Chapter 14.1Church Reform and the

Crusades

Essential Questions:• What problems were plaguing the Church? • How did reforms come about and who led them?• Who was St. Francis and what did he do?• What are the differences between Romanesque and

Gothic cathedrals?• What were the causes and effects of the Crusades?• What were the Reconquista and Inquisition?

Q1: Why did the Church begin to reform itself in the new millenium?Many church officials, even popes, were living wildly

immoral lives; and because of that, the Roman Catholic Church wasn’t as healthy and upstanding as it needed to be.

• Rural priests and even some bishops were marrying, having kids, etc., and treating their roles almost as if they were hereditary.

• The whole lay investiture mess we’ve already discussed.

• The problem of simony, which is selling church offices, even to unqualified individuals

Q1: Continued…With all of the problems inside the

Church, they now also faced a growing threat from the outside:The Muslims

Where did reform originate within the Church?Reform originated from several areas

including, but not limited to:Benedictine Monks such as Dominic and

Francis of AssisiPopes, such as Leo IX and especially Pope

Gregory VII. Hence, the Gregorian reforms

Gregorian Reforms• Pope Gregory VII introduces reforms aimed at those

three problems mentioned earlier.• He reasserted celibacy among the clergy, going so far

as to say people didn’t have to obey bishops who allowed married priests and he also withheld revenue to such bishops.

• Fought against simony.• And we know all about how he tried to assert Church

authority over the state and how he clearly defined the Church’s position on lay investiture.

• Also strengthened the position of the pope as head of the Church.

Q2: What was the Curia and what was its purpose?The Curia was the pope’s group of advisorsThey helped to create and enforce canon law,

acting like a courtPapal diplomats traveled throughout Europe

keeping a close eye on bishops and kings

Q3: What was the purpose of the Church tax?The tithe (pronounced with a long e

sound) was a 10% church tax collected from all Christian families, regardless of social position.

It was used to fund building projects and also to care for the sick and poor, including hospitals

Q4: What were traveling preachers known as?FriarsLike monks, they took vows of chastity,

poverty and obedienceThey did not live away from the world in

monasteries like monks did. They traveled from town to town, preaching to the poor

They owned nothing and lived by begging.Some famous examples:

Dominic (Dominican order)St. Francis of Assisi (Franciscan order)

Q5: What were built to inspire people’s faith in God?Gothic Cathedrals• From the Greek καθέδρα – seat – indicating the

building is the seat of the resident bishop or archbishop• Much different from the Romanesque churches of the

early Middle Ages • Often very large, very ornate, very beautiful, and very

amazing.• Meant to reflect the glory of God and inspire awe in

the observer• Usually funded by wealthy merchants and nobles who

wanted to leave their mark and maybe improve their chances with God.

• The two big innovations were ribbed vaults and flying buttresses.

• Vaults• A vault is the arched shaped that helps hold up the

roof. The Romanesque cathedrals used barrel vaults. These were simple arch-type structures.

• The ribbed vault provides what literally looks like a rib. This is more efficient and does a better job of distributing the weight to the wall.

• Here’s a comparison of the barrel vault of the Romanesque Saint-Sernin Cathedral in Toulouse with the ribbed vault of the Gothic Amiens Cathedral

Flying buttress• The flying buttress was an external structure – a bit

like an external half-arch. The weight of the roof and walls was distribute outwards to these buttresses. This took the weight-bearing responsibility away from the walls themselves and allowed for the big open spaces for windows.

• Compare these cross-sections of Saint-Sernin and Amiens.

• Here’s the difference it makes to the interior lighting:

• The later Gothic cathedrals also tended to have tall spires on the towers and pinnacles on top of the buttresses.

• Here is a comparison the floor plans of Saint-Sernin and Amiens.

Here are other examples of Romanesque styles.

• Now, Gothic:

Q6: Why did the pope encourage leaders of Western Europe to fight against the Muslims?The Crusades 9 (four major ones and five minor

ones) were inspired by conquestMuslims had seized control of the Holy Land,

including the holy city of JerusalemThe Holy Land (present- day Israel and

Palestine) was considered holy and cherished by the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

There were obviously religious motives, but there were also economic, social and political goals

Q7: Why did the Church favor the Crusades?Pressure Valve

• Religious zeal had been on the increase around this time. This was a good opportunity to release some of that zeal. It helped that the knights were told that dying while fighting this holy war was a golden salvation ticket to heaven.

• The borders of European Christendom had also stabilized to some extent and all these knights had little better to do with their warrior talents than fight amongst each other and terrorize the peasants. A Crusade would give them something to do and keep them from making trouble in Europe.

“’The bearer of this ticket will go to heaven if you get slaughtered on a Crusade!’ Awesome! I’m gonna be a

knight!”

Q8: Why did commoners join the Crusades?

• Some people just wanted to make a name and fortune for themselves. Seemed like a good opportunity to do so when there wasn’t much of one at home. In fact, most Crusaders who volunteered were peasants.

• And finally, the Italian merchant cities that controlled all the major ports and Mediterranean shipping were all in favor of it. They were cleaning up by transporting all these Crusaders, supplying them with food and arms, getting trade routes, etc. There’s good money to be made in war.

Q9: Were the Crusades successful? Why or why not?The Crusades were badly organized, often

leading to the deaths of many of the fighters before they even reached the Holy Land

Land was won and lostOften ended in great slaughter and forced

conversions

The Reconquista The Crusade to retake Spain from the Muslims The Iberian Peninsula was conquered by the Muslims

around 711 and had all of it had been under their control from the to the 1100’s when it started being taken back.

• The reconquering was completed in 1492 when the last Muslim outpost in the south was overrun and expelled by the combined forces of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile (the same ones who send Christopher Columbus on his way).

A feature of the Reconquista was the Spanish Inquisition

• There was a general Inquisition movement in Europe, but the Spanish version was especially ugly.

• It was motivated by anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim feelings.

• The goal was to search out fake Christians, i.e. those who had converted but weren’t sincere.

• People were given a grace period to come forward and confess. If they did, they had to implicate others. The others would be imprisoned, property confiscated and put on trial. They would be tortured for a confession. If confessing, they could be released, punished, or burnt at the stake.

Q10: What were several effects of the Crusades?• All this interaction with the Muslims brought

back some technology and mathematics, e.g. algebra, they had lacked.

• Opened up trade routes with the east (money knows no religion)

• Weakened the power of the pope since he had called for these failed expedition.

• Strengthened the kings. All these nobles and knights had gone off and gotten killed which meant the power went to the monarchs. By extension, it weakened the feudal system.

• The Byzantines are weakened.• Down to modern-day, Muslims are a little irked

about the Crusades.