Medieval Europe
By: Bree Zubrod
Catholic Church
- Throughout Medieval Western Europe, daily life revolved around the Catholic Church.
- Priests ran schools and hospitals, they also did weddings, recorded births, and conducted burials.
- On Sundays and Holy days, people went to mass or the Catholic worship service.
- During mass, Medieval Christians took part in Church rituals called sacraments.
- Many Christians also prayed to saints.
- Medieval Christians believed that God blessed pilgrims, or religious travelers who journeyed to Holy places.
- The Holiest place was Jerusalem in the Middle East.
Trade
- When the Roman Empire collapsed, almost all trade in Western Europe came to an end.
- Bridges and roads fell into disrepair, and Law and Order vanished, money was used no longer to trade.
- Nobles repaired everything, and trade resumed.
- As trade increased, towns grew longer, and several cities became wealthy from trade.
- Venice and other Italian cities began trading with the Byzantine Empire and soon became the center of trade in the Mediterranean.