Catholic Influence
Last Updated 12/8/2007

The Roman Catholic Church had a large influence on life during the Middle Ages.
It was the center of every village and town.

Daily Life
To become a king, vassal, or knight you went through a religiuos ceremony.
Holidays were in honor of saints or religious events.
On Fridays, people did not eat meat.
On Sundays, the people went to mass.
Church leaders ran schools and hospitals.
monks and nuns provided food and shelter for travelers.
Priests reorded births, married people, and performed burial services.

Political Life
The church played a role in politics.
Church officials, kings, and nobles governed western Europe.
Church leaders were also lords and vassals.
Church leaders advised the king.
They kept records, as some kings could not read or write.
Local nobles chose the parish priests.
The parish priests told the the people to respect the king, nobles, and other government officials.
The people were told to obey the king's law unless they went against church laws.
People who disobeyed the pope or church laws lost their membership in the church.
They would also lose their political rights.



The Inquisition
The church tried to stop heresy by preaching.
In 1129, a church court to end heresy by force was established by a council of bishops.
Accused people had one month to confess.
If the accused confessed they were whipped or sent to prision.
Those who did not confess were brought to trial.
The purpose was to get the prisoner to confess.
The court called only two witnesses and then decided if the accused was a heretic.
Heretics who confessed were punished and then they were allowed to become church members again.
If they refused to confess they were tortured.
Some were burned at the stake.

Bibliography
Greenblatt, M. and Lemmo, P.S.; "Human Heritage." Glencoe McGraw-Hill, New York, New York  2001.

"Inquisition."  6 Dec. 2007.  8 Dec. 2007.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition.