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Ch. 10 The Late Middle Ages I. Popes & Kings Learning Goal • Analyze the power of Catholic Popes and European Kings in Medieval Europe • Analyze the power of excommunication in Medieval Europe A. The Pope • The Pope is the traditional leader of the Catholic (“Universal”) Church, which was the only group of Christians in Europe in the Middle Ages. • The Pope lives in Rome, in a place called the Vatican City (sort of like the Forbidden City in China) • Since most people could not read—and did not own a Bible—the Pope was regarded as the ultimate authority on Religious matters. • From time to time, the Pope would write a letter, called a Papal Bull, which explained a religious teaching or new Church policy. B. The Papacy • The Papacy—the position (“office”) of the Pope— also had Political power. • If the Pope felt someone was working against the Church (either in a Religious or Political way), he could punish the person. • The worst punishment was called Excommunication. • If the Pope excommunicated someone, that person was kicked out of the Church. This means: • Their marriage was made invalid • Their children were made illegitimate • They could not be buried in the Church cemetery • They would not go to heaven when they died. • One part of Europe that refused to respect the authority of the Pope was the Byzantine Empire—especially in Constantinople. • Here, the Byzantine Emperor was the head of the Orthodox Church. • In 1054AD, Pope Leo IX decided to excommunicate the Bishop of Constantinople, causing a permanent split in the Church. • Christians who respected the authority of the Pope were called Roman Catholics. • Even Kings could be excommunicated, so everyone had to respect the Pope’s power, especially after Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope. • Many Popes were humble men trying to live like Jesus, but others were powerhungry, and this brought them into conflict with the Kings of Europe. C. Kings of Europe • In 1000AD, there were many small kingdoms in Europe, of which England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) were the strongest. • Muslims still ruled Spain. • The main conflict occurred over who had the power to appoint Church leaders, called Bishops. • Some Kings believed that, in their own Kingdoms, they should be able to choose their Bishops—the Pope disagreed. D. Pope Gregory VII • In 1073, a new Pope named Gregory VII came into conflict with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV about a Bishop. • Henry tried to have the Bishops revolt against the Pope and replace him, but instead, Pope Gregory excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor. • Desperate to remain Emperor, Henry traveled to Rome to beg forgiveness. • The Pope made the Holy Roman Emperor stand barefoot in the snow for three days before forgiving him. • This showed that the Pope was more powerful than earthly Emperors.