Without the Roman Empire, Europe fell into chaos. Germanic tribes, bandits, and many other malevolent (translate: Anti-Roman) forces roamed the countryside to take un-checked advantage of merchants and travellers - and eventually the villages themselves. But in the midst of this political upheaval, the Church stepped in, gradually imposing a much-needed social conscience on Europe. The Archbishop of Rome, the Pope, became a highly influential figure in both European religious life and European politics. Eventually, Charlemagne, an ambitious Frank from Western Europe, was crowned the Emperor of the new "Holy Roman Empire" in 800CE, and developed what he called the "feudal system" as a means of governing localities. Feudal Lords - some of whom would eventually become Kings - were those who still had land, those who could still afford to claim ownership, those who were able to hire soldiers and maintain personal armies. Tributes were given to these Lords by the peasantry doing the hard labor in exchange for protection.
In this culture, the Church enjoyed special privilege. For more than a thousand years, kingdoms rose and fell because of the church, or more accurately, because of the Pope and his emmisaries. With this tremendous opportunity, however, came great responsibility, much of which was squandered. The Church began to play the game of politics; Rome set its eyes on expanding its borders. Two cities would find their way to the Holy Roman Empire's agenda for the next millennium: Byzantium (Constantinople, later Istanbul), a trade-route crossroads and thus economic stronghold was no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire due to the great schism of 1054, and - for a much longer period - the Holy Land from the Muslims, who had taken Jerusalem in 638 CE under Caliph Umar.
The move towards a much stronger bureaucracy came its benefits (some of the most notable art and architecture of European History comes from this period), but in the reform movements of this age we see its tragedies. The Franciscans, Dominicans, and other Mendicant orders were founded in the early thirteenth century as a direct response to the growing problems associated with the power of the clergy. Many believed that the Church had lost its way, that it had become corrupted by its strong ties to political power. Evangelization of other nations was done at the point of a sword rather than through preaching, and economic interests often precluded spiritual principles. Francis of Assisi, for example, founded a monastic order (later named in his honor) in which no one owned property, but all found their daily wages through begging of the charity of others.
The great lesson of the medieval period is that power is not only frighteningly easy to misuse, but it also tends to corrupt even those with the best intentions, principles, or guiding theologies. But we also can learn that God perseveres through this, that even when we, the Church do not seem very good at loving Him (particularly when we abuse others), the very stones of the Earth cry out and give birth to new expressions of the body that better suit the culture of a world still very much in need of Christ. We learn, as we study this period of history, that along with Buddhists and Muslims and Indians and Atheists, Christians need a relationship with Jesus.
In this culture, the Church enjoyed special privilege. For more than a thousand years, kingdoms rose and fell because of the church, or more accurately, because of the Pope and his emmisaries. With this tremendous opportunity, however, came great responsibility, much of which was squandered. The Church began to play the game of politics; Rome set its eyes on expanding its borders. Two cities would find their way to the Holy Roman Empire's agenda for the next millennium: Byzantium (Constantinople, later Istanbul), a trade-route crossroads and thus economic stronghold was no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire due to the great schism of 1054, and - for a much longer period - the Holy Land from the Muslims, who had taken Jerusalem in 638 CE under Caliph Umar.
The move towards a much stronger bureaucracy came its benefits (some of the most notable art and architecture of European History comes from this period), but in the reform movements of this age we see its tragedies. The Franciscans, Dominicans, and other Mendicant orders were founded in the early thirteenth century as a direct response to the growing problems associated with the power of the clergy. Many believed that the Church had lost its way, that it had become corrupted by its strong ties to political power. Evangelization of other nations was done at the point of a sword rather than through preaching, and economic interests often precluded spiritual principles. Francis of Assisi, for example, founded a monastic order (later named in his honor) in which no one owned property, but all found their daily wages through begging of the charity of others.The great lesson of the medieval period is that power is not only frighteningly easy to misuse, but it also tends to corrupt even those with the best intentions, principles, or guiding theologies. But we also can learn that God perseveres through this, that even when we, the Church do not seem very good at loving Him (particularly when we abuse others), the very stones of the Earth cry out and give birth to new expressions of the body that better suit the culture of a world still very much in need of Christ. We learn, as we study this period of history, that along with Buddhists and Muslims and Indians and Atheists, Christians need a relationship with Jesus.
