Topics 10 & 11 Test

Donation of Constantine

750

In the eighth century, the papacy produced a document known as the Donation of Constantine in which the Roman emperor Constantine supposedly granted authority over the western Roman Empire to the pope of Rome; that document was often cited by popes over the next several centuries as “proof” of their authority.

Charlemagne

800

In 800, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the pope, Leo III. Charlemagne completely dominated and looked to use the prestige of the imperial title to cement his hold on power.

A Series of Kings Named Philip (I through IV)

1060

In France, a series of kings named Philip (I through IV) ruled from 1060 to 1314, building a strong administrative apparatus complete with royal judges who were directly beholden to the crown. Philip IV even managed to seize almost complete control of the French Church, defying papal authority.

William the Conqueror

1066

In England, the line descending from William the Conqueror (following his invasion in 1066) was also effective in creating a relatively stable political system. All land was legally the king’s, and his nobles received their lands as “fiefs,” essentially loans from the crown that had to be renewed for payments on the death of a landholder before it could be inherited.

Pope Urban II

1095

In 1095, Pope Urban II summoned the knights of France to holy war to protect Christians in and near the Holy Land. The idea caught on much faster and more thoroughly than Urban could have possibly expected; knights from all over Europe responded as the news spread. Much of the impulse from Crusades came from the fact that Urban II offered unlimited penance to the crusaders (anyone who took part in the crusade would have all of their sins absolved.) The response to Urban proved his power as Pope.

Pope Alexander III

1171

Pope Alexander III authorized the "Northern Crusades." These crusades were led by the Teutonic Knights. They were authorized by various popes not only to conquer and convert, but to rule over the peoples of the east Baltic, and thus by the thirteenth century the Teutonic Knights were in the process of conquering and ruling Prussia, parts of Estonia, and a region of southeastern Finland and present-day Lithuania called Livonia. These kingdoms lasted a remarkably long time.

King John and the Magna Carta

1215

In 1215, a much less competent king named John signed the Magna Carta with the English nobility that formally acknowledged the feudal privileges of the nobility, towns, and clergy. The important effect of the Magna Carta was its principle: even the king had to respect the law. Thereafter English kings began to call the Parliament, a meeting of the Church, nobles, and well-off commoners, in order to get authorization and money for their wars.

Pope Clement V

1305

King Philip IV elected Pope Clement V in 1305. At the time, Rome was a dangerous city so Clement moved himself and the papal office to the French city of Avignon. This created concern among non-French church officials, who feared that the French king, the most powerful ruler in Europe, would have undue influence over the papacy. From 1305 to 1378, the popes continued to work in Avignon. They were not directly controlled by the French king, but they were definitely influenced by French politics.

The Great Conciliar Movement

1417

The Great Western Schism finally ended after a series of church councils, the Conciliar Movement, succeeded in establishing the authority of a single pope in 1417. The movement elected a new pope, Martin V. This event granted the papacy some power back after the Great Western Schism left the Europeans with little fear of papal intervention.

Pope Eugene IV

1431

In 1431, a powerful pope named Eugen IV reconfirmed the absolute power of the papacy after the Great Western Schism and Pope Martin V lessened the strength of the papacy and undermined the very concept of what the papacy was.