Transcript The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe

The Role of the Church in
Medieval Europe
The Christian Church Takes Shape
• Around 30 C.E.: Jesus
teaches to small group
of followers
• Romans persecute
Christians
• 313 C.E.: Constantine
legalizes Christianity
• 395 C.E.: Christianity
becomes recognized
religion of the Roman
Empire
• In the late 8th and
early 9th centuries,
Charlemagne helps
unify the church.
The Increasing Power of the Church
• By 1050 C.E.:
– the Catholic
Church taxes
everybody (tithe)
10%
– is largest
landowner in
Europe
– has great political
power because
only clergy could
read
The Increasing Power of the Church (cont.)
• 1073-1085: Pope Gregory VII
undertook several reforms
– forbidding priests to
marry
– outlawing the selling of
church offices
– banned the practice of
kings appointing priests,
bishops, and the heads of
monasteries
– excommunicated the Holy
Roman Emperor: Henry
IV because Henry
objected to the reforms
Sacraments and Salvation
• Catholic Church
states that to
achieve salvation
one needs to follow
the church’s
teachings and live a
moral life
Seven Sacraments
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Baptism
Confirmation
Holy Eucharist
Matrimony
Holy Orders
Penance
Anointing of the Sick
Pilgrimages and Crusades
• Christians went on
pilgrimages to visit
holy sites and visit
relics
• In England many
visited the shrine of
Thomas Becket
• Pilgrimages were
made to Rome and
Jerusalem
• Crusades were holy
wars to free the Holy
Land from infidels
Art and Architecture
• During the Middle Ages
most art was made for
religious purposes
• As people couldn’t read,
art helped tell the story
of Jesus
• Cathedrals: were the
tallest buildings in town;
were named for the chair
the bishop sat on; were
usually built in the shape
of a cross; took 50 –100
years to build.
Education
• Most schooling took
place in monasteries,
convents, and cathedrals
• In the 1200s, universities
develop and teach many
subjects including:
rhetoric and theology
• Thomas Aquinas tried to
bridge gap between faith
and reason; created
concept of natural law
Holidays
• Holiday comes
from “holy day”
• Two of the greatest
holidays were
Christmas and
Easter
Monks, Nuns, and Mendicants
• Monks live secluded
religious lives.
• Monasticism
• Convents
• Illuminated
manuscripts were
created by monks by
hand and kept
knowledge of the past
alive
• Friars traveled among
the people
Monks, Nuns, and Mendicants (cont.)
The Organization of the Catholic Church
Clergy
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Pope
Cardinals
Archbishops
Bishops
Priests