Isobel Salemo

Who had more power in the Middle Ages? The Pope or Monarchs?

Christianity had begun to spread. Jesus' apostles and followers spread the word, and the

church sent missionaries to teach and preach to people. Christianity has over two billion

followers, and it is one of the largest religions today. The Middle Ages were between the fall of

Rome and the Renaissance (about 476CE – 14th Century)1. During this time, no great leaders

were born, and there were no scientific achievements. Overall, there was little to no development

during this time. The tension between Monarchy and the Church escalated. Popes and Monarchs

fought for power. But the question everyone wanted to be answered was: who was ultimately

more powerful?

Monarchs were not directly involved with their people. The monarchs controlled the

feudal lords. These lords had control over the farms and the people who worked on the farms.

The Monarchs were less involved than the lords. For example, in the 7.3 packet, "The Power of

the Church in the Middle Ages," there is a photo of what a manor ordinarily looked like2. The

Church located in the center of the photo, the heart of the village. The Lord's Manor house is off

to the side. This is an example of how the Church was more involved. They could see more of

the village, and they were very connected to the people. If monarchs went against the pope's

wishes, the pope could excommunicate the Monarchs and their people. This meant that they were

no longer welcome to receive the sacraments, which meant they could not obtain salvation.

1
History.com Editors. “Middle Ages.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Apr.
2010, www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/middle-ages.
2
7.3 The Power of the Church in the Middle Ages packet
People were angered by this and would rebel against the monarch unless the monarch agreed to

the pope's terms.

The pope had more power than the monarchs. The pope published the "Act of Papal

Supremacy" which stated "Princes have power on earth, priests have power over the soul. As

much as the soul is worthier than the body, so much worthier is the priesthood than the

monarchy..." 3This passage compares princes and priests, which makes a bold statement because

princes were important in the monarchy, while priests were not very powerful in the hierarchy of

the church. Churches could control many aspects of social life. The church had political,

economic, and religious power. The church was religiously powerful because it spread

Christianity all over Europe, and it amassed many followers. Only the monks were educated

enough to be able to read, so the people trusted the monks to guide them on how to be good

Christians. The people could not read the bible for themselves, so they had no way of knowing if

the monks and priests were lying to them. The church also had some control over politics, which

infuriated the monarchs. They were able to manipulate the non-secular rulers. The church could

excommunicate the rulers if they did something the church agree with. If a leader was

excommunicated, their entire kingdom often faced interdiction, meaning nobody in that

community could receive the sacraments, therefore, preventing everybody from achieving

salvation. If the monarch went through with this, there would be riots and rebellions. and the

kingdom would most likely fall apart. Because of this, the monarchs almost always gave in or

made a compromise with the pope. The pope and the church were also economically powerful.

They collected a tithe from anybody who was a loyal Christian. If someone refused to pay, they

could be excommunicated. The church manipulated the people, and it gave them more power.

3
Question 3 in the 7.3 Packet
 The pope and the monarch were both very powerful, but the pope had more control over

the people, and he could manipulate the monarch. The pope had control over economics, politics,

and religion. The pope had more influence over the people during the middle ages.