. As the Roman Empire fell, the Church acted like Asimov's 'Foundation,' maintaining and reintroducing civilization through social engineering and the preservation of classical Greco-Roman lore.

In the 14th century, the Catholic Church's arrogance led to a conflict with the king of France, who murdered the pope and installed a French pope. This period, known as the Babylonian Captivity, marked a low point for Catholicism.

The Catholic Church in medieval Europe allowed for a surprising amount of political discourse, providing structures for what could be agreed upon and what could not. This openness to disagreement is a notable aspect of the Church's influence at the time.

The Catholic Church's continuity is remarkable, especially considering the logistical challenges it faced in maintaining tradition and civilization through fragile communication networks in the past.

The Black Death disproportionately killed priests, leading to a loss of faith and a decline in the Catholic Church's moral standards, including monks marrying and the Church sponsoring brothels.

Napoleon, who rose to military dictator, made a deal with the Pope to bring Catholicism back because he thought religion was necessary to social functioning. This was after the French Revolution, which was atheist and persecuted Catholicism in France, the most populous Catholic nation in the world.

During the Dark Ages, the Catholic Church faced theological disputes, particularly with Arian Christians like the Visigoths and Ostrogoths. These groups believed Christ was a man connected to God, not divine. This theological stance led to political tensions and oppression of local Catholics by these Germanic elites.