Christianity in the Middle Ages

Christianity in the Middle Ages

The Role of the Church & the Spread of Catholicism

Christianity as a Unifying Factor

• Christianity had been introduced throughout the Western Roman Empire before the empire collapsed in 476 CE

• Not Widely practiced

• Roman Catholic Church began to grow in power & influence

Christianity as a Unifying Factor

• Elected pope in the late 500s, Gregory I took on the task of protecting Rome and its surrounding territory from external threats

• In doing this, Gregory I asserted not just the spiritual power of the Church and the papacy.

• Papacy =the pope and his power

Christianity as a Unifying Factor

• Gregory I did this by laying the foundation for an elaborate and complex church government that became known as the Roman Catholic Church

• The Church became a unifying factor across the different kingdoms and fiefdoms of Western Europe.

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Roman Catholic Church grew in power and influence during the Middle Ages

• True

• False, weakned

Multiple Choice

the pope and his power

• Roman Catholic Church

• Papacy

• Christianity

The Role of the Church

The Role of the Church

• Almost all people were members of the Church

• Every village had a church and a priest.

• Village priests were organized into groups called dioceses.

The Role of the Church

• The head of each diocese was a bishop who lived in a large town. His church was called a cathedral

• Higher up the Church ladder were archbishops.

• The chief of the archbishops—and of the entire Catholic Church in Europe—was the pope, who lived in Rome.

The Role of the Church

• Like the system of feudalism, the Church had a hierarchy with differing levels of power

• Unlike the system of feudalism, the Church had influence over people in many different kingdoms and fiefdoms, rather than just one

The Role of the Church

• the Church was not a formal government, it functioned much like one 

• It controlled vast amounts of land and wealth, ruled people, settled disputes, and, at times, even went to war.

Multiple Choice

True or False: Only a small amount of people were members of the Church

• True

• False, most people

Open Ended

How was the organization of the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages similar to feudalism?

The Spread of the Catholic Church

The Spread of the Catholic Church

• The Catholic Church gained power and influence by converting more people to Christianity

• Convert = change one’s religious faith or other beliefs

The Spread of the Catholic Church

• Missionaries from Church traveled the Roman roads across Europe to convert local pops. 

• Missionaries =representatives of a religion who go on a mission to convert ppl to that religion

The Spread of the Catholic Church

• Gregory I (597 AD) sent missionaries to England to convert the pop. to Christianity, most become Christian by within century

• In the 700s and 800s, missionaries worked in other parts of Europe

Multiple Choice

To change one’s religious faith or other beliefs:

• Missionaries

• Convert

• Monasteries

Multiple Choice

representatives of a religion who go on a mission to convert people to that religion

• Convert

• Missionaries

• Monasteries

The Role of Monasteries

• Monasteries were isolated communities where Catholic men and women—monks and nuns—lived apart from society

• They devoted their lives to God and the Church.

• Monasteries became important centers of learning

The Role of Monasteries

• In fact, clergy and monks were the most educated people during the Middle Ages.

• Monks studied Greek and Latin.

• Monks copied and cared for manuscripts

• Monks illustrated manuscripts and created masterful pieces of art.

Multiple Choice

True or False: Monasteries became important centers of learning

• True

• False, military training

Multiple Choice

isolated communities where Catholic men and women—monks and nuns—lived apart from society

• Monasteries

• Missionaries

• Papcy