Early Middle Ages Essay

Different people and influences stabilized Europe in the Early Middle Ages. Charlemagne unified the empire and encouraged learning, feudalism helped to set up a structured society and broke down the roles of the people, and the church influenced daily life and used its power and authority to influence changes, such as attempting to stop war. The Early Middle Ages of Europe was able to sustain life do to these influences. Charlemagne, the grandson of Charles Martel, brought about changes that helped the stabilization of Europe. He briefly united Western Europe by building an empire across France, Germany, and part of Italy. Wanting to create a unified Christian empire, Charlemagne worked with the church to help spread Christianity to the
The priest's of local churches were often the only contact people had with the church. The priest administered the sacraments, which were the rites of the church. Christians believed these sacraments would lead them to salvation and eternal life in heaven. Priests preached the teachings of the church and explained the bible, which was written only in Latin. They guided moral issues and offered their aid to those who were sick and needy. Daily life also revolved around the church. The Christian calendar included many holidays such as Easter and Christmas, and held holy days dedicated to saints. The main events of ones life occurred at the church. Baptism allowed ones entrance into the community, marriages were held on the church steps, and the deceased was buried in the church's yard. The church set regulations and was a frequent occurrence in ones life. The church also had Christians pay a tax that was one tenth of their income. The church was an important part of life in the Early Middle Ages. Monastic life was another important development of the church that led to many improvements. The Benedict Rule led nuns and monks to take three important vows: obedience to the abbot or abbess, poverty, and chastity. Monks and nuns developed better agricultural methods, which led to the improvement of the economy. They also provided health and educational