Through the years from the medieval ages up until now, the Roman Catholic Church has always had a major influential presence in all walks of life for European people, whether it was for taxation, the establishing of laws, the rise and fall of monarchs, and even daily social life. Furthermore, the Catholic Church held such power that they could even appoint and dispose of great kings with just the writing of the pen. However, their power started to wane once human curiosity overcome ignorance and blind obedience. For example, the Enlightenment Age brought a series of shocking blows to the Church’s power such as disproving the Church’s theory of geocentricism and presented an age of questioning and secularism. In essence, by looking at the Church’s …show more content…
For example, Bartoleme de Las Casas, a European priest that eventually grew to sympathize with the Native 's sufferings stated that the Natives were “rational, docile, humble, gentle, and simple, who are so well equipped to receive our Holy Catholic Faith and every moral doctrine and who are endowed with such good customs.”6 Furthermore, even the ruthless Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, who conquered the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, noted that praised the Aztec 's civilized way of life by stating “ The manner of living among the people is very similar to that in Spain, and considering that this is a barbarous nation shut off from a knowledge of the true God or communication with enlightened nations, one may marvel at the orderliness and good government which is everywhere maintained.”7 These qualities in the eyes of the missionaries, made the Natives an ideal group for conversion.
Of the text named Bartolome de las casas: In Defense of the Indians(c.1550) it covers what is to be the Spanish Conquistadores, and talks of the natives to which at the time seen by many are barbaric, ignorant, incapable of learning, just another group of people to be conquered. But to the Catholic missionaries they see the Natives as new people to influence and enlighten. But if at any time the person drops the belief of Christianity they would use deadly force against the person or family. Adding to that Hernán comments that their cities are “ worth of admiration because of its building, which are like those of Venice”(Poole 4). While the argument remain if really would the Natives had stood a chance what
The discovery and conquest of American Indians inspired efforts to develop an ideology that could justify why they needed to enslave the Indians. The Spanish monarch wanted an ideal empire. "A universal empire, of which all their subjects were but servants. Charles V remained for them the dominus mundi, the legitimate and God-ordained lord of the world." (Weckmann, The Transit of Civilization, 23) Gold and religious conversion was the two most important inspirations for conquistadors in conquering America. Father Bartolome De Las Casas was a Dominican priest who came to the New World to convert the Indians to become Christians. He spent forty years on Hispanolia and nearby islands, and saw how the Spaniards brutally treated the Indians and sympathized with them. The Devastation of the Indies was an actual eyewitness account of the genocide by Las Casas, and his group of Dominican friars in which he demonizes the Spanish colonists and praises the Indians. Father Las Casas returned to Seville, where he published his book that caused an on going debate on whether the suppression of the Indians corrupted the Spaniards' values. What Las Casas was trying to achieve was the notion of human rights, that human beings are free and cogent by nature without the interference of others.
When the Spaniards arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in 1519, they encountered the advanced society of the Aztecs. With Tenochititlan at its capital, the Aztec empire was vast. The Aztecs had substantial wealth from trading and extensive payments of tribute from conquered peoples. Bernal Diaz in his The Conquest of New Spain comments, "We were dazzled at the richness of the country that we passed through" (282). The Spaniards encountered a powerful, advanced people in the New World, making Cortes and his crew of approximately 600 seemingly ensured of defeat. The Aztec religion lends much to Spanish success in conquest.
The modern state seeks its self-preservation above all else, and history reveals that governments are more than willing to exercise their monopoly on force and coercion in order to cement and defend their authority (5-6). Normally, unified social bodies such as the Church seek to counteract the dominance of the state through their public and political influence. However, when the Church simultaneously abdicates its political connections and powers and interiorizes itself within individual Catholics, it frees the state to exercise its will with little backlash: “Once the church has been individualized and eliminated as Christ’s body in the world, only the state is left to impersonate God”
Humanists had been calling for reform in the Catholic Church long before Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses. Humanism was an intellectual and cultural movement of the Renaissance that emphasized the expansion of mans’ capacities. “[Humanism] was an attempt to discover humankind’s own earthly fulfillment. . . [it] developed an increasing distaste for dogma, and embraced a figurative interpretation of the scriptures and an attitude of tolerance toward all viewpoints” (Sporre 310). This perspective could not differ more from the Church’s strict reliance on tradition. People’s outlook on the world changed, but the Church continued on with what had previously worked. It soon became clear that reform in the Church was not in the foreseeable future, so people decided to take matters into their own hands. As humanism spread throughout Italy and northern Europe, more and more people agr...
Beginning in the very end of the Early Middle Ages and after Charlemagne, Western Europe’s economic and social systems were based around feudalism. Feudalism lasted until the 12th century, but during the High Middle Ages the relationship between feudalism and Catholicism changed. Beginning in the 10th century and continuing into the High Middle Ages, the Church was much more resistant to secular control. At the end of the 11th century, Pope Gregory VII wrote the “Dictatus Papae,” a document that expressed these views.
