Catholic Church In Western Europe

The Catholic Church during the early 16th Century was rooted throughout Europe. The Church influenced every country and its respective monarchs through the Church’s wealth and power. The Catholic Church placed a tight hold on the general populace with individuals who went against the Church being branded as heretics and excommunicated. The wealth and power of the Church eventually caused the quality of the clergy to deteriorate. Priests became corrupt and subjected to their physical desires. They frequented taverns, gambled and kept mistresses. The reputation of the clergy were horrid as the general populace was relieved that “their priest [kept] a mistress” because it “[secured] their wives from seduction” The knowledge of the clergy degenerated as well as they were no longer required to learn and teach the Holy Scriptures because the Church dictated their actions. The pinnacle of the Church’s corruption was the sale of indulgences. An indulgence was the “extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment” sold by priests as a temporary relief from sins. The indulgences were then sold to the general populace for money as the monetization of a priest’s services. Johannes Tetzel was a prominent preacher of indulgences who relied on the money from the sales to subsidize the rebuilding of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. The corrupt sales did not go unnoticed as Martin Luther, in an effort to stop the corruption of the Church, posted the 95 Theses on the door of a Castle

In response to the how and why the papacy in Rome became the center of power as it did. Shortly after

In the Medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church played a great role in the development of England and had much more power than the Church of today does. In Medieval England, the Roman Catholic Church dominated everyday life and controlled everyone whether it is knights, peasants or kings. The Church was one of the most influential institutions in all of Medieval England and played a large role in education and religion. The Church's power was so great that they could order and control knights and sends them to battle whenever they wished to. The Church also had the power to influence the decision of Kings and could stop or pass laws which benefited them in the long run, adding to this, the Church had most of the wealth in Europe as the

Historically religion has usually been a large part of civilizations, states, nations, and cultures. In Poland the case is no different; religion has been engraved in the culture and history of Polish people. Since the introduction of Catholicism In Poland has grown largely and more homogenously Catholic. It can be argued that this was manufactured at the end of the Second World War; through the holocaust and forced migrations by the Soviet Union. The significance of Poland’s strong ties to the Catholic Church is that the church plays a large role in the structure of polish society. The Catholic Church has served as a protector and promoter of polish culture during the times Poland vanished off the map, to the struggles for democracy. As Poland fought to rid them of Soviet influence and become a free democratic society with free elections that Catholic Church played a key role in helping the fall of communism in Poland. However from an alternative angle it can be said that art a music movements were also a key fundamental influence in the fall of communism in Poland. Although entirely opposite, both artistic expression and religion were two institutions of culture that both played significant roles in Poland’s rise to freedom. However it is clear from the work of many musicians, poets and

The period immediately following the Protestant reformation and the Catholic counter reformation, was full of conflict and war. The entire continent of Europe and all of it's classes of society were affected by the destruction and flaring tempers of the period. In the Netherlands, the Protestants and the Catholics were at eachother’s throats. In France it was the Guise family versus the Bourbons. In Bohemia, the religious and political structures caused total havoc for over thirty years; and in England, the Presbyterians thought that the English Anglican Church too closely resembled the Roman Catholic Church. Religion was the major cause of the widespread

In the year 476 The Great Roman Empire finally collapsed bring about the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages; a time of rebuilding, began in the 5th century and lasted until the 15th century. The Roman Empire had ruled the mediterranean and when it finally fell Europe was left in disarray and without any source government. The only major institution left in all of Europe was the Roman Catholic Church. As City States lead by Kings grew so did the power of the Catholic Church. The Church spread their ideas through bishops in each City State becuase most common people were illiterate, they latched on to the Church and their teachings for guidance and never questioned their rule. The Church was the center of life for all people including the Kings. The Church influenced Politics, Economics, and Society. The Pope held supreme power over all of Europe's Kings and God’s will was the answer to any unknown question. The Church was a necessity, the people needed it to survive, the church was there when

People faced the rise and the fall of the Catholic Church during the medieval time. The Popes used to hold the final authority for the church and over the state. Pope Gregory VII asserted the Pope had granted the divine power from God because Saint Peter was the first of getting this

The collapse of the Roman Empire left a vacuum of leadership in Western Europe which would be filled by the papacy. In 455 AD Valentinian issued an edict which proclaimed that the bishop of Rome was the supreme papal authority while Pope Leo the Great was in

Despite a lack of political unity the medieval west still had cohesion as a civilization. One factor that helped contribute to this cohesion was the church. The church served as a unifying force that brought people together and helped unite them. The pope had a lot of power and set up a hierarchy and regulated doctrines. The pope also set up missionary activities that spread the religion to other parts of the world. The church was involved with the state and also served as a moral code for many people.

As you’ve known from previous units, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful organization in all of Europe during the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. How did it come to be so powerful?

The Church was the absolute most predominant foundation in medieval life, its impact invading practically every part of individuals’ lives. Its religious observances often shape to the plan; its customs checked every minute in a person 's life; and its lessons supported standard convictions about morals, the significance of life and existence. Church in Western Europe was recognized as the Roman Catholic Church went from the religion of the Roman Empire to the official religion and the most powerful institution of the Middle Ages. All of Europe had been converted to Christianity by the year 1000. Although this process was peaceful at times but other times it got downright ugly.

The Pope was the supreme authority while there was an emperor who was second in the command. For example, Charlemagne served as the Roman emperor after being elevated to the position by Pope Leo III. The church became powerful in many aspects; the people were required to pay tithe to the church while there was exemption of the church from taxation. The church went to the levels of owning armies as well as cities in addition to playing a great role in the regulation of state affairs.

The Church and church officials could do almost anything without repercussions. This surge of power led church officials to misuse it and become corrupt. Church officials acted as if the words if the Pope was the #1 authority and preached his words as the words of the bible. Church officials even sold forgiveness and salvation from hell as indulgences. Catholic followers were forced to bring gifts and presents just to be able to

Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.

In the void left by the collapse of the Roman Empire, the bishop of Rome grew even more in both power and prestige beginning in the sixth century and continuing to the reformation in the ninth century. It is the aim of this paper to explain how and why the papacy in Rome became the center of power of the medieval world, the factors contributing to this dominance over Western Europe, and the positive and negative ramifications of the position becoming so powerful. Through this paper you will discover how papacy was able to fill the vacuum of power left by the fall of an empire.