Dbq Middle Ages

The Age of Faith is most accurate for describing the Middle Ages because of the political, social and economic influence the church held. Feudalism was still not providing one united central government but instead many small ones and so the church gained a governmental authority over Western Europe. People were all working to try to get into Heaven, and because of that there was a lot of control over telling people what to do. The church could excommunicate people and even Kings if they felt that they were refusing to comply (OI). This gave the church power over the Kings because they controlled who would not be allowed to return to the church; if someone were excommunicated they would not be able to reach Heaven. At the time the bible was written in Latin, which only could be read to the common people by a clergy member who could explain what was written. With the reliance on the church the pope’s words and explanations were taken as God’s. The Truce of God stated different peace agreements, which they enforced by exerting their power and influence (Doc. 5). The Crusades were a major part of this because the church declared to try to capture the Holy land. Pope Urban

The inclusion of the church in the system became a political reality. The unsettled conditions caused by the Viking and Magyar invasions forced church officials to enter into close relations with the only power able to offer them protection. Bishops and abbots thus became vassals, receiving fiefs for which they were obligated to provide the usual feudal services. The

Feudalism, during medieval society, was parallel to the existence of the Catholic Church and its influence over the population. Religion permeated all elements of society and the way in which they related to each other. The Church wasn’t only a spiritual power, but a political and economic one and the struggles between the political and religious leaders will be key factors in the development of the medieval world. The church will also be the primary keeper of knowledge in the Middle Ages, and they will accomplish most cultural advancements.

The Middle Ages are sometimes referred to as the ‘Age of Faith’ because religion was so important in past European societies. Medieval villages were structured

As the tenth century rolled about, the power of the Roman Catholic Church grew steadily stronger, the church had an argument with the normal Kingdom over who should rule supreme out of the Pope or the King, the church believed that the Pope who is the voice of God on Earth should be the ruler of the world while the peasants thought that the King should, the power struggle eventually ended with the Church coming out as the dominant force in the West. The Church passed a law that stated that everyone (mostly peasants) is forced to pay 10% of their income to the Church. The church had the ability to stop any laws that they did not like or make some new laws that benefited them, they were a very powerful group that could manipulate the peasants and knights in any way they liked, in Church there were photos of people being tortured in hell, this intensified the peoples longing for heaven and therefore extended the power and influence of the church. All Christians were expected to attend the mass and, by the 13th century, were expected to take the Eucharist at least once a year.

Just because there is not a lot of documented evidence during a certain time, does that mean that nothing happened? The Middle Ages were once called the Dark Ages because not many events happened, leading some to believe that nothing happened during this point in time. “The Dark Ages” is not an appropriate term to describe The Middle Ages because this time period did not just stop, it simply was a transition between powerful eras in which dramatic events did not occur but smaller beauties flourished such as the arts, music, and literature.

Before The Renaissance, there was a time period known as the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was a time of darkness and illiteracy. Around eighty percent of the European population was illiterate and or uneducated relying completely on the Roman Catholic Church for education. The uneducated were mostly peasants. The few people that were educated were priests, and other religious figures in the church. Although as time progressed peasants, began to become more independent. With the invention of the printing press education began to become more widespread. Many people began to become specialized in other subjects besides farming and questioned the ideas of the church. As the Middle Ages came to an end so did the strength and overall power of the Roman Catholic Church.

Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages were an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.

The “Dark ages” was found by an Italian scholar, Petrarch, in the 1300s. The term Dark Age was used to explain the period (movie talk-dark ages).The Dark Age could be in a growth age or a dark age. This is applied to “dark” and “light”. This can be argued by the evidence of what is going on during 500AD-1500AD. The debate between Europe being in a Dark Age or growth age is based off of how well the evidence supports the statement and this judgment is clearly stated that Europe is NOT in a dark age based on all the supported evidence.

There are many factors that one could say to support the theory that Europe was in a dark age such as, the first crusade, the black death, and the government. The black death was the biggest reason that Europe was in a dark age because the black death killed one third of Europe's population. As read in Document A ¨ Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another.¨ this shows how there were small towns, small population and isolated communities, as you can see since the disease spread so quickly, people would do anything to keep them and their family safe. When the first crusade started many fought to to their deaths. Many Christians, knights, lords, and peasants killed 70,000 muslims so they could have salvation. In document B

The role of the Roman Catholic Church also had a big influence on the social life of people during the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church “touched everyone’s life, no matter their rank or class or where they lived,” (Doc. 3). The church gave people a sense of belonging. As well, the Code of Chivalry states that “thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them,” (Doc. 5).

Initially, the people of medieval Western Europe obeyed the church without question, including rulers during the time, who often times actually had less power than the Roman Catholic church. During these times, “Any blow suffered by the church was a direct blow to [a man’s] own morale.”12 As the plague tightened its grasp on the aspects of life, people began to question the church in large. People felt as though the church, best equipped to be in touch with God, had given no warning, and when it was too late pointed out the people's mistakes.13 Additionally, priests, who some would expect to be spared from the plague, were just as touched, if not in more danger when still administering the Last Rites. It was commented that, “The best of the clergy died, the worst survived.”14 Accordingly, those who cared for themselves lived longer during the plague than others who attempted to care for others. “... Parishes remained altogether unserved and beneficed Parsons had turned away from the care of their benefices for fear of death.”15 The priests that did survive were increasingly failing to fulfill their duties, and instead seeking better paid conditions.16 “Paid clerics would serve only if they were paid excessive salaries… priests hurried off to… where they could get more money than in their own benefices…”17 Perhaps in accordance to this, primarily the wealthy retained complete faith in the Roman Catholic Church, while others in Western Europe began searching for alternative gods and new sources of comfort.18 During that search there was a surge of religious fervor comparable to that shown later during the Age of Exploration. By the end of the Black Death, the majority of medieval people of Western Europe were no longer blinded by the supposed immortality of the Roman Catholic Church. Those that saw

In Europe, the history of the Middle Ages or Medieval time lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. During the Medieval period the Church dominated everybody’s life. During this time everyone believed that God, Heaven, and Hell all existed and the only way into Heaven was by approval by the Roman Catholic Church. The Church exploited it’s peasants by making them work for free and making the peasant’s bring in money or food for the Church. The way into Heaven cost a price.

The transition between the end of the western Roman empire and the start of modern European history is commonly referred to as the Middle Ages or the medieval period. With the decline in trade and formal learning, the constant state of warfare and invasions, and most importantly the absence of a strong centralized government, there was widespread disorder and an overwhelming need for stability. Rather than central rulers, people looked towards local rulers for protection as small,weak kingdoms besides Charlemagne’s empire emerged. With it came a life dependent on feudal relationships, the self-sufficiency of the manorial system, and the Christian Church.

During the majority of Medieval Europe’s history from 500-1300, politics, economics, and many social features of their new civilization were mostly centered around the church. The church was responsible for alliances within Europe, assisting in expanding empires in exchange for protection and support. The roles in societies usually followed a natural order of ruler versus everyone else, whether it be a Lord as the leader or the later emergence of feudalism. The dominant role of the church also helped socially, allowing monks especially to take on useful roles for the rest of society. The church played many vital roles in developing Medieval Europe.