Research Into The Cluny Movement In The Middle Ages Of The Western Europe

Constructed at the beginning of the 10th century, the Cluny, resolved to eliminate the long-standing secularism in the monastery, observed the Rule of St Benedict strictly,and revived the monastery's religious function. With the support of aristocrats,it afterwards developed into the massive Cluny Movement,also known as Cluny Reform, which lasted for nearly three centuries.This reform may be divided into three stages:The first stage emphasized the monastic discipline, stressed the Rule of St Benedict and tried to get rid of the interference from feudalism so as to be autonomous; During the second stage,the Cluny Monastery joined the church in launching The Peace of God Movement,which suppressed the feudal warfare on the largest scale, and kept peace; While in the third stage, a large number of the Cluny reformers enters the Roman Church to carry out the reform vigorously, which resulted in the struggle of opposing Simony and Nicdaitanism,and expanded the goal of the reform further into the theory --"the Supreme Papal Authority", from when they began the Investiture Contest with aristocrats for half a century, and lay the foundation of supreme authority.The Cluny Movement played an important role in the church history during the middle ages.The Cluny Movement enhanced status of the Roman Church in the Christendom. Papal authority which was above the monarchs of Western Europe stimulated the long existed desire to unify the Eastern and Western catholic.The Cluniac pope also devoted to achieving this goal. The militant knighs in The Peace of God Movement became Soldier of Christ.Thus, it had enough military strength for the crusades to invade the east. It can be said that the Cluny Movement had a close relation with the Roman Church's revival and expansion in the Middle Ages.