Roman Catholic Influence

When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Catholic Church was the only powerful authority not complete disrupted by the attack by barbarians. In fact, the work of great Popes is what helped their power increase even more. The newly christened barbarians, done by the Pope Gregory the Great, inaugurated a new age in Jesus Christ called Christendom. All culture in Christendom conformed to that of the Church’s, and, with its headquarters in Rome, the powerful “papal monarchs”, as they were called, controlled the machine that was the Catholic Church.

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.

During this time, feudalism developed. In the feudal system, weak kings granted lands to greater lords in return for military aid. Greater lords in turn granted lands to lesser lords below them. These nobles governed all people, including clergyman to whom they granted a ‘fief” of land. When a clergyman, who were to pay their loyalty to the pope, became a vassal, or under the charge of a lord who granted him land, it gave the nobles and kings power. But because the papacy had the unified support of the larger peasant class and there were no strong kings to challenge him, the pope gained greater secular power than the nobility in addition to religious influence. Not only could he banish people from the Church through religious excommunication, but he could establish secular decrees like the Peace and Truce of God, which limited the appropriate locations and days for war. Secular powers such as these were previously reserved to kings, and illustrate that the pope due to the weakening of kings in the feudal system, held greater authority.

What impact did religion and the church have on the development of feudal society? 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.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no main dominating force in Europe to enforce laws and protection for the people. The Middle Ages had begun and without the Romans, life became centered around survival. The destabilization caused rates of illiteracy, disease, and deaths to rise dramatically

The Catholic Church influenced life in Medieval Europe to such an extent that they were the centre of most people’s daily lives. Nearly all of Europe was Roman Catholic which meant that they held a very large influence over people’s behaviours and superstitions. This ensured that they held a unique

The Middle Ages, or Medieval time, was an era of war, plague and political oppression. It is thought to have begun with the fall of the Roman Empire (history.com). After the fall of the Roman Empire, there were no laws or government to protect the poor people, so they “turned to lords to keep the peace and act on their behalf” ("Characteristics of the Feudal World"). This led to the beginnings of Feudalism, a social system in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and land in return (“Feudalism”). Under the feudal system, the Pope was positioned at the top of the hierarchy pyramid. He was the leader of the Catholic Church, the most powerful institution of medieval time (Staff, history.com). Moreover, the Church rejected the seven deadly sins and encouraged key virtues such as, loyalty, integrity and honesty. As they battled in the crusades, knights were expected to follow a set of expectations know as, the Code of

Within the Middle Ages, the church became the most influential and important force for the European society. As the central governments of Europe grew weak, the church rose in strength. In result came an ever lasting battle between the two.

The Roman Catholic Church was very influential during the Middle Ages. The church contained many religious aspects and cultures that develop this religion, which is currently practiced today. The Church was connected with the state, in order to sustain authority and power over the Roman Catholic Church. Due to the systems of medieval Europe, powers and roles of the Church affected the Roman Catholic Church, because it influenced Medieval Europe by religious freedoms and aspects, political powers, and the effect on the crusades.

Catholicism is a term used to refer to the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism is a universal religion that institutes a continuity with the early Christian church founded by Jesus Christ. There were over 17,483 parishes in the United States alone in 2014, recorded by “Services” a Catholic data base. The Catholic Church has had many influences on the New World she established herself in. She has had an influence on every life, place, and idea she touched. Some examples she had important influences on include: the colonization of America, many laws that have been established, education, hospitals, and organizations. Therefore because of these many influences Catholicism is the most important factor in the development

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

Through the religious outlets, mainly the religiously-inspired, Papal revolution that occurred in the 11th century, the tradition was established and formed its everlasting mark on the legal system.1 The movement under Gregory VII was based on how the Church was founded by God, and the Pope was delegated the task of implementing all individuals in a society where divine law is the only law and is seen as the supreme ruler over the region, since he is an official of God on earth. During this movement, occurring from 1075-1122, the Pope and his followers tried to maintain the Bishop of Rome as the sole ruler of the Church, while preventing the control of kings over the ministry, which caused the Roman Catholic Church to form the first Western Legal System, a self-determining system of administration and law that would maintain its ecclesiastical roots. The primary distinction between this legal system and all of those prior to it is that it stood by and against the domain of the secular monarchies. Even though the clerical did not advocate most of the holy, religious responsibilities rulers had, the church understood the need to have sectors in secular governments.3 This reform’s spiritual basis was its main concern in terms of the ruler and system of law of the era. The creation of scriptural policies (e.g., Atonement and the Last Judgment) resulted in establishing Canon law, which is a major element of Western Legal Tradition and has affected the way individuals view legality, including how individuals viewed and dealt with issues such as criminal issues.2 The use of the revolution as a form of dividing the religious and secular dimension of Western Europe, and its systematization and rationalizing, were

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese have a religious requirement that the priests must remain celibate. This is one cultural factor for the Catholic community, that some believe has contributed to sexual offenses. Another cultural factor is that some men consider having sex with an older, attractive, adult women as getting lucky. Although, legally sex with a person who is under the age of consent is called statutory rape. However, women are less likely to believe the idea that a young boy is lucky because he had sex with an older women. It has also been a social attitude that in a marriage, rape cannot happen. In the past, the husband would not have been convicted of rape even if he forced or threatened his wife into sexual activity (Rathus).

CHHI-301-D10 LUO FALL2013 PAPER 2 The Rise of the Papacy INTRO 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.

The relationship between the Church and the State is a controversial topic that sparks great political discourse. Since the period of the Great Reformation in Europe to the contemporary religious and political establishments, suspicion and dishonesty continue to define the relationship between the Church and political leadership in the society. On one hand, the Church maintains its moral duty: to oppose and stand against any form of excessive use of political power, to cause suffering and create inequality in the society. On the other hand, the State accuses the Church of moral high-headedness and accuses it of using its position and influence in the society to breed disloyalty in the masses towards their political leaders. These scenarios