The Church had enormous influence on the people of medieval Europe and had the power to make laws and influence monarchs. The church had a lot of wealth and power as they owned a lot of land and had taxes called tithes. He set laws and punishments separate 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 holidays. The people who worked in the church were among the most educated people. It was one of the most powerful institutions in medieval Europe and even had its own hierarchy. The church, due to its great power and influence, has made the Christian religion the most widespread belief in the world. Remnants of a once powerful religion can still be found in many places today. The Church wielded enormous influence and possessed an extremely large amount of wealth due to its ability to demand a certain amount of money from anyone. The Christian Church in Europe had a tax called a tithe. The tax consisted of one tenth of the money, land, possessions, etc. of a person. Lords often gave a large amount of land to the Church to secure their place in Heaven. The Church conquered many lands throughout Europe due to nobles who desired a definite place in the Christian paradise. On Christmas Day in the year 800 AD the King of the Franks, 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 things from nobles and, in some cases, monarchs, due to their spiritual connection... middle of paper... they don't understand priests. The medieval Roman Catholic church was extremely powerful and influential due to taxes and the ability to control people's religious beliefs and ideas. The Church acted as a sort of overlord over the monarchs of European Christendom, encouraging and in some cases forcing rulers to act according to their will and influencing the country's citizens. The Pope empowered himself as Holy Roman Emperor, a position that gave the emperor power over a large area of ​​Europe. This ability gave the Pope power over the Emperor, thus making him the ultimate leader of the continent. Thanks to all the Pope's abilities, the Church became an extremely significant institution and force in the Middle Ages. Although the church is not as powerful as it once was, remnants of its more powerful times can still be found today.