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The Black Death caused lots of distress to man y people during the Middle Ages. People automatically turned to the church for answer s about the plague. Because the church did not have answers of what it was or why it was happening, it had such a devastating effect that people started to question rel igion. “The barbarians have broken through the ramparts… they sacked town and village, and laid waste the fields… there is no longer any trade… society has no longer any government,”(Heinemann). Trade was gone during the Middle ages because p eople hid or refuge and left their cities.
There were many invasions from the barbarian sin the 800s because there was not enough government, the people had no one to 10 0k for for guidance. The life of people at the time was very sober. Another age that could categorize the Middle Ages is the Age of Feudalism. Feudalism was a social system used in medieval Europe in which vassals were given land by lords. Land given to the vassals by lords were called fiefs. According to the the feudal obligations in document 4, vassals gave loyalty, military service and ran som to he lords in exchange for protection and fiefs.
On these fiefs vassals were abl e to grow crops to trade and provide for their families and others. Feudalism was a hug e part in the Middle Ages because it helped organize social classes and gave benefits t o most classes satisfying them. Manorialism would also fall under a feudalism catego because they were alike in many ways by providing social and political structu re along with shaping the economy of much of the Middle Ages. Lastly, the Age of Christianity would best describe the Middle Ages because here was so much faith in the christian church at the time.
According the doc ument 5, the church was able to place law on what the people we and were not allowe d to do. During Advent people would have to fast and according to the church council in the document, the church is also trying to prohibit violence on days set aside for g od- The people during the Middle Ages turned to leaders of the church for many thing s such as guidance and for reasoning. The chUrch was could control many things and w ere very powerful. It could excommunicate, interdict, had power over taxes and contro ied sacraments.
The church even became more powerful than the political leade rs at the time, like then Harry IV was excommunicated by the pope. The ch urch was th e most prosperous at the time and was the center of all christian cities making it an i mportant part of the Middle Ages. The Ages Of Darkness, Christianity and Feudalism best categorize the Middle Ages due to its change. Throughout the middle ages there was much change economically and politically, making feudalism and the power of the church m uch needed in making the Middle Ages a successful time.