us intent. The Celts and the Romans met andengaged in many years of disputes and warfare. Eventually the Romans were victorious, and Britain fell under therule of the Roman Empire, a rule which would last about four hundred years, until the year 410 (Blundell, 1999). In year 313 Christian missionaries had reached the British Isles. Paganism still dominated the lifestylesof the Celts in these lands despite the sway of the Christian church, but eventually the funds of the Celtic templeswere confiscated by the church, and Christianity grew in power and influence among the Celts. The infamous St.Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, and ultimately salvaging Ireland from the political andeconomic unrest Britain suffered with constant civil wars, and invasions by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. It wasin Ireland that a new Celtic Church took root, a unique mixture of traditional Druidic and Christian beliefs, whichwould eventually spread to Britain and remain there for generations to come. In accordance with ancient Celticbeliefs, the church enforced the idea that a bond must be maintained with the natural world in order to achievespiritual harmony, as well as placing great importance on having mutual respect, charity, and kindness withinsociety. The Celtic Church eventually came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church in England in themiddle of the seventh century, when King Oswiu of Northumbria insisted that the Celtic Church shouldimmediately be replaced by Roman Catholicism. Many Celtic Priests were banned from Anglo-Saxon territories,and in the year 670 Celtic rule was abolished from France. Celtic monasteries soon began to disappear, and thepower of the church began to fade and wane under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in most parts ofEurope, except in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Wales, where the Celtic Church continued to flourish into theMiddle Ages, and still remains for the most part...
