1. CH 14, Section 2

2.  Life was short and hard for most people in the Middle Ages.  Many people were comforted by the Christian belief in heaven, and the promise of being rewarded after death for living a good life and following the Church’s teachings. The Power of Religion

3.  Those who didn’t obey Church rules would suffer and be punished after death.  The combination of reward for those who obeyed and punishment for those that did not forced many people in Western Europe to follow the Catholic Church. Rise of Religion During the Middle Ages

4.  The Church gained great wealth by collecting taxes and bargaining fiefs from lords in exchanged for services performed by clergymen.  The Church became the largest land owner in all of Medieval Europe. Economic Power of the Church

5. Complete this statement. Owning the most land across Europe would give the church what… As the largest land owner…

6. The combination of religious and economic power allowed the Church to take on many roles that a government would perform today.  The Church acted as a uniting force across the divided sections of Europe.  The Church made laws & created courts to enforce its laws. Political Power of the Church

7.  Those who did not obey the church laws could be excommunicated.  Since virtually everyone was a part of the Church community, being excommunicated was a dangerous position to be in economically and politically. Political Power of the Church

8.  High Church officials also served as advisors to kings & lords.  The threat of excommunication gave Church officials great influence and authority over kings and lords within political affairs. Political Power of the Church

9.  The Church used its influence to limit feudal warfare. The Church would not allow lords or kings to go to war with one another, and used its authority to enforce periods of truce between warring powers.  As the Church rose in power, warfare began to decline during the 1100s. Political Power of the Church

10. Church Organization Priests in every village Bishops to supervise Priests in several villages. Archbishops to supervise Bishops in several different kingdoms. The Pope in Rome, supervises all Archbishops' The papacy (Church government) was based in Rome & was highly organized:

11. Church Organization The areas of Church authority overlapped the boundaries of kingdoms, allowing the Church to have a power center in every kingdom, fief, and village.

12.  Every major event in a person’s life was touched by the Church.  Births, marriages, and deaths were all performed and attended to by the clergy.  The clergy helped people follow Church rules on how to live. They possessed enormous power, and acted as a direct line to God. The Church is Everyday Life

13.  People confessed their sins to clergymen and their wrongs were forgiven by the clergy in the name of God.  Monasticism: The creation of religious communities dedicated to serving God, such as monasteries and convents. Monasteries and Convents

14.  Religious communities made important contributions to Medieval society.  They developed better ways of growing crops and tending livestock.  They helped improved the Medieval farming economy. Monasteries and Convents

15.  Monks & nuns were educated, and copied books from ancient times to preserve the knowledge within and prevent it from becoming lost through the generations.  Convents provided women with a rare opportunity to become educated. Monasteries and Convents

16.  Christian scholars studied ancient Greek texts. The ancient Greeks believed that people should use reason to discover the truth.  This belief was not upheld in the Church, which instead taught that many ideas must be accepted on faith.  Christian scholars created a system to resolve the Greek & Church philosophies called scholasticism, which used reason to support Christian beliefs Scholasticism