Establishing a Proper Balance: A Study of How the Relationship of Church and State Evolved in the Hands of Constantine, Clovis and Charlemagne

Abstract

This thesis will evaluate how the relationship between the Church and State was established in Western Society. I will look at three foundational civil leaders in the first millennia of this process: Emperor Constantine, Clovis, King of the Franks, and Charlemagne, who would later be called the first Holy Roman Emperor. These men will make up a common thread in this historical study, each becoming an essential turning point in the relationship between the governing bodies. Each man's relationship with the Church will be evaluated by how they pursued unity in their kingdoms and the Church, how they involved significant religious leaders in their most important decisions, and how they organized their civil structure and provided for the Church in a way that promoted the local bishops. Constantine's conversion, legalization of Christianity, and calling of the Council of Nicaea were all significant moments in Church History, followed by Clovis's conversion, unifying the Germanic Franks and Gallo-Roman majority of the fallen western portion of the Roman Empire, which would build a foundation that allowed for Charlemagne's growth of his kingdom, partnership with the popes, and Carolingian Renaissance that would set up the backdrop for Europe through the Middle Ages.