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ROLE OF THE CHURCH
System of Organization
• Christianity had become the main religion of the Roman
Empire
– Spread to other parts of Europe
– Christianity appealed to many during the medieval
times since many people’s lives were filled with
suffering and hardship and Christianity offered them
the promise of a happy afterlife
– Christendom = a Christian society that included most
of western Europe
– The pope was the head of the entire Roman Catholic
Church – formerly the Bishop of Rome
– Monk – a man who separates himself from everyday
life to dedicate himself entirely to God, lives in a
monastery run by an abbot
• Spent lots of time in prayer and physical labor,
took a vow of poverty
• Monasteries became centers of learning
–Monks copied Christian and Latin manuscripts
in writing rooms
• Monks worked to spread Christianity throughout
Europe
–Called missionaries = people sent out to carry a
religious message
• Monasteries also were centers of wealth as kings
and nobles donated money or gifts in exchange for
prayers said on their behalf
– Women who dedicated themselves to God were
called nuns and lived in convents
Rise of Papal Power
• Popes became increasingly involved in politics due to
their control of the Papal States
– Region in central Italy under the control of the Pope
– More interested in the secular world rather than
spiritual duties
• The first pope to really increase the power of the
papacy was Pope Leo IX
– His reforms brought him into conflict with political
leaders
– Kings resented his interference in their kingdoms
• Pope Innocent III strengthened papal power and
believed that the pope was the supreme judge and ruler
of European affairs
– Used the interdict to exercise his powers
• An interdict forbids priests to give the sacraments
(Christian rites) to a particular group of people
– A pope used an interdict against a country whose
ruler has disobeyed him
– People under interdiction lost the comforts and
blessings of religion
– They exerted pressure on their ruler to follow the
pope’s wishes
Heresy and The Inquisition
• Heresy = denial of basic Church doctrines, or beliefs that
opposed the official teachings of the Church
– People who committed heresy were called heretics
and were usually burned at the stake
• The Inquisition was a court created by the Catholic
Church to find and try heretics
– Used torture and heretics who converted to
Catholicism were freed, while others were killed
– The Spanish Inquisition was the most brutal and was
still operating in the 1800s
• The two groups it went after the most were Jews
and Muslims
The Crusades
• From the 11th to 13th centuries, European Christians
went on the Crusades
– The Crusades were a series of military campaigns to
regain the Holy Land from the Muslims who were
known as infidels (non-believers)
– The goal of each Crusade was to take Jerusalem and
the surrounding area away from the Muslims
• Many Christians believed that Jesus would only
come again once Christians held Jerusalem
• The Muslims also considered Jerusalem holy
• The First Crusade started when Muslim Turks attacked
the Byzantine Empire
– The Byzantine Emperor asked for help and Pope Urban
II responded by urging Christians to take up arms in a
holy war (1095)
• Slogan: “God wills it!”
– Two groups set out for the Crusade
• Peasant Crusaders – slaughtered entire Jewish
communities on the way to Jerusalem
–Most died quickly when they did reach the Holy
Land
• Trained knights – even they were still unprepared for
the hardship
– Three years after heading out, the Crusaders finally
reached Jerusalem
• Captured Jerusalem and killed most of its
inhabitants
– Set up four Latin Crusader states that were
surrounded by Muslims and were intended to be
strongholds against future Muslim aggression
• Second Crusade
– A few years later the Muslims began to recapture
lands
– The Second Crusade is organized after one of the
Latin Crusader states falls to the Muslims
– The Crusade was launched in 1147 and included King
Louis VII of France and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine
– It was a complete failure – took no lands from
Muslims
• Third Crusade
– A new leader emerges among the Muslims – Salah
ad-Din, whom the Europeans call Saladin
• His goal was to recapture the Holy Land
• In 1187 he captured Jerusalem
– Richard and Saladin fought fiercely against each
other and although Richard won several battles, he
was not able to take Jerusalem
– Richard instead negotiates an agreement with
Saladin for Christian pilgrims to be allowed to go into
Jerusalem and he returns home
• Effects of the Crusades
– There were nine Crusades launched from 1096 to
1291 – the First Crusade was the only successful one
– The Crusades increased trade and some Italian cities
benefited economically
– Lots of money and manpower spent on the Crusades
– Led to the deaths of many knights and nobles
• Kings gained power as they took over unoccupied
lands
– Brought knowledge of Muslim culture to Europe
– Began to view all non-Christians as enemies
• Undertaking holy wars against Muslims while the
“murderers of Christ” ran free at home
• Massacres of Jews became a feature of medieval
European life, anti-Semitism increases
• Anti-Semitism = hostility towards Jews
– Breeds centuries of mistrust between Christians and
Muslims