The Catholic Church
The vast majority of European citizens were followers of the Catholic faith in medieval times. The Church was lead by the Pope.
The role of religion
Religion was an integral part of medieval life and played an important part of daily life. Most people were keen followers of religion and going to Mass was a community event. Many of the laws were enforced by the Church and people lead their life by a rigorous moral code; punishments for going against these laws were extremely severe. The Church generally saw men as primary citizens and women as secondary citizens.
Religious conflict
Religious conflict in the medieval era is well-documented. The Crusades, which occurred in the early part of the 11th century, are perhaps one of the most famous religious conflicts of all time; this event involved the invasion of Eastern Muslim lands and the capture of Jerusalem. There were five crusades in total; eventually the Muslims took Jerusalem back and the soldiers retreated back to Britain. Catholicism continued to be the dominant religion until the reign of Henry V111 when the Church of England was born.