In feudal Europe, the Catholic Church created hegemony by using excommunication to establish political control over the kings of Europe. At the end of the 10th century, Pope Gregory V condemned King Robert II of France for marrying his first cousin. Incest was considered a sin by the Catholic Church; therefore the pope did not approve. After the threat of excommunication, Robert “obeyed and married another, and his obedience affirmed Gregory’s authority.” This demonstrated how the Catholic Church used their influence over the king to control his behavior. King Robert was horrified with the idea of being expelled from the church and preferred to cancel his wedding than to be disavowed. Robert’s reaction to the church’s threat of excommunication
