Pope Stephen VI

named by the church to essentially keep the church within the church, in favour of being named by the secular. The conflict itself reaches its peak between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV (who was merely a youth). Henry, with the support of bishops appointed ecclesiastic positions in his realm, in order to gain maximum control of his realm. Pope Gregory VII (adversely) claimed he had a mission to purify the church and in order to do so, he needed to have total control over ecclesiastical…

find out that one of the churches most influential organizations, the Jesuits, were disbanded by the pope on rumors of heresy. The pope, Clement XIV, did not suppress the Jesuits for heresy but for more political reasons. After losing the support of Portugal, he dispersed the Order to appease the French and Spanish rulers in order to save face and keep their support. It has been argued that the pope did this as a result of a series of localized political moves rather his reason being a…

The Renaissance era and the Middle Ages are two periods in time that are extremely vital to European history. Contrary to popular belief, these periods are remarkably unalike in comparison. The Middle Ages, sometimes known as the medieval period, was a time in European history that began in the fifth century and lasted until the fifteenth century. The Renaissance era was a period that expanded from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. This era originated in Italy at the end of the Middle…

Pope Gregory VII Often considered one of the most influential and controversial popes of the Middle Ages, Gregory VII became pope after a long career in the papal court. Historians have claimed that the papacy of Gregory VII is so important and must be emphasized, they have coined the term “Gregorian Reform”. Gregory VII played an important role in Europe during his time, and was a major contributor both before and after his election to the reform. When discussing the biography of Pope Gregory…

Church Corruption In the Middle Ages Introduction. The middle ages, highly romanticized in modern media, but quite possibly one of the worst historical time periods to have lived in. From the brutal pseudo-caste system that dictated the life of you and your descendants, to the leaders that were all either massive cowards or power-hungry generals, and even the many holy wars that ravished the peasants livelihood, simply making it another day was a challenge for the people. When times get tough,…

the way preachers were emphasized giving money to the church rather than focusing on emphasizing faith. Martin Luther wrote a complaint to Pope Leo about this abuse and challenged all of the preachers to a debate over the theology of indulgences. This dispute was a contest between the two strong willed men and it largely ignored the theological objections. Pope Leo regarded the letter as a challenge…

Europe is actually even concurrent with the rise in universities in Europe This can be seen in the Western Schism of the 14th Century, when Urban VI is elected to Pope in Rome, but is eventually disliked for poor ruling and with support of the King of France and government officials Clermont VII is elected to Antipope in Avignon, France. However Pope Urban VI does…

Was Catholicism responsible for the Dark Ages? In history class we have read about the great ancient empires that came before us, such as the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians. During our studies we also learned about , the time in between the 6th and 14th century this period has come to be known as the “Dark Ages”. Many historians believe that the term Dark Ages might not be very accurate and that the reasons behind the origins of the Dark Ages, aren’t well understood. Most were taught…

Without this type of experienced and knowledgeable administrative role found under the guidance of the Pope, it is evident that these smaller kingdoms would continue to be fractious and quarreling tribal monarchies, as they were before the 6th century. In this manner, the rise of the papacy brought Roman administrative skills to govern these small kingdoms…

on a radical understanding and interpretation of what “church” was. Luther believed that the Catholic Church was the “historical church” which has existed in time but not necessarily always with God. It was filled with corrupt clergy, especially the pope, who were godless men, whose positions were man-made and without divine authority. Thus for many years the “true church” arose out of the mess of historical church. It is a Christian community, rather than a church, “defined by the Apostles’…