More on the power of the Church

Christendom

Because of its link with Rome, services in the Catholic Church world-wide (an area known as Christendom) were always held in Latin, the language of the Romans. A Christian traveller could go anywhere within Christendom and hear the same service. Latin had become the international language:

  • The language of religion in Europe
  • Therefore, the language of scholarship.

The papacy also exercised considerable political power during the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. Some Popes raised armies and went to war as a result of frequent disagreements among the kingdoms and empires of France, Spain, Holland, Germany and England, all of which were exacerbated during the Reformation.

Scan and go

Scan on your mobile for direct link.