The Church and the Middle Ages
Aim: How did the Catholic Church gain power
during the Middle Ages?
Do Now: Why do you believe the Church
became so influential in the Middle Ages?
Explain your answer.
The Church’s Power Grows
* As Europe experienced a lack of a
strong, central government, the feudal
system provided some political stability.
* The Catholic Church also provided
stability during the Middle Ages.
* The Church appealed to people of all
social classes.
Church Structure
v.
Roman Empire Structure
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CATHOLIC CHURCH
Clergy: religious officials
The Pope was the head of the
Catholic Church
All clergy were under the
authority of the pope
Bishops supervised local
parish priests
Local priests had the
greatest influence on most
Europeans because they had
the most contact with the
people
Canon = Church Law
Religious
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ROMAN EMPIRE
Not the Republic!
The Emperor was the head of
the Roman Empire
Everyone was under his
authority.
Regional Governors ran the
provinces.
Generals and Centurions
controlled the military.
Imperial law = Everyone had
to obey Roman law or pay the
price.
Secular = non-religious
The Church Helps Unify Europe
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The Church was a stable force that helped unify
Europe
The Church provided a sense of security and a
community
Religion played a central role in Europe and the lives of
most Europeans
Christians believed that God would reward them with
salvation (heaven)
Christians believed that they needed to participate in the
sacraments to achieve salvation
The Church also brought communities together
People worshipped together, especially on religious
holidays
The 7 Sacraments
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Priests and other religious officials
administered the sacraments
– Baptism
– Reconciliation/Penance/Confession
– Eucharist
– Confirmation
– Marriage
– Holy Orders
– Last Rights/Anointing of the Sick
Church Justice
The Church provided a unifying set of spiritual
beliefs, ceremonies, rituals,
 Canon Law is the official law of the Catholic
Church
 Excommunication: banishment from the
Church (no sacraments = no heaven)
 Interdict: many sacraments and religious
services could not be performed in a kingdom or
region (excommunication on a large scale for a
entire area!!!) Why?
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The Catholic Church
As the power of the Church grew, the
Church began to play a political role
in Europe
 This led to conflicts between the Church
and the leaders of Europe
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Otto I
Otto I was influenced by Charlemagne
 He allied himself with the Church and used
the clergy to help limit the power of the
nobles
 Otto invaded Italy and helped end a threat
to the pope
 In return, the pope crowned Otto emperor
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The Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire
Otto created a German-Italian empire that
would eventually be called the Holy
Roman empire
 It was the strongest state in Europe until
1100
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Lay Investiture
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Lay investiture was the practice of kings
and nobles appointing bishops
Question: Why would the Church be
against political leaders choosing bishops?
Explain your answer.
Lay Investiture : A Funny Story
In 1075, Pope Gregory VII banned the
practice of lay investiture
 Henry IV sent a nasty letter to Pope
Gregory VII
 Pope Gregory excommunicated Henry IV
 Henry IV begged for forgiveness
 The pope lifted the excommunication
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The Concordat of Worms
In 1122, the Church and the Holy Roman
emperor reached a compromise over the
issue of lay investiture
 The Church gave bishops their spiritual
authority (ring and staff)
 The emperor chose the location where the
bishop would serve
 The emperor also had veto power
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E.Q #3: How did the church’s structure
in the 5th century reflect the
structure of the Roman Empire?
 Pope = Emperor
 Bishops = regional governors
 Priests = Centurions
 Canon Law = Imperial Law
E.Q #4: How did the church’s status when
Rome fell lead to its importance during
the Middle Ages?
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church takes over basic functions of
government (centralized authority,
bureaucracy, judicial system, canon laws,
etc.)
power/ abuse of power
E.Q #5: How did secular and religious
authorities balance power?
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spiritual power influenced temporal
power (the government)
the crowning of Charlemagne as
Emperor of the Romans
lay investiture controversy
NEXT: The Crusades