A lot happened with the papacy between the times of 500 and 1500 CE. It gained its significance as time went on, starting out as virtually nothing and ending up as a major power, ups and downs in between. These changes were due to both eventsand people, both outside and inside the Church.Essentially, it all began with Pope Leo the Great and the legacy that he leftbehind. This is where the popes' prestige all began. Before him, the power wielded tothe pope was questionable and many times overlooked. But once he took on the title ofSupreme Pontiff, it was clear how things were to be. Another thing that was born by himwas the pope regulating ecumenical councils. Leo started this when it came time for theCouncil of Chalcedon. It was just another way he found to exercise his power as theultimate bishop, the bishop of Rome. Not only did he show that the pope was to be astrong religious leader, he proved that politics were important, too. He intervened inseveral attacks against Rome and ended up safeguarding the city through simplediscussions. Leo the Great set new standards for the bishop of Rome and left poeple toreally revere those who took on the role. There were things that hindered the strength of the papacy, such as CaeseroPapism. Justinian was a prime example of this and as an emperor practicing it, he gavehimself rights and powers in the Church which were really not his to have. Heestablished things like the Justinian Code, which in some ways benefited the Church as awhole but at the same time, did not. It led to rampant persecutions of other religionswhich is anything but Christian like. Subjectively, it did help to strengthen the Church. Christianity was given opportunities it did not have before. It was given the ability to bethe dominant religion. However, it did give the emperor the opportunity to impede onthe powers of the papacy, leaving things open to trouble.By the end of the Sixth century, another strong p...
