Hildebrand took the name Gregory in memory of Gregory I, whose writings greatly influenced him. Gregory VII interpreted his election as a special call by God to continue unhesitatingly the fight for what he described as justitia meaning the restoration of the church to what Gregory and his collaborators saw as its proper place in the world order.
He was enthroned immediately in the basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli even though he was not ordained a priest until June 29, the feast day of the apostles Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the Apostolic See and the city of Rome. Hildebrand’s elevation by the combination of citizens and clergy was a hostile reaction to the reordering of the papal election ordo at the 1059 Lateran Council, which had given the cardinal-bishops the leading voice in papal elections.
The Roman people and clergy had been disenfranchised by the ordo, which thus ended the domination of the papacy by various Roman factions. Hildebrand’s election, however, followed the ancient rules that had been prominently upheld in the canonical collection of Deusdedit, cardinal-priest of San Pietro in Vincoli.
The pope, and he alone, would always remain a true Christian, never deviating from the faith and always cognizant of the will of God. Therefore, all Christians owed him absolute and unquestioned obedience. Disobedience was regarded as heresy, and obedience to God became obedience to the papacy.
SIR MATT'S BAKERY
Please join me for the grand opening of Sir Matt’s Bakery located at the town square to the left of the Fresh Market! There will be tasters of almost every baked good known to mankind to date. There will also be cakes on display to see and if you like to purchase. There will be pastries, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, and much more desserts. So please join me for the Grand opening of Sir Matt’s Bakery.
The Black Plague wipes away ⅔ of the population in Europe
(Dying victims being anointed. There are no changes in actions. Victims have been sick for approximately 12 hours.)
Greta Regan 14 September 1666
Citizens are suffering under cruel circumstances of the horrible Black plague, destroying lives of families all around the country. People claim to be dying a painful death, breaking innocent hearts of the people who are lucky enough to survive. Sources state that roughly ⅔ of the population is being swept away. The unmerciful disease started in China, caused by rats who spread it to fleas, having the ability to easily trace it onto humans. The disease is known to kill people it touches usually in a matter of hours. It causes spitting of mucus and blood, caused by an attack to the lungs.
Not only does there have to be contact involved with a victim of the plague, but inhaling the same air is enough to get someone else affected and be killed in a matter of 46 hours. One of the worst plagues involved is the septicemic plague, caused by an attack to the blood. A victims skin will turn into a deep purple. The plague is transported from Asia (merely China) by transporting infected rats, even people onto our own soil and land. A devastating consequence from the Black Plague is not only having the disease pass on, but also having a fear of helping and preventing it. “My child is left alone at our home, quarantined until death. Someone find a stop to this disaster that’s tearing me apart from my 3 year old daughter,” cries a source, a fellow victim of the plague. Touching the clothing of a victim is considered extremely fatal. Families are now deserting each other, leaving the sick to die in the streets, and also some are sealed in their own houses. Those who wanted to stay with loved ones paid the price by getting the disease. The very smell of rotting corpses is also a way of spreading it. Children are less immune to it, having them die to an extreme amount. Families are losing each other, children are not getting a future, Europe is now a place of death. The Black plague is not only depressing and sad, but truly traumatic.
Child found crying in the streets looking for her mother (above).
Feudalism: A Day in the Life of a Peasant
Cedric's cruck house in Birmingham, England.
Sir Thomas of Narnia III 2 January 1244
With our new feudal system, it has changed the lives of many different classes of people. It has given the nobles and royalty the upper hand, and the peasants to have lives with happiness of little to none. The Doomsday Book means that the king knows how much tax you owe and you cannot argue with it – hence why it brings ‘doom and gloom’ to peasants. Let’s take a quick look at a day in the life of a peasant, named Cedric.
Cedric has to work for free on church land. The power of the church is such that no-one dared break this rule as they had been taught from a very early age that God would see their sins and punish them. Cedric lives in a cruck house. It has a wooden frame onto which is plastered wattle and daub. It’s a mixture of mud, straw and manure. The straw adds insulation to the wall while the manure is considered good for binding the whole mixture together and giving it strength. The mixture is left to dry in the sun and formed what is a strong building material. At night, every animal he owns has to be brought inside for safety. There is a number of reasons for this, such as that wild animals roam the countryside. The loss of any animal could be a calamity. If left outside at night they could be stolen or wander off. However, they make the house even more dirty as none of these animals would have been house-trained. They also bring in fleas and flies, increasing the unhygienic nature of the house. His house has none of the things that nobles have. His family gets covered with dirt, fleas and lice. His bed is simply straw stuffed mattresses and it attracts lice, fleas and all types of bugs. His toilet is a bucket which gets emptied into the nearest river at the start of the day. Water has a number of purposes for his family – cooking, washing etc. Unfortunately, the water usually comes from the same source. The local river, stream or well provides them with water but this water source is also used as a way of getting rid of their waste at the start of the day. It’s usually his wife’s job to collect water first thing in the morning. Water is collected in wooden buckets. His family cooks and sleeps in the same room. His children sleep in a loft in the cruck house and his children do not attend school. As soon as is possible, his children joined their parents working on the land. They cannot do any major physical work. The peasant children can only look forward to a life of great hardship. As you can see, for peasants like Cedric and his family, life is nasty, brutish and short.
The Crusades, Gods Request or Just Plain Terror?
Crusaders at Battle in Bourges (above).
Antony Wilson 23 February 1273 Bourges, France
The Crusades are a series of wars blessed by Pope Urban II and the Catholic Church. The point of the wars are to restore christianity throughout Jerusalem and the nearby areas. The Crusades started when the Seljuk Turks defeated Byzantine army in 1701 and from then on cut off christianity to Jerusalem. The Byzantine emperor called for the help of the western christian leaders to retake Jerusalem. The Crusades took many lives and was an unforgiving war.
The crusades that fought for us were comprised of military units of Roman Catholic soldiers from all over western Europe, but they were not under a unified control. Most of the battles were against Muslims in Levant. The emblem chosen was the cross and “the Crusades” got its name from the french word “crusade” which means taking up the cross. Soldiers became Crusaders by taking a vow; the pope granted them plenary indulgences. The Crusades had major effects on our politics, economy, and social society.
There were about nine Crusades fought so far and with hopefully none to follow. The men are fighting but the women are recruiting, taking their spaces for jobs, and supporting the family financially and with prayer. With the encouragement of the women it made the men more at ease to take up the cross. Either if you are fighting or helping at home you are gladly accepted and thanked by the whole country of Europe. Fight for Europe and you fight with God.
SPORTS STATISTICS Jousting
*Each knight receives 2 points for every win, 1 point for every draw and 0 points for a loss.
Sir Lancelot celebrates his victory over Sir Gareth in London (above).
SHACK FOR RENT!!!
Shack for Rent- 1 pound per month -1 room, enough room for 1 bed, 1 table, and a small space for the kitchen -1 bath -Wood exterior, oak wood -Cobblestone roof, cobblestone slate -Located in the forest 2 km. from town - Small stable in the back, room for 1 horse