Religion During the Medieval Period

Jamie Campbell2nd period

The Churches The main religion during medieval times was the Roman

Catholic Church. The head of the church was the Pope. The church was the seat of learning during the Middle Ages. It

also helped bring peace to Europe. Religions went through various transitions. There was a great

deal of conflicting faiths during this period. In 1534 Henry Vlll made a divorce to Catherine of Aragon and

in her place stepped Anne Boleyn. This divorce caused the break in the Catholic church.

Now there was an “Eastern Church” (the Orthodox) and a “Western Church” ( the Catholic)

This would not be the only break in religion during the Medieval times. Many predicted more to come and some were already starting.

The Crusades The Crusades were a Christian military

campaign who were against the Muslims of the Middle East.

The first crusade began in 1095 when the Muslims captured the Christian’s Holy Land, Jerusalem.

Both battled out deciding who would get Jerusalem. They called these battles crusades, meaning “wars for the cross.”

This first crusade was called the People’s crusade. This is what started it all.

The Crusades After the People’s crusade followed three more

crusades in which the purpose of them was to win back Jerusalem.

Because they did not win Jerusalem back within those three crusades, they made a truce with the Muslims for five years.

The next crusade that followed was the Children’s crusade. This was when the Children thought they could win the Holy Land back with love. In the end, many of them were taken as slaves and captives.

In all there were nine different crusades in which all of them lasted from 1095-1272.

Archbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief

bishop of the Church of England. The choice of who would receive the

Archbishop was made by either the canons of Canterbury Cathedral, the King, or the Pope.

Some roles that the Archbishop had were.. - diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury

- metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Canterbury - Primate of all England - spiritual leader of Anglican Communion

Archbishop of Canterbury(religion v. king)Thomas Becket was chancellor of England from

1155-1162. Soon after he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II.

Him and the king became very good friends shortly because of their similar personal thoughts.

By having Becket at the top of the church, Henry thought that he could show his strong religious institution. He was wrong.

Soon, Becket’s commitment got moved from the court to the Church and he was influenced to go against the king, Henry.

Murder of Thomas BecketBecause of Becket’s stand against the king,

Henry was very angry with him. King Henry ordered four of his knights to go

and find him to have him killed. The knights arrived to Canterbury and

immediately searched for Becket. They found him in the Cathedral and that is where the knights killed him.

Thomas Becket died in December in the Canterbury Cathedral. This upset many people.

Westminster AbbeyThe Westminster Abbey is located in London, England.

It is a Gothic monastery where most English monarchs are usually buried.

This church is owned by a royal family.This church has some of the most wonderful medieval

architecture in London. It is a very famous sight there that most people make an effort to see when they visit London.

This church was built by Edward the Confessor around 1045-1050.

Some other famous churches besides the Westminster Abbey are St. Peter and St. George Church.

Westminster Abbey

Benedictine Monks Everywhere the monks would travel, they would

convert the people into Christianity. They traveled in groups called monasteries where they lived and worked.

The life of a monk is not one of ease. It may be filled with peace, quiet, prayer, meditation, and or other calming things, but their life was not easy. There basic job in life was to work, pray, and study.

The monks lived under strict order. They also all had vows that they had to obtain by. Some were..

-obedience, stability, and conversion in the way of life.

Benedictine MonksSt. Benedict wanted to divide the outside

world and the monastic life of a monk. He wanted them to have an independent, self

supporting community who didn’t need to go beyond their limits for anything.

The daily schedule for a monk was indicated by bells signaling each activity. Their day was filled with church services, work, eat, and sleep.

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