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How Did Christianity Influence Feudalism

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Feudalism was a unique form of government; the interdependent relationship of the monarch and vassal caused there to be an unequal balance of power. However, the monarch always remained strong. Feudalism was rooted in the church; there was no separation of church and state, but instead both government and church relied upon each other. There were two types of feudalism, Merovingian and Carolingian. Merovingian was very simple and it developed into a much more complex form, which was Carolingian. The more complex feudalism became the more assets the kings used to govern effectively. Feudalism caused intricate connections to develop between the monarch, townspeople, and church; which helped solidify support for the monarch. In order to establish …show more content…

Christianity had a major influence on feudalism. At the time, the church was a universal culture and Christianity was the main religion in Europe. There was no separation of church and state, instead the two were intertwined. Even before Carolingian feudalism, Christianity had a strong influence as shown through the thaumaturgic monarchy. Constantine had originally established the strong relationship between monarchy and church, but this relationship was strengthened when Pepin received the Pope’s blessing to overthrow the Merovingian King. Some of the most important aspects of medieval culture were rooted in Christianity and honor, which helped feudalism thrive. God was the ultimate authority whom even the Kings abided by. Feudalism was a series mutually contracted obligations involving free warriors; the obligations that allowed feudalism to function were based on blood, oath and honor. The Feudal oath of homage and loyalty were binding to the soul, descendents, and reputation. So constant support was almost guaranteed. The feudal kings were also supported by the strong emphasis on order. This emphasis on order was present in both the feudal system and the church. The position the Pope held in the church was equivalent to the feudal king. It was a God directed society, where God was the ultimate authority for the social structure. The social order was thought to be a reflection of the one in heaven and a good social order meant a close attention to the will of God. The order continued because it was believed tradition was necessary to maintain this. This also led to stability for the monarchy because everyone had a place in society, and no one challenged

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