Using the information in the table, investigate how geography affected the East-West Schism.

To investigate how geography affected the East-West Schism, it is important to consider multiple aspects, including the influence of geography on culture, language, and political power.

**Geography influenced the language, politics, and power centers of both the Eastern and Western Church.** The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 was significantly impacted by geographical distances, which fostered different cultural developments and religious practices. The Eastern Church, centered in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), primarily spoke Greek and embraced a different theological approach compared to the Latin-speaking Western Church, centered in Rome.

Moreover, the political landscape, shaped by geography, played a critical role. The Byzantine Empire, with its unique political-religious structure often termed caesaropapism, gave the Eastern Church a distinct identity and a different relationship with the state compared to the Western Church, where the Pope wielded significant spiritual and temporal power.

While disputes over political control were indeed significant in the schism, **disputes over political control of the Church played a more important role than geographic differences between the Eastern and Western Churches**. The power struggle between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople exemplified how politics intertwined with religious authority, ultimately leading to a formal break.

In summary, while cultural differences and political disputes were essential in the formation of the schism, geography played a foundational role in shaping these differences, influencing language, political allegiances, and the very centers of power. Therefore, a nuanced conclusion is that while disputes and cultural differences were significant, the geographic context was critical in paving the way for the East-West Schism.