Reformation essays

Reformation essays Assess the condition of the Roman Catholic Church on the eve of the reformation. In the 1400 - 1500's there were many changes that took place. These changes were religious, political, social and economical. In the 1500, a large part of Europe was Christian. Muslims were common too though, especially in Spain. Europe was small and poor in the 1500's: this was before the spread of literacy. The government was feudal in nature (kings and nobles) The Pope unified Christianity, but the land was divided into nation states. Europe main countries were England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Holy Roman Empire. This division was due to the concern with what was beneficial to themselves. The Holy Roman Empire was called "holy" because it was christianised. The Holy Roman empire was the centre of the roman catholic church as it was the home to the Pope. The History of Holy Roman Empire began with Charlemagne who was crowned by Pope Leo III. The Holy Roman Empire had less than 50 cities, they were independent from the princes. They were centres of culture and wealth. Most people were farmers that did not own their land but paid rent. The structure of the church basically considered of the secular clergy; these were the parish priests, they were responsible for the people the church and society. Then there was Parishes were headed by a bishop in diocese. Then there were Bishops. The Bishop did the sacraments, ordination, confirmation etc. The Bishops were in charge of the school system. Then there was the Archbishop. Bishops and Archbishops were responsible for large areas, therefore they were well paid. Archbishops were elected by other clergy, but these elections soon became a formality. Contact with the bishop or archbishop was mainly for legal or repayment reasons. Then above everybody was the Pope. The Pope "ran the whole show" and had a great many judicial powers The church developed a legal system (church courts). Ecclesi...