Crises in the Late Medieval Church Specific Crises

Crises in the Late Medieval Church

Specific Crises 1. New Heresies. 2. Schism. 3. Lay Reform. 4. Conciliarism.

Decline in the Medieval Church Political & Spiritual Poverty Spiritual Authority § § Temporal Authority Taxing the clergy [clericis laicos] - 1296 Royal courts vs. Church courts Papal Bull [Unam Sanctam] - 1302 Marsilius of Padus [Defensor Pacis] - 1324

Decline in the Medieval Church Official Church Beliefs Theological Differences Heresies § John Wycliffe • John Huss

John Wycliffe and Jan Huss • John Wycliffe- followers called Lollards – Wycliffe, English spokesman for rights of royalty against popes; challenged indulgences, papal infallibility, transubstantiation—anticipates Protestantism • Jan Huss- proponent of Wycliffe in Bohemia. Hussites: followers of Huss – Rejected Wycliffe’s ideas on preisthood and sacrements. – Grafted Wycliffe’s other beliefs into an attack on German dominance of their kingdom. – rector of University of Prague—expelled and fired, appeared at the Council of Constance where he was tried and burned at the stake as a heretic.

The Hussite Wars [1420 -1436]

Decline in the Medieval Church Popes Internal Church Power § Innocent III- Papal monarchy established by Pope Innocent III strengthened the church politically, but weakened it spiritually— undermined popular support § Boniface VIII § The Avignon Papacy [1309 -1377] Church Councils [Conciliarism] § Pisa § Constance § Basel

Boniface VIII (r. 1294– 1303) vs. Philip the Fair (r. 1285– 1314) • French & English kings raise taxes on clergy; Boniface decrees new taxes need papal consent • French king Philip the Fair cuts off flow of money to Rome; Boniface concedes • Boniface issues Unam Sanctam (1302), as confrontation with Philip ramps up, asserting subordination of temporal to spiritual power • French army assault & molest Boniface, who later dies • Result: popes never again seriously threaten European rulers

The Avignon Papacy • Pope Clement V moves papal court here to escape strife of Rome • To get needed revenue, papal taxes go up, and sale of indulgences begins • Pope John XXII (r. 1316– 1334)—most powerful Avignon pope • In 1377 Pope Gregory DIED while in Rome, Italians, afraid the French would appoint a new pope, so they surrounded the church and demanded an Italian be named- the scared Cardinals obeyed.

The Avignon Papal Complex

The Great Schism • Urban VI and Clement VII—rival popes; England & allies support Urban, France & allies support Clement • Conciliar Theory: idea that a representative council could regulate actions of pope- Popes didn’t like the idea that their authority was second to a council • Council of Pisa (1409– 1410): deposed Urban & Clement (who refused to step down), elected Alexander V—three contending popes • Council of Constance (1414– 1417): provided for regular councils every few years • Council of Basel (1431– 1449): height of conciliar government of church; negotiated directly with heretics (Hussites) • Results of conciliar movement: greater religious responsibility to laity & secular governments

The Great Schism: 1378 -1417

WHAT WERE THE EFFECTS OF THE GREAT SCHISM ON THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY? ?

Decline in the Medieval Church FAITH [Scholasticism] § Peter Abelard [Sic et Non] § Thomas Aquinas [Summa Theologica] § Balance between faith and reason disintegrated in the 13 th century. Intellectual Inquiry REASON [Roger Bacon & William of Ockham] • Responsible for the new intellectual climate in Europe. • Dedicated Franciscan. • Believed in extreme poverty, that power to rule didn’t come from pope but from people, • Gov’t should be entirely secular • denied pope’s absolute authority in spiritual matters too. • Developed nominalism- denies that human reason can aspire to certain truth • Died of the plague but his ideas lived on, esp the Church being governed by a council