The church during the Middle Ages suffered many trials and caused many persecutions for others from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. For example, monasteries were often raided by vikings and other enemies while Crusaders tortured non-believers on the way to the Holy Land “in the name of Christ.” The church was technically the power source during the Middle Ages.
The church was the most important building and was technically the king. The king listened to the church and if he didn’t he was excommunicated and condemned to hell. If anyone else disagreed with the church, you were considered a heretic and burned at the stake. Those of other faiths were treated harshly too. The Jews were often the center of these attacks. They were so easily bullied because they were so isolated. They were accused of killing Jesus and poisoning the water supplies. In one swiss town, they burned every Jew. There were many ways you could go to Heaven: you could buy your redemption, get killed in battle, become a monk or nun, do good deeds, or go on a long pilgrimage. The church was the main social place in the society. It was a school, market place,
…show more content…
One person who affected the church was Charlemagne. He did many things to influence others who were not Christians. When he sent his soldiers out to fight in the Holy Land, he raided small villages. He gave his captives two choices: believe in the Christian God or meet him face-to-face. He also killed anyone who disobeyed him or worshipped other gods. He did this “all in the name of Christ.” He literally thought he was converting people to Christ and saving them. Another person who used the church for land and money was Charles “the Hammer” Martel. He was almost excommunicated from the church because he needed to finance his army. He used land and money from the church to use for his army. One man became a Christian to gain power as a military