The Catholic Church played a major role in all areas of medieval life. Faced with the hardships of everyday living, people found hope in Christian teachings. They turned to the Church for guidance and comfort. For peasants and nobles alike, the Church offered a chance at salvation and eternal life. This was important because life was hard during the Middle Ages and it gave people something to look forward to in their next life. The path to salvation included the sacraments, the seven sacred rites that were administered by the Church. The sacraments included baptism and Holy Communion. The Church also played a central role in political affairs. Because they were educated, church officials were valued as advisers by kings and nobles. As a result, the Church was able to influence important decisions in a wide range of matters. The Church also held a lot of land. They would offer to let lords use the land if the lord and the other people on the land promised to live life as a Christian. This gave them a lot of control over the people on their land. The Church played an important role in everyday life. It took on many jobs that the government does today. For example, the church made laws and set up courts. They could collect taxes, which made the church very rich. The church also got land by performing marriages and funerals in exchange for land. These lands were worked by monks and nuns as well as by people who were willing to live life in a way that would please God. We will learn more about monks and nuns later. The monks and nuns who worked the land improved the way that fields were planted and livestock was taken care of during the Middle Ages. In this way, the Church helped to improve the economy of the Middle Ages, which was based on farming. One of the most powerful tools the Church had was the power to excommunicate a lord. This meant that the lord was no longer allowed to take part in
The Catholic Church played a major role in all areas of medieval life. Faced with the hardships of everyday living, people found hope in Christian teachings. They turned to the Church for guidance and comfort. For peasants and nobles alike, the Church offered a chance at salvation and eternal life. This was important because life was hard during the Middle Ages and it gave people something to look forward to in their next life. The path to salvation included the sacraments, the seven sacred rites that were administered by the Church. The sacraments included baptism and Holy Communion. The Church also played a central role in political affairs. Because they were educated, church officials were valued as advisers by kings and nobles. As a result, the Church was able to influence important decisions in a wide range of matters. The Church also held a lot of land. They would offer to let lords use the land if the lord and the other people on the land promised to live life as a Christian. This gave them a lot of control over the people on their land. The Church played an important role in everyday life. It took on many jobs that the government does today. For example, the church made laws and set up courts. They could collect taxes, which made the church very rich. The church also got land by performing marriages and funerals in exchange for land. These lands were worked by monks and nuns as well as by people who were willing to live life in a way that would please God. We will learn more about monks and nuns later. The monks and nuns who worked the land improved the way that fields were planted and livestock was taken care of during the Middle Ages. In this way, the Church helped to improve the economy of the Middle Ages, which was based on farming. One of the most powerful tools the Church had was the power to excommunicate a lord. This meant that the lord was no longer allowed to take part in