During the Early Middle Ages, Europe was enslaved by the Roman Catholic Church. Well discipline oppressing fear ruled the lives of peasants, mobility, Lords and Kings. The only accepted Christian religion was the Catholic religion. All other religious sects were regarded as heretics. A heretic, any belief or doctrine disagreeing with the Church. (heretic) Crusades were implemented to seek out all heretical nonconformist and bring them to justice. Tribunals are then mandated in order to bring swift justice to the infidels. A guilty verdict would render fines, persecution, imprisonment, torture or even death. After hundreds of years of crusades, tribunals and killings, the world was still infected with heretics. Pope Gregory IX conjured up a
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He was successful in launching the Crusade due to support of the Catholics that have made pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was a significant motivation for most Catholics and was a sense of attachment to the Holy City.
Pilgrimages were one of the firm foundations upon which the popularity of crusading came to be built thus it is clear that crusading owed a great debt to pilgrimage. Many more crusades would take place and the theme of the crusades were augmented to suit the need of the Church. The needs or purpose or victims could have been the Muslims, Jews, Cathards, Albigenses, bishops, heretics, and any and every nonbeliever. The Crusades would go on for 200 years and by this time the marriage of church and state yielded a great deal of power and persuasion through their …show more content…
When an inquisitor arrived, a month of grace was allowed to all who wished to confess to heresy and to recant; these were given a light penance, which was intended to confirm their faith. After the period of grace, persons accused of heresy who had not abjured were brought to trial. The defendants were not given the names of their accusers, but they could name their enemies and thus nullify any testimony by these persons. After 1254 the accused had no right to counsel, but those found guilty could appeal to the pope. The trials were conducted secretly in the presence of a representative of the bishop and of a stipulated number of local laymen. Torture of the accused and his witnesses soon became customary and notorious, despite the long-standing papal condemnation of torture (e.g., by Nicholas I); Innocent IV ultimately permitted torture in cases of
He was successful in launching the Crusade due to support of the Catholics that have made pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was a significant motivation for most Catholics and was a sense of attachment to the Holy City.
Pilgrimages were one of the firm foundations upon which the popularity of crusading came to be built thus it is clear that crusading owed a great debt to pilgrimage. Many more crusades would take place and the theme of the crusades were augmented to suit the need of the Church. The needs or purpose or victims could have been the Muslims, Jews, Cathards, Albigenses, bishops, heretics, and any and every nonbeliever. The Crusades would go on for 200 years and by this time the marriage of church and state yielded a great deal of power and persuasion through their …show more content…
When an inquisitor arrived, a month of grace was allowed to all who wished to confess to heresy and to recant; these were given a light penance, which was intended to confirm their faith. After the period of grace, persons accused of heresy who had not abjured were brought to trial. The defendants were not given the names of their accusers, but they could name their enemies and thus nullify any testimony by these persons. After 1254 the accused had no right to counsel, but those found guilty could appeal to the pope. The trials were conducted secretly in the presence of a representative of the bishop and of a stipulated number of local laymen. Torture of the accused and his witnesses soon became customary and notorious, despite the long-standing papal condemnation of torture (e.g., by Nicholas I); Innocent IV ultimately permitted torture in cases of