Class Notes
Chapter 14 Section 2 Outline
THE CHURCH AND THE RISE OF CITIES
Name: ___________________________ Period: _______ Date: ________
***Cathedral: House of worship, gathering place, religious school
I.
The Church in the Middle Ages
A.
Most Gothic cathedrals were built in Western Europe between 1100 and
1400
1.
Gothic refers to the style of architecture a.
Walls were thinner and higher
B.
Cathedral was the church of a bishop (an important leader of Roman
Catholic Church)
C.
During Middle Ages (MA), most people in Western Europe were Roman
Catholic
D.
Roman Catholic Church was VERY powerful-Known simply as “the Church”
E.
Religious and Economic Power
1.
During MA, life was short and hard for people
2.
People were comforted by the Christian belief that they would enjoy the rewards of heaven after death if they lived according to Church teachings
3.
Church said that if people didn’t obey the rules, they would be punished after death
4.
Church had great economic power a.
Gained wealth by collecting taxes b.
Took fiefs from lords in exchange for services performed by clergy i.
Clergy: Persons with authority to perform religious services c.
Church was single largest owner of land in Europe during MA
F.
Political Power of the Church
1.
Made laws
2.
Set up courts to enforce laws
3.
People who did not obey the Church were threatened with excommunication a.
Excommunication: Being expelled from membership in the
Church and participation in Church life b.
Very serious threat c.
Few people associated with someone who was excommunicated

Class Notes
4.
High Church officials=Advisors to kings and lords
5.
The constant threat of excommunication gave Church officials great influence in political matters a.
Used authority to limit feudal warfare b.
Declared truces (temporary peace)
G.
Church Organization
1.
Highly organized a.
Pope b.
Archbishop c.
Bishop d.
Priest
2.
Papacy, or government of the Church, was based in Rome
H.
The Church in Everyday life
1.
Church involved in many aspects of daily life a.
Birth of a child b.
Serious illness c.
Marriage d.
Death
2.
Duties of Church a.
Clergy offered blessings and performed services b.
Helped people to follow Church rules c.
Listened when people came to church to confess their sins
I.
Monasteries and Convents
1.
Monasteries a.
Some religious men felt that they should dedicate their lives to
God b.
Lived together in religious communities called monasteries c.
Monks were more educated than most people
2.
Convents a.
Religious women, nuns, lived in similar communities called convents b.
Allowed some education for women
3.
Religious life=Monasticism a.
Developed better ways of growing crops and tending livestock b.
Looked after the sick c.
Set up schools
J.
Scholasticism
1.
Ancient Greek texts said people should use reason to discover truth
2.
Church taught that many ideas must be accepted on faith
3.
Scholasticism=Used reason to support Christian beliefs

Class Notes
Q&A Time!
What were monasteries and convents?
________________________________________________________________________
II.
Trade Revives and Towns Grow
A.
Revival of Trade
1.
Feudalism gave stability, safety, and a larger population
2.
As people felt safer, they began to travel more
3.
Europeans began to demand goods like spices and cloth that they could get only from Africa and Asia
4.
Ancient trade routes opened up once again
5.
European merchants traveled abroad to buy and sell valued goods
B.
The Growth of Towns
1.
At first, local goods were traded in the markets of small villages
2.
As trade grew, so did markets
3.
Major trade fairs started
4.
Traders gathered at convenient places for travelers a.
River crossings b.
Highways c.
Monasteries
5.
Trade centers became towns
6.
Manors started to become overcrowded, so lords allowed peasants to buy their freedom and move to towns
Q&A Time!
Why did towns begin to grow?
________________________________________________________________________
III.
Life in Towns and Cities
A.
The Rise of a Middle Class
1.
Town life was completely different from farm or manor life a.
Towns and cities were not self-sufficient
2.
Towns were based on exchange of money for goods and services
3.
New class of people developed called the middle class (Between nobles and peasants) a.
Merchants b.
Traders c.
Craft workers
B.
The Role of Guilds
1.
Workers began to form associations called guilds

Class Notes a.
Guild: Included all the people who practiced a certain trade or craft b.
Guild of weavers, guild of grocers, guild of shoemakers, etc.
2.
Duties a.
Set prices b.
Prevented outsiders from selling goods in town c.
Set standards for the quality of their goods d.
Paid dues
3.
Took a long time to become a member of a guild a.
Between ages of 8 and 14, a boy who wanted to learn a certain trade became an apprentice i.
Apprentice: Unpaid worker being trained in a craft b.
Lived and worked in home of master of that trade c.
Then became a journeyman, or salaried worker d.
Then could join guild if guild officials judged said his work met standards
C.
Overcrowding and Disease
1.
Medieval towns and cities were extremely overcrowded
2.
Lack of sanitation led to disease
3.
Overcrowding meant that disease spread quickly
4.
Bubonic plague wiped out one third of Europe’s population between
1347 and 1351 a.
Called the Black Death b.
Spread by fleas living on rats that thrived in unsanitary towns
Q&A Time!
What was the Black Death?
________________________________________________________________________
IV.
Medieval Culture
A.
Despite hardships, medieval life wasn’t all a struggle for survival
B.
Cities attracted traveling scholars
C.
They went to cathedral schools, which became great centers of learning
D.
Beautiful artwork was displayed in churches
E.
Stories, poems, and songs about chivalry were popular
1.
Chivalry: Code of honorable conduct by which knights were supposed to live
F.
Troubadours: Traveling poets and musicians who sang songs about brave deeds of knights to win the love of a beautiful woman