The Breakdown and Revival of
the Medieval Church
Pope Innocent III
Accomplishments of someone
so Innocent?
• Increased papal
authority through the
plentitude of power.
• Had the authority to
declare saints.
• Turned the church into
a secular authority as
well as spiritual one.
Pope Urban IV
• Created own Church court
known as the Rota
Romana, which made the
Church even more political.
•
Boniface VIII
• “You tax my people,
I’ll hit you with a Papal
Bull!”
Enemies of Boniface VIII
• Edward I
Philip T. Fair
Boniface’s “Unam Sanctum”
• Put the Church ahead in
all matters religious or
otherwise, angering
Philip.
• What did Philip T. Fair
do?
Unfortunately for Boniface VIII…
• Philip’s Henchmen beat him up, later he
died from the injuries.
Clement V
• Changed much of
what Boniface had
done.
• Important: He moved
the papacy to
Avignon, France!
Hey, how’s it going?
The Avignon Papacy 1309-1377
• Became a huge
moneymaker,
increasing taxes of
local people and
selling indulgences.
The Avignon Papal Complex
Pope John XXII
• Most powerful
Avignon Pope
• Battled with Louis
IV over moving the
papacy back to
Italy.
Supporters of Louis IV
• Marsilius of Padua
• Defender of the
Peace- depicted
the pope as a
subordinate
member of a
society.
• William of Ockham
• Argued against
papal authority.
John Wycliffe
*started the Lollards in England.
Accused of Donatism- the teaching that the
Church sacraments are only as effective as the
people who administer them.
John Huss
• Started the Hussites in Bohemia.
The Great Schism 1378
• Clement VII (French) Urban VI (Italian)
The Great Schism: 1378-1417
The Great Schism
Let’s elect one more… Alexander V
Conciliar Movement
• The Church should be subject to councils,
eliminating the absolute rule of the Pope.
• Council of Pisa
• Council of Constance
• Council of Basil
Consequences
• Secular control of churches increased
• Kings asserted power over the Church.
• Religious life regulated.
• How was the power of the Church
permanently weakened after the late
14th century?
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