2.
During the Middle Ages, the Church’s most
important achievement was to Christianize
the diverse peoples of Western Europe
In 597, Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to
convert the Anglo-Saxons in England
Women also helped to spread the faith
Some married pagan kings and brought their
husbands into the church---ex. Clovis and
his wife Clothilde
3.
In manor villages, the priest of the parish was
usually the only contact people had with the
church
The priest cared for the souls of his parishioners
by celebrating the mass and by administering the
sacraments
In addition to administering the
sacraments, priests also preached the Gospels
and the teachings of the Church
They guided people on issues regarding values
and morality and offered help to the sick and
needy
4.
The church was the social center as well as a
place of worship
After services, peasants gossiped or danced
In the later Middle Ages, some parish priests
ran schools
Villages took pride in their church buildings
and decorated them with care
Prosperous communities began to build stone
churches rather than wooden ones
5.
Some churches housed relics, or remains of
martyrs or other holy figures
Local people, as well as visitors, might make
pilgrimages, or journeys, to pray before the relics
To support itself and its parishes, the Church
required Christians to pay a tithe, or tax equal to
a tenth (10% or 1/10) of their income
Daily life revolved around the Christian
calendar, which marked “holy days” such as
Easter in addition to changes in the seasons
Holidays were added to the calendar to honor
saints
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The Church taught that men and women were
equal before God
On Earth, women were viewed as “daughters
of Eve”---weak and easily led into sin---thus
they supposedly needed the guidance of men
The church set a minimum age for marriage
and fined men who seriously injured their
wives
However, they often punished women more
severely than men for the same offense
11.
A monk named Benedict organized the
monastery of Monte Cassino in southern Italy
Monks and nuns took three vows under
Benedictine rule: obedience to the head of the
monastery or convent, poverty, and chastity
Monasteries and convents provided basic
services such as: hospital
services, schooling, lodging to
travelers, missionaries
St. Patrick---monk who set up the Irish
Church
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Monasteries and convents also performed a
vital role in preserving the writings of the
ancient world
Monks and nuns often copied ancient works
as a form of labor
Educated monks and nuns kept learning alive
The Venerable Bede (from Britain) wrote the
earliest known history of England
Bede introduced the use of B.C. and A.D. to
date historical events
17.
18.
Many women entered convents
Convents were important because they
provided an education to many women
during the Middle Ages
In the later Middle Ages, the church put
restrictions on convents lessening the power
nuns once held and frowned upon too much
learning for women
19.
The Church became the most powerful
secular force in medieval Europe
The pope was the spiritual leader of the
Roman Catholic Church and popes eventually
claimed papal supremacy---authority over all
secular rulers
The Church and secular rulers were
intertwined---because church officials were
educated they were appointed to high
government positions and even the pope
himself held lands in central Italy
20.
Christians believed that all people were
sinners and doomed to eternal suffering
The only way to avoid hell was to believe in
Christ and participate in the sacraments
Because the medieval Church gave out the
sacraments, it had absolute power in
religious matters
21.
The medieval Church developed its own body of
laws known as canon law
Canon law applied to religious teachings, the
clergy, marriages, and morals
Anyone who disobeyed Church law faced a range
of penalties
Excommunication---person is kicked out of the
Church and cannot receive sacraments or burial
Interdict---order excluding an entire
town, region, or kingdom from receiving
sacraments or burial
22.
Francis of Assisi led a reform movement who
sent friars (monks) out to travel and preach
around Europe
Francis lived a comfortable life until his midtwenties when he chose to give up all his
wealth and take a life of poverty and charity
Franciscan friars went out to serve the poor
and the sick and preach
23.
24.
Jewish communities flourished in Spain
The Muslims who conquered Spain treated
both Jews and Christians with tolerance
Jews eventually spread out into Western
Europe
In the late 1000s, Christian persecution of
Jews increased
Scapegoats---blamed for killing
Jesus, couldn’t own land or certain jobs
Anti-Semitism---prejudice against Jews
Jews were forced to migrate to Eastern Europe
