Early Events of the Middle Ages
Mark Kuhn
Dr. Nickens
CHHI 301-History of the Church I
June 15, 2015
The beginning of the Dark Ages or Early Medieval period is said to begin with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This “brought significant political, religious, and social changes in the European society. Other important events of the Middle Ages included the rise of the Papacy and the establishment of Charlemagne’s empire.” (Newman) The powerful Roman Empire was gone. But the church was not. It had the incredible privilege of being the leading force in Europe. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the church became very influential in Europe The major religions during this time period of the Middle Ages in Europe were Catholicism and Christianity. “Christianity in the middle ages dominated the lives of both peasants and the nobility. Religious institutors including the Church and the monasteries became wealthy and influential given the fact that the state allocated a significant budget for religious activities.” (Newman)
Within the city of Rome after the fall, there appeared two “denominations, the Arian’s and the Athanansian. Also in the picture was the Celtic “church,” which in the picture was the Celtic “church” which was more a series of missionary compounds than a denomination made up of local churches. The Benedictines were still less like a church. “They came along later and compacted with the Celts in establishing missionary compounds all over Europe. By the time the Vikings appeared on the horizon over 1000 such mission compounds had spread up throughout Europe.” ("400-800 A.D")
Celtic Peregrini (wandering evangelists) or their parallel in Benedictine communes (“Jesus People”), held the Bible in awe. As part of their weekly routine to discipline themselves, these men would sing through the complete book of Psalms.” It was primarily they who enabled the Kingdom and the power and the glory to be shared with the barbaric Anglo-Saxons and Goths.” ("400-800 A.D")
It is true that many strange (even bizarre and pagan) customs were mixed up as secondary elements in the various forms of Christianity that were active during the period of the Christianization of Europe. Even though the Western Roman Empire and Celtics continued to battle each other, these engagements more than likely resulted in an improvement of the shared biblical foundations of their faith. But we must also remember the relative chaos introduced by the invasions.
The Pope at the beginning of this medieval period was Gregory I the Great. Gregory was born to a wealthy and pious Roman family. About the age of thirty he was appointed urban prefect of Rome; shortly afterward he resigned to devote himself to religious works. With his inherited wealth he established seven monasteries, including one of his family estates in Rome, which he entered as a monk. In 577, he became one of the seven deacons responsible for administering the Roman Church. Two years later he became papal nuncio to Constantinople, the most significant consular assignment in the church. Upon returning to Rome a few years later, he resumed monastic life but in 590 was elected to the papacy.
Gregory is especially significant for his role in increasing the power and authority of the papacy. He firmly believed the Roman pope was Peter’s universal church, a view not accepted in some areas. In numerous ecclesiastical disputed he asserted the papacy’s supremacy over the whole church. His efforts were not always successful, but by his death the authority of the papal office had been greatly enhanced. Equally significant was Gregory’s assertion of political authority for the papacy. Italy was in turmoil due to the expansion of the Lombard’s. The emperor in Constantinople paid little heed to Italy’s pleas for assistance, and Gregory, fearing that Rome would be overrun if he did not take action, became deeply involved in counteracting the Lombard threat. His actions
the corruption of the Church and its offices; simony being the biggest problem. The papacy itself was corrupted by simony and Roman politics. While reform had been taking place in the local levels for some time, the papacy was the last part of the Church to be…
things that Dante portrays in his novel is his outlook of the overall Papacy. Dante strongly opposed of the Papacy since it led to many complications to his life including his life as an exile. Because the Papacy left Dante’s life in ruins, he portrayst this form of rulw in a negative light. The first instance of this occurs in the vestibule of hell where Dante encounters pope Celestine who in his eyes opened the door of corruption for the Catholic Church. The next element of the opposition of the papacy would be Dantes encounter with Count Guido De MonteFeltro…
world. The Catholic Church was founded in the year 33 by our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the real body and blood of Christ in our communion and bishops are in constant succession from the apostles through the laying on of hands through 2,000 years. The Papacy is the oldest existing institution in the world. The next oldest Christian Church is the Lutherans and they have only been around for about 500 years. The Mormons have only been here since 1829. In the year 33 there were no hospitals. Today, one…
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Pope Paul III-An Influential Pope Pope Paul III was the 220th pope and he served from 1534-1549. He was born Alessandro Farnese on February 29, 1468. With a family of nobility and leaders since the 12th century, Alessandro was born to be in the papacy and in the hierarchy of the Church. The interesting thing about Pope Paul III is out of the 4 children he had, they all were illegitimate and also all took leadership positions or were appointed to the Church by Pope Paul III. Pope Paul III supported…
of the main factors Which caused the Great Schism. In 1309, Pope Clement V moved the papacy and his residence to Avignon, a city just outside French territory on the Rhone River. This allowed Phillip, King of France, to have much influence on the papacy. In 1377, Pope Gregory XI made a significant move and returned the papacy to Rome.”4 This angered the Italians and gave off the perception that the Papacy was now under complete French control. After Pope Gregory died in March of 1378…
Sienna, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila Council of Trent Babylonian Captivity of the Church • “Babylonian Captivity”: Avignon Papacy- 1309-1377 (7 popes) • Philip IV of France arrested Boniface VIII and put in French Pope, Clement V. • French controlled the Papacy in Avignon, France • Papal abuses: extravagance, centralization, taxes & simony #1: Decline of the Papacy during the Babylonian Captivity • The Popes at Avignon lived apart from Rome • Papal “line” and legitimacy was questioned • Avignon…
kingdoms in the south, the Papal States in central Italy, and several city-states in the north, notably Milan and the oligarchic republics of Florence and Venice. Warfare was endemic. The papacy declined. Confrontation between France’s Philip IV (d.1314) and Pope Boniface VIII led to the removal of the papacy to Avignon on France’s border in 1305. From 1377 there were two competing popes. Some argued that a general council, not the pope, should rule the church, and Conciliarism did end the Great…
the papal palace of Anagni. The Pope died as a result -1309, the papacy, under severe pressure from the French, had been removed to Avignon in southern France. -The Great Schism weaken the papacy Babylonish Captivity (pg 189) -Jewish (Old Testiment) -Temple sacked, people carried off Classical Allusion to Babylonian Captivity -Daniel and the Lion -Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Avignon: -City in which the papacy moved to during the Great Schism -Located in France 100 Year's…
Pope Gregory VII: A Papacy of Reform Pope Gregory the Seventh was a man with a passion for the restoration of the Catholic Church which had grown to be vastly corrupt and monetized. A man of “exceptional caliber, wisdom, vision, and single-mindedness”, Pope Gregory would rise to be one of the most influential and controversial popes of the 11 century (Carson, 492). Exercising a firm, unfaltering stand against the corruption plaguing the Church, his visage is still held in high regard as the “champion…