>Who’s Going to Hell, Part 2

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After the once Italian dominated Papacy was moved from Rome to Avignon, France, the French Monarchy could and did dominate “The Church” until 1377. Offices were directly influenced by Phillip IV and his successors, showing a distinct change in church/state matters. The Pope before this time could make or break any monarchy, but that Papal power was vanishing. Phillip turned The Church into one of his own forces, and made France extremely powerful.

Seven Popes ruled from Avignon. This, though embarrassing turn of events, reorganized “The Church’s” power into an even more regal-like institution. Popes created new and revived old ways of raising money. Taxes for crusades, Benefices, and Tithes were used to raise money for “church projects”, but was in turn spent on fashionable clothing, lands, parties, and other church offices. Corruption was openly on the rise. “The Church” had to deal with one more shattering issue, The Plague.

When the first signs of The Plague began to appear, Europe had no idea what was in store for Western Civilization. Rats carrying diseased fleas stowed away on merchant ships from the Middle East. Plague had been seen before, Justinian’s Byzantine Empire saw an estimated 100,000,000 die of The Plague. Justinian himself was also a victim, but he did not die as a result. 1300’s Europe, was a more dangerous hotbed for disease. Houses in newer cities were close, plumbing was non-existent, sewage was thrown into the streets, and hygiene was awful. Such living conditions made it impossible to stop disease from spreading. Waves of The Plague brought fear of God’s Judgment upon the Continent. Traditionally, one would turn to plead to God help. However, with current Church events, the commoner was losing faith in “The Church’s” ability to reason with God. More so, The Plague inflicted “The Church.” What good was “The Church” if it could not get God to stop spreading death? Counter-insurgent religious groups began to form against the once mighty “Church”, thus in truth beginning the early seeds of The Reformation movement. Prominent among these new groups were the Flagellites, so named because they whipped themselves with a flagella, the Lollards, the Cathars, the Hussites, and the Albigensians. If God could not be reached through the Pope, there must be another way man began to reason. What remaining power “The Church” did have was used to devastating effect in an attempt to reestablish “godly” control. Many were murdered in the name of Christ. Others, who escaped persecution were excommunicated.

It did not matter what “The Church” attempted, it’s power was being shattered. Then came the folly. The Papacy was in Avignon for 68 years, when Pope Gregory XI decided to move it back to Rome. Gregory had to move back to Rome. Rising Italian city-states, most notably Florence, were threatening the Papal States. Florence came to blows with the Papal States as opposition to the Pope was at fever pitch. Gregory excommunicated Florence for her opposition to Papal forces. Gregory arrived in Rome in 1378 to deal with rising tensions, but he died. Urban VI was elected the next Pope, but he spurned the French Cardinals, who then elected Clement VII as Pope. Urban VI promptly excommunicated Clement, and vice versa. No quick resolution was found. Soon Europe was split and warring. Each rival pope had many supporting factions throughout the entire continent, thus bringing the all of Europe into war.

Efforts were made to fix the matter early, but all attempts proved insolent. In 1409 the Council of Pisa was convened to deal with the matter after 30 years of rivalry were doing considerable damage both politically and religiously. But in spite of an agreement being made, both warring supporters rejected their own Popes in favor of yet another Pope, Alexander V. The three Popes now excommunicated each other and their followers. No one knew, from “The Church’s” standpoint, who was going to Hell.

Finally, after five years of three Popes, the Council of Constance was assembled. This council is rather nefarious for many reasons famously for condemning John Huss and John Wycliffe. Wycliffe, who was already dead, was posthumously excommunicated, his bones were exhumed and burned. Huss, who was promised safety to the Council did not return home. He was lied to, and in 1415 burned at the stake. After five years of meetings, the Papal question was finally “resolved” the three claimants were rejected or excommunicated if they refused to abdicate their claims. Martin V was chosen as Pope in 1419. For a short while there were four Popes, who promptly excommunicated one another. Support for the other three claimants was lost within a few years, and Martin finally ruled uncontested in 1429. Within the next few decades, the rotting corpse of the Medieval Catholicism was fighting for its life. In that fight, Luther reminded his hearers of this disgraceful episode.

 

>Who’s Going to Hell, Part 1

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Today, one generally thinks of cloisters, convents, monasteries, and churches as peaceful, holy places. Church goers attend expecting “a blessing”, “comfort”, “entertainment” maybe even doctrinal conviction. During the High Middle Ages, no comfort could be found as the Plague was killing swathes of people everywhere. No one could escape it, not even “The Church.” No blessing could be found within “The Church”, but what was happening in “The Church” was certainly entertaining, morbidly so in all aspects. Boccaccio wrote his epic story cycle The Decameron, and Dante penned his outstanding masterpiece The Divine Comedy during this period. Both tales overwhelmingly deal with sinful horror, depravity, and futility. One other writer looked to this time period for inspiration, Martin Luther.

