The Medieval Church

Influence of the Christian Church During the Middle Ages, the Church influenced every aspect of feudal life. The Church filled the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Roman Empire. The Church became a powerful institution, with its own government, laws, courts, & system of taxation.

The Church & Feudal Society Kings depended on educated clergy to fill positions in their courts. The clergy had tremendous influence on political affairs. The Church controlled huge tracts of land in Western Europe & high church officials became feudal lords.

Importance of Salvation Christians believed that life on earth was less important than salvation & everlasting life in heaven. The Church taught that the alternative to salvation was eternal suffering. Confession- Since the clergy dispensed God’s grace, they also had the authority to forgive sins.

Importance of Salvation The Church believed its mission was to save souls & often used harsh measures to enforce discipline. Christians who disobeyed the Church faced the threat of excommunication. A king who defied the Church could be excommunicated & the pope could release the king’s subjects from their feudal obligations.

System of Indulgences A system of exchange whereby priests would perform religious acts for laymen. For a price, clergy would pray, fast, & read scripture for a person so they spent less time suffering for their sins. This later developed into buying up time one might have to spend in purgatory.

Relics The remains of a deceased saint or martyr & objects closely associated with them. Due to ignorance, people held all kinds of relics in veneration. “In the church of All Saints at Wittenberg was shown a fragment of Noah’s ark, some soot from the furnace of the Three Children, a piece of wood from the cradle of Jesus Christ, some hair from the beard of St. Christopher, and nineteen thousand other relics of greater or less value” (D’aubigne).

The Shroud of Turin

Monasteries & Convents Some believed the best way to serve God & achieve salvation was to withdraw from the world. This led to the creation of the monasteries & convents. St. Benedict drew up a set of strict rules for his monastery that became a model for other monasteries.

Monasteries & Convents Monks took vows of poverty, chastity, purity and absolute obedience to the abbot. Monasteries acted as inns, hospitals, or refuge in times of war They became centers for learning and repositories of knowledge. Some monasteries provided schooling for upper class children.

Illuminated Manuscripts

Challenges to Church Authority Corruption & immorality among clergy led to demands for reform. The Church waged a constant campaign against people who disagreed with its teachings. The Inquisition - In the 1100’s the Church established a special court to try people accused of heresy. If convicted, the guilty person was usually burned at the stake.

Cathedrals A cathedral was the pride of the community & the importance of a town could be measured by the size & height of its cathedral. It took an army of laborers of various types working for over a century to complete a cathedral. Cathedrals were bibles in stone and glass.

Setting Out on a Crusade

Christian Crusades: East and West