The Great Schism

Me: Hi Romulus, I’m here to ask you, a peasant during the time of the Great Schism, all about the Great Schism.  So, when was the Great Schism?

Romulus: The Great Schism took place in 1054.

Me: What was the Great Schism and who did it involve?

Romulus: The Great Schism was the excommunication between two branches of Christianity, the East and the West. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Micheal Cerularius, who was the leader of the Orthodox Church, and Pope Leo IX were not agreeing on a lot of things at the time.

Me: What were they not agreeing on?

Romulus: They argued a lot about who should have higher authority; the Pope or the Patriarch. They had trouble with the use of icons in the church. They also argued about the language of Christianity at this time; Greek or Latin?  They also had arguments about marriage in the church.

Me: So did this affect you?

Romulus: Yes, this affected my family, my friends and me a lot because it was a hard time when the two churches were fighting.  A lot of people didn’t really know where to go or which religion to believe in during this time.

 

I think the Great Schism was important because it led to the Eastern Orthodox and The Roman Catholic churches in our time now. 

"The Great Schism." Middle Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. <http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-great-schism.htm>.