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Period: 750 to 1400
What leaders and events of the Middle Ages made kings and popes powerful?
Starting with Charlemagne the use of the church brought stability to people by acting as an extension of the government. Different leaders and the role of the papacy often shifted most notable was the use of the crusades, the papacy was able to form mass armies which were used in pursuit of taking Muslim lands to the east. Corruption was present in the papacy and kings were not always tolerant. Ultimately the papac brought more power to kings, but these leaders still had the final say. -
800
Charlemagne
Charlemagne begins appointing bishops to keep order over small territories. Charlemagne ensures success of the use of the church by making sure education is available, even updating written language. -
1060
Phillip I - IV
The Phillip kings established a strong government system consisting of royal judges who served the crown. Philip IV even managed to seize almost complete control of the French Church, defying papal authority, and sacking The Knights Templar. -
1066
William the Conqueror
Decedents of William the Conqueror after his invasion of 1066 established a stable political system. All land was legally the king’s, and his nobles received their lands as “fiefs,”. These Fiefs were like loans which had to be paid off upon the death of the landowner for an heir to take it. -
1095
Pope Urban 2 and The Crusades
The Crusades were invasions of the Middle East by Europeans in the name of Christianity. They went on for centuries resulting in a shift in the identity of Christianity, great financial benefits, and horrific carnage. Pope Urban 2 gives sermons calling upon people to fight, which was very succesfull. -
1204
The Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade from 1199 – 1204 was a last attempt to take back Jerusalem. In the end, the crusaders set up a Latin Christian government that lasted for about fifty years while completely ignoring their original goal of sailing to the Holy Land. -
1215
Magna Carta
King named John signed the Magna Carta with English nobility. The Magna Carta: made it so kings were not above the law. English kings called upon Parliament, a meeting of the Church, nobles, and well-off commoners, in order to get authorization and money for their wars. -
1303
The Babylonian Captivity
Began when Pope Boniface VIII issued an order that all kings had to acknowledge his authority over even their own kingdoms, a challenge he issued in response to the taxes kings levied on church property. -
1337
The hundred years war
The Hundred Years war was a series of battles and short wars between England and France with some times of peace. The cause of this hundred year war is the English kings were descendants of William the Conqueror, making the royal and noble lines of England and France were intertwined, -
1378
Great Western Skisism
Pope Urban VI intends to move the papacy back to Rome. In retaliation French cardinals elected pope (Clement VII), and Europe was split between two rival popes. -
1400
The Black Plague
As the mongels invade into eastern Europe the spread of the plague came to Europe. Europe was vulnerable to disease because of poor harvests and the lack of practical medical knowledge.