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A:Prior to the reign of Emperor Constantine, the Christian Church had only a small presence in Western Europe, mainly in Rome and Lyons. The main branch of Christianity in the west was the forerunner of the Catholic/Orthodox Churches, although both modern branches claim a specific legacy all the way back to the apostles. Gnosticism also had a small presence, but it was more widely represented in the east. From the time of the Christian emperors, Gnosticism came to an end in the west, due to persecution. During the fourth century, Arianism was particularly popular in the west and among the Goths. Arianism continued in southern France for some time, and in Spain for several centuries, but disappeared elsewhere during the reign of Emperor Theodosius due to persecution.

The Great Schism of 1054 created the Roman Catholic Church in the west, and the Orthodox Churches in the eastern empire.

During the twelfth century, much of the entire region of Southern France was openly converting to Catharism, a mild form of Gnostic Christianity, and the belief was spreading to other areas. In 1204 Pope Innocent III suspended the authority of the bishops in the south of France, appointing papal legates, and subsequently excommunicated noblemen who protected the Cathars. The outcome was the Albigensian Crusade of 1209 to 1229, a brutal military campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate the religion. Once again, the Roman Catholic Church was the only Christian Church in western Europe, a situation that lasted until the sixteenth century.

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