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380
The Church and Government
The church was very powerful at this time, and dictated a lot of what was done politically. They were a large landowner, the kings were close with the church, and they were mostly exempt from taxes. The government was commonly influenced by the church, giving the church more say and power. The kings and popes fed off of each others power, and provided each other with security, money, and followers. -
476
Medieval Christianity
The rise of Christianity put popes at a higher level of power and control. Popes and priests were given power and the sought after sacraments could only be given by them. This was more so a power surge for them. -
500
Early Middle Ages
During the early middle ages, kings and lords were taking money from peasants. This money provided them with more power, but less faithful followers. The main reason that the kings were taking money is because of the poor state of the economy. Peasants were not living long lives as there was not enough food to be distributed. This shows the power of kings as they would abuse their power and take money because of the fall of the economy. -
768
Charlemagne
Charlemagne had a huge impact on the power of kings and popes during the medieval times. He got really close with the pope, Leo III. He used his power and was named emperor where he lessened the pope's power. This was the first time someone held the title of emperor since the fall of the empire. -
1000
The Feudal System
The feudal system flourished during the medieval times. This truly helped kings rise to greater power. They had power when it came to control and land distribution, as he would get their services for said land. The feudal system favors the nobles and kings. -
1060
France and their Kings
France had a set of kings, Philips I-IV, that improved the country immensely. They built a strong administrative apparatus composed of royal judges. They almost even seized complete control of the church. This was a time of power for kings. -
1095
The Crusades
The crusades was a time of power for popes. They all wanted to obtain the"holy land" and were constantly battling over it. There were many occasions that popes would fight multiple times to regain control. To have control of the holy land was to have control of all religious sites. This provided the popes with lots of power. -
1300
The Papacy
The rise of the Papacy showed growth in the power of Popes. They previously did not hold much power, but they claimed that they had it. The Papacy was a large start to the rise of power of Popes. -
1300
Growth of Smaller Kingdoms
Smaller kingdoms also benefited from the surge of agriculture. Because of increased production rates from the new inventions, smaller kingdoms were able to mint their own coins. With smaller kingdoms on a rise, this provides more kings with more power during the medieval times. -
1300
Agriculture
During the middle ages, agriculture took to a rise. They came up with many new farming methods with plows, windmills, and water sources. They used live animals to plow, but found a new way to harness them so they would stay healthier longer. The Kings and churches owned much of the land, so they benefited from this new surge of productions. So much so that they started to actually pay the workers.