Download The Medieval Church - Methacton School District

Chapter 8, Section 3
THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN EUROPE
In 596 C.E. Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to
convert the Anglo-Saxons of England.
 People who convert others to a religion are
called missionaries.
 Christian missionaries traveled throughout
Europe spreading the word of Christ and
converted many people.
 This conversion to Christianity will have a
galvanizing effect on the people of Europe.

THE (FIRST) GREAT SCHISM

In 1053 the first great splitting (schism) of the Christian
faith took place.

The main dispute was between the two major centers of power on
the Roman world: Rome and Constantinople.


Arguments over the true tenants of Christianity eventually broke the
Church in two. The main arguments were over:





Each territory was dominated by two distinct sects of Christianity:
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.
The nature of the Holy Sprit
The use of leavened or unleavened bread during the Eucharist
The pope’s claim to universal jurisdiction
The place of Constantinople in relation to the Pentarchy
This split still divided the Church to this day.
THE GREAT SCHISM
THE VILLAGE CHURCH



The church was the social
and religious center of a
medieval town.
Villagers took pride in
their churches and would
adorn them with
decorations.
In order to maintain the
Church the people had to
pay a tithe, or tax, equal
to 1/10th of their income.
THE PARISH PRIEST
The local priest was most often the only contact
that the common people had with the church.
 The priest’s main responsibility was to care for the
souls of his congregation.

This involved celebrating mass and administering the
sacraments, or sacred rites, of the church.
 The priest would also offer assistance to the sick and
needy.


Since priests were one of the few people who
could actually read the Bible they were vital in
sharing the word of God.
MONKS AND NUNS


During the Middle Ages
both men and women
withdrew from worldly
life to become nuns and
monks.
The Benedictine Rule

Around 530 a monk
named Benedict
organized a monastery in
southern Italy called
Monte Cassino.
THE BENEDICTINE RULE

1.
2.
3.

Under the Benedictine Rule,
monks and nuns had to
take three vows:
They had to swear
obedience to the abbot or
abbess (the head of the
monastery or convent.
They had to swear to a life
of poverty.
They had to swear to
remain chaste, or pure.
Benedictine monks were
also expected to work,
pray, and study.
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY



Monasteries often acted as hospitals and schools
in a community.
Monks and nuns also preserved writings from the
ancient world.
A monk named the Venerable Bede wrote the
earliest known history of England.

He also created the use of B.C. and A.D. to date
historical events.
THE POWER OF THE CHURCH GROWS


In the centuries following the fall of Rome the
Church slowly became the dominant religious and
secular (worldly) authority in Europe.
The leader of the church, the Pope, claimed papal
supremacy which meant that he had authority over
secular rulers.
CHURCH HIERARCHY
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY
Since the people of Europe believed that they
were sinners and they their souls were doomed
to eternal suffering, the Church was the only
power that could offer salvation.
 The church administered the sacraments which
would absolve them of sin.
 The Church developed canon law which was a
series of laws which applied to church doctrine.

THE SACRAMENTS
The sacraments are ceremonies which are sacred
to Christians.
 The seven sacraments are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Baptism
Eucharist
Reconciliation
Confirmation
Marriage
Holy Orders
Anointing the Sick
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY

The most powerful weapon at the disposal of
the Pope was excommunication.
 If
someone was excommunicated they were not
allowed to receive the sacraments or receive a
Christian burial.

Nobles who opposed the church could also
face an interdict which excluded entire towns,
regions, or kingdoms from receiving the
sacraments.
THE AVIGNON PAPACY
While Church power grew in Europe during the
Middle Ages, kings began to resent their
diminishing strength.
 Philip the Fair, the King of France, wanted to
levy taxes against clerical income.

 In
response, Pope Boniface VIII issued two bulls
condemning Philip’s actions and asserting the
supreme power of the Pope.
THE AVIGNON PAPACY


In response to the papal bulls, Philip called for a
council to judge the Pope on charges of “heresy,
blasphemy, murder, … simony, and sorcery.”
While Pope Boniface was drawing up a Bull to
excommunicate Philip, the French king had his agents
seize the 86-year-old Pope and hold him for trial.

While the Pope was eventually freed, the shock of the
outrage proved mortal and he was dead within a month.
THE AVIGNON PAPACY
 Under
the direction of Philip, a French pope was elected at
the next papal conclave.


This new pope was named Clement V.
Instead of returning to Rome (in fear of Italian reprisals for the way
Boniface was treated) Pope Clement settled in Avignon, a part of
what is modern-day southern France, in 1309.
 With
the papacy in Avignon, the Church was effectively in
French control (in fact, the next six Popes will be French.)


Due to the Avignon Papacy’s questionable moral grounds, the
papacy began to focus on “financial expansion.”
While Rome deteriorated, the popes in Avignon began to lead more
lavish lifestyles.
THE AVIGNON PAPACY
THE (SECOND) GREAT SCHISM

In January of 1377, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome from
Avignon.
◦

He died the next year, requiring a new conclave to be held to elect
a new pope.
Pressured by a Roman mob to elect a Roman, the College of
Cardinals elected Urban VI as the new Pope
◦
The Cardinals believed that Urban could be easily influenced to
follow their decisions.



When Urban VI started attacking church practices, the Cardinals decided to
hold a new conclave and elected Clement VII as a new Pope.
Pope Clement VII reestablished himself at Avignon and became the
antipope, or someone who falsely claims to be Pope.
This divide made people question the authority of the Pope
and church.
THE GREAT SCHISM

Pope Urban VI

Pope Clement VII
THE GREAT SCHISM
FRANCIS OF ASSISI READING
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Describe how young Francis behaved.
Which two events were turning points in his life?
What was symbolic of Francis’s confrontation with his father?
What is the defining characteristic of the Franciscan Order?
Why did Pope Innocent III give approval to the creation of
Francis’s Rule?
What is considered the best-known element of the Francis
legend?
What are stigmata?
Describe the overall importance of Francis of Assisi on the
late-medieval Church.