The day before the battle, Constantine spoke of a vision in which God told him to have his men adorn their shields with the sign of the cross. If they did this, they would find victory in battle. Constantine did so and at the end of the day on the 28th, Maxentius was dead — drowned while trying to swim across the Tiber — and Constantine was the sole ruler of Rome.

His battlefield conversion to Christianity almost instantly changed its status from undesirable cult to major cultural force, culminating in this time in the founding of the Byzantine Empire and the Orthodox Church.

References:

1. “Battle of the Milvian Bridge – Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge.” Military History – Warfare through the Ages – Battles and Conflicts – Weapons of War – Military Leaders in History. 13 June 2009 <http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/milvianbridge.htm>.

Name: Baptistery of the Arians (Exterior)

Location: Ravenna, Italy

Date Created: c. 493-526

Period: Early Christian

Notes: None

Baptistery of the Arians (Exterior)

References:

Name: Baptistery of the Arians (Dome Mosaic)

Location: Ravenna, Italy

Date Created: c. 493-526

Period: Early Christian

Notes: None

Baptistery of the Arians (Dome Mosaic)

References:

Name: Throne of Archbishop Maximianus

Location: Ravenna, Italy

Date Created: c. 543-553

Period: Byzantine

Notes: None

7: Throne of Archbishop Maximianus -- Ravenna, Italy -- c. 543-553

References:

The Hunafa made a habit of removing themselves from the spiritually tainted environment of Makkah so that they could meditate upon the purity of truth of the teachings of Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son, their progenitor, Ismail (Ishmael).

As was his way, Muhammad (s) spirited himself away annually during the month of Ramadan to a cave on Mount Hira, near Makkah. In his fortieth year, while meditating upon the teachings of Ibrahim and Ismail, a voice reached him in his cave and implored him to “Read!”, to which Muhammad (s) truthfully claimed illiteracy. Twice more did this voice implore him to “Read!”, and after the third rebuttal, Jibril (Gabriel) reveals himself to Muhammad (s) and says:

“Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth.
Createth man from a clot.
Read: And it is thy Lord the Most Bountiful
Who teacheth by the pen,
Teacheth man that which he knew not.”

This was the first revelation given to Muhammad (s), who was proclaimed by Jibril to be the Final Prophet of Allah. This revelation, as well as the others to be delived to Muhammad (s) by Jibril until his death in 632, were compiled into a book called the Qur’an, which is believed by Muslims to be the pure and unimpeachable word of Allah.

***

Things were incredibly tough for Muhammad (s) in the years after his revelations. In fact, he and his companion Abu Bakr had to flee to Yahtrib (Medina) in 622 to dodge an assassination attempt. This flight is known as the “Hijra” (migration), and it marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. At the time of the Hijra, there were fewer than a thousand adherents to Islam.. Seven years later, though, the Prophet returned to Makkah with a force of 10,000 Muslims at his back with the intent of cleansing the Kaaba and making it a fitting shrine to Allah. He also granted forgiveness to the population, despite having been made to flee due to persecution, violence, and fear for one’s life.

At this point, Islam began to spread like a wildfire, and within a year of his return to Makkah, much of Arabia had accepted the teachings of Muhammad (s). Today, one out of every five people in the world follow his teachings.

References:

Name: Ardagh Chalice

Location: Unknown

Date Created: c. 8th century

Style: Early Medieval (Hiberno-Saxon)

Notes: The provenance of the piece is unknown; its name comes from having been unearthed in 1868 adjacent to the village of Ardagh in Limerick County, Ireland.

Ardagh Chalice -- Ireland -- c. 8th century

References:

Name: St. Cyriakus

Location: Genrode, Germany

Date Created: 961-973

Period: Early Medieval (Ottonian)

Notes: None

St. Cyriakus -- Genrode, Germany -- 961-973

References:

1. “MDG309.” The Department of Art History. 14 June 2009 <http://arthist.cla.umn.edu/aict/html/medieval/MDG/MDG309.html>.

Name: Abbaye Saint Philibert (Nave) and (Vaulting)

Location: Tournus, France

Date Created: late 900s-early 1100s

Period: Romanesque

Notes: The unusually bright nave is in large part due to the unique vaulting system employed, visible in the lower picture. The use of short barrel vaults between each pair of pillars allows for a taller clerestory with larger windows, and therefore more light spilling down into the nave.

Abbaye Saint Philibert (Nave) -- Tournus, France -- late 900s-early 1100s

Abbaye Saint Philibert (Vaulting) -- Tournus, France -- late 900s-early 1100s

References:

1. “Abbey of St. Philibert – Tournus, France.” Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations – Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred places. 14 June 2009 <http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/tournus-abbey-church-st-philibert.htm>.

Name: San Miniato al Monte

Location: Florence, Italy

Date Created: Completed 1062

Period: Romanesque

Notes: None

San Miniato al Monte -- Florence, Italy -- completed 1062

References:

1. “RQ093.” The Department of Art History. 14 June 2009 <http://arthist.cla.umn.edu/aict/html/medieval/RQ/RQ093.html>.

Meanwhile, King Edward the Confessor is dead without an heir, and there’s a scuffle brewing between his appointed successor, King Harold Godwinson, and a French Duke with close ties to Edward by the name of William. William makes ready to invade, but a spell of nasty weather settles in and renders the English Channel a deathtrap (see: Spanish Armada, 1588), which is fortunate for Harold, because the Norwegians are trying to break a piece of the island off for themselves further north.

Loyalty to one’s king being too much of a high-falootin’ concept for the average fighting Brit in the day and age in question, Harold finds himself facing difficulties in maintaining an appreciably-sized force as he charges north. However, he manages to hold it together long enough to send the Nords back to the fjords up in Yorkshire…just in time for the Channel to clear up.

William and his gang amuse themselves with a large chunk of southern England while they wait on Harold to hussle to the tussle, putting it to the sword and torch. Finally, on October 14, Harold, William, and several thousand of their closest friends all have a get-together near the village of Hastings and play a ten-hour game of “kill”. Fairly late in the day, an anonymous Norman archer starts a petition calling for Harold to abdicate the throne by signing the king’s eye. Almost immediately, the archer’s friends reach out in a show of support and contribute to the cause, and Harold sees he has no choice but to step down and to liquidate his assets all over the ground.

That Christmas, William (now “the Conqueror”) is crowned king, and in the spirit of the season, he imports a massive order of feudalism, autocracy, and order and hands it out to everyone, also stuffing their stockings with French language and culture. Over time, the Anglo-Saxon ways and Anglo-Saxon genes begin to either assimilate or disappear, and within a few hundred years England takes the resulting blend of  Continental culture and Scandinavian swagger and uses it to essentially take over the world.

References:

1. “Battle of Hastings: 1066.” Then Again. . . 15 June 2009 <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/Hastings.html>.