Monasticism and the Crusades (600 CE – 1100 CE)
Explore the age of monks, missionaries, and crusaders. From the conversion of the barbarian kingdoms to the First Crusade, this era saw the Church shape medieval Europe and launch the great enterprise to liberate the Holy Land.
History: 600-1100 CE
Monks, Emperorsand Crusaders
The early medieval Church transformed barbarian Europe into Christian civilisation. Missionaries like St Boniface evangelised the Germanic peoples; monasteries became centres of learning, agriculture, and prayer; and the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 created a new Christian empire in the West.
The Cluniac reform movement reinvigorated monasticism and inspired demands for a holier clergy. Reform-minded popes asserted the Church's independence from secular rulers, leading to the dramatic Investiture Controversy between Gregory VII and Henry IV. The tragic schism of 1054 divided Eastern and Western Christianity.
The era culminated with Urban II's call to crusade at Clermont in 1095. Christians from across Europe answered the summons, and in 1099 Jerusalem fell to the crusaders. The First Crusade launched an enterprise that would shape relations between Christianity and Islam for centuries to come.
At a Glance
Monastic Civilisation
Benedictine monasteries preserved learning, cultivated the land, and served as beacons of prayer across Europe.
800: Charlemagne Crowned
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, creating a new partnership of Church and empire.
1095: The First Crusade
Urban II summoned Christendom to liberate Jerusalem, launching an era of holy war and pilgrimage.
Explore Topics
The Early Medieval Church
From the missions to the Anglo-Saxons to the fall of Jerusalem to the crusaders, these five centuries shaped the Church and civilisation of medieval Europe.
Browse the articles below to explore the missionary age, the Carolingian Renaissance, the reform movements, and the launch of the crusades.
“God wills it!”
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The Crowd at Clermont
Response to Urban II's call to crusade, 1095
Faith and Civilisation
The medieval Church did not merely survive the collapse of Rome; it built a new civilisation on Christian foundations. Monasteries, cathedrals, and universities bear witness to this extraordinary achievement.