Papal Monarchy In The High And Late Middle Ages

Throughout history, it can be seen that the Papal Monarchy of the Catholic church had strong power over their people. This is particularly true of the time of the call to the Crusades, a sequence of wars with the purpose of regaining the Catholic holy land. Yet, during the High and Late Middle ages the power of the Papal Monarchy began to decrease. There were many contributing reasons for this decline, but a few primary reasons can be identified. The Papal power declined in the High and Late Middle ages because of dissent among church leaders, questioning of church practices and teachings, and the lack of help that the church offered during calamitous times. During the Middle ages, there was strong disagreement among church leaders. A prime example of this is what is called the “Great Schism.” The Great Schism occurred in 1378 and lasted until 1417. It represented a time where there was a split in church leadership. To put it simply, this split occurred when two people, Pope Urban VI and Clement VII, disagreed strongly on matters of church reform and both claimed to be the rightful pope (McKay 340). During this time, the people were divided and didn’t know who to look to for strength as they had previously done. Accordingly, Papal power over the people lessened and

Various people, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wycliffe, and many others publically questioned the way the church decided to handle matters. For instance, Martin Luther opposed the church practices such as vows of celibacy and the giving of indulgences which prompted him to make movements ‘against’ the church. His “Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences” especially had a moving effect on the people, causing them to protest against the church (392). Hence, individuals disputing church teachings or practices prompted others to do the same, weakening Papal