The Crusades Focus Question: How did the Catholic Church influence life during the Middle Ages?

The Church in the Middle Ages “The Creator set up two great lights in the heavens; the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night. In the same way, the Church has set up two great lights on earth; the greater light being the Pope, to rule over the souls; the lesser light, being the king, to rule over the bodies. Just as the moon’s light comes from the sun, does the power of the king from the Pope. The more close a king is willing to follow the Pope’s rule, the greater his light will be.” Evaluate the power of the Pope during the Middle Ages from this excerpt. Make a comparison between the power of the Pope and monarchs (kings).

The Power of the Medieval Church The Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful institution in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The pope and church had more money than kings and queens. Everyone paid a tithe of their income to the Church. It was believed that if you did not pay your tithe, you would not gain entry in heaven. Only the Church could grant you entry into heaven. The Church was exempt from taxes which allowed them to become so wealthy. They used this money to build cathedrals and monasteries. The Pope had extreme power and influence. This is known as papal supremacy. After crowning Charlemagne the Roman emperor, no other man could be emperor without being crowned by the Pope. Papal supremacy was increased after Pope Urban II launched the Crusades.

Geography of the Crusades Constantinople was threatened by the Seljuk Turks. The Byzantine Emperor reached out to Pope Urban II for help. Geography of the Crusades Prior to the Seljuk Turks controlling the Middle East and North Africa, the Umayyads and then Abbasids ruled the land. Palestine was the holy land for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Jews = Homeland Christians = Birth and Death of Jesus Muslims = 3rd most important city after Mecca and Medina, believed Muhammad descended to heaven from Jerusalem.

Pope Urban II At the council of Clermont Urban addressed a great crowd and urged all to recover Palestine from the rule of the Muslims. This is an account of Pope Urban II’s speech from Fulcher of Chartres' report. What arguments does Pope Urban II make for Christians fighting in the Crusades? What claims does Pope Urban II make to persuade his listeners to fight in the Crusades

Saladin Saladin was the Muslim ruler of the Ayyubid Dynasty which ruled over Egypt and the Middle East. He is most famous for fighting Richard the Lionheart of England during the third crusade.

Effects of the Crusades Power of monarchs increases. Power of pope decreases Trade increases due to high demand for goods from the Middle East. Spices, silk, rugs, and soap were introduced to Europe for the first time. Many Italian cities became very wealthy from trade.

Effects of the Crusades Cultural Diffusion: Many achievements from the Islamic Empires such as science and math were brought to Europe. Travel curiosity increased in Europe. This led many European countries to begin exploring. Seafaring technology was also borrowed from the Arabs. Serfs and peasants are able to escape manors and moved to cities. Religious intolerance grew.