Great Schism Dbq

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE, western Europe broke into small warring kingdoms. Since it was the official church of the Roman Empire, most people in Western Europe were Christians, and it owned a great deal of wealth and land, the Catholic Church became the most important unifying and stabilizing force in western Europe during the Middle Ages. The power vacuum left by the Roman Empire was filled by the Catholic Church. Over the course of the early Middle Ages, the Catholic Church became more influential and powerful, to the point where the Church and the beliefs of its clergy [people who had high positions in the Church like priests and bishops] controlled secular [non-religious] life and secular government.

Europe in the Middle Ages was built around Christianity. The Catholic Church had a lot of power and control, being the largest landowner in Europe and owning vast amounts of wealth. However, the Church was negatively affected by the Black Plague. The quality of the clergy declined as a vast number had perished in the pandemic.

Yet, some started coming up with their own conclusions about their faith. Thus, causing the importance of the clergy to decrease. In addition, the Great Awakening caused a split between many churches. Although many churches practiced various beliefs, they were still able to assert religious control over their nation’s

People began to assert themselves against blind faith and useless religious rituals and began to feel that they could reach God without the intermediary of a priest. Instead of one Pope, two Popes began to be elected one by the French Cardinals and the other by the Italian Cardinals. Solution: With recognition of the reformers criticism and acceptance of their ideology Protestants were able to put their beliefs on display in art.

During the High Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was not just a religious institution, but also a political and economic one. It controlled vast amounts of land and wealth, and its leaders wielded significant political power. However, as the period progressed, people began to question the Church's authority in these areas. In particular, the rise of humanism and the Renaissance led to a renewed interest in classical learning and a more secular outlook on life. This secularism challenged the Church's claims to moral and intellectual authority.

The movement challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and brought about a paradigm shift in European society. The emphasis on individualism and personal responsibility in matters of faith, encapsulated in Luther's concept of "sola scriptura," led to a reevaluation of hierarchical structures. People were encouraged to interpret religious texts for themselves, fostering a sense of empowerment and autonomy. This shift had profound implications for governance, as it contributed to the development of modern democracy and the idea of religious freedom.

Renaissance, Reformation, and Roman Catholic Church Essay The Renaissance and Reformation movements were two of the most significant events in European history, bringing about significant changes in the religious, social, and cultural spheres of society. These movements were characterized by their criticism of the medieval understanding of God and the Church and their attempts to reform and renew the Church. However, the Renaissance, Reformation, and Roman Catholic views of the Church were distinct and differed in their understanding of ultimate authority in the Church and rituals/practices, key issues for religious reform, and the role of the Church in society.

Martin Luther also criticized the Pope for having too much power over the church and politics. Many citizens were upset by the church, but Martin Luther was the only one to

The Protestant Reformation’s Role in Branching Out from the Catholic Church Before the fifteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church was the dominant and universal religion in Europe. Today, there are a handful of Protestant Churches that would not have existed if it weren’t for the challenging ideas of a few individuals during the fifteenth century and beyond. The church underwent what is known today as the Protestant Reformation, which challenged its powerful authority and criticized its credibility. Life before the Protestant Reformation was governed by the medieval Catholic Church through corruption and questionable practices, which a few individuals sought to rectify.

In the year 1517, Martin Luther started his protestant revolt. This revolt caused many Catholics to turn away from their faith in Germany, Switzerland, England, and later all around the world. This divided the people of Europe, causing many wars between states and enmities between previous friends. In England, King Henry VIII divorced and remarried, causing the pope to publicly reprimand him.

The Reformation was essentially a campaign to reform the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings. There were many factors as to why there was an outbreak of Reformation such as political factors, social factors and religious factors. One main factor for the outbreak was the many abuses of the Church like absenteeism, lack of education within the clergy, sales of indulgences for Church benefit e.g. the rebuilding of St Peter’s Bascilla. People like Erasmus, Thomas More, Zwingli, Martin Luther and John Calvin saw this corruption and tried to do what they could in their power to see change within the Church. Their actions led to a schism within the Roman Catholic Church.

But in the late Middle Ages, there were many wars which killed large number of people. At this time, the people of Europe were horribly facing the effects of the Black Death, which was the worst pandemics in human history. The Catholic church began to have bad reputation as the priests did not help the people during the Black Death and angered people because of their wealth. After the High Middle Ages, there were many social and economic reasons that led to the decline of the Catholic Church in Western Europe. There were many social changes that had taken place in Europe that caused the Catholic Church to lose power and popularity.

The ideas of the Protestant reformation of the 1500’s had been in the minds of peasants for years because of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. Many people felt the clergy (church members) had taken advantage of the people, by becoming wealthy while the people were poor and hungry. There was also a rising sense of nationalism in Europe, that combined with the anger of the economic and political demands made by the Church, further angered the people. The church was spending money in many ways. The Pope was competing for political power in Italy, and had to fight off invasions from other countries.

The Christian religion has gone through many changes over the years since its creation, Two events that helped shape it to the way it is today are the Great Schism and the Protestant Reformation. While the separation of Christianity from the Great Schism could be considered to have a larger impact than the Protestant Reformation, the two events are very similar in ideas and outcomes. Both the Protestant Reformation and the Great Schism have a connection to building Christianity to the way it is now, and many people disagreed with the Church in both events. The two events contributed to the change of power in the Church and in turn the power of the people.

Catholic Church's Influence in the Middle Ages In this unit, we have learned about the Roman Catholic Church's immense influence on Europe's cultural, political, and social life during the Middle Ages. During this period, the Catholic Church was not only a religious institution but also a dominant force in shaping and controlling people's lives. The church had significant control over the arts, the education system, and the governance of Europe. They gained this colossal control through a combination of religious factors, including the Seven Sacraments.