A Century at a time- notable people and events of the 4th and 5th Centuries

      

This period has been referred to as the “Dark Ages” as well as the Middle Ages. The ‘center’ of the world was considered to be Rome (remember, all roads led to Rome). Emperor Constantine had been the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity when it spread but the “pagan” worship of Gods didn’t stop completely. The Church had to adapt local deities and traditions to encourage the populace to join even though the Romans banned the worship of paganism. In Egypt, the Temple of Serapis was destroyed during as part of a series of civil disturbances against Christians. Alas, the Roman Empire had been on a long downfall and finally crashed and burned in A.D. 476 when the Vandals took control of the territories. As Roman society fell apart, other peoples took advantage of the discourse: Ostrogoths, Visogoths, Burgundians, Franks, Saxons, and the aforementioned Saxons. By 493 AD, Italy was under the rule of Theodoric, an Ostrogoth. Clovis is names King of the Franks in 481 – Clovis drives the Visigoths from Gaul in 507.

In the East, about 434 AD, Attila started his rise to prominence. He set his mind on world domination. Pope Leo I became nervous and convince Attila to leave Rome alone. Attila chose to ignore the Pope’s words and kept his army on track. The Hun leader stopped just outside of Rome. Unfortunately, Leo forgot to negotiate with the Vandals. They sacked the City. The Visigoths paid attention to Attila’s techniques. In 451, the Germanic forces defeated the Huns. They were eventually led by a general named Odoacer who was proclaimed the King of Italy on August 23, 476.

In 407 Constantine led the Roman troops out of Britain, which allowed Saxon invaders to jostle for open territories. The Anglo-Saxons make themselves at homein Britain but Vortigen has a problem with the new residents. Hengst and Horsa, two Saxon leaders finally started a revolution in 441 against the Native Britains. The Battle of Mound Badon occurred in 500, which was supposedly won by King Arthur. The “Old English” language is dated by historian to 450 AD.

In Africa, the Soninka Empire near the Senegal River (Ghana) became a major trading center. The tribes were known for salt and gold. The region was also respected for their iron works. The people’s primary adversary was the Berber Tribe.

In China, from 399 to 412, a Buddhist Monk by the name of Faxian sets sail to gather knowledge. He travels through Sri Lanka and India after sailing across the Indian Ocean. During his journey, he collects Buddhist scriptures. In 420, Liu Yu brings an end to the Jin dynasty rule. The Northern and Southern dynasties will split the country from 420 until 589.

The Bhagavad Gita, or Song of God, was completed in the early 400’s. This is a sacred Hindu scripture. The book tells of a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, as part of an ethics and morality debate. Arjuna was the pupil of Krishna. The discussion took place during their journey to the Kurukshetra war. The Bhagavad Gita is used by the Hindu faith as a teaching guide.

The Mayan city of Chitchen Itza was founded in 455 during the Teotihuacan Period although it didn’t come to prominence until the Classic Maya Period when. Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, the famous City featured the Pyramid of Kukulcan and the Temple of a Thousand Columns. It was during this time the Mayan culture reached their pinnacle and developed their calendar. Advances in astronomy, mathematics, and architecture are also attributed to the Mayans.

This was a brief note of events and people. As I progress through the centuries, I will try to include more details.

For more reading, see:

Atlas of the Medieval World

By Rosamund McKittrick

2004 Oxford University Press

ISBN #0-19-522158-3

The Medieval World, An Illustrated Atlas

Edited by Susan Tyler Hitchford

2009 National Geographic Society

ISBN #987-1-4262-0533-0

Stay safe out there!