The Role of the Church

With all the danger after the fall of Rome, people turned to military leaders and the Church for help. The church was politically organized, modeled after Rome & was able to govern people. (Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons) Majority in Europe became Christian during the Roman Empire and many respected the Church’s power. A leader or king approved by the Pope would tell his people that they are approved by God/Jesus, thus giving the Pope and the Church lots of power. The Pope/Church also could excommunicate people out of the Church (no admittance into heaven). This threat again gave the Pope/Church lots of power. The Church’s power grew (being able to raise armies now) and became a threat to Kings and caused power struggles at times.

One struggle lead the Church to split in two, The Roman Catholic Church and what is now called The Orthodox Church. Another struggle was over an appointment of a Bishop leading to a king being excommunicated and begged for forgiveness. The church also greatly influenced the people by uniting them through sacraments of the religion (baptism, 1 st holy communion, confirmation, confessions, marriage, & funerals). People also were told to give one-tenth of their earnings called a tithe to the church making some wealthy. Christian teachings helped people accept the hardships of life and to obey because of the importance of the soul. The only culture coming out of this time reflected the Church; for example Stained glass windows, gothic style architecture, religious art, epic poems, and the Canterbury tales.