CHAPTER 3 – The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe

Introduction
In this chapter, you will explore the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe
during the High Middle Ages, from about 1000 to 1300 A.D. The Church was the center
of life in medieval western Europe. Almost every community had a church building.
Larger towns and cities had a cathedral. Church bells rang out the hours, called people to
worship, and warned of danger.

The church building was the center of community activity. Religious services were held
several times a day. Town meetings, plays, and concerts were also held in churches.
Merchants had shops around the square in front of the church. Farmers sold their produce
in the square, and markets, festivals, and fairs were held there, as well.

Christian belief was so widespread during this time that historians sometimes call the Middle Ages the “Age of
Faith.” People looked to the Church to explain world events. Storms, disease, and famine were thought to be
punishments sent by God. People hoped prayer and religious dedication would keep away these disasters. They
were even more concerned about the fate of their souls after death. The Church taught that salvation (saving of
one’s soul to Heaven), would come to those who followed the Church’s teaching.

The Christian Church Takes Shape

The Christian religion is one of the most important legacies of ancient Rome. Christians are followers of Jesus,
who, according to the Bible, was put to death on a Roman cross. Christians believe that Jesus was the son of
God.

At the start of the Middle Ages, all Christians in western Europe belong to a single church, which became
known as the Roman Catholic Church. After the collapse of Rome, the Church played an important role in
society. In part, it was one of the few ties that people had to a more stable time. The Church provided leadership
and, at times, even organized the distribution of food. Monasteries, or communities of monks, provided
hospitality to refugees and travelers. Monks also copied and preserved old texts, and in this way helped keep
both new and ancient learning alive. The spread of monasteries and the preaching of missionaries helped bring
new converts to the Christian faith.

The Increasing Power of the Church

During the Middle Ages, the Church acquired great economic power. By the year 1050, it was the largest
landholder in Europe. Some land came in the form of gifts from kings and wealthy nobles. Some land was taken
by force. The medieval Church added to its wealth by collecting a tithe, or tax. Each person was expected to
give one-tenth of his money, crops, or labor to help support the Church.

The Church also came to hold great political power. Latin, the language of the Church, was the only common
language in Europe. Church officials were often the only people who could read. As a result, they kept records
for monarch and became trusted scribes and advisers.

At times, the Church’s power brought it into conflict with European kings. One key struggle involved Pope
Gregory VII (seventh) and Henry IV (fourth), the Holy Roman Emperor.

Gregory was elected pope in 1073. An ambitious leader, he created several changes in the Church, such as
forbidding priests to marry and outlawing the selling of Church positions. He also banned the practice that king
could select who they wanted to be priests, bishops, and heads of monasteries. According to Gregory’s new
rules, only the pope had the right to do so.

Gregory’s ruling angered Henry IV. Like rulers before him, Henry considered it his duty to select Church
officials. He called a council of bishops and declared the Gregory was no longer pope. Gregory responded by
excommunicating Henry. This meant Henry was thrown out of the Church and, therefore, could not gain
salvation to Heaven. Gregory also said that Henry’s subjects were no longer required to obey him.

The pope’s influence was so great that Henry begged forgiveness and was readmitted to the Church. For the
moment, his action amounted to recognizing the pope’s authority even over an emperor. But future rulers and
popes would resume the fight over the power of the Church versus the monarchy.
Sacraments and Salvation in the Middle Ages
Most people in medieval Europe believed in God and an afterlife. The Church taught that people gained
salvation (saving one’s soul, entry into Heaven) by following the Church’s teaching and living a moral life.
Failing to do so condemned one’s soul to eternal suffering in hell. To believers, hell was a real and terrifying
place. Its torments, such as fire and demons, were pictured in vivid detail in many paintings.

The Church taught its members that receiving the sacraments was an essential part of gaining salvation.
Sacraments were sacred rites that Christians believed brought them grace, or a special blessing from God.

THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Baptism Confirmation Eucharist (you-ka-rist)
Entry into the church. To Church service in which
THE SEVEN cleanse a person of sin. Formal declaration of priest blesses bread and
SACRAMENTS Water is poured gently belief in God & church. wine. Represents body
over the head. and blood of Christ.
Matrimony (marriage) Holy Orders Penance Extreme Unction
A formal union blessed A blessing in which a
by the Church. After A man officially becomes Confession of sins to a person in danger of death
being married by a priest, a priest priest in order to receive is blessed with holy oil by
the couple signs their forgiveness from God. a priest.
names in a book of
records to document

Education
During the Middle Ages, most schooling took place in monasteries, convents,
and cathedrals. This was established under Charlemagne, who encouraged the
Church to teach people to read and write.

In medieval times, the clergy were the people most likely to be educated. Most
of the students in Church schools were sons of nobles who were studying for
careers in the clergy. They spent much of their time memorizing prayers and
passages from the Bible in Latin.

Starting in the 1200s, cathedral schools influenced the rise of universities. Students in universities studied Latin
grammar and rhetoric (speech), logic, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. Books at that time were hand
copied and very rare, so teachers often read to students.

Ancient texts were greatly respected in the universities, but the Church was sometimes uneasy about them. The
Church taught people to be guided by faith. Ancient writers like the Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that
reason or logical thinking, was the path to knowledge. Church leaders feared that studying such writers might
lead people to question the Church’s teachings.

Monks & Nuns

Religion was important to all Christians in the Middle Ages. Some men and women,
however, solemnly promised to devote their lives to God and the Church.

Monks were men who joined monasteries, communities devoted to prayer and service
to fellow Christians. This way of life is called monasticism. Men became monks for
many reasons. Some were seeking refuge from war, sickness, or sinfulness. Some came to study. Some were
attracted by a quiet life in prayer & service.

The man who developed the monastic way of life in western Europe was Saint Benedict. In the 6 th century, he
founded a monastery in Italy. His followers became known as the Benedictines. They followed Benedict’s
“Rule,” or instructions. Benedictines made 3 solemn vows, or promises: poverty (to own no property), chastity
(never to marry), and obedience (to obey their leaders).

Monks spent their lives in prayer, study, and work. They attended eight church services every day. Other duties
included caring for the poor and sick, teaching, and copying religious texts. Since most monasteries were self-
sufficient, monks spent much of their time working. They farmed their land, tended their gardens, raised
livestock, and sewed clothing.

Monks also copied books by hand and created beautiful manuscripts. Monks would copy the Bible word for
word as well as rare documents. By copying these written documents, monks kept knowledge of the past alive.
Much of what we know today, about both the Middle Ages and ancient times, comes from their important work.

Monastic life was one of the few opportunities open to medieval women who did not wish to marry. Women
who became nuns lived in convents. These communities were run in the same way as monasteries. Nuns did
most of the same types of work that monks performed.

Summary
The Catholic Church emerged from the fall of Rome to play a key role in daily life in medieval Europe. More
than just a religious institution, the Catholic Church was the center of community life and gained great political
and economic power. All clergy had a rank in the church. The Church’s sacraments marked all the most
important occasions of life in the Church. During the Middle Ages, Saint Benedict developed his “rule” for
religious communities of monks and nuns.