In the medieval and early modern periods, the vast majority of political power was split between two institutions: the church and the state. In the middle ages, the Roman Catholic church was certainly one of the most influential religious organizations. This church often clashed with the secular monarchs of western Europe. However, it is somewhat inappropriate to refer to these monarchs as secular, since their power had a significant religious basis, just as the church often relied on the military backing of the lay kings. The relationship between spiritual and secular authority is both competitive and cooperative; both groups relied on each other’s support and simultaneously attempted to establish control over the other with no clear winner.
Since it’s founding, the Catholic Church, and particularly the Papacy, have had many rises, peaks and falls. There have been many events and people who have contributed to the increase or decrease in the Church’s authority and stature throughout its history. For example, Charlemagne, Pope Innocent III, and The Black Death have all had major shifting effects on the Papacy and its power and status.
The downfall of the Aztec Empire was a major building block of the Spanish colonial empire in the Americas. Spain’s empire would stretch all the way into North America from the Southwest United States all the way up the Pacific Coast. The unfortunate side effect of this was the elimination of many nations of indigenous people. The three major themes shown in this conquest really give deeper look into the anatomy of this important historical event. Without context on the extent of native assistance given to Cortez in his fight with the Aztecs, a reader would be grossly uniformed. The Spanish conquest was closer to a civil war than an actual conquest. Until reading detailed personal accounts of the fighting it is difficult to judge the deadly effectiveness of the Spaniards technological superiority. Without it is difficult to imagine 500 conquistadors holding thousands of native warriors at bay. Once the greed of Cortez and greed in general of the Europeans one understands that if it wasn’t Cortez if would have just been a different man at a different time. Unfortunately fame and prosperity seem to always win over cares about fellow human beings
Around the last half of the 11th century, Pope Gregory VII not only enacted moral alterations within the Church that had continuous effects, but the Pope also clashed with an influential political leader Henry IV. This supports the idea that these changes are defined as a revolution because a revolution is a sudden and vast change that has lasting effects. Although most of the prominent modifications enacted by Pope Gregory VII altered the ethical lives of Church leaders still remain important today, the doctrines established by the Pope and the emerging power of the papacy radically transformed the political relationship of the Catholic Church and the secular rulers from one of intertwined and unclear powers to an ultimate separation of church
The Catholic Church has long been a fixture in society. Throughout the ages, it has withstood wars and gone through many changes. It moved through a period of extreme popularity to a time when people regarded the Church with distrust and suspicion. The corrupt people within the church ruined the ideals Catholicism once stood for and the church lost much of its power. In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer primarily satirizes the corruptness of the clergy members to show how the Catholic Church was beginning its decline during the Middle Ages.
The role played by the Church was directly entwined with the history and development of Western civilization. Although the church has had an influence on many things during its long history, it had a major impact culturally and philosophically. Specifically, the church had a major influence on the arts and architecture, which resulted in a changed philosophical mindset. The church’s influence on western society led to a had a major influence on art, architecture, and philosophy within these branches led to a had a major influence on the building of Western civilization.
The Church Had enormous influence over the people of medieval Europe and had the power to make laws and influence monarchs. The church had much wealth and power as it owned much land and had taxes called tithes. It made separate laws and punishments to the monarch’s laws and had the ability to send people to war. The church controlled the people of Europe's beliefs and determined holy days and festivals. The people who worked in the church were some of the most educate people. It was one of the powerful institutions in Medieval Europe and even had its own hierarchy. The church, because of its large power and influence, caused the Christian religion to be the most widespread belief in the world. The remnants of the once powerful religion can still be found in many places to day.
In the Western world, the schism within the Catholic Church has made its most significant impact due to rapid changes in social standards. Of greatest importance is the evolution of modern society and their response to the reverberated traditions of the Catholic Church as well as the evolving Protestant sects. In consequence of increases in technology and science, modern society has redefined its acceptable and moral behavioral standards within a social setting, whereas, the Catholic Church stands firm in its doctrines despite social and moral movements in the twentieth century. Except for the Second Vatican Council and the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church has not worked to revise its religious traditions in response to a changing society. As a consequence with this unparalleled development, many young adults and the population in general has swayed from the devout Catholic worship.1
Predominantly located in Western Europe, the Roman Catholic Church played a large role in society during the Middle Ages. Members of the church relied on the teachings of the priest due to the lack of printed bibles and low literacy rates. The power that the church held over the people made citizens fearful to speak out as it may result in excommunication.The Catholic church included a hierarchy of officials which consisted of the pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop, and priest. Over time the papal authority became corrupt and shifted their focus towards power and wealth. The abuses within the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences, educational advances, and the strong leadership of men like Martin Luther lead to the decline