PENGUIN STUDY GUIDE CH. 5

Chapter 5: Empire and Papacy-the Beginning of the Struggle

• Henry III had power in Europe; he was “head of the church in Europe.”
• The church was publicly deflowered and polluted
o Before 1046 the Roman aristocracy had used control of the bishopric of Rome as a pawn in their family feuds.
o 1046 Henry III went into Italy and freed the church of corruption.
o New religious popes under Henry III’s rule used contemporary instincts in coming up with Canon Law: the antique rules governing the lives of clerks and their relations with the laity.
• Dedication to the church
Canon Law
• Bishops and the church turned to the emperor for assistance to impose higher standards on their clergy and to protect independence from aristocrats.
• Objective of Leo IX and his associates establishing this idea was to use this primacy to establish throughout the Western Church the standards of clerical life and independence to which they themselves had been trained.
• By the time (1054) Leo died the Christians in the east acknowledged his primacy equal with those of the west.
• When Henry III died in 1056, the pope and his advisors were left to defend their new system and claims alone.

Henry IV took rule as a 6 year old boy.
• 1059 members of the clergy, during crisis concerning the political confusion of a minority, took two great steps in order to protect themselves:
o Alliance with the leaders of the Norman adventurers
• To turn to the Normans was an evolutionary step
o New rules for the election of a pope which gave decisive voice to the cardinals.
• Decree concerning election was more important still, constituting for the papacy a kind of declaration of independence.
• Emperor was a layman: in principle the same objections could be raised against his choosing a pope, as to the choice of some local family.

Simony: the sin by which ecclesiastical office is obtained for money
• Cardinal Humbert of Moyenmoutier wrote “three books against simonials”
• Essence of Simony-“lay not in the fact that money had changed hands, but in that spiritual office was conferred as a result of wholly material considerations”
• Whenever lay influence dictated preferment, there was a suspicion of simony

Casus Belli: the proud and ancient archbishopric of Milan; key archbishopric in political terms, controlling the passes which connected imperial Germany and Lombardy

Gregory VII became Pope
• Henry in weakness submitted matter to the “apostolic judgment” of the pope
• One year later went back on his submission
• Gregory must either give way to the emperor or uphold principles of freedom in the church
o If he gave way:
• Papacy’s dependence on the empire would be made known
• Whole endeavor of last 20 years would be endangered
o If stood ground:
• Alliance with the empire, the traditional ally would be broken
• Claims of revolutionary tenor
o Meant decisions of the Bishop of Rome would override any secular authority
o Gregory drawn between spiritual and secular matters
• Would have to claim that ultimate decisions lay with himself as Peter’s vicar and not the emperor
• Went with the spiritual office by laymen
o Henry replied by charging him with usurpation of the papacy
o Gregory in return excommunicated Henry
• Put Henry outside of the church which had made him king
• Could no longer claim any right “by the Grace of God”
• Both reconciled eventually and three years later Gregory excommunicated Henry again
o Gregory asserted superiority of the monarchy of the papacy over the monarchy of the empire
o The pope’s position was well founded in Canon Law
• Dictatus Papae: a kind of aide-memoir on the canonical authority of the papacy
o “no council (or decree) is to be held general without the pope’s approval”
o came up with articles from documents that were forged
o Gregory was weak in law
• Henry insisted on ruling as his ancestors did
o After second excommunication Gregory deposed Henry formally and recognized Rudolph as King and emperor
o 1084 Henry and his soldiers stormed into Rome and at his orders Guibert of Ravenna was set up as Pope Clement III
• Gregory was declared deposed
• Gregory’s successors
o Whole empire in civil war
• Henry’s son decided to break from his father and find agreement with Roman pope
• But estates of the church were scattered too widely and closely tied with the lay mobility for any kingdom to survive settlement.
• 1122 compromise was extended to the empire
• end of the civil war
• established principle of fundamental importance:
o there was a difference between the allegiance men owed to spiritual and to secular authorities
• Henry gained rule but only because pope approved of it
• Church gained most by struggle and settlement
• Henry died with no blood related successor
• Popes capitalized on the same universal ideals
o Had not gained complete freedom of the church under the monarchy of the Romans

PENGUIN STUDY GUIDE CH. 4

Chapter 4
Religious and Political Ideals

Common religious belief and outlook were drawing men together almost as strongly as social pressures and the shocks of invasions were forcing men apart. The monasteries recorded a man entering into serfdom; which spoke of them giving themselves and their labor to god and the church. The exchange of ideas was traveling faster than trade. Children were introduced into the life of prayer well before they reached the years of discretion. During these times this was the only way ensuring the child would lead a useful life. The serfs also gave themselves to god and the church in hopes to be looked favorably upon.

The monasteries were directly associated with the religious beliefs of the lord who founded it. Gift giving in the monastery was used to elevate status of families. Monastery influence was moral not political however, this changed when a group of scholars interpreted the old testament as saying the king is the head of the church and chosen by god to rule his people. The king was able to appoint men to authority within the church. As a result the church had become intertwined with politics unlike it when it began as separate entities.

PENGUIN STUDY GUIDE CH. 3

Chapter 3
Feudalism and Serfdom

Feudalism began after the break up of the Carolingian Empire. Trade decline and the downfall of town life were key factors. None of the main Carolingian government hubs were prominent trade centers. Lack of communication among regions resulted in a weak central government. This caused regions to split into their own self-sufficient domains versus the ‘great domain’ of the Carolingian Empire.

