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# Medieval Europe ## Religious Orders and Life * **Female Religious Orders:** * Between 1000 and 1200 AD, many women joined female religious orders. * Most women in these orders came from wealthy noble families. * Hildegard of Bingen was a famous abbess (leader) of a convent in Germany...

# Medieval Europe ## Religious Orders and Life * **Female Religious Orders:** * Between 1000 and 1200 AD, many women joined female religious orders. * Most women in these orders came from wealthy noble families. * Hildegard of Bingen was a famous abbess (leader) of a convent in Germany who composed church music. * **Mission of Friars:** * Until the 1200s, most people in religious orders lived a simple life inside monasteries devoted to prayer. * In the 1200s, new religious orders for men called friars were created. * Friars left their monasteries and took Christianity to towns, serving as missionaries and aiding the poor. * They could not own property, or keep any personal wealth. * Notable orders of Friars were Franciscans and Dominicans. * Franciscans were known for their cheerfulness and love of nature. * Dominicans, founded by Dominic de Guzmán, aimed to defend the teachings of the Church. ## Role of Religion in Everyday Life * The Catholic Church influenced almost every aspect of medieval European life. * Most people attended mass on Sundays and holidays. * Medieval Christians also participated in religious rituals called sacraments, with Holy Communion being the most important one. * Saints played a significant role, with people praying to them for God's favour. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the most revered. ## Challenges to the Church * **Heresy:** The Church faced the challenge of heresy (beliefs conflicting with Church teachings). * **The Inquisition:** In 1233, the pope established a Church court called the Inquisition to deal with these issues. * People accused of heresy faced questioning, and potential punishment including prison, loss of property, or execution. * **Antisemitism:** During troubled times, anti-Semitism, or hostility towards Jews, flared up. Jews were often blamed for societal problems and sometimes killed. * Jews were forced to live in separate neighborhoods, called ghettos. They were often forbidden to own land or certain trades. * Rulers in England, France, and central Europe sometimes even expelled Jews from their territories. ## Additional Questions and Topics 1. What is heresy? 2. Contrast the chief characteristics of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. 3. Analyze why Aristotle disturbed some? (Question likely related to impact of Aristotle's works on medieval thought) 4.Identify two popular types of architecture and describe each type. (Likely details on architectural style.)