<P> According to historian Shulamith Shahar, "(s) ome historians hold that the Church played a considerable part in fostering the inferior status of women in medieval society in general" by providing a "moral justification" for male superiority and by accepting practices such as wife - beating . Despite these laws, some women, particularly abbesses, gained powers that were never available to women in previous Roman or Germanic societies . </P> <P> Although these teachings emboldened secular authorities to give women fewer rights than men, they also helped form the concept of chivalry . Chivalry was influenced by a new Church attitude towards Mary, the mother of Jesus . This "ambivalence about women's very nature" was shared by most major religions in the Western world . </P> <P> The Church initially accepted slavery as part of the Greco - Roman social fabric of society, campaigning primarily for humane treatment of slaves but also admonishing slaves to behave appropriately towards their masters . Historian Glenn Sunshine says, "Christians were the first people in history to oppose slavery systematically . Early Christians purchased slaves in the markets simply to set them free . Later, in the seventh century, the Franks..., under the influence of its Christian queen, Bathilde, became the first kingdom in history to begin the process of outlawing slavery...In the 1200's, Thomas Aquinas declared slavery a sin . When the African slave trade began in the 1400's, it was condemned numerous times by the papacy ." </P> <P> During the early medieval period, Christians tolerated enslavement of non-Christians . By the end of the Medieval period, enslavement of Christians had been mitigated somewhat with the spread of serfdom within Europe, though outright slavery existed in European colonies in other parts of the world . Several popes issued papal bulls condemning mistreatment of enslaved Native Americans; these were largely ignored . In his 1839 bull In supremo apostolatus, Pope Gregory XVI condemned all forms of slavery; nevertheless some American bishops continued to support slavery for several decades . In this historic Bull, Pope Gregory outlined his summation of the impact of the Church on the ancient institution of slavery, beginning by acknowledging that early Apostles had tolerated slavery but had called on masters to "act well towards their slaves...knowing that the common Master both of themselves and of the slaves is in Heaven, and that with Him there is no distinction of persons". Gregory continued to discuss the involvement of Christians for and against slavery through the ages: </P>

What precedent did these philosophers set for future western civilizations and their governments