Crusades Of The Church example essay topic

Manorialism Manorialism was an economic system that existed in Western Europe from about 1050 to 1300 CE. Serfs who worked for a lord farmed large fields. The lord owned the fields and lived in a large manor house. He owned between a third and a half of all the crops.

The serfs also had a part of the fields for themselves. Serfs couldn't leave the manor and they had to give the lord a certain amount of their crops, but they could keep the surplus. The serfs lived together communally and worked the fields together using the three crop rotation. There was also a church and a parson who had his own house and part of the crops. Lords who were warriors that defended the manor and attacked neighboring manors created manors. The serfs had originally paid allegiance to the lords as they protected them and gathered land and wealth.

One short-term effect of manorialism was that it gave the peasants who worked the field better working conditions than the slaves had received in earlier Roman estates. The serfs had more control over their lives. Some of the long-term effects of manorialism were an increase in the quality of all living conditions, chivalry, and better treatment of women. As farming conditions improved and the output of workers became greater, the lords started renting the land to the serfs and gave them greater mobility. Lords sometimes sold this freedom to the serfs. The lords gained financial wealth through selling freedom and charging rent, and the serfs gained greater control over their lives.

The lords also changed their savagery in fighting as warriors for the ideals of chivalry. Chivalry was the "obligation of fighting in defense of honorable causes". (418) The ideas that chivalry cherished resulted in the respect and idealization of upper-class women. This was a small advancement in the treatment of women, but it was better than most conditions that had existed before.

(415-420) Magna Carta In England, 12th century, the barons created the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was created to hold the King to the law and limited his power to gather finances from the kingdom. The Magna Carta made the King recognize that he was the ruler of his subjects and that as their ruler he must recognize their rights. This document helped to prevent King John from financing a war to retrieve territories that were lost to France during his rule. Under the Magna Carta the King had to attain the consent of a common council of barons in order to raise money for the Crown. A free man was also entitled to judgment before his equals and in accordance with the law before the state could enforce punishment.

One short-term effect of the Magna Carta was that King John was denied the ability to finance a war with France. One long-term effect of the Magna Carta was that it limited government and bound the King to the law. (437) Canon Law The Western Church developed Canon Law during the 12th century. The ideas that drove the creation of the Canon Laws were conceived during the papacy of Pope Gregory VII. He saw the Church as an active organization that had to create "right order in the world". Gregory VII thought that the papacy was superior to Kings and Emperors and he was very confrontational with them.

His ideas drove the papacy to strive toward a "papal monarchy". The Canon Laws were created as a basis for the Church to preside over matters pertaining to clergy as well as many civil areas such as marriage, adoption, and inheritance. The pope and bishops had the final say on all Court appeals in Canon Law courts. This gave the Church both power and prestige. One short-term effect of Canon Law was that Pope Innocent had control of Kings and some of the rule over Western Europe's governments. He brought Fredrick II to power in Germany and gained financial control over England as a fief.

He was also able to call the Crusades and raise money through income tax. One long-term effect of Canon Law was that it changed the Church. It became more bureaucratic and legal-minded. (451-452) Cult of Mary In 12th century England the cult of Mary spread through the Western Church. The life and virtues of the Virgin Mary were taught by many sections of the Christian religion. The Cistercians taught and many new cathedrals that were built in the 12th century were dedicated to her.

Those who followed the cult of Mary worshipped her as a savior to sinners who were still loving and contrite. They believed that in their hour of judgment Mary spoke for them and gave them a second chance. One short-term effect of the cult of Mary was that artists softened images of Mary to emphasize femininity and tenderness. This was a cause of a general softening in art and literature of the time. One long-term effect of the cult of Mary was that a woman was honored in a central position of Christianity. This gave women a figure to identify with and strengthened their faith.

(465-466) Divine Comedy The Divine Comedy was written after Dante Alighieri was exiled from Florence in 1302. He was extremely knowledgeable about philosophy, religion, politics, and literature. The Divine Comedy was an extremely well versed poem describing Dante's journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. Virgil accompanies Dante through most of the journey. Dante travels form deep personal crisis to the heights of classical reasoning and philosophy.

