02x03 – the Dismal 14th Century

8/15/2019 02x03 the Dismal 14th Century

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EUH2001 The Dismal 14th Century 12/07/2007

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War, Heresy, Plagues & Extras

Crises of Late Medieval Europe

Division within the church

persecution of heretics

the hundred years war

the black death

peasant uprisings

invasions from the east

o 1Mongols

o ottoman Turks

Background on the development in the church in the 13th

century

The Medieval Search for Religious Harmony

The Churchs Mission of Reform

o Innocent III

first pope trained in the universities


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strengthened the authority of the office

o 4th Lateran Council [1215]

attempted to regulate every aspect of

Christian life

stipulated that Christians are to attend

mass and confess at least once a year

doctrine of transubstantiation

the wine and bread taken at

communion are the physical

incarnation of blood and body of

Christ

the church had the right to investigate

marriages and their legality

to strengthened the legal authority of

the church and in case a child was

born out of wedlock

they required for all Jews to wear an item

to identify them as a Jew


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they did not set a specific guideline,

based on region by region basis

the nobles liked it because they could

charge so they would not have to

wear the items

o Suppression of Heretics

It not only was a crime against the church

but also against the secular government

the pope also had an army, just not large

enough to attack other kingdoms, just to

enforce their doctrines

o The Inquisition

o Lay Piety

Friars, townspeople, tertiary

Friars are there to help the poor

Tertiary were lay people that took the

monastic life. They were religious, but

were not part of the clergy


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Piety of Women

Stay at home, take care of the family

nobles and wealthy women entered

convents

Cultural Harmonies

o Scholasticism

Empiricism & Faith

Thomas Aquinas [1225 1274]

scholar

John Duns Scotus [1266 1308]

truth only came from the intervention

of the divine

they called themselves scholars

they were looking for a combination and

spiritual and empirical powers

they wanted to create harmony and new

authority for the Pope

o New Artistic Syntheses


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Literature

Dante Alighieri

Published the divine trilogy

o Very lengthy poem on his

journeys through hell,

purgatory and heaven

o incorporated historical

figures and from his lifetime

Gothic Architecture

High arches designed to lead people

into knowledge

stained glass with saints

community efforts in financing,

design and construction

The Politics of Control

Weakening of the Empire

o Frederick II

conflict between him and the Pope


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as emperor he needed to maintain his

kingdom and the Pope wanted to expand

the Papal states

Innocent III wanted to separate from

Frederick II

the emperor was able to use the

churchs office as his own ruling

bureaucracy

Constitutions of Melfi [1231]

pulls jurisdiction from the church

back to the empires people

Statute in Favor of the Princes [1232]

virtual independence of the German

Kingdoms under his rule, in exchange

for his recognition of the Italian rule

The Pope excommunicates Frederick II,

they call a crusade against him

(unsuccessful)


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o Blowback

some people fight back on both fronts

o Holy Roman Empire

Frederick II is no longer a strong emperor

he has no heirs

Rudolf [Hapsburg, Swabia, 1273]

takes the title of Holy Roman Empire

elected by the rest of the princes of

the empire

consolidates power over the rule of

Swabia

the emperor is an honorary title and

the title is elected by the princes of

the German states

Charles IV & the Golden Bull [1356]

declares the holy roman empire and

its electoral system as official

o Kings and Representation


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Over 500 years does not become its own

country

Loosely co-coordinated kingdoms and

principalities for 500 years

Louis VIIII establishes its court

and the Parliament is being established at

this time as well

Weakening of the Papacy

o The secular rulers did not tax the clergy before

the 12th century

o

Philip IV (French) and Edward I (English) tax

the church and do not have to submit to any

other institution, be it the church or anyone

else

o Taxing the Clergy

National Sovereignty

The Pope Boniface VIII threatens to

excommunicate the Kings


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Both respond in similar ways

