From the time of the Roman Empire, European Christianity had developed two competing power centers: the Catholic Pope in Rome & the Eastern Orthodox Pope in the Byzantine Empire 

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There was a French King who didn’t like the current Pope because had called for the violent death of a beloved 73-year-old man. This led to an emergency group to pick the next Pope. But the French king bullied the group to vote for the king’s choice, a dude from France named Clement. Once Clement was selected he quickly moved the Catholic headquarters out of Rome to southern France. Not everyone agreed with this, so those opposed created a new Pope, based in the old headquarters in Rome. Wild stuff here in the Middle Ages.

Canon law is how the Catholic church organizes & governs herself. The word “canon” essentially means 'the rules', which apply to all believers of the faith. These rules, 1200-1450, are enforced by the Pope & punishments for disobeying them could  lead to the removal from the church, to incarceration, or even death (usually a painful one). 

Christianity is a monastic belief system. Christian monks and nuns lived away from society in monasteries and devoted their lives to prayer, meditation, & reflection.