The catholic church
The catholic church became the most powerful institution in the medieval era after the fall of Rome since there was no single state or government on the European continent. The Roman Catholic Church was the only force capable of providing a basis of social unity and Europe became one large church state, also referred to as Christendom. Supreme authority was held by the Pope who lived in Rome and controlled the whole state. The Catholic Church protected and formed alliances with kings, queens and other leaders for power. The church also became very wealthy because every year, people had to give 10 percent of their earning to the church. This was called a tithe. Leaders in the church such as bishops and archbishops were apart of the King’s council and had leading roles in government and laws. Churches in the Middle Ages became very big after the twelfth century, to house all the people but later collapsed after a century or so because of their structural build.