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Early Middle Ages
Problems
- I. Catholic Church
- a. Early Middle Ages: converted and civilized first Germanic invaders, Vikings, and Magyars
- II. Problems of Decline
- a. Popes, since 8th century, reigned supreme over affairs of church
- b. Exercise control over Papal states
- i. Involved in politics
- c. Involved in lord-vassal relationship
- i. Officials of church hold offices as fiefs from nobles
- 1. As vassals, they had duties
- a. Bishops and abbots cared little for spiritual obligations
- d. Monastic ideal suffered due to invasions
- i. Decline of discipline and monasatic reputation for learning and holiness
- ii. Local lords controlled monasteries
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Cluniac Reform Movement and Response
- a. Reform began in Burgundy in 910 (e. France) when Duke William of Aquitaine founded the abbey of Cluny
- i. Renewed dedication ot highest spiritual ideals of Benedictine rule
- ii. Kept independent from local control
- iii. Attempted to eliminate abuses of religious communities through emphasizing work, replacement of manual labor with manuscript copying, and demanding more community worship instead of private prayer
- b. Response
- i. New monasteries founded on Cluniac ideas
- ii. Old monasteries rededicated by adopting Cluniac program
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Reforms of the Papacy
Gregory VII (1073)
- a. Reformers tried to free church from lords’ interference in election of church officials
- i. Gregory VII
- b. Gregory VII (1073)
- i. “chosen by God” to reform Church; “god’s vicar on earth”
- ii. Wanted elimination of lay investiture (both interference by nonmenmbers of the clergy in elections and their participation in the installation of prelates)
- 1. This was how church would regain freedom
- a. Right of church to elect prelates and run own affairs
- i. If rulers didn’t accept, they could be deposed
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Conflict with Germany's king
- 1. King Henry IV
- a. German kings appointed high-ranking clerics, especially bishops, as vassals for use as administrators
- i. Without them= king has no power against nobles
- 2. 1075: Greg forbade important clerics from receiving investitutre from lay leaders
- a. Henry didn’t want to obey
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Investiture Controversy
- i. disputed election to bishopric of Milan
- 1. Important because bishop also ruler of city
- 2. Control of it was crucial if king wanted to reestablish German power in n. Italy
- a. Milan second only to Rome in importance as bishopric, papacy interested too
- i. Gregory VII and Henry IV wanted different people
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Investiture Controversy Actions
- 1. To gain acceptance of his candidate, pope threatened excommunication
- 2. King called assemblyof German bishops and had them depose pope
- 3. Pope excommunicated king= freed subjects from their allegiance to him
- a. German nobles wanted end to centralized monarchy due to threat on own power and happily rebelled against king
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Investiture Controversy Solutions
- 1. Nobles and bishops of Germany held meeting Germany with pope to solve problem, by possibly choosing a new king
- 2. Gregory headed to Germanyà Henry saw threat to his power and asked for forgivenessà 3 daysà granted absolution and lifted ban of excommunicationà 3 years later, conflict again
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Investiture Controversy Second Conflict
- 1. Continued until 1122, when a new German king and pope achieved compromise called Concordat of Worms
- a. Bishop in Germany first elected by church officials; afterwards, nominee paid homage to king as his secular lord, who in turn invested him with the symbols of temporal office
- i. A rep of the pope then invested the new bishop with symbols of his spiritual office
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Investiture Conflict Importance
- 1. In early Middle ages: pope depended on emperors and allowed exercise of authority over church
- 2. New set of ideals by reformers supported freedom of the church,
- a. Freedom of church and claims of papal authority
- i. Superior to all other bishops and right to depose king
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