The standards of Christian wisdom and blessedness bring him into paradise. The poem stresses the need for wisdom to assure salvation. The poem carries a theme of hope and faith. Dante's poem is articulate, imaginative, and it fully encompasses the height of medieval learning. One short-term effect of Dante's Divine Comedy was that it created hope and inspiration to people. One long-term effect of the Divine Comedy is that it is revered as one of the most powerful literary works in history.

(482-486) Essay Some of the most vicious attacks on non-Christians came at the hands of the Crusaders. Both European Jews and Muslims were slaughtered during these conquests for religion. Christians who had previously studied pacifism became zealous warriors that threw aside all morality for the purpose of the Crusades. The primary reason for going on the Crusades was religious.

(455) The idea of the Crusades would have never taken off if it hadn't been for the blessing of the Pope. The Crusades early victories were responsible for giving the papal monarchy success and credibility and the decline of the Crusades lead to the downfall of the power of the papacy and it undermined the Pope's temporal authority. The early Crusades caused a religious fervor and brought the papal monarchy to its most powerful. Pope Urban II hoped to return the papacy to the center of the world's spiritual leadership.

By Crusading he hoped to bring about a number of changes. He hoped to draw the Orthodox Church back to the Roman Church. (455) He also hoped to demonstrate his ability as spiritual leader of the West. Most importantly Urban II wanted to capture Jerusalem as the center of the religious world. (456) Urban II's call for crusade was met with enthusiasm.

(457) He promised those who joined that they would be freed from all penance by the Church. (457) The armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem was held as the most holy of religious rites. (457) In 1095, Byzantine requested an army to aid in reconquering Asia Minor. (455) The pope decided to send a crusade instead and Urban II attempted to fight a religious war under the following of Gregory VII policies. (455) The policies of Gregory VII were used to justify savage warfare by Christians. The First Crusade was a success and Christians took Jerusalem.

The Christians were savage and merciless in their attacks and all of the warfare was blessed by Urban II. (457) This victory gave the Pope enough power to call three later crusades without resistance. The First Crusade helped to raise the confidence of the West and the pope was given power and prestige through the religious fervor that resulted. (460) Their victory made the Christians believe that God was really on their side. The public wouldn't have rallied behind the Pope if it weren't for the policies of Gregory VII. The decline of the Crusades and the decrease in the Popes power were closely related.

In 1114 the Muslims reclaimed Jerusalem. (458) The city could not be held by a few outsiders in the middle of Muslim territory. (458) The Second Crusade was divided by internal problems and never took Jerusalem. (458) The Third Crusade met the same division between leaders.

(458) The Pope started to loose credibility as it became apparent that he was not capable of leading the West. He began to lose power over the Crusades and by 1204 he lost control of the Fourth Crusade and it ended up taking Constantinople instead of Jerusalem. (459) On the Crusades that followed, the Pope was less instrumental in leading. He instead focused on Western Europe and gave up the Crusades.

(459) Although the First Crusade led to the Popes credibility, the next Crusades shortcomings caused questioning of the Popes ability to lead the West. As the Crusades declined so did the Popes power. Pope Boniface V fall from power was caused by the decline of the Crusades. (460) As the Crusades were misused by both the Church and the Crusaders, the papacy was weakened by the deleterious effects of the Crusade. (460) The papacy had called for the Crusades and led them. When success came the papacy was strengthened, but when the Crusades failed the Pope took the blame for the losses.

All of the power and prestige that the Pope had earned was lost and the power of the Pope was questioned. The Crusades of the Church helped to open trade between the East and the West. The victory of the First Crusade raised the confidence of the West and proved to them that the Pope was their spiritual and temporal leader. The savagery of the Crusades and the use of Gregory's policies show how the Crusades brought out the terrible side of the religious fervor. The papacy suffered heavy political losses when people lost faith in the Crusades. The imperial motives of the Church were clearly revealed and the politics of Rome were shown to be clearly monarchial.

The people lost faith in the Pope along with his idea of the Crusades.