4.4.5 Western Europe and Roman Catholic Church

8. What role did monasteries play in medieval Europe?

Medieval Europe was not the best place for the spread of ideas, but monasteries were the main centers of education. They were also places that organized public services for the poor and sick. Monks also reproduced manuscripts of the Bible.

manorialism

The economic system of feudal Europe. It was a type of landownership in which the lord of a manor had legal control over a piece of land, his house, and his serfs. Each manor produced its own food, clothes, and shelter.

Roman Catholic Church

The world's largest Christian church and among the oldest institutions in the world. Catholic tradition holds that the church was founded in the Roman Empire by Jesus of Nazareth in the first century CE.

Saladin

(1138 - 1193) A famous Muslim leader who defeated the crusaders and took back the Holy Land. He did allow Christian pilgrimages to the holy city of Jerusalem.

Richard the Lionheart

(1157 - 1199) The king of England known for leading the Third Crusade.

Magna Carta

(1215) A charter signed by King John of England that established the rights of English nobles and citizens. Parts of the law are still in force today.

Western Schism

(1378 - 1417) A split within the Roman Catholic Church in which two different men claimed to be the pope. It is also sometimes called the Great Schism, a term that is used for the EastWest Schism of 1054 as well.

Pope Urban II

(ca. 1042 - 1099) The pope from 1088 to 1099. He used religious speeches to motivate European Christians to fight for their religion in the Middle East. He was a key player in the First Crusade.

medieval Europe

(ca. 500s - ca. 1400s) Europe during the Middle Ages. Many modern European nations can trace their roots back to the kingdoms of this time period.

Middle Ages

(ca. 500s - ca. 1400s) The period of European history after the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance. During this time, feudalism and manorialism emerged as the primary ways of organizing society.

absolute monarchy

A government in which the king or queen has total power, with no limits imposed by leaders or branches of the government.

feudalism

A loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord.

divine right of kings

A political and religious doctrine, originating in medieval Europe, that gives kings political legitimacy by claiming that their right to rule comes directly from the will of God.

Great Famine of 1315 - 1316

A series of crop failures caused by unusual weather that killed 10 to 25 percent of the population in Europe.

Holy Land

A term that in Judaism refers to the land of Israel, and in Islam and Christianity refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which includes modern Palestine and Israel. The perceived holiness of this land was a motivating force for the Crusades.

1. Why was Christianity able to spread throughout Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire?

After the Roman emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, many people converted. After the decline of Rome, when Europe was splintered into many kingdoms, Christianity provided stability and cultural unity for Western Europeans.

12. What were the longterm economic effects of the Great Famine and the Black Death?

Because the population of Europe decreased dramatically, labor became more valuable. This made it very difficult to maintain the former system of manorialism because serfs looked to profit from their labor. Peasants worked the fields in exchange for wages rather than protection. Many peasants left the manors and moved to cities to work in the booming textile industry. This process contributed to the rise of a capitalist system, in which labor is exchanged for money.

Hundred Years' War

Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453) A series of wars between England and France over control of the French throne that ended in French victory. The war was notable for introducing new weapons and tactics, ushering in nationalism, and ending feudalism in Europe.

4. Why did Christian armies fight in the Crusades?

The Crusades began when the Byzantine emperor asked for military aid from Pope Urban II to repel the invading Muslim armies. However, another goal emerged. The Roman Catholic Church intended to reconquer the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, free the region from Islamic rule, and establish a Christian kingdom there.

10. What caused the end of medieval Europe? What were the impacts on European society?

The Crusades, the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War, and the Great Schism all contributed to the end of medieval Europe. The population had decreased significantly because of deaths from wars and disease. Lords had to pay wages to peasants to entice them to stay and work the fields because new opportunities in industry began to emerge in cities. The strict hierarchy of feudalism began to fall apart, and people turned away from religion and toward science.

5. How did the Great Schism split the Roman Catholic Church and Europe for a time?

The Great Schism was a period during the medieval era when two popes each claimed to be the rightful leader of the Roman Catholic Church. One ruled from France, and the other from Rome. The conflict grew from a churchcentered problem to a political division in Europe. Local Christian leaders had to choose which pope they would recognize.

9. What effects did the Hundred Years' War have on medieval Europe?

The Hundred Years' War devastated France and England both physically and economically. The war also led to the decline of feudalism because castles were no longer a good defense against the use of gunpowder in cannons. The end of the war helped to establish separate identities between the English and French peoples, whose cultures had been connected since the Normans. They eventually developed into separate nations.

7. Why was the Magna Carta important regarding absolute monarchy in medieval Europe?

The Magna Carta was a document signed by the king of England after the nobles rebelled against him. It created a system of concrete laws that even the king was required to follow. It was the first time in European history when the absolute authority of the monarch was restricted.

2. What are the major characteristics of Roman Catholicism?

The Roman Catholic Church promotes belief in the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The church holds a weekly ceremony called Mass. The pope, who resides in Rome, has supreme authority regarding the faith. Religious communities are especially important in the Roman Catholic Church. Believers express their commitment to their faith through the sacraments.

11. How was the Roman Catholic Church a source of both unity and division among Europeans?

Through the Roman Catholic Church, Europeans were united in their faith, though they spoke different languages and had different customs. They united as Christians to stop Islamic expansion into Europe and form the Holy Roman Empire. They also participated in the Crusades together. But the church's influence also was a source of division, especially during the Great Schism. The installation of two popes divided European politics into two sides. The resolution of these internal conflicts in the church signaled that the medieval era was coming to a close.

6. What major factors contributed to the development of the feudal system in medieval Europe?

Western Europe lacked a strong central authority after the decline of the Roman Empire. Local kings and nobles made arrangements to maintain control. The lord would govern regions of land, known as fiefs. Vassals were protected by the lord and used the fief in exchange for militarybased services. Knights were hired by the king, lords, and vassals to protect the land. The land was worked by serfs, who were taxed and gave portions of the harvest to the vassals for protection.

3. How did Christians respond to Islamic expansion into the Iberian Peninsula?

When Islamic armies conquered Spain, some Christians who were unsatisfied with Christianity converted to Islam, a new form of monotheism also based on the Abrahamic tradition. On the other hand, many Christians in Europe took up arms to stop the spread of Islam. Christian armies succeeded in stopping Islam from spreading farther into Europe, and Christianity continued as the dominant religion in Europe.