THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH

World History March 25, 2014

THE CHURCH AND MEDIEVAL LIFE

The Church’s goal was to spread their religion Women helped spread Christianity

Priests were the only contact people had with the Church

The Church was the social center of life

The church collected money to support it Tithe = 1/10 of a person’s income

Women had rights but were not equal to men Church said women and men were

equal On each women were seen as

“weak” and “vulnerable” and needed protection from men

MONKS AND NUNS

Monk/Nun = a man/woman who devotes his/her life to his/her religion Monks = Monasteries Nuns = Convents

Monasteries operated under Benedictine Rule This rule had 3 parts

Obey the Abbot Poverty Chastity

Monks/Nuns had to devote their lives to service

Monasteries helped preserve education

THE POWER OF THE CHURCH GROWS

The Church became the most important aspect of medieval life

Papal Supremacy = the Pope has power over all other leaders Because Church leaders were

educated they often were granted a role in the government

The Church claimed all people were sinners The only way to be saved was to

practice the sacraments The Church developed its own

laws called “canon law” Disobedience =

excommunication “Peace of God” put a stop to

warfare No fighting Friday-Sunday

REFORM MOVEMENTDS

Problems started to come about in the church

Members of the church lacked discipline

Cluniac Reforms were a strict set of changes to stop corruption Developed by the Abbot Berno of

Cluny Pope Gregory VII extended these

rules to all of the Christian Church This took power away from the

government and gave it to the church Francis of Assisi created the idea of

friars Friars traveled preaching Christianity

The Dominican Order wanted to combat heresy Heresy = going against the Catholic

Church

JEWS IN EUROPE

Jewish communities still existed in Europe

Spain was one country that welcomed Jews Here, Judaism flourished in the

privacy of people’s homes For many years Christians and

Jews lived in peace In the late 1000s Christians

persecution of Jews increased Some Christians claim the Jews

killed Jesus Many Jews were not allowed to

hold jobs Thousands of Jews migrated to

Eastern Europe to escape persecution

The persecution of Jews lasted for hundreds of years to come