The Conversion of the British Isles

The previous article in this series discussed the conversion of Central Europe in some detail, and now we move on to the conversion of the British Isles. While much of the conversion efforts in Central Europe took place in the early Middle Ages, Britain's conversion occurred significantly earlier. Christianity had made significant inroads in Britain prior to the full collapse of the Roman Empire, and even through the dark days that followed the fall of the Roman empire, Christianity retained a hold, albeit a weak one, in the British Isles. Missionaries from the British Isles aided in the conversion efforts in Central Europe.

While Christianity spread into England during the Roman occupation, its influence was significantly weakened during the unruly years that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. While Christianity was a strong enough force in England in the mid fifth century to send out missionaries to Ireland, by 597, Pope Gregory the Great was sending missionaries, among them St. Augustine of Canterbury, to England to convert the pagan nobility. Augustine succeeded in converting the King of Kent, and established the archbishopric at Canterbury. The end of the sixth century also saw the establishment of a number of monastic institutions in Scotland and Northern England. Both Roman and Celtic Christianity co-existed in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland until 667, when the Synod of Whitby established the Roman calendar and church as supreme.

Christianity spread from the England and Scotland into Ireland with the mission of St. Patrick in the fifth century. While Christianity lost influence in England during the fifth and sixth centuries, it gained influence rapidly in Ireland. In fact, Irish missionaries helped to bring Christianity back to Britain in the sixth and seventh centuries by founding monasteries and religious institutions. The monasteries of Ireland in particular are responsible for preserving a great deal of the culture of early Christianity that might have otherwise been lost in the tumultuous years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the high Middle Ages.

While these articles have clearly been a brief introduction to the process of conversion in Central Europe and the British Isles, I hope you have found them helpful. For more information, consider delving into the primary sources, many of which are available at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1e.h... Conversion of Europe

Suite 101's own Ancient British History editor David White, http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/6546 , has also written several fine articles that may be of interest, particularly "The Synod of Whitby: Turning Point for Christian Britain" at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/6546...

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