The Age of Faith

1283 Words6 Pages
An age of faith is best defined as a time period when religion was the most important part of society, influencing its culture, politics, and economy. To exemplify the characteristics of an age of faith would qualify an era as an age of faith. Therefore, the era between 500 and 1400 in Western Europe, also known as the Middle Ages, could be described as an age of faith. During this time era, the Catholic Church, and specifically the pope, had much political power and helped shape Western Europe into the thriving feudalistic region that it was. Feudalism, or a class system that regulates relationships among classes of people, was furthered by the Church and helped mold daily life. Other reasons why the Middle Ages can be labeled as the Age of Faith include the various reform movements initiated and roles the pope played. The era between 500 and 1400 in Western Europe, or the Middle Ages, can be labeled the Age of Faith because of the Church’s influence in unification throughout Western Europe, daily life, and politics. Although the Church didn’t come into its full potential for power until about the eleventh century, the Catholic Church did have a lot of influence in uniting Western Europe. Right after the Roman Empire fell, many Germanic tribes went to war with each other and carved Western Europe into small kingdoms. The lack of government after the fall of the Roman Empire is described when quoted, “The people have gone to cower in the depths of the forests or in the inaccessible regions, or have taken refuge in the high mountains. . . . Society has no longer any government. . . .” (Funck- Brentano, 1). Fear of invasions from Germanic tribes took over the region, and government was nonexistent until Charlemagne came to power. Under the reign of Charlemagne, whose main political group was the Catholic Church, these tribes were united and converted to Christianity.
Open Document