The Rise and Fall of the Pope

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The Rise and Fall of the Pope as a Political and Religious Figure during the Middle Ages

In theory , the political system of the Middle Ages appeared to be very sound and simple . The Emperor was the worldly master , tasked to look after the physical wellbeing of his subjects . The Pope , on the other hand , was the spiritual master whose main responsibility was to guard souls (Van Loon , 163 . The Emperor and the Pope were supposed to work together to ensure the lasting happiness

of the people both in this world and in the afterlife

But in practice , this system functioned very poorly . The Emperor habitually attempted to meddle with the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church . In retaliation , the Pope would tell him how he is expected to manage his realm . Using very unceremonious language , both parties would then tell each other to mind their own business . Such clashes between the Emperor and the Pope almost always ended in war (Van Loon , 163

While the Emperor was an extremely wealthy and influential personality the Pope exceeded him in these aspects . Should the Emperor earn the ire of the Pope , the latter can have him and his subjects excommunicated During the Middle Ages , the excommunication of the Emperor resulted in half of the functions of the medieval government grinding to a halt . All churches were closed , no one could be baptized and no dying person could receive absolution . Furthermore , the people were released from their...