Church/Pope

The Catholic Church had the same amount, if not more, power and wealth than the kings. It was based in Rome and headed by the Pope, who had the power to remove kings from power.

Priests were often the only contact people had with the Church. They were responsible for collecting church taxes, performing the sacraments, including leading the Mass. Because they were often the only people who could read and write, they were important for record keeping. Less than 2% of the population were priests