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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 Church developed a system of organization
– Priest was the head of a local community called a
parish
– Bishop – in charge of a group of parishes, area of
authority called a bishopric or dioceses
– Archbishop – watches over a group of bishoprics
– 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
• The most common form of monasticism was
Benedictine Order
• Monasteries became centers of learning
–Monks copied Christian and Latin manuscripts
in writing rooms
–Helped to educate people
• 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
– Besides kings, the patriarch, or bishop, of
Constantinople rejected Leo’s authority
• In response, Pope Leo excommunicated the
patriarch
–Excommunicate = to cast out of the Church
• This led to a split: those who agreed with Pope
Leo were Roman Catholics and those who sided
with the patriarch were called Orthodox
• The issue of investiture also brought conflict
– Investiture = awarding a church office
– Lay investiture = the practice by which secular rulers
appoint nominees to church offices
• Pope against this, he feels that only the Church
should appoint clergy and run its own affairs
• Also believed that the pope’s authority extended
over all rulers
• If secular rulers did not accept this, then the pope
would remove them
– Investiture Controversy – conflict between Pope
Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor IV over who
had the right to choose bishops
• Henry responded that the pope had no authority
over him
• Pope Gregory responded by excommunicating
Henry and calling on the nobles of Germany to
replace him
• A later pope and emperor finally reached a
compromise – local clergy would choose bishops,
but their choices could be vetoed by secular rulers
• 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
– Could also excommunicate someone – no longer a
part of the Church
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
– Special judges to eliminate heretics and heresy
– 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
Popular Religion
• Piety had greatly increased in Europe around 1000
– Piety = a person’s level of devotion to religion
• Sacraments of the Catholic Church were very important to
ordinary people
– Made people dependent on the clergy, who were the only
people who could give sacraments
• Venerating the saints was also important
– Would pray to them
– Worshipped and bought relics, because they thought relics
could produce miracles such as healing or help you get to
heaven
– Relics = are bones of saints or objects connected with saints
– Many Christians also believed that a pilgrimage to a holy
shrine produced a spiritual benefit
Decline of Church Power
• Roman Catholic popes reached the height of their
power in the 13th century
• European kings grew unwilling to accept papal claims of
supremacy over both religious and secular matters
– King Philip IV of France claimed he had the right to
tax the clergy, but Pope Boniface VIII said that the
clergy would need the pope’s consent to pay taxes
– King Philip refused this position and sent troops to
bring Boniface to France for trial
– The pope escaped, but soon died from shock
• King Philip engineered to have a Frenchman, Clement V,
elected pope
– This new pope established himself in the French city
of Avignon, no Rome, and the popes lived there from
1305 to 1377 (called the Babylonian Captivity)
– This didn’t seem proper, so Pope Gregory XI returned
to Rome
• When he died, the citizens of Rome told the cardinals to
elect an Italian pope or face the consequences – they
elected Urban VI
– However, a group of French cardinals declared the
election invalid and chose a Frenchman as pope and
this pope went to Avignon
– There were now 2 popes
– This was called the Great Schism of the Church and
lasted from 1378 to 1417, dividing Europe religiously
and damaging the Church
– Each pope denounced the other as the Antichrist and
people’s faith in the papacy was shaken
• Another pope was elected to help fix things, but
that didn’t work and now there were 3 popes
– Finally in 1417 a new pope was elected who was
acceptable to everyone
• This led to a call for the end to the clergy’s corruption
and the papacy’s excessive power
– By the early 1400s the pope could no longer assert
supremacy over the state
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
– Due to this, the Third Crusade is launched and three
strong leaders set out together: King Richard of
England, King Philip Augustus of France, and Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa of Germany
• Only Richard made it to and fought in the Holy
Land
– 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
• Fourth Crusade
– Started by Pope Innocent III after Saladin dies
• Crusaders set out again to recapture Jerusalem in
1201
– The Crusaders found that they could not afford to
pay the Venetians, who were supposed to take them
to the Holy Land
• In place of payment, the Crusaders attacked a city
held by the Christian king of Hungary for the
Venetians
• The pope was furious and excommunicated them
all for attacking a Christian city
– The Crusaders continued on towards the Holy Land,
but ended up attacking Constantinople instead
• Children’s Crusade
– Nicholas of Cologne brings thousands of children to
the pope, saying that God has inspired him to lead
the children to the Holy Land
• The pope sends them home
– At the same time, seven ships carrying 20,000 French
children sails for the Holy Land
• Two ships sink and the other five ships reach
North Africa, where the rest of the children were
sold into slavery
• 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
benefitted 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
Crusade
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Children’s
Reason For
People Involved
Result