Chapter 10.

1
Popes and Kings 7.6.4

• Popes and kings dominated European society in

the Middle Ages.
 A. Popes and kings ruled Europe as spiritual
and political leaders.

• In the early Middle Ages, nobles and knights held power.

However, as time passed, power shifted to popes and
kings.
 B. The Power of the Popes

1. The pope was the head of the Christian church in western

Europe.
2. The pope had great power because so many people
belonged to the church.
3. People saw the pope as God’s representative on Earth.
4. The pope could cast from the church, or
excommunicate, his enemies.
5. Popes had great political and spiritual power.
 C. The Power of the Kings

1. Europe had been divided into many small states.

2. In three countries, England, France, and the Holy Roman
Empire, kings were the rulers.
3. Kings inherited their titles from their fathers.
4. Kings kept order through alliances and warfare.
5. The leader of the Roman Empire was approved by the
pope, so the region was also known as the Holy Roman
Empire.
 D. Popes fought for power, leading to a
permanent split within the church.

• Although the people of western Europe considered the

pope the head of the church, eastern European people
disagreed.
 E. Pope Leo

1. Pope Leo IX believed that all Christians should answer to

the pope, and that the pope should be the leader of the
whole Christian church.
2. The bishop of Constantinople disagreed with Pope Leo
and wouldn’t recognize his authority, so Pope Leo
excommunicated him.
3. This decision created a permanent split in the church. The
Orthodox Church was formed by Christians who agreed
with the bishop.
4. The rest of the church became known as the Roman
Catholic Church. The pope became one of the most
powerful figures in western Europe.
F. Kings and popes clashed over some issues.

• As popes continued to try to increase their power, they

came into conflict with kings.
 G. Power Struggle

1. Pope Gregory VII came to power in Rome.

2. The pope disapproved of a bishop chosen by the Holy
Roman Emperor, Henry IV.
3. Henry became angry and tried to have the pope
removed; however, the pope excommunicated Henry.
4. Henry had to beg the pope for forgiveness to get back
into the church.
5. This incident made the pope more powerful than the
emperor at that time.