• Finally, the Germanic people called the Franks would eventually
become the most dominant in Europe. They came from the lower
Rhine in the middle of the 5th century. Their king, Clovis I (481–
511), ended Roman rule in Gaul in 486 and conquered all of middle
Europe. Clovis converted to Catholicism in 496, and Catholicism
thrived in the Frankish kingdom. It was through Frankish rule, as
we shall see, that Europe eventually adopted the Catholic rather
than the Arian form of Christianity.Expansion to the North
• During these centuries, Christianity
also extended itself northward to
embrace the Celts and Anglo-Saxon
peoples.
• Britain was conquered by the
Romans in the 1st century. The
island was evangelized as early as
the 2nd century and developed in
distinctive ways because of pagan
influence. Only in the 6th century
(590), when Pope Gregory the
Great sent Saint Augustine and 50
other Benedictine monks to Britain,
were relations with the Roman
church firmly established.• Rome never invaded Ireland, which became Christian through the
mission of Saint Patrick (432–461). As a result of his efforts, Ireland
became thoroughly Catholic and a major center of monastic life.• Southern Scotland became Christian toward the end of the 4th
century through the work of the Briton Saint Ninian; the northern
part of Scotland was evangelized by the Irish abbot Saint Columba
(d. 597) over a period of 34 years.many legends surround Saint
Patrick, but two authentic
letters written by him
are extant.© iStockphoto/Thinkstock.