History glossary
absolved
formally released from guilt or church penalty after repentance.
- Category
- Religious practice
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- Varies
What it means
To be absolved is to be formally released from guilt, sin, or a church penalty after repentance. In medieval Christianity, absolution restored a person to communion with the Church.
Stories using this term
The English Reformation
Henry VIII’s break with Rome reshaped religion, politics, and identity through decades of upheaval.
The Rise of the Medieval Church
From the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Avignon papacy, this story traces how the Christian Church built its authority through bishops, monasteries, missions, reform, and direct confrontation with Europe's rulers.
The Holy Roman Empire
From Otto I’s coronation to Napoleon’s upheaval, emperors, princes, bishops and cities built a political order sustained by contested and shared authority.
