Pope Gregory VII helped revive interest in the Christian Church during the High Middle Ages.
This week’s article looks at the religious revival of the High Middle Ages. Thanks to Pope Gregory VII, Christianity became a standard part of most Western Europeans lives. Up until Pope Gregory VII, religion was not a particularly important part of most people’s lives. Many common people viewed the Christian Church as corrupt, full of hypocritical priests who kept mistresses and bishops who lived far more lavishly than a man of the cloth should.
The practice of lay investiture was common- Kings and emperors would appoint local clerics for political rather than spiritual reasons. Pope Gregory banished lay investiture, much to the dismay of certain political leaders. He also was a firm believer that kings and emperors were there to serve him (and through him, God) and encouraged laymen to help clean up their local parish churches, which they did most enthusiastically.
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