Transcript Chapter 7.3 The Medieval Church

Chapter 7.3 The Medieval Church
• FQ: How did the Medieval Church play
an important role in medieval life?
• Pilgrimages, the sacraments, help the
sick, schools, libraries, agric.
improvement, politics, limits on war……..
• Roman Church emerged as the most
powerful force in the region
• Had much economic and political power
Objective
To learn about:
• The Christian Church becomes
the most influential, powerful
force in Medieval Times (Europe)
This is important because:
• They take the place of what strong
countries are today.
• Kings and countries were not able to
control large areas b/c of invasions of
Vikings, Magyars, Muslims
What we’ll learn
The Christian Church
was the most
influential, powerful
force in Medieval
Times
Why?
Kings and countries
were not able to
control large areas b/c
of invasions of Vikings,
Magyars, Muslims
Who’s more corrupt?
The rich or poor?
Who are the most
moral people in
society?
Medieval Church
England
Wells Cathedral, England, built from 1175-1490
Focus Q
• Who is the most influential, powerful
country on Earth? Have any
evidence?
• During the Middle Ages the Christian
Church had the most influence in
Europe.
Focus Q
Turn to page 230.
How (why) were Jews both
persecuted and valued in Medieval
Europe?
The Power of the Medieval Church
 bishops and abbots played a large part in
the feudal system.
 the church controlled about 1/3 of
the land in Western Europe.
 tithe  1/10 tax on your assets
given to the church.
tried to curb feudal warfare 
only 40 days a year for combat.

curb heresies  crusades; Inquisition
 Peter’s Pence  1 penny per person
[paid by the peasants].
Church Dominates Medieval Life
Most important achievement
• Converting people to Christianity in Western
Europe
• If you didn’t belong to the church, you were
viewed with suspicion
• Guess what religion was
especially suspect?
Role of the Parish Priest
1. In villages, the only contact people had
with church was the priest
2. Gives mass and sacraments
–(7) baptism, confirmation, marriage,
communion, reconciliation (confession), holy
orders (ordination), anointing of the sick
**Participating in sacraments would lead
to salvation—everlasting life w/ God**
Can you ID them?
Role of the Parish Priest
1. Only contact people had w/ the Church
2. Administered the sacraments—your
way to salvation
3.
4.
Assisted on moral issues, sick and poor people
Some ran schools
5. Preached in Latin—any questions?
Importance of Village Church
1. **Social center and religious center**
–Main events of your life took place at
church: baptism, marriage, burial
2. Much pride in the village church
– Some build large, stone churches, collect relics which people
come to pray over
3. Tithe required—10 % of income,
supports local church
Rise of Cathedrals
1. Big churches = cathedrals
2.
–
Bishops supervised parish priests and managed larger churches, Cathedrals
Gothic style
3. Cities competed to have the grandest,
tallest Cathedral
Cathedrale Notre Dame
Paris
Exeter Cathedral
Devon, England
Amiens Cathedral, France
Reims Cathedral,
France
Church Attitudes Towards Women
1. Church doctrine taught equality b/f God
2. **On Earth, women viewed as:
–Weaker, more likely to sin, needed
guidance from men**
3. Church tried to protect women—
–min. age for marriage
–But punished them more severely for same
sins
Monasteries and Convents
1. Monks and nuns devote their lives to
spiritual goals
2. Live in Monasteries and Convents
Tiger’s Nest Monastery,
Bhutan
Thessaly, Greece
thessaly
Desert in Israel
Meteora, Thessaly, Greece:
St. Trinity Monastery
Monastery Immaculate Conception
Indiana
A Medieval Monk’s Day
Monastic Life: Benedictine Rule
1. 530 Benedict
**3 vows: obedience, poverty, chastity
(purity)**
2.
3.
They studied, worked in fields and at other physical tasks,
experiment w/ agriculture
Develop better agricultural methods
Obedience
Poverty
Chastity
Service and Scholarship
1.
Monastaries/convents provide
– Basic health and education services
– Food, lodging to travelers
2. Some monks/nuns become missionaries
3. Kept learning alive—”Dark” Ages?
–Libraries had Greek and Roman works
–Wrote/taught in Latin—lang. of the church
Just for laughs…..
• A man who throws his cat out
the window gets kitty litter.
• Confucius say: man who cut self while
shaving lose face.
• A butcher who backs into a meat
grinder gets a little behind in his work.
Opportunities for Women
1. Couldn’t become priests
2. Could be nuns in convents
3. **Later Middle Ages, the Church
withdrew rights that nuns had
enjoyed—teaching the Gospels**
Church Power Grows
1.
It controlled the spiritual life of Christians
**Became the most powerful secular
(worldly) force in Medieval Europe**
Church’s Role in Society
The pope was the leader of the Western
Christian Church
1. ***Pope: religious leader who also
exercised secular power***
2. Eventually claim *PAPAL SUPREMACY*
***Authority over all secular rulers, Kings,
emperors***
3. Pope, Archbishops, bishops had their own
lands and armies, like feudal lords
Vatican City: Pope’s crib
Church’s Role in Society
1.
2.
3.
Popes lands, called Papal States, in central Italy
Monasteries had large tracts of land
Church official were close to and sometimes related to secular rulers
Religious Authority and
Political Power
1. Christians believed people were sinners
and had to do stuff to avoid hell
A. Do good works
B. believe in Christ
C. participate in the sacraments
2. B/c church gave the sacraments and
could refuse them, it had much power
Religious Authority and
Political Power
• Canon Law: church law, had courts too
1. Most severe penalty: excommunication
– Couldn’t receive sacraments or Christian burial
2. Powerful nobles who opposed the
church could face the interdict
– Order excluding his town, region from receiving
most sacraments or Christian burial
Corruption and Reform
1. As wealth and power grew, discipline
weakened—surprised?
2. Some monks and nuns forgot vows of
poverty
3. Some clergy live in luxury
4. Priests could marry: surprised? Any
thoughts?
Two Movements for Reform
1.
•
•
•
Cluny monks
Revived obedience, poverty, chastity
Refused to allow nobles or bishops to interfere in monastery affairs
Many monasteries and convents copied this
Cluny Monastery
Two Movements for Reform
2.
•
•
•
Pope Gregory VII
Church chooses church officials
Outlawed marriage for priests
Prohibited simony (selling church offices)
Jews in Medieval Europe
1. In Middle Ages, Jewish communities all
across Europe
2. Spain had large Jewish population
3. Christians and Jews lived side by side in
relative peace
4. Many rulers in Northern Europe valued
and protected Jewish communities, but
taxed them heavily
Jews in Medieval Europe
**By the late 1000s, Western Europe had
become more Christianized and
prejudice against Jews increased**
1. Disasters like illness and famine
blamed on Jews
2. Church forbid Jews to own land or
work in certain professions
Jews in Medieval Europe
1. **Popes and rulers still got advice
from Jewish doctors and bankers**
2. In response, many Jews migrated to
Eastern Europe
Ch. 7 left side activity
Draw 3 pictures w/ captions for the following
topics:
1. Vassals, lords, knights or serfs.
2. Treatment of Jews in Medieval times.
3. Anything to do w/ the power, influence of
the Christian Church in Medieval times.
 Think: papal supremacy, women,
sacraments, Benedictine Rule, etc.