Medieval Christianity

Papal Monarchy In the Middle Ages, church officials were appointed to their office as grants from nobles, making them vassals When appointed to a church office, a secular ruler gave the individual the symbols of their office, a practice known as lay investiture Pope Gregory VII, elected in 1073, disagreed with lay investiture and sought to bring the Church’s affairs under internal control

Religion in High Middle Ages The Catholic Church formed the foundation of people’s lives in the High Middle Ages The sacraments were seen as necessary for salvation and could only be administered by the clergy The veneration of saints and subsequent use of relics in personal Catholic practice strengthened the role of the Church Medieval Christians engaged in pilgrimages to holy sites and shrines

Religion in Daily Life Church an important part of European lives from birth to death Rely on priests for holy sacraments such as baptism, marriage, and communion as means of accepting God’s grace The Catholic Church was seen as only route to salvation Christians worshipped saints and prayed to them for guidance and support Pilgrimages to holy shrines were believed to bring spiritual benefits

New Religious Orders In the late eleventh and twelfth centuries, Europe experienced a resurgence of religious enthusiasm leading to the emergence of new monastic orders with differing views of Christianity The Cistercian order spread rapidly from southern France The Franciscans, emerging in Italy, took vows of poverty Francis of Assisi The Dominican order was founded in Spain and defended Church teachings from heresy Dominic de Guzman

Innocent III Under Pope Innocent III in the thirteenth century, the Catholic Church reached the height of its political power Innocent believed that kings and other political rulers should be subject to the authority of the pope In attempt to turn people against their rulers, Innocent forbade the practice of priests giving important Christian rites known as sacraments

Inquisition The Inquisition was created by the Church to serve as a court for prosecuting and punishing heretics Many leaders were part of the Dominican Order Sometimes used torture to make accused confess Accused who did not confess still considered guilty Most Christians believed the use of force to save souls from damnation was acceptable

The First Crusade Muslim Seljuk Turks took control of Asia Minor, including Jerusalem, in the mid-eleventh century In 1095, Pope Urban II called for a holy war, or crusade, against the Muslim infidels who controlled Jerusalem and the Holy Land The First Crusade establishes four Latin crusader states

Jerusalem Falls to Crusaders Army of first Crusade is mostly French Knights motivated by religious conviction, as well as wealth and adventure In 1099 thousands attack Jerusalem, which was in control of Fatimids of Egypt

Jerusalem falls to Crusaders City falls after 6 weeks of siege July 15, 1099 the goal of “liberating Jerusalem” is achieved Inhabitants are slaughtered by crusaders disobeying orders of their leaders Killed Jews, Muslims, it did not matter Muslims went to their sacred mosque seeking shelter, but Crusaders massacred them all

Early Crusades Recall that the Crusades at the beginning are merely a series of armed pilgrimages Main target is Jerusalem, the most important/difficult of Christian pilgrim sites The Second and Third crusades, backed by a number of European kings, were failures Holy Roman emperor, Frederick Barbarossa drowns Richard I of England negotiates access to Jerusalem

Later Crusades The Crusades continued in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with limited success Children’s Crusade The later Crusades led to the weakening of the Byzantine empire after the sacking of Constantinople Last two major crusades organized by Louis IX and was defeated, and died of plague without any major conquests

Later Crusades The first widespread attacks on the Jews began in the context of the Crusades. As nobles sold their land and freed their serfs to join the Crusades, the feudal way of life slowly eroded By the mid-1400s the nation-states of England, Spain, and France had emerged

Impact of Crusades Italian merchants in port cities increased trade with the Eastern world, although the Crusades were not the only reason this happened During the Crusades, Jews began to be blamed for Jesus’ death and were targeted for widespread harassment and attack

Impact of Crusades Feudalism started to break down Nobles lost power as they sold land to pay taxes and freed serfs to fight as soldiers Monarchs increased power as they levied taxes and raised armies Taxes from trade with the East brought monarchs additional power and helped them to create strong nation-states

Architecture of High Middle Ages The Gothic style of architecture first appeared in the twelfth century. Gothic cathedrals are considered artistic and architectural triumphs. Architects used technical innovations in the construction of Gothic churches. The combination of ribbed vaults and pointed arches allowed for greater building height. Flying buttresses distributed the weight of the ceiling outward and down, allowing for the insertion of stained glass windows.

Architecture of High Middle Ages Spiritual impressions High ceilings created a sense of upward movement toward God. Varying amounts of natural light entered the church, depending on the time of day. Stained glass windows depicted religious scenes and daily life.

University in High Middle Ages The first European university appeared in Bologna in the eleventh century. By 1500, Europe had more than 80 universities Much of the liberal arts education was focused on theology and scholasticism, the scholarly attempt to reconcile faith and reason In the 1200s, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologica, an attempt to reconcile the teaching of ancient Greek philosophers with the doctrines of Christianity

Literature in High Middle Ages Latin was the universal language of medieval civilization In the twelfth century, a market emerged for literature written in the language of everyday speech, or vernacular Two popular types of vernacular literature were troubadour poetry and heroic epics In the fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer published his famous work The Canterbury Tales

Troubadour and Heroic Poetry Troubadour poetry Especially popular in late 1100s First written and performed by knights and nobles Celebrated chivalry and courtly love Medieval heroic epic poetry Also known as chanson de geste Described battles in which knights bravely fought to defend their kings and lords