How did the Catholic Church use religious power to maintain political power in Medieval Europe?

Answer 1

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking-- the Catholic Church was both a religious and a political entity in Medieval Europe, and thus used both its political and religious infludence to maintain its position. As it was the only counterbalance to absolute rule by monarchs, its use of power was not only important for its own well-being but for that of the civil authorities as well.

The Church was the primary repository of historical knowledge and learning-- very few people, even in the ruling classes, were literate in the early Medieval period, and it was only in the Church that literacy was maintained. Thus, one means by which the Church held political power was that it provided the clergy (clerks) to the ruling classes-- all written documents sent between kings and nobles were both written down and then read by clergy. The Church's monasteries also maintained and hand-copied all the texts and books-- not merely religious texts and Scripture, but science, mathematics, natural history... all that knowledge was maintained by the Church.

There were some serious struggles over power between the Church and the monarchies. I will not go into detail about the Investiture Controvery of the 11th Century, although it may be at the root of your question (going into detail would take pages and pages of response-- more than Yahoo would appreciate). Short version: the question was over who could "invest" senior churchmen (bishops, abbots, etc, and even some pastors) with their symbols of office. For some time, lay investiture had been in effect-- the king or local lord would present the new bishop with his symbols of office-- the ring and crozier. Under Pope Gregory VII, this was forbidden, because of what it represented-- that the Church's power was given to it by the lord. Under the Gregorian reform, only the Church could invest churchman with such symbols, thus signiying that their power comes directly from God through His Church, and not from the civilian ruler. The ruler of what is now Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (who, as the saying goes, was neither holy nor Roman, and only barely an emperor!), objected, and created his own "anti-pope". Pope Gregory's response was to excommunicate him. Henry backed down, and stood barefoot in the snow for three days outside Canossa, where the Pope was residing, until he was forgiven by the Pope. The Pope granted him absolution, but he lost his throne-- the Bavarian princes he ruled put someone else onto the throne. Henry later got himself re-excommunicated, and attacked Rome, putting another anti-pope, Clement III, onto the papal chair.

Meanwhile, and without as many fireworks, lay investiture was renounced in England by another Henry (Henry I) in 1106 (but with the agreement that the Church's representative would pay homage to the king before being consecrated. On the Continent, a similar compromise was worked out in the city of Worms (really!), in 1122.

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The Church held the power to excommunicate, but had no armies. The civil authorities had armies, but their power was limited to this world and not the next. This balance of power continued until the Reformation, which arguably marked the political end of the Medieval era (an equal argument could be made for Guttenberg's printing press as marking the end of the era, but since it was part of what gave rise to the Protestant Reformation, it's really moot).

Answer 2

Find Rodney Stark's book "For the Glory of God" (Princeton University Press, 2003) and read the chapter called "God's Truth". He deals extensively with this very question.

One thing he does in his writing that surprised me a little is to separate out the "Church of Power" from the "Church of Piety" through the medieval period. He notes that from the very beginning, there were always men & women interested in following Christ and taking their religion seriously. He refers to them as the "Church of Piety" and see them in such reform movements as the Benedictines, the Cistertians and the Franciscians.

However, after Emperor Constintine confered Imperial Favor on Christianity in 313 (Edict of Milan), there were also those who were only interested in the church for what they could get out of it. These people he calls the "Church of Power". He notes that the Roman aristocracy early on seized on a career in the church as a route to influence and prestige. Despite repeated attempts to purge the Catholic Church of simony (that is, buying or bribing your way into office), the purchase of clerical offices (included the Papacy) continued on and off right up to the Protestant Reformation.

Answer 3

Popes were just as powerful as kings back then. By not being educated, popes and kings could generate the right propaganda to assist in fighting whatever cause was important to them at that moment. It made it easy to re-write and interprete the bible as they saw fit. Poor and un-educated people treat religion and society the same in the sense that they believe their leaders know best and essentially have their best interest at heart. We know that to be false. Catholics are not encouraged to read the bible even though devout catholics own at least one, yet they still rely on the church to do all interpetations for them. LIke religian, politics is the same today as it was then, corrupt! Often times it is worse when religion and politics are one in the same.

Answer 4

Fear and intimidation. Brainwashing the populace into believing that their eternal lives were at stake, and the only way to heaven was through the church. As believes the populace, so believe the politicians. Back then, it was even easier, as the Church only had to convince the royalty of the risk of eternal damnation. When a sword is hanging over your neck, and all you are is a serf crawling in the mud, it's a pretty simple decison.

Answer 5

The Pope exercised almost absolute theocracy. Watch Elizabeth I on Hallmark Channel and you'll figure it out on your own.

God knows best

Peace and Love

Answer 6

Your question is great, but it's not simple to give an answer. It (I mean church) determinated relations between aristocracy and ''folk''. There are lot of books about Middle Ages, but I don't know exactly what you have translated. If you want to ''speak'' about Middle Ages, you' ll write to me. By.

Answer 7

the Catholic Church BECOME THE POLITICAL POWER

Answer 8

Adapting to what ever doctrine came along. That is why its called catholic. It means universal.
They were and are willing to adopt anything that sounds good and people want to hear.
People hear what they want, they go back for more.

Answer 9

The answer to this would be another Bible. Be precise.

Answer 10

it was theocracy