Activities of the Medieval Church

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Activities of the Medieval Church

• The most powerful institution in medieval western
  Europe was the Roman Catholic Church!

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Religious Activities

• Supervised all religious needs of the
  people.....the Seven Sacraments
• Had the power of excommunicationIf he were a
  king or powerful noble, it freed his subjects
  from all obligation to him
• Heretics were sought after, and if caught,
  usually meant death or torture..and then death

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The Seven Sacraments

• Ordination
• Baptism
• Communion
• Penance (confession)
• Last Rights
• Confirmation
• Marriage

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Economic Activities

• Income from taxes. The tithe was usually 10 of
  income
• Maintained hospitals and orphanages
• The church prohibited usury---the charging of
  interest for a loan of money
• By the 13th century, the church owned 30 of the
  land in western europe

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Cultural Activites

• Promoted learning and maintained schools.mainly
  for those wanting to join the priesthood
• Copied ancient books and manuscripts
• Influenced literature and architecturemedieval
  authors were usually members of the clergy who
  wrote about religious themes

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Political Activities

• Governed the Papal States
• Maintained its own courts
• supposedly prohibited feudal warfare during
  certain religious days of the week
• Claimed supremacy over civil government.this led
  to BIG fights!

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Struggles between Civil Rulers and Popes
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A little background.

• In 800 A.D. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne
  Emperor of the Romans
• In 962 A.D. Pope John XII crowned Otto I, a ruler
  in central Europe, as emperor. This began the
  Holy Roman Empire.

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• SO..the Church had asserted that
• popes are superior to civil rulers, including
  Kings and Emperors
• Popes may dethrone as well as crown emperors

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The Investiture Struggle

• For many years, both rulers and popes claimed the
  right to appoint major Church officials
• Then Pope Gregory VII ordered civil rulers not to
  appoint Church officials
• Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, defied the order
• He was excommunicated and was ordered to give up
  his thrown

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• Acknowledging defeat he traveled across Italy and
  stood barefoot in the snow for 3 days to beg for
  forgiveness and to do penance
• The pope did forgive him, but this shows the
  power of the church

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• BUT.the struggle did not end
• Later a compromise was reached (The Concordat of
  Worms)
• It said
• The church alone could appoint and invest people
  with religious authority
• Civil rulers retained the right to invest these
  officials with fiefs.basically giving them veto
  rights
• This did not end the rivalry

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The Archbishop of Canterbury Struggle

• In 1206, Pope Innocent III appointed Stephen
  Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Papal choice was rejected by King John
• What do you think the Pope did??

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• Thats right.excommunication
• This forced John to accept his appointment and he
  also had to acknowledge the Pope as his superior
  lord