Why Did Christians Attack Christians in the Crusades in 1095?

(The Answer Starts Years Before)

• The first picture is of Leo IX, Pope of the Western Church based in Rome (1049-1054)

• The bottom picture is of Michael the Patriarch of the Eastern Church based in Constantinople (1043-1059)

• They excommunicated each other in 1054 and started a schism that lasted until the 1960’s

• This break between the Western and Eastern churches is called the Great Schism.

Definitions You Should Know:

• schism (noun).• the division of a group into mutually antagonistic

factions

• a faction formed as a result of a schism

• a division within a religious denomination or a breaking away from it, usually on the grounds of differing beliefs or practices

Definitions You Should Know:

• Excommunicate: – To exclude a baptized member of the Church

from the ceremonies and sacraments of the religion, most especially Holy Communion which is crucial for Christian worship

– To be put out of Church membership

The Great Schism Happened as a Result of these Issues:

• Power issues: Papal Supremacy vs.. the Eastern View of Bishops as “Brothers” of Equal Importance (the Pentarchy)

• Doctrinal issues (what was believed to be correct belief) like use of icons, the nature of Christ, celibate or married priesthood, and Papal infallibility

• Political issues like the Pope supporting the Franks who had taken historically Byzantine colonies.

Let’s Look at Each of Those Causes More Carefully

The Second Commandment:

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.

Exodus 20:4

As a Result:• Emperor Leo III (717 to

741) thought that the use of icons was against the Second Commandment and a sin. He also saw that it was a major obstacle to the conversion of Moslems who held tightly to the commandment…. And at that point Byzantium bordered by many Islamic lands.

Destruction of Icons• So in 726 CE he published

a decree that declared that all images were idols and ordered their destruction.

• His son Constantine V carried out the order with gusto! (You can see all the gold has been removed and the wood that this icon was painted upon was broken and then glued back together --(white lines.)

“Icon 101”• The word icon comes

from the Greek word eikon which means “likeness or image of”.

• Icons for our study are religious art that depicts stories or persons of Christians

• Icons were made as long ago as the first century CE.

• This is a website to explore: http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Byzantium/byzantium_main.asp

Some icons were/are believed to possess miraculous powers especially the icon of

Theotokos (Mary the Mother)

Another Definition to know: Iconoclast (noun)

• From Greek meaning “icon smasher”

• Is a noun used to mean someone who wanted to destroy icons and not have them used (historic meaning)

• Currently an iconoclast is a person who challenges or overturns traditional beliefs, customs, and values

The Western Church and the Pope

disagreed: • In the area that Rome

had lost (Europe) that the Pope’s controlled icons were very necessary!

• Icons were a big help in teaching folk who couldn’t read about Christianity!

So what happened: • The Popes of the time Gregory II

and Gregory III had a fierce battle about icons with Leo and his family.

• First Gregory III excommunicated Leo and all other iconoclasts of the East (Byzantium)

• Next Leo sent a fleet of war ships to sea near Ravenna

• Then there was a storm which sunk many of his ships.

• As a result of this “act of God,” as far as the Pope and the Western Church was concerned, Leo lost his hold in the Byzantine colonies in the Italian peninsula and the Pope’s power was increased in that area.

The Council of Nicaea!

• The Western and Eastern Churches argued and insulted each other about this for many years.

• Finally in 787 a council was called to solve the argument.

• Representatives from both the Pope and the Patriarch attended.

Primary Source of the Decision on Icons:

It was determined that "As the sacred and life-giving cross is everywhere set up as a symbol, so also should the images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the holy angels, as well as those of the saints and other pious and holy men be embodied in the manufacture of sacred vessels, tapestries, vestments, etc., and exhibited on the walls of churches, in the homes, and in all conspicuous places, by the roadside and everywhere, to be revered by all who might see them. For the more they are contemplated, the more they move to fervent memory of their prototypes. Therefore, it is proper to accord to them a fervent and reverent adoration, not, however, the veritable worship which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine Being alone — for the honor accorded to the image passes over to its prototype, and whoever adores the image adores in it the reality of what is there represented."

However, Suspicion and Distrust Remained….

A Second Reason for the Great Schism: Power and Politics

• The Pope (in 800 CE) needed a strong secular ruler to keep order so that the Church could thrive and continue to create converts and keep folks faithful to Christianity….

• His lands were being attacked by a group named the Lombards (yep, like the area of Italy called Lombardy….)

Definition to know: secular

• Not religious or spiritual in nature

• Person or group that is focused on “day to day life” and the needs of Earthly existence in contrast to a focus on spirit or an afterlife

A Fateful Decision:

• Pope Leo III found such a ruler in Charlemagne -- King of the Franks….

• To ensure a strong connection between Charlemagne and the Church the Pope crowned Charlemagne “Holy Roman Emperor”

• The Byzantine Empress Irene didn’t like that much!

The Empress Irene of the Byzantine Empire

• Originally from Athens, she was brought to Constantinople to be the bride of Emperor Constantine V

• She had one son and when her husband died she ruled as a Regent from 780 to 790

• She actively participated in the Council of Nicaea and seemed to be making peace with the West

• But …..when her son, Constantine VI grew old enough to want to rule on his own…She had his eyes gouged out and imprisoned him….He died of the wounds and she became the first woman ruler of Byzantium

Irene as Emperor (She didn’t call herself Empress….)

• Men (especially the Pope) didn’t recognize her right or ability to rule….

• And so the Pope crowned Charlemagne• Irene tried at that point to arrange a

marriage between she and Charlemagne• That didn’t work out and war between

the Byzantine army and the Frankish knights began over Byzantine holdings near and on the Italian peninsula

• She was overthrown in 802 and exiled to the a small island off the coast of Byzantium where she lead a life of poverty until her death

• Years after her death she was canonized a saint in the Orthodox church for her role in the Council of Nicaea and for her protection of the poor during her rule.

So…Charlemagne is Considered the First Holy Roman Emperor and “The Father of

Medieval Europe”• His name means “Charles the

Great”

• He was 6 ft. 4 in. tall so he was a GIANT to those he ruled

• He valued learning and ancient learning

• He forcibly converted many pagan tribes during his reign

• He stopped the Islamic invaders of Europe at the Pyrenees in the north of Spain

Much of what had been Byzantine’s Empire became Charlemagne’s

Kingdom…

Pope as “Father” or “Brother”

• And because Charlemagne had been given his right to rule by the Pope….

• The Pope’s role and hence the role of the Roman Catholic Church became a dominant power in European society for at least the next 700 years until 1500 or so.

• So when (in 1054) the Patriarch of the Constantinople said he was a “brother” of the Pope (meaning he had equal power and prestige) those were “schismatic” words…..