How Did Papacy Affect The Historical Development Of The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages were characterized by a power struggle between papal and royal supremacy, over who held the ultimate authority over Christendom and their European subjects. Their relationship underwent a significant transformation that dominated the political, economic, and religious landscapes of Europe. This essay will argue that papal supremacy underwent a historic rise and fall during the Middle Ages that was extensively influenced by the papacy’s changing relationship with European powers. Critical events in early, middle, and late medieval European history will be highlighted from the perspective of the papacy in order to demonstrate the gradual, and sometimes drastic, changes that occurred, and how they affected the two institution’s

Between the Western Roman Empire’s collapse and the mid-eleventh century, royal supremacy was superior and the foundations of papal supremacy were in the process of being established. Themes of foreign control, papal vulnerability, changing power dynamics, loss of spiritual power, minor papal defiance and growing papal temporal power appear repeatedly during the papacy’s relationship with external powers in the Early Middle Ages and the beginning of the High Middle Ages. Foreign powers including the Ostrogothic Kingdom, Byzantine Empire and the Frankish and Holy Roman Empire, and Roman aristocratic families, especially during the Pornocracy, Crescentii and Tusculan Papacy, controlled the papacy and the appointing of popes, exploited papal administration and doctrine, and repeatedly were called on to protect the security of the papacy. For example, Byzantine Emperor Justinian installed Pope Vigilius in 537 after deposing Pope Silervius and later deposed Vigilius after he refused to cooperate with him. As well, the papacy was required to wait for royal permission consistently to allow for consecration to occur and had to swear loyalty to their Frankish and Holy Roman Emperors. Frankish forces were also called on by the popes in the 750s and 960s to protect the papacy from the Lombards. Additionally, the foundations of papal supremacy were formed during the Early Middle Ages and the beginning of the High Middle Ages as the papacy challenged the power and influence of their subjugators. For instance, in the late sixth century, Pope Gregory I assumed the responsibility in the late sixth century of protecting Rome from the Lombards as the Byzantines could not defend the papacy. Pope Gregory II in the 720s resisted the Byzantine’s attempt to increase papal taxes, uncovered Byzantine plots to kill him, and challenged Byzantine