HIS109Y1 Lecture 5: Roman Catholic Church
Document Summary
Factions supporting the pope and holy roman emperor in the italian city-states of central and northern italy. Specifically, the guelphs had supported the pope whereas the ghibellines were the. Guelphs generally came from wealthy, mercantile families (i. e merchants). They gradually began working for patrons and took over papal accounts as a whole, leading to a close association with the papacy. Ghibellines derived from agricultural estates (i. e the nobles). The guelphs presided in cities where the emperor was more of a threat in local interests than the pope. Ghibelllines cities were the exact opposite, with the papal states were a more immediate threat. Rivalry between the two during the 12th and 13th century lead to a transition in the internal politics of medieval italy. The papacy created a social structure for merchants, consisting of 7 guilds, each with a representative tin control of the legal system.