A domain was an estate in, or a series of estates. A landlord controlled the domain. Landlords were kings, monasteries, powerful noblemen ect. The estate was divided into two sections, a smaller one for the needs of the lord and the rest divided up into holding among his tenants. The tenants worked the land for the lord as well as themselves. This system had evolved naturally. The tenants’ sought protection granted by the lords in exchange for self-sufficiency given by the tenants who worked the land on agreement never to leave or be kicked out by the lord. The need for protection is how many became serfs. Serfs not only gave up their freedom but the freedom of their descendants as well (although not the same as a slave).

A vassal gave his verbal homage to the lord. Unlike the vassal from the Carolingian Empire they passed their status on through kin. Vassals were granted control of their own “smaller domain” it was not uncommon for vassals to appoint their own vassals and so forth. The concept of lords, vassals and serfs is what makes up the feudal system. Decision-making was left to the aristocracy of the top. The force of heredity perpetuated their authority and privileged position and what they did with these advantages depended very much on individual character.

PENGUIN STUDY GUIDE CH. 1

CHAPTER 1: Louise Mengelkoch

The Middle Ages and their heritage: The idea of the unity of Christendom
Middle Ages: 800-1440 AD
Middle Ages named by later historians of the Renaissance as a pejorative term
800: Charlemagne takes throne as Holy Roman Emperor
1449: Council of Basle dissolved
These dates mark the beginning and end of Church authority for a united western Europe
Common history and common objectives
British Isles alone resisted rule
Kingdom included what is now Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Germany, France, Bohemia, Poland, into Russia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Sicily, most of Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, etc.
Peak: 13th century
That’s when the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire most closely matched those of Latin Christendom
Dream of popes, emperors, subjects and servants: The restoration of the world-wide domination of Rome
Which actually ended in 476
Roman Empire got so extended that they depended more and more on barbaric tribes to defend borders (became “federate” tribes)
Their numbers increased because they were driven into the empire by the Huns from steppes of Asia
The barbarians penetrated everywhere
Lombards: Italy
Visigoths: Spain
Franks: Gaul (which became France) and parts of Germany
Marked the decline of urban prosperity, reduction of commerce, retreat of wealthy to estates, breakdown in communications
Deepened the gulf that already existed between eastern and western provinces
However, barbaric kings still respected emperor in Constantinople; just remote

Significance of Charlemagne’s coronation in 800 A.D.
The empire’s center moved from Constantinople to Franks
east to west; Greek to barbarians
They wanted the peace and unity of the Roman Empire, but had little understanding of the things on which it was based
Signified unity of Christians in the west
Unity went beyond religion. . .However,
Their religious and political aspirations owed much to the Roman past
Social attitudes and organization owed much to ancient Germany (did not think abstractly)

Ideas which colored the historical outlook of Middle Ages
Saw the classical achievements and biblical history as one: continuous
In other words, Greek and Roman culture and the story of the Jewish nation was all part of the great Christian scheme -- God’s plan
People thought the world was “growing old” and the end would come soon
The reality: tribalism
Vendettas
Importance of blood relations
But you could leave your kin for others
Threat of force always in background
Germanic idea of lordship: noble birth
Protection and generosity, not efficient administration expected
courage and loyalty important
Magnificence of strength and riches displayed
Militaristic and aristocratic

Peace was not the natural condition in the Middle Ages
“A society in which martial prowess is held in such high social esteem is not likely to remain long at peace.”
Problems caused: hard to preserve a sense of unity
Common Latin culture and religious beliefs brought people together, but martial instinct and loyalties divided them still more deeply

ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENTS IN LIEU OF 2ND WORKSHOP WEEKEND

The results of my informal survey were pretty clear: most of you had work or social commitments for next weekend, or no vehicle or no place to live or some other reason prohibiting you from attending a rescheduled workshop. So. . .I've decided to complete it as best we can via e-mail and this blog. Here's what we'll do:

1. Be sure you send me your chapter notes from the Penguin Medieval history book for posting to this blog. If you don't see yours on the blog at this point, it means I did not receive it. Please send it to get credit. If you also did a PowerPoint presentation on your chapter, e-mail that to Prof. Truedson for posting, and I will give you the extra credit.

2. Send your PowerPoint presentation about your Easter break trip idea to Prof. Truedson (jtruedson@bemidjistate.edu). He will post them and I will have a link from this blog to them.

3. E-mail me a message (400-600 words) with a plan for how you will do the reading for your other Oxford classes. Who, for example, shares your other classes? Have you discussed with them how to share the study plan? Which books do you have to read? Are they novels? Are they textbooks? How many pages do you need to read? To outline or take notes on? How many hours will this take? When will you do it? What can be shared with the other people in the class and which reading will you have to do yourself? (Novels would certainly fall in this category.)

EUROSPRING WEEKEND WORKSHOP POSTPONED

Due to severe weather warnings across most of the state for the weekend, we have decided to cancel this weekend's workshop. You should also have received an e-mail about this. Check the blog Monday for more information about rescheduling. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we didn't want any of you stranded on the road!!

IMPORTANT TRAVEL UPDATES

When you come next Saturday (Feb. 24) please have the following information written down for us to make a master list for hotel check-ins: Date of birth, passport number and hometown.

Room assignments on the tour will be made later, probably on the road trip to Paris.

There will be a STRICT 45 lb. limit on your luggage and it's limited to ONE suitcase. This will require smart packing. I'll pack a sample bag for you next Saturday. Should be fun!