The Great Schism From 1305 to 1416, the Catholic Church reached its lowest point in history. Corruption was widespread, the Church's authority was undermined, and its leadership was divided. The Church no longer had a strong foundation, the papacy jumped back and forth from Avignon, Fran...

Controversies Between Church and State During the Middle Ages, church and state leaders had many battles. Some who were involved were Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich IV and Pope Gregory VIII; King II and Archbishop Thomas Becket; King Philip IV and Pope Bonifa...

The Catholic Reformation I INTRODUCTION Counter-Reformation, movement within the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries that sought to revitalize the Church and to oppose Protestantism. Some historians object to the term as implying only the negative elements in the movement, and t...

War, What is it Good For? "O bravest of knights, descendants of unconquered ancestors, do not be weaker than they, but remember their courage....Set out on the road to the holy sepulchre, take the land from that wicked people, and make it your own....Set out on this journey and you will ob...

Defending Martin Luther I. The Catholic Church and its problems In the beginning of the 16th century Western Europe only had one religion, Catholicism. The Catholic Church was very powerful and rich. The church made practices to impose reforms and the lax practices had grown up in the church. Ch...

Elizabeth I and Religion The development of nation states was essential to the Early Modern Period. The ability of countries to unify their populations around a central capital proved critical to their long-term strength. The Protestant Reformation brought this state building into question, for...

Queen Elizabeth came into power of England during a somewhat transitional period. Many watched her carefully to see what she would do. Elizabeth was patient and savvy. She used good political strategy to accomplish her goals, and maintain order in England. She maintained a cool and patient head whe...

Christianity's Reformation In its two-thousand year history Christianity has faced many challenges that forced changes in its belief or organization. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges occurred when Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses on that parish church door in Wittenbe...

Christianity The period from the eighth to the fourteenth century was one of vast reforms, some for the better and some for the worse. During this period in Europe, commonly known as The Middle Ages, economic reforms took place as well as social, political, and religious changes. One common th...

The period from the eighth to the fourteenth century was one of vast reforms, some for the better and some for the worse. During this period in Europe, commonly known as The Middle Ages, economic reforms took place as well as social, political, and religious changes. One common theme ...

Frederick Barbarossa, like other men of his age, was influenced by a growing resurgence of neoclassical sensibilities. It should not therefore be considered surprising that he would have considered himself ruling as "Frederick, by the grace of God emperor of the Romans and august forever....

The period from the eighth to the fourteenth century was one of vast reforms, some for the better and some for the worse. During this period in Europe, commonly known as The Middle Ages, economic reforms took place as well as social, political, and religious changes. One common th...

Crusades In the Middle Ages, Christians considered Palestine the Holy Land because it was where Jesus had lived and taught. The Arabs had conquered Palestine in the 600s. Most Arabs were Muslims, but they usually tolerated other religions. Jews and Christians who paid their taxes and obse...

Who was greater: the Pope or the Emperor/Kings? Ever since the legalization of Christianity in 313, popes and emperors have been involved in numerous disputes about who was the head of Christian society. Emperors claimed authority, making reference to precedence such as Constantine and the Council...