The Rise of the Catholic Church From Constantine to Luther

Early Christianity  Founded by followers of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish teacher in the first century  Spread to Rome through the teachings of Paul and others following Jesus’ death  Faced persecution from Roman emperors  Christians worshiped Jesus as God and not the Roman emperor  Christians were different in many ways; people always fear what is different

Constantine the Great  Roman emperor from  Won the Battle of Milvan Bridge in 312 while using a Christian symbol as a flag (“In this sign, conquer!”)  Legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313  Began a union between the government and the Church  Appointed bishops as magistrates  Gave money to the Church  The Roman Catholic Church now became an important political force

Theodosius  Roman emperor from  Declared the Roman Catholic Church to be the only legal religion  The Church instantly gained widespread support and power  Everyone was now a member of the Catholic Church due to citizenship, not necessarily personal belief

The Fall of the Roman Empire  Economic problems  Decreasing population = fewer taxes, less food production  Inflation  Barbarian invasions  Visigoths pillaged Rome in 410  Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor in 476  The Roman Catholic Church survived the fall of Rome and remained a powerful force in Europe, providing some unity

Charlemagne  Became King of the Franks in 768 and expanded his empire to include much of West-Central Europe  His kingdom united Europe for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire  Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on December 25, 800  This was important for both sides  The Church secured an alliance with the dominant political power and established a principle of the church as the source of political power  Charlemagne had his reign endorsed by the dominant religious power (God’s blessing)

The Church in the Middle Ages Religious, Cultural, and Political Power

Religious Power  The bishop of Rome (the Pope) = the “Vicar of Christ,” the representative of God  Salvation only through the Church  Peasants needed to obey the priests who could read the Bible and determine the will of God  The Priests were “righteous” enough to pray for the souls of the people

Cultural Power  Education  Only priests and nobles were educated and literate  All knowledge came from the Church; pagan and foreign ideas were suppressed  Society  The Church governed the daily lives of people  “Those who pray (clergy); those who fight (nobles); those who work (peasants)”  Art  Most art, literature, sculpture, and music was religious in nature

Notre Dame Originally housing a school of music, this cathedral took over 60 years to build in the 13 th century

Political Power  The Catholic Church had strong influence over political figures and appointments  The Investiture Controversy  Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire  Pope Gregory VII

The Crusades  The Papal Monarchy = an era of considerable Papal power  Pope Urban II  Sought to acquire land in Palestine  Called for Christian nobles to start a war against the Turks, sparking the First Crusade in 1095

The Great Schism  Division of Roman Empire in the 4 th century  Dispute over papal authority  Theological, linguistic, political, and geographical differences  Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I  Mutually excommunicated each other in 1054  Gradually the Eastern and Western Churches grew apart

The Renaissance Rebirth of ancient culture

Art  Michelangelo  Leonardo da Vinci  Raphael

Literature and Philosophy  Revival of Greek philosophy  Machiavelli  Erasmus  Increased criticism of the Catholic Church

Politics  Rome and Greece provided models for political systems, trade-based economies, and other social features  Development of nation-states

Universities  Universities taught law, medicine, theology, and the arts  Classes included arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music theory, grammar, logic, and rhetoric  Most Church officials were college graduates by the 13 th century

Religious Dissent and the Inquisition  As religious dissent began to grow, the church began to “purify” Christianity of heresy (beliefs that disagree with Church teaching).  The Inquisition was established as the official court for heresy.  The Inquisition used torture to secure confessions of heresy from people. In many cases those found guilty were executed, usually by burning at the stake.  Their torture techniques are still used today.

Garrucha (the pulley)

The rack

Simulated drowning

Jan Hus Priest and professor Challenged some of the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church Burned at the stake Pre-Reformers

John Wycliffe “The Morning Star of the Reformation” Preached against papal influence on secular authority Translated the Bible into English from Latin