Synod of Pavia condemns clerical marriage
1022
Pope Benedict VIII and Emperor Henry II convened German and Italian bishops to legislate against priestly wives and concubines. Enforcement would lag for decades, but the synod marked a turning point in the campaign to remake the Western clergy as a celibate caste distinct from the laity. Children of priests were declared serfs of the Church, a measure designed to prevent hereditary claims on church property.
In context
Also in 1022 (3 other events on record)
- Mahmud of Ghazni annexes Lahore · South Asia · War
- Song porcelain kilns produce Ru ware · East Asia · Technology
- Heresy trial at Orleans · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.