The Collision Of Classes: Life In The Middle Ages

The Collision of Classes Beginning in the mid 1100’s and going into the early 1200’s, there was a simultaneous and consistent movement of poor and professional people as new emphasis was put on living a life closer to one like Christ would have lived because of the new Cistercian monks versus the established Benedictine monks as well as the monastic population versus the papacy. The well-established black robed monks of the time thrived on intricate Romanesque architecture and complicated masses occurring multiple times per day. Benedictine monks thrived on grandeur from their liturgical processions and architecture. In contrast, the new Cistercian monks were the epitome of simplicity for the Middle Ages. Their garments were pure white because they did not even dye their clothes. The architecture of their buildings was simples as well. As Rosenwein points out about the Fontenay Abbey in Short History on page 189, “There are no wall paintings, no sculpture, no incised pillars.” They removed any form of elaborateness from their religious ceremonies. Mass was only allowed once a day. The only thing not simple about them was their “spirituality of intense personal emotion” …show more content…
Rosenwein parallels medical professionals to popes. Simply put, professionals are anyone who has mastered a specific craft. Therefore, Popes can be considered professionals, as they have become masters of Christianity. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) was well educated in theology and law. He become a leader of the church and ran a council, which stated the exact nature of Christianity. Pope Innocent III has a strong correlation with the papal monarchy. Innocent acted more like a representative of Christ and his “apostles” were his bishops. The professionals were supporters of the papal monarchy. This “ecclesiastical administration” was powerful and essentially a government aside from the actual secular