Politics, Society and the Early Medieval Church

2002-10-04

Understanding the kind of setting where the church stood in this period. Politics and society important.

I. The Church and the Frankish Kings

A. The conversion of Clovis (ca. 466-510)

Unified the tribe, and conquered most of France. Warlike leader who conquered new lands. Married Burgundian Christian princess Clotilda. Converted in 496. Whole tribe professed Christianity. Significant, gave Papacy ally: Frankish monarchy. Paved way for closer alliance between popes and the kings. (These 2 always struggled)

B. Cooperation to the Carolingian rulers

The line of rulers weak: Merovingians. Rise of this new line Carolingian. First new king

Charles Martel. Defeated Muslims in 732 at Battle of Tours. Also gave enthusiastic toward missionary work of Boniface to Germans.

Pepin, the Short. Maybe misnamed. Wife’s name: Bigfoot Bertha. Appealed to pope, that he might get support. Boniface then Pope anointed him to be king. Binding the church and the state together. Went down to fight the Lombards. Pepin fights these people to keep them from papacy. Defeated them twice. He gave to the pope a tract of land in central Italy. Called the Donation of Pepin, 756. Papal States. Popes now rulers over piece of land. They have been holding on to them to 1870, when Italy became unified country. Vatican City is vestige of this, but much smaller.

Charlemagne. Son of Pepin and Bertha. Big man, 7 feet tall. Big kingdom also. Born 742, ruled 768-814. Conquests: defeated Lombards, renewed donation of Pepin. In the north, subdued pagan Saxons. Forced them to Roman Catholic religion. If they refused, they would be killed. He was crowned by the pope in 800, Christmas Day. Ruled more land than any other king since the Roman Empire. Leo III was this pope that crowned him. Charlemagne had helped him regain his position, because he was ousted. Charlemagne was considered the Emperor of the Romans. Charlemagne planned on calling himself something like this. He never planned on receiving this title from the pope. The pope shows his authority, saying he is superior to the king.

C. Kingdom of God

Two arms: Temporal and Spiritual. Former ruled by Emperor, latter, Pope. The question is, who is going to control who? In theory they are equal, but in each other’s mind, this is not so. Charlemagne never considered himself inferior to the pope, but also a spiritual leader.

II. Church and the Empire in the East

A. Emergence of the Byzantine Empire

Headquarters at Constantinople. Eastern vestige of Roman Empire. Justinian forced to give up his lands in the west. Constantinople was formerly Byzantium the original Greek settlement. Eastern church also went its own way.

B. Iconoclastic Controversy

Smashing of pictures. Christians bowing before pictures. (Cyril and Methodius picture) 726 Byzantine Emperor Leo III (NOT the pope, different man). Forbade people to use these pictures in worship. New converts going into idolatry. This was a big controversy that outlived Leo by 100 years. Split the eastern church into 2 factions. Leo died in 741, icons restored in 843.

C. Church-state relations in general

In the east, the church was controlled by the state. Strong emperors controlled the church. Church was a department of the state. Common for rulers interfering in church affairs, theological debates. Eastern church was called the Orthodox Church. Some things in common, other things not.

III. The Church and the Holy Roman Empire

A. Division of the Carolingian empire

Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. The kingdom was divided between three sons of Louis. Basis for 2 countries in the future, France and Germany. One son was Charles the Bald. Empire disintegrated. Devastating raids of the Vikings, Norsemen from Scandinavia.

B. The revival of the idea of Empire in the German states

Five states each known as a duchy. Area ruled by a duke. Lorraine, Saxony, Bohemia, Bavaria, Swabia. Henry the Fowler, duke of Saxony, chosen to be king, expanded the territories, his son established the Holy Roman Empire. Otto I. Continued to rule over the state, gained support of church by giving clergy tracts of land. 962, He decided to imitate Charlemagne. Crowned by the pope in 962. Beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. Popes and emperors sought to dominate each other still. Unnatural union, even geography. The Alps are the barrier between Italy and Germany. Voltaire: Not holy, Roman, nor an Empire.

IV. The Church and Feudalism

A. Nature of feudalism

When central government declines. Feudum, land given for military service, political system based on possession of land. People who hold the land hold the power. People cannot live under anarchy, they need some system of government. The people serve the lord, and the lord protects them.

Hierarchy in theory. The king owns all the land in theory. King—Higher nobles also known as tenants in chief—lesser nobles—knights.

People crave security, so they will not live under anarchy for any length of time. Vassal was the servant of the man above him. That man is the lord. This is just for the ruling class. The working class would be the serfs.

Economic standpoint. Economic unit that held all of this together was the Manor. Large farm or estate. Supplied needs for people. People would work in the surrounding fields. Small 350 acres, large 5000 acres. Economically self-sufficient.

B. Feudalism’s influence of the church

The clergy in the church were drawn from the ruling and the working class. Third social class.

Church accumulated land, and became involved in the feudal system itself. Secularized the church, immersed in material duties. Led to a division of loyalty.

Loyalty to king, pope, and their feudal lord. Conflict between kings and popes.

Investiture controversy. Practice where lord would give his vassal a symbol of his authority. He might give him a pennant, sword or spear, or clot of dirt, to show authority of the land. Investiture ceremony. Same thing happened in the church. Shepherd staff as a symbol of leadership. When involved in secular, who appoints church official, church or king?

Pope, College of Cardinals, Church Councils.

Regular clergy

Secular clergy

Lay members under all

Landholding churchmen are divided in loyalty.

The lower-class people/peasants could get into the clergy, would never get further up than priest. Example: 4 sons, first inherits land, 2nd, go into business, 3rd and 4th would not inherit the land, but perhaps go into clergy. Feudal hierarchy was basis of military service.

The church tried to impose limits on feudal warfare. In order to do that, they issued two decrees.

Peace of God: Forbade people to attack unarmed people, including clergy, and plundering of sacred places.

Truce of God: Established closed seasons of fighting. Could not wage warfare Wednesday sunset to Monday sunrise. Could not fight during lent or church festival days. These were not always obeyed, but they would think twice before doing so.