As Luther saw it, “The Church” was putridly corrupt. Luther realized his sin, and painfully sought absolution, but never found any peace. He travelled to Rome, hoping to be inspired. His inspiration did come, but not because “The Church” was good, but because it was evil. He saw a Church sponsored and organized prostitution ring, illegitimate clergy-children, gambling, drunkenness, gluttony, revelry, murder, sin, sin, sin. Luther was jarred. “The Church” was a farce. Popes were homosexual, bisexual, womanizers, murderers. Dante put two of them in Hell. Luther would come to argue that “The Church” was putting millions in Hell, blasphemously in the name of Christ. Once Luther began questioning the unquestionable, he was a marked man. This did not stop his pen, however, but increased his fervor. Luther spent countless hours writing, translating, rewriting, studying, and teaching. He became the first popular writer of the modern era, not because he was greater than Dante, but because of the printing press. Now, he could write, and those writings could be mass produced. One of the pamphlets written by Luther illustrates who “The Church” really is, The Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy.

The fecundity of Luther’s title may escape modern readers, but no one missed it during his day. A Bible reader will immediately see two allusions for which Luther was certainly aiming. The first is found in Daniel with Judah being conquered and held in Babylonian Captivity for 70 years. Judah was the remnant who did not, initially serve idols. When they turned, God’s prophesied judgment came with Nebuchadnezzar. A second allusion was also intended, the Harlot out of Revelation 17. Such shockingly powerful statements would have been Luther’s death sentence, had it not been for men who saw that Luther’s exacting comments were on target. There is one other allusion, not from scripture, but from history.

From 1294 to 1303 the contemptible Boniface VIII was Pope. He was a notoriously corrupt man, selling church offices (a process called Simony after Simon from Acts 8, who wanted to purchase the Holy Ghost), adultery, murder because of his adultery, murder because of his politics, and sodomy to name a few charges levied against him. He pushed too far when he issued the Unum Sanctum, stating that Salvation only came with complete subjection to him, the Pope. He began to argue against all kings seeking to expand national borders. He even stole land from rightful owners (more on that and the first Friday the 13^th later). King Phillip IV and his entourage had enough. A campaign was organized against Boniface, which brought his sexual perversion to light. With immediate effect, Boniface excommunicated Phillip and his chief minister of state, Guillaume de Nogaret. In the past, this action proved to be successful as it famously brought Henry IV to his knees at Canossa. It backfired with Phillip, who sent an army to demand Boniface’s resignation. He refused to resign, prompting a slap in the face, and a further three day beating. A few months later, in utter humiliation, as well

as kidney stones, Boniface died.

Phillip IV moved the Papacy out of “wicked” Rome to Avignon, France so he could watch and control it. For roughly seventy years, the Papacy was French, when in 1377 the comic farce really began.

 

>Agincourt

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During the epic, to use the word correctly, Hundred Years’ War between England and France, the English obliterated the French forces at two early battles Crecy and Poitiers. The French, outraged, were submitted to English demands. English King Henry V’s demands were immense including money, land, and the French King’s daughter. France responded with lesser terms, but these were not good enough for Henry V. He assembled an army of 12,000 and landed in Normandy, France on October 8, 1415. After a few minor skirmishes and disease, the English found themselves in a precarious position. Food was running low, and the French were gathering a large force to expel the English. Henry now had to run, as the much larger French army was pinning the English back.

Finally, on the morning of October 25, Henry could no longer wait for battle with his army in such a dangerous position. He had initially drawn up a defensive position in response to the now 36,000 strong French army. French nobility thought this battle would be a cake-walk of sorts, because they did not account the English Longbowmen as a serious threat. French sources do not even mention the Longbowmen in the initial approach. This attitude proved to be foolish. English Longbowmen were ordered to remove the defensive stakes, a daring move as these stakes were the only protection against French Cavalry, and move forward into a striking position. As this was being done, Henry moved the small infantry forces forward, and occupied a road between two forests. The Lonbowmen hammered in their stakes and hid in the forests flanking the main English infantry. When the Longbowmen opened fire, the French Cavalry were sent into a disorganized mess. This action caused panic and confusion. When any sort of a cavalry force mustered a charge, the Longbowmen were equal to the task and destroyed this most dangerous threat with aplomb. The French Army now began to move forward with initial success, though casualties were large as the Longbowmen continued to reign in many volleys. As line upon line of French soldiers fell, each successive line found it more difficult to mount a charge. The melee became so heavy due to the press of troops and mud, that the French Army exhausted itself. Longbowmen could now no longer fire volleys as it would be too dangerous to their own army; however, because of the extreme exhaustion and lack of cavalry force, the Longbowmen, though light in armor, could join the English infantry. With this being done, the French were now in full retreat. Henry not wasting time, and wanting to strike a decisive blow, ordered prisoners slaughtered. As the remaining French army witnessed Henry’s brutality, they fled entirely.

Casualties were immense. Most sources, though there is no completely trustworthy chronicler, put the numbers close to 10 to 1 in favor of Henry. Most crippling were those killed in the battle. France lost many higher ranking officials and nobility – Three Dukes, Eight Counts, One Viscount, One Archbishop, many nobility, One Constable, One Admiral, Baillis of Nine northern towns with their sons, and supporters. Henry returned to England as a celebrated conqueror on November 16. He was given his triumph on November 23, 1415. France was in complete turmoil, and King Charles VI had to submit to English demands. He gave his daughter in marriage to King Henry V solidifying the Treaty of Troyes in 1420 ending this phase of the Hundred Years’ War.