The Church had enormous influence over the people of medieval Europe and had the power to legislate and influence monarchs. The Church had a lot of wealth and power because they owned a lot of land and had taxes called tithes. He issued laws and punishments distinct from the monarch's laws and had the ability to send people to war. The Church controlled the beliefs of European peoples and determined holy days and festivals. The people who worked in the Church were among the most educated. It was one of the powerful institutions of medieval Europe and even had its own hierarchy. The Church, because of its great power and influence, has made the Christian religion the most widespread belief in the world. Remnants of this once powerful religion can still be found today in many places. The Church wielded enormous influence and possessed extremely large wealth due to its ability to demand a certain amount of money from anyone. The Christian Church in Europe had a tax called tithe. The tax consisted of one tenth of the money, land, objects owned, etc. of a person. Lords often gave a large amount of land to the Church to secure their place in Heaven. The Church gained a lot of land throughout Europe because the nobles wanted a permanent place in the Christian paradise. On Christmas Day in 800 AD, the Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. This benefited the Pope and the Church because it gave them the power to choose which people could rule Christendom, which made the Pope the most powerful person in Europe. The Pope and other members of the Church had a certain right to demand certain things from nobles and, in some cases, monarchs, because of their spiritual connection... middle of paper ...... ne do not understand priests. The medieval Roman Catholic Church was extremely powerful and influential through its taxes and its ability to control people's religious beliefs and ideas. The Church acted as a sort of overlord to the monarchs of European Christendom, encouraging and in some cases forcing rulers to act according to their will and influencing the citizens of the country. The Pope gave himself the power to confer power as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a position that gave the Emperor power over much of Europe. This ability gave the Pope power over the Emperor, thus making the Pope the ultimate leader of the continent. Thanks to all the abilities of the Pope, the Church became an extremely important institute and force in the Middle Ages. Although the Church is not as powerful as it once was, remnants of its most powerful eras can still be found today..