Explanation: The Christian Church was very powerful during the Middle Ages. One of the reasons is that people were obliged to give to the Church one tenth of their income in cash or in goods. Then, at the peak of its power during the Middle Ages, the Church had about one-third of the land in Western Europe in its possession. Since the Church was considered independent, it did not pay any taxes to the kings. Thus they gained enormous wealth, and on this basis they also had great political and authoritarian power. Thus, the Church had an active participation in the adoption of many laws, important national decisions, etc. Close political cooperation between kings and Popes, bishops is known.
The church dominated the everyday life of medieval people. People have been taught, and believed that Heaven and Hell exist, and that the Church decides where people will go after death. Because of this, people obliged to go to church on Sunday to worship, listening to the sermons they actively followed in their everyday life. In other words, all important events in people's lives, if they were born, marriages, funerals, had to have the blessing of the Church. People paid part of their income to the church, believing that if they did not fulfill the obligation to pay, go to Hell. They also worked for free on church estates and land.
Because of its enormous influence on people during the Middle Ages, the church could literally manipulate people and their feelings. Thus they could offer them the hope of life after death if they were just and merciful, and people could shed their sins by paying for the forgiveness that the Church sold to sinners.