Edward I declares if they do not pay

taxes then they are not under the

protection of its law

also publicly burns the Popes

letter of excommunication

as a part of propaganda he

distributes a forged letter that

not only excommunicates the

King but also says that the

people of England are under the

rule of the Pope

he tries (successfully) to garner

hate against the Papacy

Philip IV

Embargoes all payments to

Rome


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calls a meeting of French nobles

to gather their support as King

and his authority of him over

that of the Pope

he declares the Pope is a heretic

and a trader to France

o In 1302

The Pope issues Unam Sanctum

it says you cant have salvation

unless you are under the Popes

authority

follow the Pope or go to hell

largely ignored

Philip claiming that the pope is a

heretic and sends mercenaries

southwest of Rome in Anagni [1303]


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the plan was to grab the pope

and have him stand in trial for

heresy and treason

they can't get a hold of him, the

townspeople protect him

o the pope is relatively safe

This is the first time that a secular

power not only took arms against the

pope but also denied the authority of

the pope and got away with it

Philip IV has a lot of support, the

nobles want to tax the clergy as well

huge humiliation for the papacy

o By 1305

Cardinals across Europe are deeply

divided

Also the Pope dies of natural causes


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the cardinals are afraid of secular

power

in order to appease the French and

English king they appoint a French

archbishop that has royal ties with

the English nobility

Rome becomes a dangerous seat for

the papacy

the church moves the capital to

Avignon. Close to France with very

close ties to it

Between 1305 1378

The next 5 popes are French

Papacy in Crisis

Avignon Papacy [1305 1378]

o French cardinals dominate the church and

most church officials are French


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o the church allows the king of France to use

funding raised through the ties of the church

to finance Frances wars

o in practicality, despite the clear leaning

toward France, the papacy is not just a vassal

of the French king. They do go against the

French king from time to time

o However, overwhelmingly people think they

church is just a vassal of the French kingdom

o the Christians do not like the French rule of the

papacy

o the city of Avignon becomes a symbol of

corruption

crowded with merchants, prostitution

industry, thriving industry of astrologers

who are not in line with church doctrine

there are 43 banking houses in Avignon


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o people see it as corrupt and in bed with the

king of France

Papal Authority

o The pope is still very powerful and proficient in

collecting money

o The pope has its own army

Most of the time in Italy, but still under his

command

o Profitable Doctrines

Purgatory

Intermediary between heaven and

hell

not damned, but youll get to heaven

sooner or later

Indulgences

Jesus Christ and all the saints have a

surplus of merit, a surplus of

salvation


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It acts as a treasury

if you donate enough money the

treasury will pay out to you for

your own salvation

this is an active system

they have their own people meeting

with nobles

kind of like salesman pitching the

system of salvation

Benefices Conflict

o

Church offices become a point of conflict

o the offices were also solicited

o specially a problem within the German

Kingdoms

o this reduces local influence in the church

o papal tax collectors are prevented from

collecting on an office that is essentially

empty


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o the German kingdoms get together and come

out with the Statue of Provisors

forbids offices in absentia

money will not go to offices that are

empty

o Edward III of England makes the election of

papal authority to the Bishops in England.

Criticism

o Catherine of Siena

A greatly influential spiritual leader at her

time

given to raptures and trances, described

Avignon as a city in distress and urged the

papacy to return to Rome

o William of Ockman & Nominalism

Church power derived from the covenant

of the faithful

nominalism


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he believed that truth was only

derived from the spiritual absolvation

o Patriarch & Babylonian captivity

The church was gathering and spending

too much money, living a lavish life while

to giving enough to the people

o French and Scandinavians supported the pope,

however, not the English

o William of Ockman and Catherine of Siena

They are not heretics

They want change but they dont dispute

its authority

Extra Popes, Angry Councils & Heretics

Gregory XI Returns to Rome [1377 1378]

o Lure of a crusade

o Byzantium appeals for help against the

ottoman Turks from the pope


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The consensus is that if there is going to

be another crusade, it should be launched

from Rome

A greater symbolic power to combine

European powers

o Papal states

Growing agitation between the papal

states

The pope believes if he stays in Avignon

then the papal states might become

independent from the church

o Threat of Schism

He is afraid that they will appoint their

own bishops

The Great Schism

o He dies shortly after coming to Rome

o The cardinals, majority of whom are French,

have to pick a new pope


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They convene in Rome to chose a new

