Althing

Authorized the Law Speaker, Thorgeir of Ljosvath, to decide for the island of Iceland whether it would become Christian. (pg 236)

Canterbury

The most important Episcopal see in England in the sixth century and the site of St. Augustine's mission to England. (pg 247)

Clovis

He converted to Christianity after he won a battle against Alemanni. He was the leader of the Franks. (pg 217)

Cnut the Great

The Danish ruler that declared Christianity the established religion in Denmark. (pg 235)

Confessions

It was written by St. Patrick in Latin around 461 or 462 AD. (pg 223)

Council of Toledo

The council that condemned Arianism, and made Catholicism the religion of Spain. (pg 219)

Ecclesiastical History of the English People

It was written by St. Bede. (pg 229)

Ethelbert

The King of Kent who married Bertha, a Frankish princess. (pg 227)

Franks

A non-Christian group of invaders that settled in Gaul in 485 AD. (pg 217)

Glagolithic Script

Based on the Greek alphabet, it was developed by St. Cyril to aid his mission to the Slavic peoples. (pg 247)

Historia Francorum

It was written by St. Gregory of Tours. It means "History of the Franks." (pg 218)

Irish Monasticism

It was inspired by the austere Eastern monastic tradition. (pg 223)

Merovingian Dynasty

The descendants of Clovis. (pg 217)

Mozarabes (Mozarabs)

those who chose to live under Muslim rule. (pg 219)

Otto I

He defeated the Hungarians in 995 at the Battle of Lech. (pg 241)

Pallium

A sacred vestment symbolic of the fullness of Episcopal authority, worn by popes and archbishops. (pg 247)

Patrons of Europe

Title given by Pope John Paul II in 1980 to Sts. Cyril and Methodius were responsible for the conversions of all of Moravia and other Slavic territories. (pg 247)

Penitential Books

Books that listed various sins with the corresponding penance. (pg 226)

Reconquista

Spanish for "re-conquest." (pg 219)

St. Adalbert of Prague

A key figure in conversion of the Slavs. (pg 240)

St. Ansgar

He became a monk, and built the first Church in Denmark and Sweden. He was named archbishop of Bremen. (pg 235)

St. Augustine of Canterbury

He brought the Catholic Faith to pagan Anglo-Saxons. (pg 226)

St. Bede

The most important Anglo-Saxon scholar of his time. (pg 229)

St. Boniface

He succeeded in converting the Germans. (pg 231)

St. Columba

The founder of many important monasteries in Irish tradition. (pg 223)

St. Columbanus

The most famous in a band of Irish monks who helped evangelize the north coast of France and Switzerland. (pg 224)

St. Gregory of Tours

He was elected bishop of Tours in France in 573. (pg 218)

St. Henry of Uppsala

A bishop and an Englishman. A major evangelizer of Finland. (pg 236)

St. James the Greater and St. Paul

They helped Spain receive Christianity. (pg 218)

St. Olaf

He ruled Norway and brought Christianity, marking the end of pagan opposition there. (pg 236)

St. Olga

The wife of pagan Prince Igor of Russia. She started Russia's introduction to Christianity. (pg 242)

St. Patrick

He was kidnapped by pirates. He finally escapes and returns home to Britain. He then goes to Ireland and becomes a priest. He was a strong advocate of monasticism. (pgs 222-223)

St. Stephen the Great

The King of Hungary who started Christianity there. (pg 242)

St. Vladimir

The King of Russia who was pagan but became Christian. (pgs 242-243)

St. Willibrord

He was one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon missionaries to evangelize in the Germanic lands. (pg 231)

Sts. Cyril and Methodius

The first missionaries among Slavs. (pg 237)

Sts. Ludmilla and Wenceslaus

They worked to spread the faith among Bohemian people. (pg 238)

Venerable

This title refers either to a particular state in the process of canonization or to a person's holy life, as in the case of St. Bede. (pg 247)

Visigoths

A group of invaders in Spain who demonstrated great intolerance toward the Church in Spain. (pg 218)

Wata

Oak of Thor," the sacred tree of the pagans of Hesse cut down by St. Boniface. (pg 247)