Introduction:
In Medieval Times, beliefs and the church meant everything to the people living in that time period. No one knew much about the world around them, and had only a small grasp of science. Advancements were being made, but until people really did understand culture and science, beliefs were all that people had to base their life on. Many then turned toward religion, and began to greatly surround the Medieval Catholic church.
Everyday Life Surrounding the Church
In the Middle Ages, religion was the most important aspect of everyday life. Life was not the best in Medieval Times, so the idea of being able to go to heaven after you died appeased everyone. Although, in that period of time, people believed that you could not go to heaven unless you were accepted by the church and baptized. The citizens of medieval Europe also had to pay one tenth of their income to the church in a monthly tax known as a tithe. If you did not pay a tithe you would go to hell when you died, a greatly feared prospect. Sadly, many peasants and serfs were too poor to pay a tithe with money. Instead they would pay in food. Peasants and serfs would also work on the Church’s farmland to help them get into heaven. Through this, the Church had created a system that rapidly increased their power and wealth day by day.
The church had, on the other hand, helped many people in society. The villagers would go to the church if they needed a place to stay, were sick, or needed a place to meet with peers. The local church would also help with academics for younger villagers. The church also affected the lives of villagers in another way. Every year people from every social class would go on pilgrimages to visit the graves of the saints.
Pope vs. King
Throughout the course of medieval history, Popes and Kings had many disagreements, mainly about who had more power. These arguments about power were a darker part of Medieval Times. The Pope was the leader of the church, and therefore had a huge impact on society. People looked to the church for everything, including how to live their everyday life. The Pope also chose what the church taught, creating an even wider range of his influence. The Pope could even decide the punishments for those who acted against the church. The King on the other hand inherited his power from his predecessor. Most Kings only became so because they were the eldest living son of the previous King. Although, the King had power over the land of the entire kingdom and had imposed an oath of fealty upon those below him. Henceforth the King also had a lot of power. The Pope’s and King’s arguments could sometimes even result in dire consequences. For instance, in 1076 Pope Gregory was creating major changes in the government. The current emperor Henry IV did not like these changes and tried to remove the Pope from power. Instead, the Pope excommunicated Henry IV, banning him from the church, and stating that he was no longer the emperor, which in turn freed the citizens from their oaths. In summation, the Pope had much more power than the King.
Saints & Relics
The Medieval Catholic church worshiped the saints. Saints were men and women considered to be holy and were divided into two groups: martyrs and confessors. Martyrs were saints who had been put to death for their religion, whereas confessors were those who died of natural causes. There were many saints in Medieval Times, each of whom represented something such as safe travels or weather. People would pray to the saints for what they represented in hopes that it would get through to God. There were many saints to represent different ideas, but not anyone could become a saint. The Roman Church would decide if one was worthy enough to become a saint. Most people who became saints had made great achievements in the catholic religion, or had died for their religion. If the Roman Church believed that someone had made a great enough impact on the Catholic religion, they would put them in the Rule of saints through an ecclesiastical process known as canonization. Although, people put in the rule of saints had usually died long before they were canonized.
To help people feel closer to saints, each church in Medieval Times would have a special relic. A relic was any item or piece of an item believed to have been touched by a saint. They ranged from something very special such as a piece of Joan of Arc's armor to something boring such as a shard of wood from a small broom that St. Patrick “touched.” Most relics from Medieval Times were faked, but because of the power of the church, many people believed they were real. Because of this, relics were very helpful for soldiers with low morale. The general would find one of “St. David’s” bone’s and say that this was a sign from God to win the battle. Since relics were so highly revered and were believed to have healing powers, this would make the soldiers much more confident. Overall, the aspect of saints may seem in modern times a bit dark, but was a lighter part of the life in Medieval Times.
Beliefs, Superstitions and Holidays
In Medieval Times superstition was very common. People had many different and ridiculous beliefs about everything. For example, they believed that there were evil days in the year, and that if you traveled on one of these days you would never return. As these beliefs continued to get more common, the church tried to stop them by instead dedicating every day of the year to a different saint. Although, the superstitious beliefs continued to spread, creating what is now known as a horrible event in history. From these superstitions, people began to believe in witches. The color black, cats, and ravens were all associated with witches. If someone was even accused as being a witch they would be put through horrible trials and would usually die. Superstition made Medieval Times much darker.
Although, somewhat related to superstition, holidays (created by the church) were a lighter part of the Middle Ages. There was a holiday or two for every month of the year. The holidays each marked an important event in religious history. Although, these were celebrated with great festivals and feasts. Holidays made peoples’ lives in Medieval Times much happier when they occurred.
Medieval Medicine and Science
In Medieval Times, medicine was very rudimentary. No one knew how the body worked. The most basic understanding of the body was in the four humors. Each humor was represented by a different substance or idea. The humors- or fluids in the body- were phlegm(represented with water), blood(represented with air), yellow bile(represented with fire), and black bile(represented by earth). If you were sick, doctors believed that there was an imbalance in your humors. Doctors would also try to heal illnesses with herbs and ointments. Any external ailments might also be dealt with similarly. Although, if your ailment was serious, you would go to a surgeon. In Medieval Times, your surgeon might also have been your dentist. There were basic surgeons and advanced surgeons. Basic surgeons cut your hair(barber), pulled teeth, let blood, stitched wounds, and would sometimes even remove tumors. Advanced surgeons could also remove bladder stones, do advanced dentistry, and set bones. Because there were no anesthetics at that period of time, surgeons would make their patients drunk before painful procedures.
Women also practiced medicine with unique herbal remedies. Although, they would often become subject to suspicion for witchcraft. If one was accused for witchcraft they would have to go through horrible trials. One example is the trial of the cold pond. In this trial the accused would be bound and thrown into a pond, if they floated they were guilty, but if they drowned they were innocent. Even though medicine seemed like a horrible part of medieval times, it was slowly getting lighter and progressing to more advanced techniques.
In Conclusion:
Religion in medieval times may have in whole seemed dark, but I believe that a lighter age was emerging for religion of all kind. The church was becoming less politically powerful and focusing more on what was originally intended. The Middle Ages were getting lighter.
-Ryan d.