The Influence Of The Catholic Church In The Middle Ages

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European history, the middle ages, or medieval period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century (Middle Ages). During that period of time, the Catholic Church was the largest, and most important part of people’s lives. It influenced all parts of European society, from the poorest, to most powerful including the King. This influence was cause by the people turning to their priests for religious guidance, giving them agency over nearly every facet of their lives.
The Church was run by a Pope, monks, and nuns, and priests. The Pope was the head of the Catholic Church. The Pope was views as God’s representative, and the populous looked up to them on how to live and pray. It was the Pope’s choice, to decide what the church would teach. Pope Benedict forced all monks and nuns to take three vows, in order to practice in the Church. A vow of poverty, to give up all worldly goods; a vow of chastity to stay single; a vow of obedience to promise to obey the church and the rules of the monastery (Benedictine Rules). Nuns were women who prayed, weaved, practiced teaching, and wrote books, while monks devoted majority of their lives to the discipline of prayer.
In some cases the church was more powerful than the king, since church had the power to excommunicate or to exclude from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the church (Dictionary.com). For example, Henry the fourth, Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated from church by Pope Gregory the seventh. Harold the second, king of England was also excommunicated by Pope Alexander the second (Biography.com). It gave the Pope tremendous influence over the monarchies, and anyone who turned against him, would be excommunicated from church and were believe to go to...

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...taught, and only people of more sound faith still regularly attend church services. According to a poll, only forty percent of the American people attend church, compared to ninety nine percent of people who would back in the Middle Ages (Startling Facts).
On the positive note, people who attend church do so out of their own faith, as opposed to when they were pressured into fearing God from the medieval clergy. Going to the Church is now an expression of the love for God, it builds spiritual strength, and gives people direction in their lives where they would be lost otherwise. What made the biggest difference between religions in the Middle Ages and now is the people's dependence on their clergy. Whereas before people needed priests and Popes to interpret God's word for them, people can now read the Bible themselves, and come to their own conclusions and learning.

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