Church corruption and the mendicant orders: Corruption in the
Catholic Church prior to and during the Great Schism was widespread. Clergymen, who were supposed to be well
educated, began to fall into ignorance and led members of the church in an
uninformed way. Clergymen also sold “indulgences” –pardoning sins – at high
prices and promised eternal salvation in return for money. Many of these indulgences severely
overstepped their intended ability and many were illegally forged. Much of this money was then used to
fuel the Crusades, but some of it was simply kept for the clergymen’s
lands. Also corrupt were the
sexual practices of members of the church. Perhaps one of the most controversial was Pope Alexander VI,
who fathered seven children by three mistresses. The emergence of mendicant orders sought to oppose the
cash-game that had become characteristic of the religion. Mendicant friars preached for free
–which began to expose the corruption the people had been experiencing.
The Great Schism:
The Great Schism itself separated Christians into two divisions: the Roman
Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. There are quite a few issues that ultimately led to this
split, one of which was the issue of whether or not the fillioque clause was
valid. The Pope of the West added
the Fillioque clause to the Apostles Creed to reflect the belief that the Holy
Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, not the Father alone –as the
East argued. There were also
numerous small disputes between the two sides over other simple liturgical
practices.
Other issues that led to the Great Schism were some
preliminary schisms. One involving
a conflict between Pope Felix III and Patriarch Acacius concerning the
tolerance of Monophysites (whom Felix called heathens). A second preliminary schism involved
the refusal of Pope Nicolas I to recognize the appointment of Photios in Constantinople.
The disputes concerning the two patriarchs of Rome and of
Constantinople led to much division.
Furthermore, the fact that half of the Christian would spoke Latin and
the other half spoke Greek led to more confusion. There were few people who spoke both languages and
miscommunication was plentiful.
Followers of the church over time were forced to recognize
one of two (or sometimes even three) authorities.
The Schism also incited more fighting among the Princes of
Europe, uprisings among the peasants, and extensive loss of faith in the
church.
The Reformation: The Protestant Reformation was led primarily by
Martin Luther and John Calvin and led to the establishment of the Protestant
Churches. Luther was horrified by
the corruption he saw within the church and sought to reform it. Luckily at this time in history, the
printing press had just been invented.
Luther published and inexpensive pamphlet called Ninety-five Theses and
distributed it among the people of the church. When Luther was later excommunicated by the Pope, John
Calvin published more pamphlets in order to establish some loose agreements
among countries in Eastern Europe.
One of the main outcomes of the reformation was a new widespread
literacy of the people of the church. A more educated body of followers was better able to
understand and participate in the ongoing debates.
The Inquisition and the Wars of Religion: The Inquisition
sought to combat heresy and became widespread after the Great Schism and the
Reformation. As it began, only
baptized members of the church could be convicted and the penalty was often
death by burning. However,
non-members could be tried for blasphemy and put to death as well. The use of torture was implemented
after a decree led by Pope Innocent IV in 1252. There were, however, less permanent penalties for being
convicted of heresy or blasphemy.
Not surprisingly, one could be fined, imprisoned, sentenced to a public
scourging, or ordered to wear a cross.
The Wars of Religion following the Protestant Reformation
were also widespread. Some
countries involved were Germany, Switzerland, France, Bohemia, Denmark,
Scotland, Ireland, and England.
All of these wars were the result of disputes stemming from the radical
religious changes brought about by preceding years. People of the church revolted against uncertain religious
authorities, imposed beliefs, and unjust corruption of the rich and powerful.
Works Cited:
