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Religion In The Middle Ages

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The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire which was followed by the Renaissance. The Renaissance originated in Florence, Italy where classical Greece and Rome was reborn. The lessening of feudalism which brought societies to lose respect for the Church was one of the causes of the Renaissance. Instead of practicing feudal government, rulers were centralizing the monarchy, making the king more powerful than the Church. Unfortunately, criticism of the Church in the Late Middle Ages significantly influenced attitudes toward religion during the early Renaissance. The Late Medieval Church confronted various problems throughout the century, which was well remembered during the early Renaissance. During the reign of king Philip IV the Fair, France became an efficient, centralized monarchy. King Philip was a ruthless politician who was determined to dominate the Holy Roman Empire. …show more content…

Although Gregory ended the “Babylonian Captivity” of the church in Avignon, the return to Rome was short lived. Once Gregory died, the cardinals elected an Italian archbishop as Pope Urban VI. Pope Urban wanted to reform the Curia, which the cardinals did not approve of. Since the cardinals couldn’t return the papacy to Avignon, they elected Pope Clement VII. Both of these popes thought they were legitimate and refused to step down. The Council of Pisa declared, “This holy and general council, representing the universal church, decrees and declares that the united college of cardinals was empowered to call the council”. Cardinals representing both popes brought together a council to overthrow the Roman and Avignon Popes, and elect a new pope. Alexander V and Martin V were also elected as new popes, hoping the previous popes would cooperate. As Erasmus described, in The Praise of Folly, “This race of man is incredibly arrogant and touchy”. At the end of the Schism recognized all four of the pope's

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