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Around 300 A.D.,
Constantine was the emperor of Rome and he converted to
Christianity. For many years previous to Constantine’s rule,
Christianity was illegal. When he converted to the religion,
Christianity became legal and persecution of Christians stopped.
Many people converted to Christianity, following
Constantine’s example. He later moved the capital of the
entire Roman Empire from Rome, to Constantinople, which was in
present- day Turkey. He held many councils to resolve some disputes
over the truth and questions of the Christian
faith.
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When Constantine died, his two sons
became emperors of Rome. One of the sons ruled over the Western
half of the empire from Rome and the other ruled over the eastern
half of the empire from Constantinople. In the year 1054, A.D.,
Pope Leo IX excommunicated one of the leaders of the Eastern
Church. This leader, known as a patriarch, was angry with the Pope
for excommunicating him. This caused such a problem that the two
Christian churches, the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox,
became separated. The Roman Catholic Church became known as the
Western Church, and the Greek Orthodox was known as the Eastern
Church.
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