The relationship between the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire has long since been a delicate balance between two of the most influential powers of the 8th and 9th centuries. There has always been a struggle between these two powers; a struggle concerning the jurisdictions of control each presides over one another. Some of the most influential moments in the history of the Papacy have occurred between the Pope and the Byzantine Empire; whether that may be the Iconoclast Controversy which sparked a public opposition of the use of images in church practices or the Schism of 1054 causing the separation between the Eastern Christian churches and the Western church. The tensions between the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire reached a high during this
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The primary cause of this Schism, many believe; is considered the extended period of disagreements over papal authority. The Pope having claimed authority over the four Eastern patriarchs, while the four eastern patriarchs claimed the superiority of the Patriarch of Rome was only honorary, and thus he had authority only over Western Christians. Political jealousies and interests increased these disputes; and finally, after many precognitive symptoms, the final break came in 1054, when Pope Leo IX took apposition to Michael Cerularius and his followers with an excommunication and when the Patriarch retaliated with a similar excommunication. This act of excommunication highlights the struggle over jurisdictional control between the Byzantine Empire and the Papacy.
The relationship between the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire is one of constant struggle and extreme delicacy. Looking at the periods of greatest controversy we can deduct how high tensions were during this time and provide reasons behind the growing split between the Latin West and the Greek East. Observing the conflicts that arose during the Iconoclast Controversy as well as the schisms that develop because of the relationship between the Papacy and the Empire, we are able to analyze the underlying points of disagreement and better understand why relations were so
The primary cause of this Schism, many believe; is considered the extended period of disagreements over papal authority. The Pope having claimed authority over the four Eastern patriarchs, while the four eastern patriarchs claimed the superiority of the Patriarch of Rome was only honorary, and thus he had authority only over Western Christians. Political jealousies and interests increased these disputes; and finally, after many precognitive symptoms, the final break came in 1054, when Pope Leo IX took apposition to Michael Cerularius and his followers with an excommunication and when the Patriarch retaliated with a similar excommunication. This act of excommunication highlights the struggle over jurisdictional control between the Byzantine Empire and the Papacy.
The relationship between the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire is one of constant struggle and extreme delicacy. Looking at the periods of greatest controversy we can deduct how high tensions were during this time and provide reasons behind the growing split between the Latin West and the Greek East. Observing the conflicts that arose during the Iconoclast Controversy as well as the schisms that develop because of the relationship between the Papacy and the Empire, we are able to analyze the underlying points of disagreement and better understand why relations were so