Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion in Western Europe during the Middle Ages:

  • Without a common government to hold everyone together, the Catholic Church filled an important role in peoples’ lives

  • The Catholic Pope became the strongest political  leader in Western Europe

  • Each territory in medieval Europe had a church which provided order on the manor 

  • Priests controlled peoples’ access to heaven by delivering the sacraments & absolving sins

  • Peasants’ lives were hard, but the hope of a salvation in heaven kept them loyal & obedient the Church

  • Local priests were the main contact most people had with the Catholic Church

How did priests influence the lives of medieval peasants?

A) By managing agricultural production

B) By controlling access to education

C) By delivering the sacraments and absolving sins

D) By organizing trade routes

Who was the main point of contact for most people with the Catholic Church in medieval Europe?

A) Nobles

B) Knights

C) Local priests

D) Monks

  • The Catholic Church conducted spiritual rituals (called sacraments) & created a system of rules called Canon Law that all Christians had to follow

  • Christians who violated Canon Law could be excommunicated (banished from the church)

  • Medieval Christianity was so important that small churches were built on manors, but large cathedrals were built in cities   

  • In 1095, the Islamic Empire invaded & took the holy city of Jerusalem 

  • Pope Urban II issued a call to Christians for a Crusade (a holy war) to regain control of the Holy Land 

  • Over the next 300 years, Christians fought Muslim armies in 9 different Crusades

  • Merchants wanted access to trade routes 

  •  The Pope wanted to unite Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox Christians & regain holy lands from Muslims

  • Knights wanted to support the Church; Many hoped to gain land & wealth

What was the primary goal of

the Crusades?

A) Spread of Islam

B) Economic expansion

C) Reconquest of Christian lands

D) Exploration of new territories

Which city was a focal point of the First Crusade in 1095?

A) Jerusalem

B) Rome

C) Constantinople

D) Alexandria

Who called for the First Crusade in 1095?

A) Pope Urban II

B) King Richard the Lionheart

C) Sultan Saladin

D) Emperor Alexios I Komnenos