How Did Christian Church Influence Medieval Politics

Furthermore, in England, King Henry VIII considered himself a worthy Catholic king. He had “enthusiastically attacked the outbreak of Protestant heresy when it began, and the papacy gave him the title Defender of the Faith as a result”. This did not matter when Henry wanted to divorce from Catherine of Aragon. When the church would not grant the divorce he wanted, Henry’s resulting decision to create the Church of England set the standards for more than a century of religious conflict/isues in England. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 essentially “took power away from the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.” Henry VIII made an entirely new church which he made himself head of, because he was the king. This demonstrates the actions that politics affected Europe and that they were not always necessarily for religious purposes but for power and personal

Rulers opposed papal power because the canon laws that restricted things the rulers were allowed to do with churches within their kingdom. They would have to get approval from the pope before they did certain things. This forced them to have to make compromises where secular and religious claims coincide.

(http://www.thenagain.info) During the time there were two Popes who both claimed full authority over the Catholic Church and he people were divided they didn’t know whom to follow. King Philip did not like the pope elected after Pope Gregory XI died, Pope Gregory XII. (http://www.britannica.com) He was an Italian pope, King Philip decided to elect a Pope who ruled from Avignon, Pope Benedict XIII. (http://www.britannica.com)

Throughout the central Middle Ages, Europe was characterized by the power struggle between the secular and the ecclesiastic. The question of rule by God or by man was one which arose with unwavering frequency among scholars, clergy, and nobility alike. The line which separated church and state was blurry at best, leading to the development of the Investiture Conflict in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and the attempts to undermine the heir to the throne in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Four men stand out among dozens in this effort to define the powers of the lay versus that of the spiritual: Emperor/kings Henry IV and John of England, and the popes who aggressively challenged their exertions of authority, Pope Gregory VII

Throughout the time frame between 1450 and 1700 the Catholic Church had power over all European countries because the main religion everyone followed was Catholicism. One main priority

More precisely, the disagreement appeared between the pope and emperor since Henry was electing bishops and had a say in priest marriage, in order to stabilize his royal status, which was not an advantage for the Pope. Consequently, the Dictatus Papae proposed the domination of the pope over political powers, which meant that Gregory applied the maxims of papal authority in order to succeed the monarch. The Pope had higher authority referring to his papal reforms, so the Dictatus Papae clearly introduced that papal power is the sole universal power and secular interference with church is rejected, in addition, pope is the only authority who has the right to appoint, depose or move churchmen. Furthermore, pope was allowed to invest clergy with the insignia of their office, additionally, clergy was not allowed to accept insignia from secular rulers.

Roman Catholicism has a significant influence on the lives of all the medieval societies, including their beliefs and values. The power of the church even let them create their laws and let people follow their social hierarchy. With strong political power, the church can even make holidays. It has a significant influence on art, education, religion, politics, and also the ability to change the feudal system through their authority.

Religion was extremely important in regard to the shaping and history of the Middle Ages in Europe. The Catholic Church, which began during the glory days of the Roman Empire, became the driving force through the Middle Ages in Europe, managing to formulate a unified religious ruling body, a deep spirituality, and oversaw cultural preservation that helped shape the history of Europe during this period. The Church managed to integrate herself into medieval society, where she could become part of the everyday life of the people. She did this through a structured hierarchy, with the Pope, or the Bishop of Rome, as her head, and other bishops were given dioceses around the world, and under each bishop were priests who would minister to the people. This structured hierarchy came about with the collapse of the Roman Empire.

The Catholic Reformation For many centuries, government and religious authority have been heavily intertwined, resulting in many issues that arise from conflicting religious and political interests. Kings, Emperors and others often used their religious influence to advance their political agendas, at the cost of what may have been best for the Church. In the case of Henry IV, King of the Holy Roman Empire, he used his ability to appoint bishops to elevate his allies to positions of power and authority. Pope Gregory VII, sensing a diffusion of power within the Church, wrote the Dictatus Papae which contained reforms and assertions of the Church's stance and leadership. The Gregorian reforms reidentified the Church and strengthened the papacy’s

During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church ruled the Western world. It was the epicenter of politics, economy, and religion. All the power that the Catholic Church possessed made the Pope the equivalent of an emperor or a king, thus creating a blurred line among the powers that the church should have, and had. Disputes about power between the pope and emperor of Rome had been going on throughout many centuries. Despite the fact that the Church possessed a large amount of power, it faced many crises during this time.

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.

That the Pope gives temporal rule to kings but can withdraw that privilege at any time. That kings are the representative of Christ. By the 1070s, the conflict had become so intense that Pope Gregory VI excommunicated Henry IV. The Emperor admitted his defeat in 1077 when he asked for forgiveness, but

Dictatus Papae, inserted in the pope’s official Register in 1075, can be considered the most important document involved in the lay investiture controversy. The document outlines 27 statements of power under the Catholic Church, and it is the first time that a document grants the pope power to depose an Emperor. The document most likely written, or influenced, by Pope Gregory VII came in wake of the lay investiture controversy between the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. Lay investiture is when lay, or worldly, kings and emperors invests in bishops, appointing them to bishops of the area in which they rule. It was extremely common for the bishops that were chosen to also be the Emperor’s vassal as well. In return the bishop would encourage and help the Emperor’s rule over their territory. There had hardly been any push back from the papacy in regards to this practice (Jordan p. 85-87). The bishops would take the sides of the emperors because most owe them for giving them their position. The height of the controversy started when a monk named Hildebrand, who believed strongly in reforming the papacy and the church, was swept into office. Hildebrand would take on the name Gregory becoming Pope Gregory VII. Gregory would first forbid married priests to perform sacraments in December 1074, then two months later, he prohibited lay investiture (Jordan p. 91). Henry IV and most of the German bishops would denounce these papal decrees declaring that since the

Throughout history, leaders have been known for getting involved in topics that don't concern them, such as religion. In medieval times, kings and queens had the power to alter people's opinions, regarding religion. Religion was very important to the people. Religion and politics were always intertwined because religious and political leaders interfered with each other. In medieval Europe, Pope Gregory VII, the Crusades, and Justinian are examples of political and religious topics closely linked.

King Philip’s advisers challenged the Pope by quoting the Roman Law, which stated that the King of France was “completely sovereign in his kingdom and responsible to God alone” (McKay, 364). Not long King Phillip arrested Pope Boniface VIII in Italy and had foreshadowed later conflicts between the church and the state in the 14th century.