Download Carolingian Corruption and Reform

Carolingian
Corruption
and
Reform
Post-Charlemagne World
greedy Roman nobles used the papacy
as a political pawn
 Louis the Pious (son of Charlemagne)
divided the kingdom amongst his three
sons
843 Treaty of Verdun: Empire divided:
1. Charles: western kingdom (incl. France)
2. Lothar: middle kingdom (low
countries—Holland—to northern Italy)
3. Louis the German: eastern kingdom
(Germany)
 Imperial Enemies: Muslims (south),
Vikings (north), Magyars and Slavs
(east)

Corruptions in the Papacy: 817-1073
from the death of Stephen IV to
the coronation of Gregory VII
 due to: political intrigue, jealous
greed among the emperors, popes,
roman nobility; foreign invasions
(Saracens in the south)
 aside from Pope St. Nicholas I
(858-867), popes were too weak to
resist the emperor and Roman
nobility, or too corrupt to even try.
 Short papacies with occasional
murders (John VIII was poisoned
and then beaten to death in 882)

Pope St. Nicholas I
the Great
Pope Stephen VI vs. Pope Formosus
Feudalism





Contractual system: between the king,
his vassals (wealthy, landowning lords),
and “serfs” (common villagers, farmers,
monks)
Medieval European politics,
economics, and social life was
organized this way.
In exchange for protecting the church,
some rulers demanded control over
episcopal appointments (investiture
with ring and crosier)
Nepotism: appointing family members
to important positions of authority
Simony: selling of ecclesiastical offices
Achievements of the “terrible”
Middle Ages (AD 500 – 1500)










abolition of slavery
liberation of women
checks and balances on absolutism
artistic achievements (medieval cathedrals)
invention of the book and flowering of literature
the musical scale
the mechanical clock
System of Law based on custom
agreements (contracts) bound by oath
the King was not superior to law, but its servant
Reform of the Monasteries:
Cluny
909: reform monastery founded in Cluny
(Burgundy, France) donated by William
the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine.
 St. Berno: the first Abbot (900-927):
lived the Rule of St. Benedict according
to a strict observance.
 The Cluny ideal began to spread to other
monasteries: eventually, the monastic
reform spread all over France, Germany,
England, and Spain.
 Pope Bl. Urban II was a Cluniac monk.
1016: Pope Benedict VIII granted a
privilegium to Cluny
 Cluny would eventually be destroyed
during the French Revolution in 1792.
Lay-Investiture Controversy




The appointment of bishops: a divine right of the Pope?
or, A right of the King?
Since bishops and abbots wielded considerable political
influence, kings made sure they were the “right men for
the job”
Pope St. Gregory VII (former Cluniac monk): reigned
1073-1085; initiated the great Gregorian Reform.
Dictatus Papae: the Pope possesses certain powers by
divine right: (a) the power to convene and ratify a
Council; (b) define precepts of the Faith; (c) to appoint,
transfer, remove bishops from office; also, (d) the power
to depose temporal rulers.
Opposition to Gregorian Reform





Gregorian Reform angered the Holy
Roman Emperor Henry IV and the
nobility.
In defiance, Henry IV appointed the
bishop of Milan; Pope St. Gregory
VII deposed and excommunicated
Henry as Emperor and released his
subjects from his rule; bad for Henry,
since he was not very popular.
Henry went to Canossa, Italy, to
apologize and repent.
A year later, Henry rejected Gregory’s
authority and appointed an anti-pope,
Clement III; the pope turned to the
Normans for help.
Gregory died in exile in southern
Italy away from Henry’s army.
Henry IV
(1050-1106)
Worms and Henry II of England
King Henry II
(1133-1189)
Concordat of Worms (1122): spiritual
investiture was for the church; temporal
investiture was for civil politics
 Emperor was given a “veto power”
over bishop elections, since bishops
wielded political power.
Henry II of England (1154-1189): the
most powerful of all Medieval English
monarchs; wishing to consolidate
power, appointed his friend St.
Thomas Becket as Archbishop of
Canterbury (was his Chancellor)
St. Thomas: was murdered in his
cathedral by a band of knights in 1170.
Guilt-ridden, Henry II gave up his
program of control over the Church.
Frederick I Barbarossa
1121: Frederick Hohenstaufen “Rothbart” born
 most powerful ruler of the Holy Roman
Empire
 believed that God gave him absolute power
as Emperor, even over the church
 Pope Adrian IV threatened him with
excommunication; the Italian city-states also
resented Frederick’s meddling in their affairs
 Barbarossa continued to appoint bishops in
defiance of the Concordat of Worms; even
imprisoned the Papal Legate sent to stop
him!
 Barbarossa attempted to conquer Italy in five
campaigns, but failed.
 Later reconciled with the Church before
departing for the Third Crusade (11871192), that would end his life (d. 1190).
Redbeard
Frederick II the Excommunicant




Pope Gregory IX
(1170-1241)

Frederick II attempted to crush the
Papal States after the death of
Pope Innocent III
Because of his cruelty and
agnosticism he was seen by many as
the “Antichrist”
Even became friendly with
Muslims!
Invaded Italy, drove out Pope
Gregory IX, who
excommunicated him.
Frederick began to execute clergy
and desecrate churches; Frederick
deposed by Pope Innocent IV;
Frederick repents and does penance.