Church Reform and the
Crusades
Objectives:
1. Explain the spiritual revival and Church reforms that began in the 11th century.
2. Describe the Gothic cathedrals of the 12th century.
3. Summarize the causes of the Crusades and analyze the effects of the Crusades.
The Age of Faith
Problems in the Church
In the 11th century, Church reformers were most distressed about three main issues: Many village priests married and had families
Simony – Practice of bishops selling positions in the Church
Using the practice of lay investiture, kings appointed church bishops Church reformers believed the church alone could appoint bishops
Reform and Church Organization Popes enforced laws against simony and the marriage
of priests
Church was restructured to resemble a kingdom, with the pope at its head
Church collected taxes
The Age of Faith
New Religious Orders
Friars – Church disciples that traveled the land spreading the word of God
Francis of Assisi – Founded the Franciscan order of friars
Treated all living things as spiritual equals
Cathedrals – Cities of God
Cathedrals – Large churches built in city areas
Viewed as the representation of the City of God
A New Style of Church Architecture
Gothic (1100’s) – Architectural style characterized by tall ornate spires and large stained glass windows Design was meant to inspire worshipers with the magnificence of
God
The Crusades
Age of Faith Inspires Wars of Conquest
In 1093, Pope Urban II issued a call for a “holy war” to recover the control of the Holy Land of Jerusalem
Over the next 300 years, a number of Crusades with this goal were launched
Goals of the Crusades
The Crusades had economic, social, and political goals as well as religious motives
Muslims controlled Palestine and threatened Constantinople
Pope wanted to reclaim Palestine and reunite Christendom, which had split into Eastern and Western branches in 1054
Way to get rid of quarrelsome knights. Younger sons, who didn’t get inheritance, looking for land and position in society.
Merchants profited by making cash loans to finance the journey
Hoped to win control of key trade routes to Asia from Muslim traders
The Crusades
The First and Second Crusades 1st- Pope Urban’s call for the Crusade received
strong support Those who died on Crusade were assured of a place in
heaven Red Cross
1st- Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 Land was carved up into four federal Crusader states
Each state was ruled by a European noble
2nd- In 1187, Jerusalem was reclaimed by Muslim leader Saladin
The Third Crusade Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from the Muslims
Led by the King of England, Richard the Lion-Hearted
Truce (1192) – Jerusalem would remain under Muslim control, but Christian pilgrims could freely visit holy places
The Crusading Spirit Dwindles
The Children's Crusade (1212)
Thousands of children under the age of 18 set out to conquer Jerusalem Most failed to even reach the Holy Land
A Spanish Crusade
In Spain, Muslims (called Moors) controlled most of the country until the 1100’s The Reconquista – Long effort by the Spanish to drive the
Muslims out of Spain Succeeded in 1492
The Inquisition – A court held by the church to suppress heresy
Heretics – People whose beliefs differed from those of the Church
Persons suspected of heresy might be questioned for weeks or even tortured Suspects that confessed were burned at the stake
The Effects of the Crusades
Expansion of Trade
Trade between Europe and Southwest Asia expanded
Discovery of new goods
Decline of the Papacy
The failure of later Crusades weakened to power of the pope
The Crusades weakened the feudal nobility and increased the power of kings
Legacy of the Crusades
The intolerance and prejudice displayed by Christians in the Holy Land left behind a legacy of bitterness and hatred
This legacy continues to the present
The Black Death
The plague arrives
Plague arrives in Europe (Messina) from the Middle East (Kaffa)in October of 1347 (Italian Merchants)
European population decline 25 to 50 percent from 1347-1351; thus, 19 to 38 million die (of 75 million)
Where did the Black Death come
from?
What were the symptoms of the plague?
What caused the plague?
The question that you are probably thinking is
this;
Q: Who or what caused the Black
Death?
A: This is your answer!
The Oriental Rat Flea!
How was the plague transmitted?
We now know that the most common form of the
Black Death was the BUBONIC PLAGUE! This
disease was spread by fleas which lived on the black
rat.
Cures?
Medieval people did not know about germs
causing disease. They did not understand
that plague was spread by rats and fleas.
They thought that people’s bodies were
poisoned.
If the swellings burst and the poison came out
people sometimes survived. It seemed
sensible to draw out the poison.
Medieval cure number 1
The swellings should be softened with figs
and cooked onions. The onions should be
mixed with yeast and butter. Then open the
swellings with a knife.
Medieval cure number 2
Take a live frog and put its belly on the
plague sore. The frog will swell up and burst.
Keep doing this with further frogs until they
stop bursting. Some people say that a dried
toad will do the job better.
Reactions to the Plague
Life and Death:
-People had no rational explanation for the plague and no way to combat it. Fear and bigotry followed the plague where ever it went setting father against son, wife against husband.
- Their were many different reactions to the plague
1. Flagellants
2. Anti-Semitism
3. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we’ll…
Flagellants
- Believed the Plague was sent by the devil
1. Would travel from town to town flogging
themselves to gain God’s forgiveness.
Anti Semitism
Anti Semitism Grew Throughout The Time of The Plague
- Jews were accused of poisoning the water supply and
bringing the plague
- Extermination would get rid of the plague
1. Strasbourg, Germany
- Worst example
60 Jews were burned
alive
Social and Cultural Contributions
Labor shortages created better wages
Fewer people allowed for social mobility
(People able to climb the social ranks)
An entire generation faced with death
Helped break apart the feudal system
