Religion as one of the Leading Actors of Medieval Europe (A Critique of Rodney Stark)

Abstract

The Middle Age is described as the Golden Age of Faith in both intellectual discussions and casual conversations. In addition, normative terms due to people’s ideologies or political convictions are also used to define Europe in the Middle Ages. Renaissance scholars in particular used the term "Dark Ages" to describe the period before them. However, this notion began to be questioned towards the end of the 20th century. Some researchers, especially Rodney Stark, argued that in the Middle Ages, religion was not as dominant as suggested. However, this article claims that their Medieval narrative is a caricatured historical narrative and that their claims regarding the Middle Ages are far away from reflecting that period. For the study, a qualitative research approach was adopted and the data obtained through literature review with primary and secondary sources were subjected to a descriptive analysis. The article argues that, contrary to the claims of Stark and other scholars, The Church and religion shaped the daily life of the lay people, influenced important political decisions made by empires, and dominated the thoughts of medieval intelligentsia. For this reason, the article presents the effects of the church and religion on daily life, politics and intellectual culture in this order and emphasizes that Stark's claims do not reflect the Middle Ages.