The Church Wields Power

1. The Church Wields Power Vocab: clergy, sacrament, canon law & Holy Roman Empire

2. The Scope of Church Authority • When the Church crowned Charlemagne emperor they sought influence in political and spiritual matters. • What happened was that the Church and government competed for power.

3. Church Structure • Consisted of different ranks of clergy (religious officials). • The Pope was the head. • Bishops and priests fell under the Pope. • Bishops supervised priests. • Bishops settled disputes over Church teachings & religious practices.

4. Unifying Force • The church bonded the people. • Provided Christians with security & religious community. • Middle Ages also known as the Age of Faith. • Path to salvation through the administering of the sacraments which were important religious ceremonies. • Paved the way for salvation through baptism & confirmation.

5. Unifying Force • The village church served as a social and religious center. • People worshipped and met other people at church. • Religious holidays were times for gatherings and festive celebrations.

6. Church Justice • Authority was both religious and political. • Justice was to guide people’s conduct. • All medieval Christians were subject to canon law which was the law of the church. • Harshest punishments handed down by the church were interdict & excommunication. • Popes used excommunication to have power over rulers.

7. Church Justice • The interdict was an even harsher verdict . It meant no religious sacraments could take place in the King’s lands. • This meant people were doomed to hell. • Forced may emperors to submit to a Pope’s command.

8. The Holy Roman Empire • Otto I of Germany allies with the Pope after Charlemagne’s death. • His reason was to limit the power of the nobility. • Received support from the bishops and abbots in Germany. • Invaded Italy on the Pope’s behalf in 962. • Otto was crowned emperor.

9. Conflicts • Italians nobles did not like being ruled by German emperors. • Popes did not like it either. • Church resented the power that Otto & other kings had over lay investiture (selection of church officials). • 1075 Pope Gregory VII banned lay investiture. • Henry IV was angered by the move.

10. Conflicts • Henry fired off a harsh letter to Gregory. • Gregory excommunicated Henry. • They met at Canossa, It. Henry was humbled by the Pope. The Pope forgave him. • The church and King’s kept fighting over lay investiture until 1122. • The Pope & the German rulers met at Worms.

11. Concordat of Worms • Result was that the Church alone could grant a bishop his ring and staff. • The emperor had the veto power of appointment. • German princes had regained much of the power they had lost when Otto I ruled.

12. Frederick I • Chosen by German princes in 1152. • 1st ruler to call his lands the Holy Roman Empire. • Attacked the cities of Italy. Angered the merchants of Italy and the Pope. • These two forces formed an alliance called The Lombard League. • 1176 at the Battle of Legnano Fredericks forces were defeated.

13. Frederick I • 1177 made peace with the Pope. • Lost authority with the German princes. • After his death in 1190 Germany broke up into many feudal states. • German rulers kept invading Italy. • Germany was never able to unify because of this. • By electing the King, German rulers authority was weakened.