¶ … Power of the Medieval Church There is little doubt that the Church was one of the most powerful institutions in Medieval Europe. Many factors contributed to its remarkable success. Among these was the importance of religion in the everyday lives of people of all classes and backgrounds. It is not by accident that the Middle Ages is sometimes known as "The Age of Faith." In a world that had not yet discovered scientific explanations for the travails that beset humankind, religion offered answers and also hope. The monasteries that dotted the map of Europe provided safe havens in the violent storm that was the essence of Medieval life for so many. Within their sheltering walls, there existed a different, more peaceful, more promising modus vivendi. Here, man was free from the constant wars, and the sudden destructions that too often befell the men and women of that period. On another level too, the Church and its monasteries served...

Especially in the earlier part of the era, monks and priests were often the only educated people to be found. Clerics served in the administration of Charlemagne and later monarchs. Monks preserved the learning of the Ancients by copying out old classical manuscripts and their Islamic copies. Within the Church, there were individuals who still attempted to solve the problems of humanity intellectually, and not with the sword alone. St. Thomas Aquinas, Abelard, Duns Scotus, and others continued the ancient traditions of inquiry and argument. Without these churchmen, Medieval life would have been bare indeed.
Another factor in the creation of the Church's awesome power was its high level of organization. A hierarchical and complex organization, the Church was oftentimes the only clear "authority," and certainly the only truly enduring one for many centuries.…