For much of the Middle Ages, Popes were the last word in anything to do with the church. Popes had a heavy influence over political and economic decisions as well for a time. However, towards the end of the Middle Ages Popes lost their political power when the Catholic Church came under a lot of scrutiny from the public.
This term refers to a class of hereditary nobility in medieval Europe; a warrior class who shared a distinctive lifestyle based on the institution of knighthood, although there were social divisions within the group based on extremes of wealth.