pope and fearing a return to Avignon the

Romans stand outside the Vatican

chanting Romano lo volemo! (We want a

roman) however, theyll settle for an

Italian

They chose an Italian bishop, Urban VI

o Urban VI

The cardinals regret the decision

11 of the 16 cardinals choosing the Pope

are French

they are hoping to chose an Italian and

still move back to Avignon

urban VI says no

he also says that cardinals are corrupt

the practice of collecting money from

a place that they are not even at.

The cardinals retreat


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13 retreat to a town outside of Rome

where they conclude that the election

of urban VI was not legitimate

the pressure of the mob nullifies the

election

they elect their own pope Clement VII

(Aug. 1378)

Clement VII

They return to Avignon and now

Europe has two popes

Europe at Sixes and Sevens

o Europe is divided, some go for urban VI and

some for clement VII

Pisa [1409]


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o The cardinals and nobles from both sides of

the divide are disconcerted enough by the fact

that there are two popes and religious divide

that they take it upon themselves to meet at

Pisa in 1409

o This is a revolutionary event

New pope used to be chose when the

pope dies

This is the first time that a pope is elected

while there is a living pope. Two in fact

The idea is to create one pope and nullify

the other two

o They come with this however from church law

A sitting pope can be deposed on account

of heresy and corruption

And that ultimate authority rests upon the

church as a whole

o They elect pope John XXIII


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Now there are three popes

A lot people do not take much seriousness

to the new pope or the convention at Pisa

They dont believe they have the

authority to create a new pope

Some people DO take the council of Pisa

seriously and the new pope but is not

widespread as they had hoped

o The authority of the church has been

weakened by this

People do not believe the church can

direct itself anymore

Conciliar Movement

o In 1415 the holy roman emperor calls for a

council of bishops and nobles to reform church

doctrine and elect a new pope that will finally

end this mess


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o At the council of Constance they come up with

Haec Sancta

The council itself is now under the

authority of Jesus Christ and therefore

have authority over the pope

They order john xxiii to resign

They then deposed the other two popes

and elect the pope Martin V

They believe that this type of councils

should meet over and over and direct the

church from time to time

o The conciliar movement fails at directing the

church from then on, however, they do stop

the schism

Heresy

o This allows for everybody to come together

o Three groups of heretics (major groups)

The Free Spirits


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They are called Beghards and

Beguins

They stressed the direct contact of

god in the individual which not only

rejects the sacrament of the church

but declares a quality among men

and women

They set up communal sites for men

and women worked, preached and

rejected the church and did not

submit to its authority together

There were rumors of orgies and free

love and all sorts of sexual

perversions

The church acted to stamp out this

movement by moving bibles which

they had translated to French and

burning some free spirits at the stake


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John Wycliffe and the Lollards

This is in England

He was appalled at the corruption of

the church

The sale of indulgences

Not only rejected the authority of the

church but proposed that the state

should direct the church

Bishops in England dismiss him

of his position as a monk and a

professor of theology

He lives the rest of his life in

exile

His followers are called the Lollards

Hussites Revolt (shortly before of the

council at Constance)

Jan Hus was powerful theologist


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He was excommunicated by john

XXIII in 1410

But he is still active in preaching

and gains a following

In 1415 he is invited to

Constance and guaranteed safe

passage and safety once he

arrives

o This is false

o He believes he is going to

Constance for an important

theological debate

o He walks into a trap and

burned at the stake

When words comes back of his death

his followers openly revolt

They demanded greater freedom

from the church


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They demanded that they could

take wine (only the priest could

do so at this time)

They also asked that priests

should be punished by secular

courts for corruption

During the revolt Ziska led an army to

a hill and lived together and fought

together

They are able to hold off all the attacks

mounted against them then in 1433 a

council convenes in Switzerland

The council negotiates a truce with

the Hussites

They give in to the Hussites demands


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02x03 – the Dismal 14th Century