The Role of the Church in

Medieval Europe

Clergy

• Church guided life of people… from baptism to marriage and to death

• Power to condemn or to forgive very powerful in people’s lives

Church Hierarchy

    Pope – head of church, Latin for “Father”

    Cardinals – advisors to the Pope, controlled the archbishops and choose new Pope from the cardinals

Current Pope:

Benedict XVI

El Grego, Portrait of a Cardinal

Church Hierarchy

•   Archbishops – controlled

archdiocese and bishops

• Bishops – controlled “diocese”

in larger cities or

provinces made of

many parishes

Church Hierarchy

•   Abbots – in charge of

monasteries and local parishes

•   Priests - local church or parish; led religious services(weddings,

baptisms, and funerals),

cared for sick

Church Hierarchy:

Monks

• Lived in monasteries• “Hard” or physical

labor to support their communities

• Occasionally preached• “Low man” on the

Church Hierarchy “totem pole” but crucial since they were in contact with people the most.

Monastery• Complex community of many different buildings owned by the Church– Granaries– Breweries – Bakeries– Wineries– Abbey church– Library /

scriptorium– Hospital– School

Self contained like a town

“Spreading the Word”

St. Francis of Assisi

• Religious communities formed

• Monks could travel, spread Christianity, and do “good deeds” for the poor

• Saint Francis of Assisi began his own group of monks ….helping the poor and sick

Church Hierarchy: Women

• Women were excluded from church employment except as nuns or directors of Abbeys

• Nuns were “Brides of Christ”; swore never to marry, devoted to charitable work

Power of the Church

      Church encouraged Christians to save their souls by donating money to the churches

•Nobles were encouraged to leave their lands to the church (upon death) in return for saving their souls>>> increasing the church’s holdings and wealth

Power of the Church

  Clergy> most often the only members of society able to read and write

• Most kings were illiterate>> clergy were advisors to the king =

Increase in political power (very powerful)

Kings >> conflict with the Church

800 c.e., Kings and nobles tried to take power from church.

Kings appointed their own people/ relatives to church positions, such as bishops and cardinals

Kings >> conflict with the Church

New pope> Gregory VII wanted to give back power to church.

Announced that Pope was higher than king and that only the Pope could appoint members to church

Kings >> conflict with the Church

King Henry IV refused Pope’s edict (formal announcement)

Pope excommunicated King Henry IV

Excluded from participation in the Catholic Church/ religion (Kicked out of the church)

Education Spreads in Europe

 Monasteries became too small to teach those who wanted to be educated

• Began meeting outside or in taverns ….eventually began to construct buildings, which grew into universities and colleges

Power of the Catholic Church

• How did the Catholic Church gain power in Medieval Europe socially, politically, and economically?