Middle Ages

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Middle Ages The Roman Catholic Church
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Feudalism Quiz

• 1. Recreate the feudal chart.
• 2. Explain how feudalism worked.
• 3. Why was feudalism necessary?

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• 1. king
• Lord
• Vassal
• Knight
• Nobles all above
• Commoners all below
• Peasants, serfs, merchants, craftsmen
• 2. Kings gave land to powerful lords in exchange
  for loyalty. Lords in turn provided land to
  lesser nobles, called vassals in exchange for
  loyalty and services. Commoners worked the
  nobles land in exchange for protections, food and
  shelter.
• 3. Feudalism was necessary because it provided
  all Europeans with food, shelter, order,
  structure, government, and economy.

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Lesson

• 1. Read the information regarding the Roman
  Catholic Church.
• 2. After each topic, write the main idea or a
  question you have regarding the topic.

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Daily Life

• Throughout Western Europe in Medieval times, each
  community was centered around a church, playing a
  powerful role in nearly everyones personal life.
• The church offered religious services,
  established orphanages, and helped care for the
  poor, sick, and elderly.
• Most Europeans were baptized, married, and buried
  by the Catholic Church.
• They also hosted feasts, festivals, and other
  celebrations. As communities grew, their members
  often donated money and labor to build new and
  larger churches.

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Cathedral
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Parish Church

• The parish church was the center of every town.
  It was generally the largest building in town
  often built in the shape of a cross.
• Churches had stained glass windows and statues
  that told stories from the Bible to the commoners
  and nobles who, for the most part, could not
  read.
• Every Sunday, every commoner and noble went to
  church to a service spoken in Latin (which they
  didn't understand) and a sermon read from a Bible
  written in Latin (which they did not understand).
  
• The parish church was overseen by a parish
  priest, whose duties were to teach the Christian
  gospel to his parishioners, and help them to live
  their lives by God's laws.
• Because most nobles were illiterate (they could
  not read or write), the staff priests would write
  important letters and documents. They would also
  give advice about wars, laws, and family
  quarrels, and the education and marriage of noble
  sons and daughters.

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Pilgrimages

• Pilgrimages were journeys made to places that
  held special religious significance. Usually,
  this was a shrine where a saint was buried or a
  visit to the Holy Land itself.
• Making a pilgrimage was long and often dangerous.
  Almost everyone traveled on foot and bandits and
  pirates lay in wait for the unarmed pilgrims.
• However, people went on these journeys anyways
  because they felt that prayers made at a saint's
  tomb were especially powerful.
• If a loved one fell ill, a relative might promise
  to make a pilgrimage if the person got better, or
  someone might go to show that they were sorry for
  their sins.
• Some went on pilgrimages as penance, or
  punishment by the Church, for a sin they
  committed.
• Gambling, stealing, etc.

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Monks Nuns

• Monks were men who devoted their time to praying
  and studying in communities called monasteries.
• They preserved Greek and Roman knowledge by
  hand-copying illuminated manuscripts (colorful
  handwritten books).
• Later, the Church also founded the first
  universities in Europe, teaching the ancient
  world and God.
• Nuns were women who prayed, sewed, taught young
  girls, cared for the poor, and also copied and
  decorated books in convents.

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Power of the Church

• 1.) If a commoner or nobleman refused to obey the
  commands of the Church, the Pope might punish
  him/her with excommunication, or being kicked out
  of the Church.
• All the churches on the Lords land would be
  closed, and neither he, his family, nor anyone
  within his territory could be baptized, married,
  or buried with the Churchs blessings going to
  Hell!
• One could find a quicker route to heaven by
  purchasing indulgences a get out of Hell card.
• 2.) The Pope insisted he had the supreme
  authority over all Christian lands, causing
  arguments and even wars between kings and the
  Pope.
• King John of England was excommunicated at one
  time for angering the Pope.
• 3.) Crusades were military expeditions sent by
  Pope Urban II to capture the Holy Land
  (Palestine/Israel) from the Muslim Turks.
  Several Crusades between 1096 and 1272 failed to
  win the Holy Land. However, outcomes occurred
  such as increased trade, better ships and maps,
  and decrease of feudal lords (many were killed in
  battle).

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Indulgences get out of hell card
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Crusades
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Inquisition

• People who committed acts against the authority
  of the church were accused of heresy and called
  heretics.
• Jews, Muslims, witches, commoners, nobles, anyone
  you didnt like.
• An Inquisition was a court set up by the power of
  the Church to find heretics.
• Accused were usually found guilty.
• Heretics would be put to death usually before
  enduring torture.
• Torture wheel, rack, hot oil, impalement, drawn
• Death torture, hanging, burned or buried alive.

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The Great Schism

• In 1054 A.D., the Christian Church split.
• The Emperor of the Byzantine Empire and the
  Bishop of Constantinople did not agree with the
  Popes supremacy on earth.
• The Pope is the Bishop of Rome the Emperor and
  Bishop of Constantinople claimed all bishops were
  equal, and that the Pope had no authority over
  leaders of countries.
• They also argued over certain interpretations of
  the Bible and beliefs.
• The two divisions of the church became known as
  Catholics in the West and Orthodox Christians in
  the East.

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The Great Schism
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Non-Christians

• Muslim armies from North Africa called Moors
  conquered Spain and Portugal in the 700s AD, and
  ruled 800 years.
• Wars and violence occurred between the Moors and
  Christians (native inhabitants) for the next 800
  years.
• Despite fighting, Moors brought new discoveries
  and also helped preserve the ancient Greek and
  Roman ideals.
• Muslim communities in Spain were eventually
  forced to convert (become a Christian), killed or
  driven out by the Christian leaders in the
  1490s.

• Although Jews had been living in Europe since the
  times of the Roman Empire. Jewish communities
  lived under discrimination and persecution in
  Europe.
• They were forbidden to own land.
• They could only work in certain professions.
• Christians often blamed Jews when disease or
  natural disasters struck.
• Many Jews were kicked out of countries and fled
  to Eastern Europe. Others were tortured or
  killed.
• However, Jewish communities remained intact and
  preserved their traditions. Jewish scholars
  continued to make contributions to learning for
  all Europeans.

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Socratic Seminar

• 1. Who was the more powerful? King or Pope?
• 2. Did the Pros out way the Cons of the Roman
  Catholic Church?
• 3. Why was Latin used when the majority of
  Europeans did not understand this ancient
  language?
• 4. How useful would indulgences have been? For
  the people buying them and the Church selling
  them?
• 5. What was the purpose of the Inquisition?