• The church also had its “lords of manors” in the form of abbots
in monasteries and bishops in cathedral towns—who invariably
controlled and were supported by precisely the same sort of
reciprocal economic relationship with those who tilled their land
and watched their herds and flocks.
o On the positive side, the monasteries and dioceses functioned
effectively within the same economic system, often playing a
key role in the prosperity of a locale, because monasteries were
typically models of efficient farming and small crafts.o On the negative side, the question must arise as to whom
the abbot or the bishop owed ultimate fealty: the king or the
pope. Many of the conflicts in medieval European Christianity
played themselves out within the tension created by these
disparate loyalties.Bloch (Manyon, trans.), Feudal Society.
Fichtenau (Munz, trans.), The Carolingian Empire.
- How did the alliance between the papacy and the Frankish kings
consolidate a new political order in Europe? - In what ways did the new feudal society in Europe mirror the patronage
system of the ancient Roman Empire?
Suggested Reading
Questions to Consider