What You Will Learn…
In this chapter, you will learn about life in Europe during the later Middle Ages. Christianity was a major influence on people’s lives during these years. This photo shows the monastery at Mont St. Michel in France. Chapter Time Line |
| Themes: Religion / Society and Culture | | Focus on Themes In this chapter you will learn about Europe in the late Middle Ages, a period important change and new developments. You will see how the Christian religion was a major influence on people’s lives. You will also read about the conflict between religious and political leaders and how this conflict shaped society and culture. Finally, you will learn about important events that …show more content…
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Monks and FriarsSome people were unhappy with the political nature of the church. They thought the clergy should focus only on spiritual matters. These people feared that the church had become obsessed with wealth and power.
The Monks of ClunyAmong those unhappy with the church were a group of French monks. In the early 900s they started a monastery in the town of Cluny (KLOO-nee). The monks of Cluny followed a strict schedule of prayers and religious services. They paid little attention to the world, concerning themselves only with religious matters. | | |
The changes at Cluny led to the creation of a religious order, the Cluniac monks. A religious order is a group of people who dedicate their lives to religion and follow common rules. Across Europe, people saw Cluny as an example of how monks should live. They built new monasteries and tried to live like the Cluniacs.
Other New Orders
By the 1100s, though, some monks thought that even Cluny’s rules weren’t strict enough. They created new orders with even stricter rules. Some took vows of silence and stopped speaking to each other. Others lived in tiny rooms and left them only to go to church