Those Who Prey and Those Who Kill The Church as a major source of POWER!
Feudal European Government Society was divided into three estates or groups of people. The First Estate: Those Who Prey, the Church Clergy The Second Estate: Those Who Kill, the Nobility (kings, nobles, and knights) The Third Estate: Those Who Work, the peasants / serfs All power was held by the first and second estates.
The First Estate = The Church For ordinary people, the Church decided who received salvation and who did not. The role of the village priest was extraordinary. *His duties were to administer the necessary sacraments with regularity and consistency. *He was also important to absolve men and women of their sins for the act of confession. Of course, not all village priests were as dedicated to the holiness of their flock as we would like to believe.
Monk Bishop Priest
Monks and Nuns The monasteries were dedicated to prayer and supplying the evil Europe with the ideal of a Christian civilization. Monasteries also produced and educated elite that were utilized in service to lords and kings. *A scholarly method that used reason to examine Christian beliefs is known as Scholasticism. The monks also kept alive classical culture and introduced the techniques of efficient and profitable land management. Monks and nuns also cared for the sick and indigent.
More Monks & Nuns By the 11th or 12 century, the original mission of the monastic movement had been altered to accommodate the children of the nobility with an honorable an aristocratic life. *Such a life also held out the possibility for an ecclesiastical (religious) career. There were three major orders of monks: Benedictine, Dominicans and Franciscans. *As a result, more monks had to be recruited from the middle classes who inhabited the area near an abbey. A tax, called a tithe, was to be paid by the people to support the efforts of the church, monasteries and convents.
Church Corruption Most medieval men and women regarded their Christianity with seriousness and genuine faith. What the townspeople began to observe was a clergy who seemed more willing to live the life of a European prince or noble (aggrandizement of their own wealth, power, and prestige), than someone whose sole duty was the spiritual guidance of the people. If monks, and bishops, and other members of the clergy, were engaged in acts of holiness, then why did it seem that they were living a life of luxury and opulence? The Church grew weak and corrupt.
The Monk and the Nun Corruption Scandal Even in 1591, the corruption of the church was evident as can be seen in this painting by Cornelis Cornelisz Van Haarlem. Well, it could have been seen if I hadn t removed that part.
The Crusades Because the Church had extraordinary power in the feudal era, it is natural that they, and not a king, would call for the crusades. *A crusade is a war fought for religious reasons. In 1007 the Sultan of Egypt had the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem, destroyed. Christians saw this as an attack on Christianity and started discussing a crusade to take the Holy Lands back from the Muslims. Sultan Al-Hakim Di-Amr-Allah
Church of the Holy Sepulcher Before the destruction After being rebuilt Inside
The 1 st Crusade The First Crusade began in 1095 when Pope Urban II, answering a call for assistance from the Byzantine Emperor, called on Europeans to take back the Holy Lands from an internally weakened Muslim Empire. Victory! The First Crusade successfully captured the Holy Lands and held them for 100 years. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, would drive the Christians out of Jerusalem. A series of crusades would follow, but all would fail.
The Other Crusades *2 nd Crusade ( 1145 1147 ) Fails! Saladin the Great organizes the Muslims and would drive the Christians out of Jerusalem. *3 rd Crusade ( 1188 1192 ) Fails! Christian armies fall apart and are defeated. *4 th Crusade ( 1202 1204 ) Fails! Christians attack the Christian city of Constantinople and never get to the Holy Land
The Other Crusades *5 th Crusade - The Children s Crusade - Fails! Many children end up in the North African slave markets. Children in the North Africa Slave Market
Results of the Crusades *The important lasting effects of the crusades are: *A feeling of intolerance between Christians and Muslims *A growth of trade between Europe and the Middle East for luxuries like cotton, spices (cinnamon and pepper) and silk *A growing knowledge of the East *A desire to explore the world