Lesson 3 Reading Notes

the role of the church in medieval Europe

3.1 Introduction

1. What was the significance of the church bells during the High Middle Ages (1000 to

1300 C.E.)?

• Church bells basically notified everyone within the community about different things in and around the area.

• The bells warned of danger, called people to worship and even told the townspeople what hour it was during the day.

2. What do these church bells signify about the Roman Catholic Church’s power during

this time?

• These church bells signified that the church was the center of the community and that people looked to the church for answers.

3. Why did the Roman Catholic Church have so much power during this time?

• People looked to the Church to explain why certain things happened. They also thought that God punished them through disasters and they hoped that prayer would keep them away from danger or to be able to protect their souls in the afterlife.

3.2 The Christian Church takes shape

• Since the Roman Catholic Church was the only thing that was basically stable during that time, people looked to the Church for leadership and organization.

1. Why did the Roman Catholic Church play a “vital” role after the Roman Empire fell?

• The Pope was also known as the BISHOP of Rome.

2. The Pope was the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was also known as the ______ of

Rome.

3. Fill in the Pyramid with the church hierarchy.

Pope

Cardinals

Archbishops

Bishops

priests

4. What are the similarities of this type of hierarchy within the feudal system?

•The feudal hierarchy and the Roman Catholichierarchy is basically the same because the person who has the most power is located at the top and the people who have the least amount of power are at the bottom of the pyramid.

5. Why do you think the Roman Catholic Church set up their structure in this manner?

•The Roman Catholic Church probably set up their structure similar to the feudal hierarchy because this type of hierarchy has a chain of command and it allows things to run smoothly.

6. What did the following oversee within the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy?

•Pope – Supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. •Cardinals – assists the Pope (appointed by the Pope)•Archbishops – oversaw large or important areas called archdioceses. •Bishops – governed areas called dioceses from great cathedrals. •Priests – served local communities, called parishes. Each parish had its own church building.

7. The Roman Catholic Church had significant economic power during the Middle Ages. How did

they acquire this power?

•The Roman Catholic Church had economic power because it had the most amount of land in Europe. This land came from gifts from kings/queens as well as wealthy lords. However, some land was also taken over by force by the Roman Catholic Church. •The Roman Catholic Church also collected a tax from person.

8. What is a tithe?

•A tithe was a tax that each person had to pay. •Each person was expected to pay 1/10 (one tenth) of his money, produce, or labor to help support the church.

9. Why do you think King Henry IV would want to have the power of appointing church officials?

What advantages would this give King Henry IV?

•King Henry IV would want to have the power of appointing church officials because this would probably mean that he was granted a spot in heaven since he had friends within the church. •King Henry IV also believed it was his privilege to appoint church officials.

10. Knowing how important the Roman Catholic Church was during the Middle Ages, why would it be a bad thing if you were excommunicated from

the church?

•People were afraid of not going to heaven. So if you were excommunicated from the church, that means you were NOT in the blessings of God.

3.4 ~ Pilgrimages and Crusades

1. Why did many Christians go on pilgrimages?

•Many Christians went on pilgrimages because they wanted to show their devotion to God, it was an act of penance for their sins or they hoped of being cured of an illness or one of their family members would be cured of an illness.

Vatican

Canterbury

Dome of the Rock

2. Why were crusades important to Christians between 1095 and 1270?

•The Christians had lost Jerusalem to the Muslims. Jerusalem was a holy city to Jews, Christians and Muslims, but it became a Muslim city. However, the Christians wanted it back so the Crusades were started to take back Jerusalem and other holy cities along the way.

3.5 ~ Art and Architecture

1. What significance did art have for people during the Middle Ages?

•Since most people could not read, art helped them understand Biblical stories.

2. What does the word cathedral come from? Who usually lived in the cathedrals?

•The word cathedral comes from the Latin word cathedra which means “the throne upon which a Bishop sits.” •A Bishop usually lived in the cathedrals.

3. Why were cathedrals built?

•Castles were built to show a sense of wonder or awe. •Most cathedrals were built in the shape of a cross. •Cathedrals were built as a sign of Christian devotion to God. •On average, a cathedral took 50-100 years to complete.

3.6 Education

1. Often a leader wants to leave his/her mark when they die. What did Charlemagne do that helped create a learning environment during the Middle

Ages?

•Since Charlemagne did not know how to read or write, he wanted the Church to teach people how to read and write. •In fact, the Church moved away from all upper case letters when writing and moved into upper case/lower case letters like we use today.

2. Who were the people who were able to read and write during the Middle Ages?

•During the Middle Ages, the people who were able to read and write were the clergy members (members of the church hierarchy).

3. Who believe that reason and faith should both be used for logical knowledge?

•Thomas Aquinas thought that faith and reason were both gifts from God.

3.7 ~ Holidays

1. Why were holidays so special in the Middle Ages?

•The word holiday comes from the “holy day”. Medieval holidays come from events in Jesus’ life or an important religious idea.

3.8 ~ Monks, Nuns, and Mendicants

1. Monks were responsible for keeping Medieval history alive. What evidence can you find in the

textbook to support this claim?

•As stated in the textbook, monks went to the library writing room called a scriptorium and copied books by hand. They also created illuminated manuscripts. •By copying down the different events in history, these monks allowed the historians of today discover what it was like during these times.

2. What does the word “mendicant” mean? How are mendicants and monks similar and how are

they different?

•Mendicant: means beggars•Mendicants & Monks Similar: They both cared for the poor and sick. They also took a vow to own no property. •Mendicants & Monks Different: Monks spent their lives secluded in order to prayer, study and work. Whereas the Mendicants were out amongst the people.