1. Religion in Europe in the Middle Ages

2. A little refresher Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in AD 392. The church set up its leadership much like the hierarchy of Roman empire Germanic Invaders were not Christians. Clovis I, in AD 476, converted to Catholicism Missionaries were sent all over to spread Christianity. Eventually all Europeans were Christians

3. Life in the Middle Ages Social structure mirrored the church structure. Both were a pyramid.

4. Roman Catholicism in the Middle Ages The word Catholic comes from the Latin word catholicus, which means “universal” The Church, with the Pope as its head, was the only recognized religion. Anything else, even other forms of Christianity, were considered heretical. Heresy: belief in something other than official church doctrine. There was only the Catholic Church in the early Middle Ages. (the great schism didn’t happen until 1054)

5. Roman Catholic doctrine in the Middle Ages When a person died, they went to Heaven or Hell. People were too low on the ladder to talk to God. People had to talk to God through the clergy (priests). People were forgiven their sins by the Church.  Step 1: confession to a priest  Step 2: priest issues a penance  Penance could include prayer, actual action, or Indulgences  Indulgences: payment made to the church for penance. So: the church got to decide if a person went to Heaven or Hell. This gave the Church a GREAT amount of power.

6. A few notes There was no mass printing available, only handwritten copies of the Bible (most people couldn’t read anyway) People’s interpretation of the Bible came directly from the Church. Stained glass windows in churches were used to tell the stories of the Bible.

7. Conflict between the Church and the State Divide your paper into an upside down T with the cross bar in the center of the page. In the top left box draw a pyramid chart showing the hierarchy of the church which lists the believers people, the priests/monks, the pope, and the cardinals/bishops/archbishops. Explain how it works. In the right box, read page 251 and summarize the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV In the bottom portion, write a response to the following prompt: How did the Catholic Church influence life in early medieval Europe?

8. Conflict between the Church and the State Divide your paper into an upside down T with the cross bar in the center of the page. In the top left box draw a pyramid chart showing the hierarchy of the church which lists the believers people, the priests/monks, the pope, and the cardinals/bishops/archbishops. Explain how it works. In the right box, read page 251 and summarize the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV In the bottom portion, write a response to the following prompt: How did the Catholic Church influence life in early medieval Europe?

9. In the top left box draw a pyramid chart showing the hierarchy of the church which lists the believers people, the priests/monks, the pope, and the cardinals/bishops/ archbishops. Explain how it works.