The Middle Ages were a time of change. This time, lasting from about 400 to 1500, changed many people's lives drastically. In Western Europe, life for many groups was affected. The power and importance of the Pope, the Kings, and the Nobles was greatly altered.
The Pope was affected in many ways. One way was caused when the Pope reformed the church. In the early middle ages, the Catholic Popes had control in many political matters, and feudal lords had control over church officials. In the eleventh century, the church officials figured out that the church needed to become less political and more spiritual. Therefore, they tried to reform the church by stopping the lords from selecting the church officials, which also caused the Pope to be more important. During the twelfth century, their power was changed when they tried to strengthen their power. They ended up becoming so powerful that many kings did what they said because of the Pope's use of spiritual weapons.
King of Greece & family (LOC)
Map of territorial boundaries ca. 450 AD
English: Image captioned "Roman Ruins" from page 2...Eventually, the Popes built a spiritual empire. They had more power than the kings did. If anyone had a problem with something the Pope did, he could excommunicate him or her or use an interdict. Throughout the 1100's to the 1200's, the Church was almost like a kingdom. The Pope's power greatly increased during the Middle Ages.
The King's power and importance changed in the Middle Ages. Towards the beginning, the Kings barely possessed any power. They only had the title. But later on, they were not just political rulers anymore because they acquired some spiritual ruling power too. Many of the Kings of the Middle Ages strengthened their power. They conquered many lands and used nobles to help control their kingdoms. Also, the Kings of this time period grew in importance when...