Religion and the Laity
Bernard Hamilton
Since the Carolingian age Catholic Christianity had spread from its heartland in British Isles, France, empire, Italy and northern Spain, to become official religion of Bohemia, Poland Hungary. A uniform though sparse church organisation existed throughout this huge area. The Christian west was divided into dioceses, they varied considerably size; but provision parishes very uneven. All towns at least one while some more than a hundred, even parts which been for centuries many rural areas, were still served by clergy central minster. growth increased possibility conflict between laity. cost maintaining churches priests largely met tithes, theoretically levied on all sources income, normally principal grain crops, tithes frequently impropriated lay patrons, source litigation.
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