History and Influence of the
Roman Catholic Church
Christianity Advances into
Western Europe
• Roman Emperor Constantine converted to
Christianity and, after years of persecution, it
became the official religion of the empire.
• 312 AD Edict of Milan declares Christianity to
be an approved religion by the emperor. A
church hierarchy is established and Rome is
made the official center of the Christian
church.
• Constantine also created a Christian Council
Christianity Advances into
Western Europe
• The Christian Council decided answers to theological
questions concerning the Christian faith (i.e.: What do
we believe concerning the human/divine nature of
Christ Jesus and the explanation of the Trinity?)
• Once answers to these questions were decided,
heretics were removed (imprisonment,
excommunication, banishment, etc) thus resulting in a
stronger and more organized Roman Catholic Church.
• The church provided Christians with a sense of security
and a religious community to which they could belong.
Events That Grew The Church
• Clovis, King of the Franks (France) converts to
Christianity around 500 AD. When a king
converts, all the people in the kingdom must
convert to that religion.
• Charles Martel (The Hammer) stopped the
advancing Muslim army at the Battle of Tours
in 732. This victory was credited to Christ’s
blessing on the Frankish kings.
• Pepin the Short. Pepin was the “Mayor of the
Palace” [a very powerful position] of the
Franks (not the king). He requested and
received the Pope’s support to remove the
king and assume power. Pepin continues the
growth of the Franks into the Italian
Peninsula, giving some of the conquered
territory to the Pope. This is known as the
Donation of Pepin and creates the Papal
States, a kingdom ruled by the papacy. And
remember: Land equals wealth and power!
Charlemange
• Pepin’s son, Charles the Great (or
Charlemagne) continues to expand the
Frankish empire into Germany, Spain,
and Italy. After conquering most of
Western Europe “With the Sword and
the Cross” Charlemagne went to Rome
to pray and on Christmas Day, 800 AD
the Pope crowned him “King of the
Romans”
• As the person who bestows the title,
the pope claims the power to give that
authority! This increases the pope’s
political power!
• The Pope’s blessing (or approval)
becomes a de facto must for all
Christian Kings.
Charlemagne’s Empire
Charlemange’s Reforms
• Charlemagne reforms the church by insisting that
all priests in the kingdom be able to read and
write, thus increasing their importance and value
to the manors they serve.
• Pope reserved the right to appoint church
officials throughout Western Europe, even if they
were thousands of miles away and did not know
the person they were appointing. Many kings
sought for lay investiture, which is the king
bestowing a religious office (appointing a bishop)
instead of the pope.
Political Power of the Pope
• The two great weapons of the pope were excommunication and the
interdict. If a king took too much land or invaded an ally of the church, the
pope could excommunicate the king [remove him from the church, therefore,
condemning him to hell] or place an interdict on the whole region, denying
all of the people the right to attend church services, the sacraments such as
confession, last rites, and refusal to perform marriage ceremonies. This
interdict would remain in place until the king and the pope came to terms.
• The Popes often crowned the kings, thus establishing a precedent of “church
gives the authority for one to be king”.
Church Functions Like Government
• 1) An additional issue that caused conflict between the church and
king was the use of church courts to put on trial anyone the church
felt was in their jurisdiction and had violated canon law (thus
usurping the king’s authority.) People would sometimes flee from
the king in one region so they could be tried by the church in
another region.
• Henry II of England appointed his best friend, Thomas Beckett, to
be the Archbishop of Canterbury, only to have such a conflict over
this issue (separation of the church and the state) that Beckett was
assassinated in his cathedral while conducting a service. Henry, to
escape excommunication, had monks publicly flog him with whips
as his penance.
• 2) The church was a major land owner, controlling vast estate and
territory. With land comes wealth and power. At its height it is
estimated that the Roman Catholic Church owned up to ¼ of the
land in Europe! The church also collected taxes in the form of tithes
or 1/10th of yearly income from every Christian family.
Role of the Regular Clergy
• The regular clergy (monks shut away in
monasteries) lived simple lives of prayer and
labor for the monastery in which they resided.
The Monks also were the keepers of
knowledge, storing, translating, and copying
the Bible and other books and writings of the
Roman world. However, books that they felt
did not support Christian Doctrine were
discarded.
Role of the Priest
• A priest was the second most important
person [behind the lord] on the manor.
• The priest was responsible for administering
the seven sacraments of the, recording the
needed records of serfs [birth, baptism,
death], and provided for their religious needs.
Church as a Unifying Force
• There was a shared and unifying set of
spiritual beliefs and rituals. At the local level,
the church was the religious and social center.
People met there for service, social gatherings
and festive celebrations.