How did the Catholic Church become so powerful in Medieval Europe?

Question

How did the Catholic Church become so powerful in Medieval Europe?

Answer 1

A coronation had to have the participation of the Catholic Church. Coronations were once an important, even vital, ritual in many of the world's kingdoms, but this changed over time due to a variety of socio-political and religious factors. While most monarchies have dispensed with them today, preferring simpler "enthronement" or "benediction" rites, coronations are still held in Great Britain, Tonga and several Asian countries.

In addition to the investing of the monarch with a diadem or other ritual headgear (among other symbols of state), coronations often involve anointing with holy oil, or chrism as it is often called. Wherever the monarch is thusly anointed, as in Great Britain and Tonga, this ritual generally takes on a religious significance, following examples found in the Bible.

Coronation liturgies are generally religious in character, because from the earliest times it was believed that monarchs were chosen by God, in accordance with an alleged "Divine Right of Kings"; hence, the crown was considered to have been bestowed by God himself. Many sovereigns are still proclaimed Monarch "by the grace of God", and this has historically been used as a defense of absolute monarchy.

These procedures and religious requirements gave the Medieval Catholic Church a lot power. Kings often gave large sums of money to the church and created new churches in return for the approval the Church gave the Kings.  

Peasants paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the Church (this tax was called tithes). Tithes could be paid in either money or in goods produced by the peasant farmers. As peasants had little money, they almost always had to pay in seeds, harvested grain, animals etc. This usually caused a peasant a lot of hardship as seeds, for example, would be needed to feed a family the following year. What the Church got in tithes was kept in huge tithe barns; a lot of the stored grain would have been eaten  by rats or poisoned by their urine. A failure to pay tithes, so the peasants were told by the Church, would lead to their souls going to h**l after they had died. This is another reason the Church was so powerful.

Answer 2

Cause one of the Pope's got Charlemagne to conquer most of Europe. And after he did that & Charlemagne's Empire fell apart. And was eventually broken up into a bunch of little Christian Kingdoms. A remainder of Charlemagne's legacy was entering the Filioque into the Creed. Which helped contribute to the final break off between the West & the Greeks who had now considered themselves the real romans. Refering to what they now call the Byzantine Empire. The Leaders of the Vikings & Slavs eventually converted to Christianity to ensure a future for their people. Most of the Slavs chose to unite themselves to the Pope. Others like the Russians chose Orthodox Christianity. And some like the Lithuanians chose to hold out until The Teutonic Order moved out there & forced them to become a joint Kingdom with Poland & accept Catholicism

Anyway the Catholic Church got so powerful because in the 11th Century the Pope decided to take advantage of the lack of a powerful King like Charlemagne to convince most of the European Kings that their Kingdoms were fiefs of the Papacy. And that they had no right to appoint the Bishops in their Kingdom like Charlemagne did. The Pope who had the biggest influence on this change in thought was Pope Gregory VII. And under his Papacy the Pope's first started to use the Title Vicar of Christ as a Title for the Pope. Soon the Papacy had the power to depose of Kings & Princes. And get involved in marital issues & decide anulment rulings. And of course he could excommunicate you which took away your access to recieve the sacraments validly which meant you would eventually commit a mortal sin & with out being able to confess your sins you were going to h**l. At times Popes were challenged by Kings & Emperors, mostly by the Holy Roman Emperors & the Kings of France & eventually by the Kings of England.

The Catholic Church's power began to fade in the 14th Century. After it was clear that the Catholic Church had lost Jerusalem. And when the French King Philip IV convinced Pope Clement V (who owed his election to the French Cardinals) to leave Rome & move to Avignon, where the Popes in Avignon eventually became the puppets of the French Kings. Nothing was more evident of that when it came to the expulsion of the Knights Templar. King Philip the IV was deeply in debt to the Knights Templar after he borrowed a ton of money to wage his war against England. And after the King arrested all of the Templars in France he pressured the Pope until he wrote a Bull which instructed all Christian Monarchs Loyal to the Pope in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets.

Towards the end of the 14th Century Catherine of Seina convinced Pope Gregory XI the 7th of the Avignon Popes to come back to Rome. Which caused the Western Schism & the eventual fall of the Catholic Church when it came to the amount of influence it wielded. The French Cardinals elected their own Pope in protest & all of a sudden there were two Popes & eventually 3 Popes.

Then there was the Council of Constance that ended the schism by selecting a new Pope. And giving the idea that perhaps the Church Concils held more authority than the Pope like it used to be back under the Roman Empire & before.

And after the Popes lost their influence & christians started to ? their authority it all went down hill from there. The Kings wanted more power. Priests & Monks began to turn to the Bible as the main source of authority. And the Protestant Reformation Broke Out. The Monarchs realized they'd have more power if they adhered strictly to the Bible than to the Pope.

The Popes were able to keep a few Kings in line for about a century or two. Until the Enlightenment came along. And between the European Kings interest in more power & wealth & the revolutions & bloody democracies that broke out all of the special priviledges the Catholic Church had were stripped away. Stripped away quickly and violently by democratic movements in Europe & stripped away slowly but surely by what was left of the Catholic Monarchs.

Until finally in the 19th Century until the Italian Army, commanded by General Raffaele Cadorna, crossed the papal frontier to take the Papal States in 1870 & basicly forced the Pope to confine himself to the Vatican after he would not accept Leonine City as a replacement & would not call the new unified Kingdom of Italy legitimate.

And so ended the Catholic Church's authoritative influence over anything other than it's own Clergy. And today the Pope says Catholics shouldn't be on birth control & the laity just laughs at him. He also tells leaders to stop abortion & to stop waging war & they say, yeah whatever. Personally other than the s*x scandals i think the Catholic Church is as uncorrupt as it's ever been. And i kind of wish world leaders would actually listen to the Pope's now a days. Because many of them have some very good things to say. But like anything else they have less power now so their ability to hurt people is less. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely, even when it comes to Religion & Clergy Members.

Answer 3

In the middle ages much the concern was with the afterlife, as opposed to the current one so religiously the Church held a lot of power. The Church held power over your very soul - commoner or nobleman. Eventually that power was used to collect taxes and tithes which in turn created more power and influence. Along with it came corruption, when religious titles/positions could be given/purchased, indulgances sold, etc.