Christianity and Medieval Society

The Church Shapes Society and Politics During the Middle Ages, Christianity was central to every part of life The clergy was very influential in European culture and politics. For some people the local church was not enough For these people they would make religious pilgrimages to sacred Christian sites, like Jerusalem, Rome and Canterbury, near London England. One such visit provides the basis for the book The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Church and Politics During the Middle Ages the church gained political power When people died, many would leave land to the church, making the church the largest landowners in Europe The church decided to break the land into fiefs, making it a feudal lord. Of all the clergy, bishops and abbots were most involved in politics. Some became so politically involved, they neglected the religious aspect of their job!

Monks and Friars A group of French monks, Cluny Monks became angry with the church becoming too concerned with wealth and power. These monks paid little attention to the world, instead, they focused on religious matters Religious orders began to spread and used the Cluniac monks as an example.

Other New Orders By the 1100s new orders were created with even stricter laws. Women began to join orders as well, these were known as convents Convents were similar in many ways to monasteries. Even though both groups lived apart from society, they did a great deal for many people.

The Friars Wanted to live in the cities and spread Christian teachings Lived simply, wearing plain robes and no shoes They had no homes and moved freely about, preaching and begging for food. The main goal of the friars was to teach people how to live good Christian lives and to be generous and kind.

Universities are Built Some of the earliest universities were created by the church The subject of religion was the center subject, but soon people wanted to know more about the world around them. Law, medicine, astronomy, and other courses were taught in Latin. It was the language of scholars and the church Most of what people were learning was based on faith, not fact.

Thomas Aquinas A Dominican philosopher Taught at the University of Paris He argued that rational thought could be used to support Christian beliefs Believed that god create natural law.

The Church and the Arts Religious Architecture Religious Art