The End of the Middle Ages

The stage is set for the Reformation

The World is Changing During the High Middle Ages there was a

strong papacy. Roman families no longer elect the pope. College of Cardinals is established.

Cardinal> from the Italian for Hinge. Literally the Hinge Men into the papacy

The building of Cathedrals The creation of European universitiesBut also:The split between the Eastern and Western

churches.The Crusades

The End of the Middle Ages The Black Death 1/3 of Europe dies Fleas on the back

of rats Symptoms show

within 7 days. Swollen glands Coughing and

blood.

The mind of the people The Church couldn’t

help Doctors couldn’t help No known cure Death, fear, hostile

mobs. Death is everywhere

and influences art, music, folklore and

People’s religious sense too.

Review pg 181 Describe briefly the

effects of the Black Death on Europe

What was the typical relationship between the Avignon popes and the French kings?

What message did Catherine of Siena bring to Pope Gregory XI?

What was the Great Papal Schism?

Avignon Papacy Philip of France gets

Pope Clement V (FR.)elected

C.V. Moves to Avignon, France!

70 years-7 popes Puppets of the French

King! The papacy absent

from Rome was disturbing to many ?Christians in Europe

Avignon Papacy The move to

Avignon drained the church treasury.

French popes resorted to simony to support the lavish life at the Avignon court

The English were resentful of a papacy controlled by the French.

The Western Schism Gregory XI returns to

Rome in 1376*( Catherine’s influence?) He dies and there is

mob pressure to elect a pope. Urban VI.

Cardinals felt pressure so deny the election and elect Clement VII.

Neither was willing to give up his claim to the throne of St. Peter

*picture: Gregory XI

Catherine of Siena 1347-1380 While in prayer she

understood that God wanted the pope back in Rome.

The people needed this reassurance and only in Rome could a pope negotiate peace between England and France

What is a Mystic? A mystic is one who, above all else in life,

desires to know, not in the intellectual sense of knowing, the deepest Truth of existence. A mystic is one who senses more to life than making a living or being of service in the world although these things are both necessary and good. The mystic, however, is looking beyond an exclusive or preoccupied focus on these survival or self-actualization to something more.

What is a Mystic? A mystic is looking to discover the deepest

truth of our being as incarnate souls; to understand our greatest potential as reflections of God; to realize our wholeness within the ground of all. The primary interest in life for the mystic is to discover truth, to know God, to see into humanities whole nature. The mystic sees all of life as an abundant opportunity to discover, realize, and express the Divine.

Catherine’s Words Holy Church should return to her first

condition, poor, humble, and meek as she was in the holy time when men took note of nothing but the honor of God and the salvation of souls..For ever since she (the Church) has aimed more at temporal(earthly) than spiritual, things have gone from bad to worse…

Return to Rome..let not your holy desire fail on account of any scandal or rebellion of cities which you might see or hear.

Be manly in my sight, and not timorous( fearful)

The Western Schism Europe splits into 2

camps. Some for Clement VII* >Avignon

Eng. Gm. For Urban VI> Rome

Get this! Some cardinals elect another as a compromise. Alexander V.

* Picture: Clement VII

The Western Schism

Alexander V makes it 3 popes!

Concern> Which one do we listen to?

At the Council of Constance1414-1418

One resigned, one declared to be false , the third abdicated( Gregory XII legit)

Martin V accepted by all*

Picture: Martin V

The World is Changing

Commerce is on the upswing.New emerging middle class which

thought more independentlyRenaissance>”rebirth” of Greek

learning, stressed the human more than the divine. The “medieval person” looked heavenward. The “renaissance person” focused on human creative efforts

The World is Changing

The church no longer looked on as the ONLY source of beauty, wisdom and guidance

Many popes were infected by the spirit of the Renaissance and were more worldly than spiritual.

For Example…….

…Pope Alexander VI

His papacy was marked by:

Nepotism, simony, military expeditions, political and financial intrigue and even

Murder!Popes like this did not

shed a good light on the church

Review questions Page 184 List 3 positive Renaissance developments

that were started or encouraged by popes What was the significance of Gutenberg’s

printing press for cultural and religious development?

>What invention in our own time would you say has had a similar impact on society? What behaviors of Renaissance popes made Christians ashamed of them?

Worship> Late Middle Ages The theology of the Eucharist emphasizes,

above all, the real presence of Christ in the consecrated elements of bread and wine.

Transubstantiation= the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.

Awareness of the transubstantiation and the real presence generated a great sense of reverence.

This sense of reverence inhibited laypeople from participating in the mass.

They watched from afar

Watching from afar… Cathedrals are large

spaces and the lay people were already far from the altar

Priest has his back to the people and sometimes behind a screen.

Longed for a glimpse of the host

Rarely received communion.

Devotion to Saints As the mass did not

involve people much they found a way to express their faith through a devotion to the Saints.

Awareness of the holy examples of those who have gone before us.

We do not worship saints

Relics> physical reminders

The saints remind us of God’s love for us.

Indulgences ARE: Privileges that offer the

release from the purification of the soul that occurs in purgatory.

A way for people, through prayer and fasting to purify themselves for the next life.

Must be contrite Must be officially

sanctioned by the church

ARE NOT: A free pass to

heaven Something a

person can buy Something the

Church no longer practices

Review ?’s 188What aspects of how the Mass was

celebrated in the Late Middle Ages reduced the laity’s

participation?

What are indulgences?

How were they abused in medieval times?