The Terrible Corruption Of The Medieval Church - 1930 Words

In other words, the Pardoner preached his sermons on greed as to guilt those who listened into being more generous with their money so he could satisfy his own greed. Chaucer gave this excellent example of the terrible corruption of the medieval Church in Canterbury Tales. The Middle Ages spanned from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD through the beginning of the Renaissance. This was a period of great hypocrisy and darkness within the Church and its leaders. The corruption of the Church during the Middle Ages can be studied by exploring the effects of the Black Plague, the resulting corruption within the church, the unbiblical practices that came about, and those who recognized the corruption and fought to expose it. Problems: The†¦show more content†¦Perpetrators: Throughout history, there have been many popes who have promoted these unethical practices. Pope Boniface VIII is one of the most well-known corrupted popes. After making his way up to the position of pope in 1294, Boniface began his tyrannical leadership. He was in favor of papal authority which was the belief that the pope has ultimate authority over the whole church and can exercise it unhindered at any time (Bonsor, Roos). He also felt that he was the supreme authority over not just the church, but over the emperor as well. Boniface abused his power, waging wars, leading conquests, and collecting riches for himself. He also feuded for many years with King Philip IV because he believed the church should not be taxed. Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, was a personal enemy of Boniface because he believed that the emperor and pope should share equally distributed power between them. He also condemned Boniface’s participation in simony. Later, Boniface’s careless actions resulted in Dante’s exile; therefore, Dante reserved a place for Pope Boniface VIII in the eighth circle of hell in his work Inferno for his disgraceful acts against him and the church. In addition to the damage Pope Boniface VIII caused the medieval church, Pope Alexander VI further contributed to the Church’s downfall.Show MoreRelatedSpain: Then and Now Essay783 Words   |  4 PagesCartagena as capital. In the Punic war the Roman army defeats Hannibal and the Carthaginian Empire is inhibited. (It is actually said they ground the stones of Carthage). By the 1st century Roman rule was complete. But this was not an entirely terrible thing, Rome brought, as they did to many colonies both peace and prosperity. But in Spain the most lasting legacy of the Romans would be the introduction of Christianity to Spain. 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