Transcript Structure/growth in the High Middle Ages

Christianity and
Medieval Society
It is not just about religion
anymore…
Religious Influence
Service to the Church
Monastic Life
(structured life devoted to service
to God)
Benedictine Rule
– Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
to abbot
Convents
– The other choice for women
Powers of the Church
Powers of the Church
Sacraments
– All rites of passage in a persons life are overseen by the Church
Excommunication
– Follow their rules or you will be asked to leave
Interdict
– Follow their rules or your whole community will be asked to leave
Salvation
– Promise of afterlife is still held by the church (sins & forgiveness)
Political Influence
Beyond Religious Matters…
Land ownership
– Papal States (area around Rome) were governed by the Church
(it was a lord)
– Any monastery or church was considered part of church land
ownership
Ecclesiastical Courts
– Canon law develops, cases involving marriages, wills, contracts,
orphans, widows and the clergy were tried in “Church” courts
Feudal Warfare
– Truce of God – Tried to get people to stop fighting so much
amongst themselves ( fighting was prohibited on certain days of
the week and holidays)
Supremacy
– Conflict over political power – who has more the king or the
pope?
Economic Influence
Money Matters
Church taxes
– Tithe, 10% of income is required to be donated
Purchase of church offices
– Simony—buy, sell church offices
Indulgences
– Purchase final salvation for relatives who sinned
during their life
Advancements in agriculture
– Monasteries are also self-sufficient communities but
they strive to do better so they improved some
farming methods
Social Influence
Where else to go? There is no
centralized government so…
Momentous occasions in a person’s life
– Birth, marriage, death…go to church
Community activity
– The medieval version of “communication time”
– Festivals, entertainment, prayer
Assistance
– Hospitals are created and run by the
monasteries, that is also the place to go if you
need help because you are poor, lost, aged or
sick
Intellectual Influence
Church promoted learning
– Maintained schools, monks founded the first
universities
– Educated young men for priesthood
– Some women in convents also were educated
Copying books and manuscripts
– Preserved Greco-Roman culture (antiquity)
Literature influenced
– Who else could read and write? Literature contains
religious themes
Artistic Influence
Art reflects society
Illuminations
– Highly decorated texts
– Ex. Book of Kells
Gothic Cathedrals
– Taller, more
decorative churches
than ever before
– Provide economic,
social boom for an
area
– Ex. Chartres Cathedral