The Church on the Eve of the Reformation

SLMS/13

Setting

Loss of Prestige

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic

Church reigned supreme as the only purveyor of Christianity. This was an especially
important role in an era that lacked real political centralization.
The Church was the one
commonality for all European Christians. It was the
one authority that ALL
Europeans could look to for
direction. It was also the dispenser of the
sacraments, and thus played a key role in
attainment of the afterlife.
Universal Christianity was dealt a blow in
1054 when the Eastern Orthodox Church
declared itself independent of the Popes
leadership, but in Western Europe, the
Catholic Church remained preeminent.

In the Late Middle Ages, the Catholic Church

suffered a number of blows to their power
and prestige. This began the process of questioning the direction and the leadership of
the Church.
The first blow to the Churchs
reputation was the result of the
Crusades. After nearly a dozen
crusades and some 200 years
of conflict with the Middle East,
the Crusades did not meet their
stipulated objective Christian
control of the Holy Land. The Church had actively encouraged these wars, and as such,
stood to gain or lose from the outcome.
The second blow was the Black Death.
Many believed it was a plague sent by God
to punish heretics, unbelievers or nonChristian minorities. The Church promised
cures, treatments, and an explanation of the
plague. But just four years after its outbreak,
the death toll in Europe stood at more than
25 million, or 40% of the population. The
Church had failed to stop it.
The final blow was the Western Schism
(sometimes called the Great Schism). In
1309, Pope Clement V moved his residence
from Rome to Avignon, France. For 70 years,
popes ruled from Avignon instead of Rome.
Then, in 1378, a rival pope was
elected in Rome. Thus, there were
two popes, or rather, there was a
pope and an anti-pope. People
didnt know who to look to as the
leader of Christianity. And since
the Pope represented the authority of God, it was confusing to many to have
more than one representation of God.

The Church in the Renaissance

By 1500, the Catholic Church had become
quite worldly and corrupt. The humanistic
emphasis of the Renaissance had an impact
on the Church as well as on society at large.
Many popes began to take advantage of
the artistic renaissance that was taking
place in Italy. Painters, sculptors and
architects were hired to beautify the
Vatican as well as other churches.
Michelangelo not only designed the dome
of St. Peters (the Vatican), but he also
carved a number of statues, and he was
contracted by Pope Julius II to paint the
ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel (a chapel at the
back of the Vatican).
Many criticized these
extravagant expenses.

Global History
The Church on the Eve of the Reformation
1. What role did the Church play in the Middle Ages?

Name _____________________________________
b.

2. Specifically, what did the Church provide

to Europeans in the Middle Ages?
c.

3. How did Church authority begin to erode

in the 1050s?

4. Please detail three situations that dealt

blows to the Churchs power and prestige.
(And why they hurt the power or prestige.)

5. What attitude led to Church corruption by

1500?

6. How did the Church take advantage of the

Renaissance?

a.

7. What work did Michelangelo do for the

Church?

Church Corruptions
Sale of Indulgences
An indulgence is used to release a sinner
from punishment for sins which have already been forgiven.
In the 1500s, the Church began a questionable practice. Pope Leo X needed to raise
money for the completion of St. Peters
Basillica (the Vatican), and he encouraged
priests to sell indulgences.
People bought indulgences mainly for dead
relatives, who were thought to be
languishing in purgatory. It was believed an
indulgence could get them into heaven
faster than prayers.
The most notorious
traveling priest who sold
indulgences was the
German priest Johann
Tetzel. His favorite phrase
was As soon as a coin in the coffer (change
purse) rings, a soul from purgatory springs!
Nepotism
A different type of corruption was the
practice of Nepotism. This was a longstanding practice of appointing ones
relatives to high offices in the Church.
A good example of this practice can be
seen very visually in the portrait done by
Raphael of Pope Leo & his cardinalnephews.
Like that of Simony, this
practice allowed sometimes
un-qualified and unspiritual people to become
priests (and often highranking officials like
Bishops or Cardinals).

SLMS/13

Simony
Another fund-raiser for the Church was
the practice of Simony. Simony was the sale
of Church offices to the highest bidder.
Although the office didnt
officially go on the auction
block, high ranking church
offices were often purchased by
wealthy men for their younger
sons. Church officials claimed
the offices werent for sale at all, but the
moneys were donations from wealthy
families. Interestingly, the sons from these
families were often appointed to the
position of Bishop.
This practice often resulted in un-qualified
and un-spiritual people being placed in high
ranking Church positions.
Reforms?
Why didnt anyone protest these
corruptions? The answer is: they did.
Protesters, however, were labeled heretics.
Heretics were people whose beliefs ran
contrary to accepted Church doctrine. This
may not seem a large offense, but in the
Middle Ages and Renaissance era, heretics
were burned at the stake.
Two would-be reformers were
Wycliffe and Huss. Wycliffe
suggested the Bible be translated
into the vernacular (common
language), and the priesthood be made up of
those who avow poverty (as opposed to the
wealthy Bishops and Cardinals which were
becoming common). He was persecuted for
his criticisms of Church practice. But Huss
was burned in 1415 because he challenged
Church doctrine, not just practice.

Global History
Church Corruptions
1. What is an indulgence?

Name _____________________________________
7. What was the result of this practice?

2. How did Pope Leo X raise money for com- 8. What was Nepotism?
pletion of the Vatican?

9. Give a specific example of Nepotism in the

Church.
3. Why did people purchase these?

10. What was the result of this practice?

4. What did Tetzel mean by his favorite

phrase?

5. What was Simony?

6. The Church claimed offices werent for

sale. How did they explain this?

11. What happened to people who demanded

reform in the Church?

12. Who were Wycliffe and Huss? What, specifically, did they want?

13. What happened to each of them?