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Christendom, in the widest sense, refers to Christianity as a territorial phenomenon: those countries where most people are Christians, or nominal Christians, are part of Christendom.

In a more significant and meaningful sense, it refers to the mediaeval and renaissance notion of the Christian world as a sort of social and political polity. In essence, the vision of Christendom is a vision of a Christian theocracy, a government devoted to the enforcement of Christian values, and whose institutions are suffused with Christian piety. In this vision, members of the Christian clergy wield plenty of political clout. Secular rulers are their subordinates and agents; and national or political divisions are subsumed under the unitary government of a unique and universal church institution. This tempting vision of an earthly crown was one of the greatest challenges to the institutional Christian church.

The seeds of Christendom were laid in A.D. 306, when Emperor Constantine became co-ruler of the Roman Empire. In 312 he converted to Christianity, and in 325 Christianity became the official religion of the Empire.

Christendom was given a firmer meaning with the creation of Charlemagne's kingdom, the Christian Empire of the West. On ChristmasChristmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar which takes place on the twenty-fifth day of December and celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout mu Day, A.D. 800Alternate uses, see Number 800. Events December 25, Rome, coronation of Charles the Great ( Charlemagne) as emperor by Pope Leo III. Celtic monks begin work on the Book of Kells on the Island of Iona. Births Abu al-Kindi, Muslim philosopher (approximate d, Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope as ruler of the Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire ( German: Heiliges Romisches Reich was a political conglomeration of lands in western and central Europe in the Middle Ages. Emerging from the eastern part of the Frankish realm after its division in the Treaty of Verdun ( 843), it l, a title which would exist up until Napoleon's defeat of Francis IIFrancis II, Holy Roman Emperor who may also be referred to as Francis von Habsburg or Emperor Franz I of Austria ( February 12, 1768 March 2, 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until August 6, 1806, when the Empire was disbanded. in 1806Events January 8 Cape Colony becomes a British colony January 10 Dutch in Cape Town surrender to the British January 19 The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope March 23 After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocea.

After the collapse of Charlemagne's empire, Christendom became a collection of states loosely connected to the Holy SeeThe term Holy See ( Latin: Sancta Sedes lit. holy seat") refers in a geographic sense to the episcopal see of Rome, of which the Pope is the ordinary i. the diocesan bishop); in canon law, the terms Holy See and Apostolic See refer to the Pope ("Roman Pon. Tensions between the popes and secular rulers ran high, as the pontiffs attempted to retain control over their temporal counterparts. The idea of Christendom was already greatly discredited by the time of the Rennaissance Popes because of the moral laxity of the pontiffs and their willingness to make war, peace, and alliances like secular rulers.

Christendom as a cohesive political unit effectively ended with the Reformation. Christendom can also refer to Christians considered as a group. The Christian World.