Christianity In The Middle Ages

In European history, the religion Christianity has dominated the European continent for centuries. Before the 14th century, the majority of the population in Europe placed a great faith in Christianity; more importantly, the unquestionable authority held by the Church has endowed the Church officials with the power to control almost every aspect of ordinary people's political and spiritual life. Nonetheless, an unprecedented plague that emerged in 1347 brought about the start of a drastic change in the religious world of the time--in the late Middle Ages, the plague significantly altered the social order, power contribution, and Christian thoughts; Europeans were suddenly thrown into an era of religious inquiry, and started experimenting a series of touchy ethos.

"The Black Death did not only kill peasants, but every class and social order were decimated" (Barton), according to Judith Barton, even the King’s daughter succumbed to the Plague, not to mention a multitude of Church priests and clergymen. As a consequence, "newer less educated and less devoted men" began to enter the hierarchy of the Church ranks to replace the demised priests and clergymen, which hugely destabilized the Church’s long-existed and fixed structure; Also, the authority