WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Eventually, the church owned about one third of the land in Western Europe. Because the church was considered independent, they did not have to pay the king any tax for their land. Leaders of the church became rich and powerful. Many nobles became leaders such as abbots or bishops in the church.

Detailed explanation-2: -In some cases, Church authorities (notably the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church) held more power than kings or queens. The Church had the power to tax, and its laws had to be obeyed. Those who held contrary ideas were considered heretics and could be subject to various forms of punishment, including execution.

Detailed explanation-3: -To understand the Protestant Reform movement, we need to go back in history to the early 16th century when there was only one church in Western Europe-what we would now call the Roman Catholic Church-under the leadership of the Pope in Rome.

Detailed explanation-4: -The church became rich during the Middle Ages. Members gave the church 10% of their income. Rich members gave money to build churches and gave land to the monasteries. Many churches had stained glass windows.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Catholic Church of Western Europe In western Christendom, the Catholic Church remained a central institution throughout the Middle Ages. It controlled vast amounts of wealth – it was the largest landowner in Europe, and the people paid a tenth of their income – the “tithe” – to the Church each year.