In the tenth- and eleventh- centuries, the Church become under what is known as Lay Control. Lay Control is when authority takes control over some business, agency, etc. In this case, the local lords controlled the Church. This led the Church to become a part in the feudal system. Then all of this signals Pope Leo IX to take a stand and do something. Later in the eleventh-century, we then see St. Gregory VII, whom the Gregorian Reform was named after, in a fight with the emperor of Germany, Henry IV. And finally, Christendom and its meaning.
This all began with the Church becoming entangled in the feudal system. The lords had lain control over the Church and its popes. The lords, as this is a part in feudalism, then, must choose the Church’s vassals and priests. Both types of people were chosen, were usually chosen by their political reasons; not by their religious reasons. The vassals and priests were condemned to serve their lord. The priests, who could have just been the lord’s brother and cousin, then would preach only what the lord wanted. Since religion was not being preached, the spiritual rigor was declining. Eventually, all of this led to the Modern Reform and soon to the Gregorian Reform.
Around the early eleventh century, the Moderate Reform was created. Although, it hardly made any improvement, it is still important to know how papacy was being pushed back up to how it used to be before the lords had taken control of the Church. The one who had most to do with this reform was Pope Leo IX. At first, he was chosen to be pope by the emperor of Germany, which Leo had declined. However, in the end Leo become the Pope and tried to make an impact. He realized that everyone had seem to forgotten how much power the Pope had, and decided to show the people and the emperor that. At the time, there was simony, which were the people would buy their way into a religious office, clerical marriage, where different people of different religions would marry each other, and abuses at various councils. Pope Leo IX stopped all of this, earning the collection of seventy-four titles. This led laymen to choose good people for the next role of the popes.
It wasn’t until St. Gregory VII stepped in and took control, that the Church was coming back to what it was known for. Gregory then began the Gregorian Reform. In 1075, Gregory deposed the clerics who were chosen by the laymen, who in turn would be excommunicated; therefore, have no more part in the services of the Church. At last, the Church was becoming not longer controlled by the authorities. However, Henry IV is not happy with this and he seeks out Gregory. Gregory, after he is threatened by Henry, excommunicates Henry. In 1077, Gregory lifts the excommunication off of Henry, but three years later, Henry had crushed the nobles who had moved against him, and Gregory excommunicated him again. However, the emperor drives Gregory out of Rome. Gregory never returned having died, exiled.
Christendom was the idea of Christian Catholics being everywhere in the world and united. The monasteries, Cistercians, bishops, and abbots somehow and someway helped govern different parts of the world. The monasteries would send out their monks from one country to another and spread the word of the Gospel. Likewise, the cistercians went around the world choosing which superiors to tell the Gospel about; however, it did not matter what that country was known for. Bishops and abbots preached in countries far from the ones of where they were born. Other ways of the Gospel were spread in things like artwork, and Universities of Professors. Finally, the Church was back and it was spreading the word of Christ. However, today, fewer people seem to be becoming Christians and churches are being controlled by the government. Are we going to need another Gregorian Reform or is it time for us Christians to take a stand together and get out there and do what we were made to do? I hope you’ll help spread the word so that people have only died once: YODO.
~Perrissa
Perrissa's 10th Grade School Blog 