Download Abbots, Bishops, Cardinals, Pope

Abbots, Bishops, Cardinals, Pope
Power Structure of the Church: At the top of the heap locally, the abbots
and bishops had great power. In a local monastery, the monks did the
work, and the abbots and bishops were the power. Abbots reported to
bishops. Bishops reported to cardinals. There were only a few cardinals,
and only one pope. The cardinals served the pope, and the pope served
God.
Abbots and Bishops: Most abbots and bishops came from noble families.
They received land from kings in exchange for military service. But they
could not fight. They were religious leaders. They gave some of their land
to knights to fight in their place. In exchange for the land, the knights
pledged themselves as vassals of the bishops and abbots. That gave
abbots and bishops quick access to men who could fight.
Wealth Flowed Into the Church: The church received donations of land,
jewelry, and money from nobles as acts of penance. Nobles paid the
church to educate their children. Everyone paid the church for various
sacraments.
To share in this wealth, many lords began appointing their relatives to
the the position of local abbot and bishop. Their relatives dined with the
lord's family. They dressed in rich robes. They wore jewelry. They lived
well while villagers went hungry.
Men of God: Bishops, Priests, and Monks
There were many different kinds of clergymen during the middle ages. Each
one had his own duties and power. Some had vast amounts of power politically.
Of course, they all shared one trait, they were the mediators of God. They were
the bridge between God and the other people.
The Bishop
Bishops were the leaders of the church. The leader of the
bishops, of course, was the pope. Bishops were often very
wealthy. They dressed lavishly, wearing many of the same
clothes as a feudal lord. Of course, they had their own
religious garments to wear also. Bishops often had their own Picture of a bishop
saying grace.
castles from which to conduct business. In this way, they
were firmly entrenched in the feudal society. They were accepted in royal courts
and dallied in politics. They also had many duties. They levied taxes and settled
on issues such as annulments of marriages.
Parish and Castle Priest
These priests said Mass for the town in the town church and also said Mass in
the castle. This was done in its chapel. They also were responsible for the
collection of church taxes and the spreading of alms among the poor. Often these
priests were the only people who could write and read in the village. Thus, they
were sometimes responsible for village and
castle record keeping.
Monk
Monks lived in monasteries in groups. They
usually wore brown robes with hoods around
their heads. They were also well educated and
could usually read and write Latin. Many
monks devoted themselves to learning. Some
of the first encyclopedias and histories were
A man in the type of garb that
written by monks and then copied over by
was usually worn by a monk.
hand. Monks were often the only source of
.
Bibles in medieval times. Bibles were also
copied by hand because the printing press was not yet developed.