What was the role of the Church in the Middle Ages?

The role of the Church during the Middle Ages, also known as the Medieval Period, cannot be overstated.  The period of history that spanned from the end of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the early years of the Renaissance in the 15th century was characterized as much by the rise of religion as a factor in politics as by the scourge of the Black Death, which called into question the Church’s actual influence over human destiny. This, after all, was the period of history during which the Catholic Church witnessed its greatest expansion in influence and power. Although, in Arabia, the birth and spread of Islam would pose an increasing challenge to Catholicism across the Asian subcontinent. It was the period of history that witnessed a crusade to rescue the holy city of Jerusalem from Islam, following Pope Urban II’s orders in 1095 to reclaim that tiny parcel of land in the name of the Church. The ability of the pope to set into motion one of the most momentous events in human history—events the consequences of which continue to affect international relations—is testament to the power wielded by the Church during the Middle Ages.

While the power of the pope was substantial, his authority across the expanse of Europe was limited to a degree by the natural restraints of the time, especially in communications and in the dependence of the church on the aristocracy to support its edicts. It was difficult for the pontiffs to extend their control across Europe, so local clergy often exercised more power within their defined fiefdoms than their positions warranted. Additionally, as noted, the spread of the bubonic plague across Europe during the middle of the 14th century and the consequent deaths of tens of millions of people caused many Europeans to question their fealty to an institution that had failed to protect humanity from such a horrific development. That, however, came late in the Middle Ages. For most of that period, the Church played a major role in many fields, including science and the arts. Unfortunately, a major schism in the Church between Roman Catholicism and the Constantinople-centered Eastern Orthodox Church during the 11th century represented the beginning of a major setback for the unity of Christianity.

The role of the Church in the Middle Ages is a seriously broad topic precisely because that period in history spanned so many years and included so many developments. It is suffice to say that the Church wielded a great deal of authority across Europe. Simultaneously, however, it witnessed major challenges to its authority including the rise of Islam and the divisions within Catholicism that resulted in the aforementioned “Great Schism.” Throughout much of this period, human spirituality across Europe was heavily influenced by the Church, and it could be (and was) suggested that its enormous power bred the equally enormous spiritual corruption that rotted the Church from within and led to the Reformation.