How did Christianity influence life in the Middle Ages?
The Church controlled almost all aspects of life. Kings usually took their instructions from bishops, under the threat of excommunication if they disobeyed. Bishops were immensely powerful people, controlling monasteries, churches and huge areas of land. Because poverty and humility were to be admired, the Church was able to extract heavy taxes from the peasantry. At the same time, richer nobles gave money to the Church, believing this would ensure better treatment in the afterlife.
The Church was the only source of learning. Monasteries produced many books by hand copying before the development of modern printing. The language of learning and of religion was Latin, which made education inaccessible to ordinary people.
What was the Holy Inquisition?
The Inquisition was an organisation set up by the Church to prevent any opposition to its teaching. The Church feared the influence of heretics – people who placed a different interpretation on the Bible and its teachings. These people often caused trouble and unrest in the population. Heresy was declared an offence in AD392.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, several new heresies appeared that threatened the existence of the established Church. In 1231, Pope Gregory created the Inquisition to find and punish those who believed in these heresies. It worked mostly in France, Spain and Germany, destroying several popular religious movements. Heretics who refused to change their religious beliefs were usually burned alive. After stamping out all resistance, the Inquisition turned its attention to Protestants who had also begun to challenge the traditional teachings of the Church.
Pictures Credit: Google