Synopsis
After Charlemagne's death, his empire was divided into three parts, each of which was relatively weak. As Viking raiders capitalized on this weakness, bringing the European economy to a virtual standstill, Europeans increasingly turned their lands over to powerful local lords in exchange for protection. This state of affairs, known as feudalism, made the church (which was one of the largest landowners) extremely wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. In 910, a new monastic movement in Cluny, France began advocating structural reforms to clean up the abuses in the church.
Key Quotes
- "The Vikings burned, pillaged, raped, murdered, and enslaved with such impunity that a new prayer was added to the liturgy in church services across Europe: 'From the fury of the Northmen, O Lord, deliver us.'"
- "Under feudalism, European society became divided into three groups: those who produced (serfs), those who protected (knights and lords), and those who prayed (priest and bishops)."
- "William of Aquitaine believed that the two greatest corrupting influences on church leaders were government interference and worldly entanglements. As a result, he wrote his monks at Cluny a charter that gave them complete freedom to choose their own leaders and stipulated that the monastery leader would answer to no one but the pope."
- How did the structure of European society come to resemble a pyramid?
- What made the appointment of bishops such a contentious issue?
- How did the resurgence of the Carolingian Empire under Otto in 962 re-aggravate the two conflicts created by Charlemagne's coronation in 800?
Click the link below to read about "The Time the Church Put a Pope's Corpse on Trial."
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