Church History Unit 5 Test

St. Benedict

Christian monk who founded the Benedictine Order and wrote the Rule of St. Benedict, a set of guidelines for monks that emphasized prayer, work, obedience, and living in community.

Monasticism

religious way of life in which men and women withdrew from everyday society to live in monasteries or convents, dedicating themselves to prayer, worship, and serving God.

Cluny Reform

movement that began in the 900s to strengthen the Catholic Church by making monasteries independent from local rulers and returning monks to strict religious practices and discipline.

William of Aquitaine

powerful French duke who founded the monastery of Cluny in 910, helping begin a movement to reform monasteries and make them independent from local rulers.

Pope Leo IX

pope from 1049 to 1054 who worked to reform the Catholic Church by fighting corruption, ending the selling of church positions (simony), and requiring priests to remain celibate.

College of Cardinals

group of high-ranking Catholic Church officials (cardinals) responsible for advising the pope and electing a new pope when the position became vacant.

The East/West Schism

was the split of Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church in the West, led by the pope in Rome, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, mainly because of disagreements over church authority, beliefs, and religious practices.

The Filioque Clause

phrase added to the Nicene Creed by the Western Catholic Church stating that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, causing disagreement with the Eastern Orthodox Church and contributing to the East-West Schism.

Excommunication

act of officially excluding someone from receiving the sacraments and participating fully in the Catholic Church, often used by church leaders as punishment for serious offenses or disobedience.

Henry IV of Germany

Holy Roman Emperor who clashed with Pope Gregory VII over who had the authority to appoint church officials, leading to his excommunication and the Investiture Controversy.

Gergory VII (Hildebrand)

pope who fought to make the Catholic Church independent from kings and rulers, banned lay investiture (the appointment of church officials by secular leaders), and excommunicated Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy.

Norman Conquest/Battle of Hastings

invasion of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings and took control of England, changing its government, language, and culture.

William the Conqueror

the Duke of Normandy who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, becoming King of England and introducing Norman French culture and feudalism to England.

Henry II of England

an English king (1154–1189) who strengthened the monarchy by expanding royal courts and laws, creating common law, and clashing with the Church over the authority of church courts, especially with Thomas Becket.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

powerful queen who ruled as Queen of France and later Queen of England, married Henry II, and helped influence European politics while supporting culture and the arts.

Thomas Beckett

the Archbishop of Canterbury who opposed King Henry II's attempts to control the Church, leading to his murder by the king's knights in 1170 and making him a martyr and saint.

Crusade

religious military campaign launched by European Christians, mainly to capture or defend the Holy Land (especially Jerusalem) from Muslim control, encouraged by the Catholic Church and the pope.

Urban II

the pope who called for the First Crusade in 1095 at the Council of Clermont, urging European Christians to fight to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control.

Godfrey of Bouillon

a French nobleman and one of the main leaders of the First Crusade who helped capture Jerusalem in 1099 and became ruler of Jerusalem, taking the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre.

Bernard of Clairvaux

a French monk and religious leader who strongly supported the Second Crusade, helped spread the Cistercian monastic movement, and encouraged Christians to deepen their faith and devotion to God.

Frederick Barborossa

a powerful Holy Roman Emperor who participated in the Third Crusade to recapture Jerusalem but drowned in a river in 1190 before reaching the Holy Land.

Philip Augustus

King of France (1180–1223) who expanded French territory by taking land from England's King John, strengthening the French monarchy and helping make France more powerful.

Richard Coeur de Leon

King of England (1189–1199) who became famous for his military leadership during the Third Crusade, fighting Saladin to regain control of Jerusalem but ultimately failing to recapture the city.

Saladin

Muslim military leader and sultan who united Egypt and Syria, defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, and recaptured Jerusalem from the Christians.