Download The Church

Agenda [Copy]: How did the church influence
life in medieval Europe?
• Do Now [Don’t copy – simply address all of the below
listed queries]: Write down your answers.
1. As per the first Amendment of U.S. Constitution [the
main governing laws of America], consider the
separation between church and state in the United
States [the church & gov’t simply don’t mix. They are
and shall remain separate]. Why the separation?
2. In correlation [connection] to homework#4, what
does this separation mean for the church, the U.S.
government and all citizens?
3. State whether you think the separation is positive or
negative. Why? Explain your response.
Section 3: The Power of the Church
Main Idea
Reform and changes swept through the Christian
Church, one of the most influential institutions in
medieval Europe.
Today’s Focus
• What was the nature and influence of religion in the
Middle Ages?
• What led to the growth of papal power in Europe?
• What changes in monasticism were introduced in the
Middle Ages?
Chapter 13 - The Rise of the Middle Ages
Section 5: The Power of the Church
Notre Dame de Paris:
Construction began:1163
Completed :1345
Objective I
In connection to homework# 4 and your
understanding of 13.3, create a chart that
demonstrates the hierarchy [a pyramid] of the
medieval church from top to bottom. Give a
brief description of each category of hierarchy
and duties/responsibilities.
Objective 2
Put yourselves in the shoes of a medieval
European. Who might you fear more, the church
or king? Why? Specify: Compare the powers of
church and king [please write it out].
Answer/response to objective II
Always keep in mind that the powers of
excommunication and interdict often seemed
more mighty and frightening than the powers of
the monarch/king. True, a king might imprison
or even execute you, but if the church
excommunicated a person, he/she would not
only be shunned [socially, politically and
economically banished/ostracized] in life, but
also doomed for eternity. With the church, one
fears social banishment in their lifetime and
eternal damnation in the next life, death
(possibly in hell).
Section 5: The Power of the Church
Throughout the Middle Ages, the church
was one of the few sources of leadership
and stability that people could rely upon.
One historian has noted that “The
continuity and the authority of the Church
of Rome stood out in marked contrast
against the short-lived kingdoms which
rose and fell in the early Middle Ages.” As
a result, the Catholic church became one
of medieval Europe’s most powerful and
enduring institutions.
From 590 to 1517, the
Roman Church dominated
the western world. The
Roman Catholic Church
controlled
religion,
philosophy,
morals,
politics, art and education.
The Medieval Catholic Church
 filled the power vacuum left from the
collapse of the classical world.
 monasticism:
 St. Benedict – Benedictine Rule of
poverty, chastity, and obedience.
 provided schools for the children of
the upper class.
 inns, hospitals, refuge in times of war.
 libraries & scriptoria to copy books
and illuminate manuscripts.
 monks  missionaries to the
barbarians. [St. Patrick, St. Boniface]
Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII, though unpopular,
initiated many reforms for the church.
These reforms became known as the Gregorian reforms.
Pope Gregory Stated:
The Church was founded by God Alone
The pope alone can with right be called universal.
The pope alone can depose or reinstate bishops
The pope’s name alone can be spoken in churches
The pope may depose of emperors
The pope may be judged by no one
The Roman Church has never erred; nor will it err to all
eternity, the Scripture bearing witness.
The Church Supreme
• The attempts to make the church more powerful
did not end with Gregory VII. During the 12th and
13th century the Popes continued to strengthen
the papacy.
• Pope Innocent III declared the Act of Papal
Supremacy. He stated that the Pope was,
– “lower than God but higher than man . . . Judges all
and is judged by no one. . . . Princes have power on
earth, priests over the soul. As much as the soul is
worthier than the body, so much worthier is the
priesthood than the monarchy . . . NO king can reign
rightly unless he devoutly serve Christ’s vicar.”
Handout: Examine the church “flex its
ecclesiastical muscles”
Examine a handout focused on the
two most powerful institutions in
middle age (Monarchy vs. the
Church/Pope) Europe opposing
one another over power/prestige
– Let’s get ready to rumble….
The Power of the Medieval Church
 bishops and abbots played a large part in
the feudal system.
 the church controlled about 1/3 of the
land in Western Europe.
 tried to curb feudal warfare  only 40
days a year for combat.
 curb heresies  crusades; Inquisition
 tithe  1/10 tax on your assets given to
the church.
 Peter’s Pence  1 penny per person
[paid by the peasants].
A Medieval Monk’s Day
A Medieval Monastery: The Scriptorium
Illuminated Manuscripts
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Medieval church had broad political power,
performed many government functions
Emperor Henry IV
waited three days to
meet Pope Gregory
VII and the Countess
Matilda
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
By 1200s, the church was a leading landowner
and wealthiest institution in Europe
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Clergy was organized in strict hierarchy of rank
–parish priest was at bottom
Saint John Marie-Baptiste Vianney is the
patron saint of parish priests
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Priests directly served people in parish;
administered five of the seven sacraments
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Bishops managed a diocese; performed
sacraments of confirmation and holy orders
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Kings or nobles selected bishops based on
family connections or political power
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Archbishops managed a group of several
dioceses called an archdiocese
The chief diocese in a
province. To help things run
smoothly, one bishop in each
province has seniority. He's
an archbishop and his
diocese is an archdiocese.
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Cardinals most important and powerful clergy;
advised pope on legal and spiritual matters
Raphael, Portrait of a
Cardinal, 1510-12
Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de'
Medici and Luigi de' Rossi, Raphael 1518
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
Pope held supreme authority during his
pontificate; head of ecclesiastical courts; power
to excommunicate
Galileo in front of the Inquisition, 12 April 1633
I. Religion in the Middle Ages
1054 - Bishop of Constantinople rejected Pope
Leo IX’s authority; excommunication split church
into Roman Catholics and Orthodox
Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew
II. Monasticism
Monasticism - life in religious communities;
monks in monasteries and nuns in convents
II. Monasticism
Monks and nuns served God through fasting,
prayer, and self-denial
A monk at work in a monastic scriptorium
II. Monasticism
Benedict established monastery in the 500s;
Benedictine Rule governed monks’ lives
II. Monasticism
Benedictine Rule abandoned in 900s after
rulers began appointing unqualified abbots
II. Monasticism
New monastery at Cluny, France, reestablished
Benedictine Rule; became most influential
monastery in Europe
III. The Church and Medieval Life
Church leaders were feudal lords and political
advisors; popes held political and spiritual
power over monarchs
III. The Church and Medieval Life
The church had the power to tax; parish priests
collected a tithe - one-tenth of a person’s
income
III. The Church and Medieval Life
Major problems in the church were lay
investiture and simony
Jan Hus, a Bohemian preacher who called for Church
reforms, was declared a heretic by the Church. Hus was
summoned to the Council of Constance and burned at the
stake in 1415.
III. The Church and Medieval Life
Heretics - people who denied the church’s
principles
Reflective overview
Based on today’s class work and last night’s
homework, students are asked to:
1.Define and then examine some of the key
roles the church played in society throughout
the medieval ages. In a nutshell, if any, what
was the church’s purpose?
2.The monarch vs. the church, of the two, which
institution had the most influence and power
throughout this period? Proof? Back-up your
response with some form of evidence.