The Church in the Middle Ages

The Role of the Church Christianity was a major religion of the Roman Empire “The Church”= Catholicism

Organization of the Church Pope Pope is the Bishop of Rome and leader of the entire catholic Church Archbishops In charge of bishops Bishops In charge of groups of churches called diocese

Parish Priests Monks and Nuns Laity Leaders of local churches (Parish) Had contact with ordinary, church-going people (laity) Monks and Nuns Men and women whose lives are devoted to service to God Laity Regular folk who attend church

Pope Archbishop Bishop Priest Monks Laity

Importance of Priests After the Lord of the Manor, the priest was the most important man in the village Parish priests were also responsible for the following activities:

Importance of Monks Monks were the social workers and record keepers of the community: Provided schools for the young Hospitals for the sick Hospitality for travelers

Why was the Church so powerful? Organization Allowed messages to spread quickly through the ranks Owned Land Controlled large areas of farmland People who used the land owed 1/10 of the crops to the church (tithe)

Controlled People’s Beliefs People were frightened of their soul suffering in Hell It Was Rich Earned money through taxes, fees and “special services” To shorten a soul’s time in Purgatory the church said you could: Attend more Church (Give money every Sunday) Go on a pilgrimage (Pay the Church to guide you) Buy an Indulgence

Not Controlled by the King The king could not tell anyone from the Church what to do Even if a churchman committed a crime, he would be tried by other churchmen who were very lenient Active in Government Many important positions in government were held by Archbishops This sometimes meant that churchmen had to choose between loyalty to their king or the Pope

Catholic Church Conflicts with Kings By the 800-900s, the lords had control of the local church leaders and could make their appointments Church leaders did not like it

Pope Gregory VII In the 11th century Pope Gregory VII sent out a papal decree It stated that the Pope’s power is the most high in the Catholic Church This decree allowed the complete take back of the power of the Church Also gave the Church a foothold in politics

Decline of the Church Power Church had a majority of the power in the late 1200s By the end of the 14th Century (1300s) it began to decline European Kings no longer wanted to accept the supremacy of the pope and the church

The Great Schism 1378-1417 2 Popes divided Europe Driven by politics rather than theological disagreement Romans and English wanted a Roman as Pope French wanted a more trustworthy man in power France and their allies supported the Pope in Avignon

Because religion was not united, people lost faith in both the papacy and the Church The Church lost much of its political and spiritual authority