Discuss the attitude of the church towards feudalism. Why did feudalism decline?
Answers
Answer:
Most people - kings and commoners alike - belonged to the Roman Catholic faith. Not to believe was considered a certain sentence to Hell. Hell was considered to be a very real place. This gave the Church huge influence, and as bishops were key members of the feudal system, they held valuable land too.
Some people rebelled against the system
It did not stop barons rebelling against the king, or from torturing and slaughtering their peasants:
Archbishop Thomas Becket challenged the authority of the crown by suggesting that the Church had authority over the monarch.
King John was pressured by his barons to produce the Magna Carta agreement in 1215 which curbed the power of the monarch. King John had to follow the rule of law and his power to raise taxes from barons was restricted, whilst freemen had stronger legal rights.
Explanation: