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Notes on the Rise of the Roman Catholic Church

How did Christianity advance into Western Europe?


1 Review: Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and, after years
of persecution, it became the official religion of the empire.
2Constantine also created a Christian Council to decide 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?)
3Once answers to these questions were decided, heretics were removed
(imprisonment, excommunication, banishment, etc) thus resulting in a stronger
and more organized Roman Catholic Church.

What significant events took place that added to the growth of Christianity
and the Strength of the church?
Franks:
1Clovis, 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.
2Charles 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.
3Pepin 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!

What did Charlemagne do to increase the power/influence of the church?


1Pepin’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”
0o As the person who bestows the title, the pope claims the power to give that
authority! This increases the pope’s political power!
1o The Pope’s blessing (or approval) becomes a de facto must for all Christian
Kings.
2Charlemagne 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.
3Pope 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.
How else did the Popes exercise political power? 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, Eucharist, and
refusal to perform marriage ceremonies. This interdict would remain in place
until the king and the pope came to terms.
How did the church parallel many of the functions of the 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 (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!
What role did the Regular Clergy play? 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.
What role did the priest play in the lives of the Manor? 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 church, recording
the needed records of serfs [birth, baptism, dead], and provided for their
religious needs.

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