The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe

Clergy Society in the Middle Ages consisted of “men of prayer, men of war, and men of work.” - Alfred the Great Clergy influenced all levels of society, especially kings, because they were educated

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

Check for Understanding #1 1. Why was the medieval Church so powerful?

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: Francis 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.

Check for Understanding #2 2. Draw a pyramid of the church hierarchy on your paper.

Monastery Complex community of many different buildings –Granaries –Breweries –Bakeries –Wineries –Abbey church –Library / scriptorium –Hospital –School Self contained like a town

Monastery Inside libraries monks copied manuscripts Wrote in beautiful handwriting Drew elaborate illustrations………… Illuminated letters

“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 monk –The Franciscan order focuses on 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 and were devoted to charitable work

Church Hierarchy: Women Worked with the poor, provided shelter, medicine and helped their religious community Abbesses: nuns in charge of convents (communities for the nuns) Illuminated letters were an art form and common practice for nuns and monks copying texts for sale to help the convent or monastery.

Check for Understanding #3 & 4 3. Explain why noble women wanted to become nuns. 4. Use evidence from the video and your notes to explain why you would or would not want to be a monk/nun in a medieval monastery/convent.

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 were most often the only members of society able to read and write Most kings were illiterate  clergy were advisors to the king = very powerful

Check for Understanding #5 5. Was the medieval clergy powerful? Explain using evidence from your notes.

Kings and conflict with the Church  800 c.e., Kings and nobles tried to take power from church.  Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope  showed Church’s power over secular (non-religious) authorities  Kings appointed their own people/relatives to church positions (i.e. bishops and cardinals)

Kings and Conflict with the Church  New pope Gregory VII (elected in 1073) wanted to restore Church power.  He announced that the Pope was higher than king and that only the Pope could appoint members to church.

Kings and conflict with the Church  King Henry IV refused Pope’s edict (fancy word for formal announcement)  So Pope Gregory VII excommunicated King Henry IV excommunicated  This is called the Investiture Controversy  Because Henry IV wanted the power to appoint bishops (called investiture)

Check for Understanding #6 & 7 6. What was the Investiture Controversy? Who won? 7. Explain the separation of church and state.

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

Art of the Medieval Church  Most art (paintings and sculptures) were religious and featured Christ or people from the Bible or lessons  Flat, stylized art  Not three dimensional

Art of the Church  Filled with art, stained glass, sculpture, and paintings  Tribute to God ….built to strike “awe” in those who viewed the art in these cathedrals

Check for Understanding # How was Gothic architecture uplifting? 9. Explain the importance of stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals. 10. Explain the importance of gargoyles in Gothic cathedrals.