Religion played one of the most dominant roles in Europe during the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church therefore represented an extremely powerful institution and dominated almost every aspect of the lives of medieval Europeans. The Church's "sacramental rituals" marked important events in a person's life, including baptism, marriage, and funerals. The beliefs espoused by the Church in matters of religion, ethics and philosophy were imposed on the people. People who disagreed with the Church risked torture and execution. Although the Catholic Church ruled Europe with an iron fist for much of the Middle Ages, its power began to decline in the late Middle Ages (1301–1500 AD), giving rise to during the Renaissance. The Catholic Church gained immense economic power in medieval Europe. Many kings and powerful feudal lords made donations to the Church in the form of land. The Church became the owner of a third of the land in medieval Europe. By 1050 AD it had become the largest landowner in Europe. The Church also added money to its treasury by taxing people a tenth of their income. There were times when the Church clashed with the emperors. One notable example concerns the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and the Holy Roman Emperor named Henry IV. Gregory VII became pope in 1073 AD and promulgated a series of reforms. One of his reforms granted only the Pope the right to appoint Church officials. This decree infuriated Henry IV, who declared that Gregory VII was no longer pope. The pope responded by declaring that the emperor's subjects should no longer obey him. Pope Gregory VII also excommunicated the emperor from the Church, which meant that Henry IV could no longer access heaven after his death. Next, Henry IV traveled to Rome...... middle of paper ......sTHE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN MEDIEVAL WESTERN EUROPE 5 crucial in helping him maintain his power for such a long period of time. Church leaders used their power to silence anyone who disagreed with the beliefs they had established. Some scientists who disagreed with the Church's beliefs were Copernicus and Galileo. Copernicus was not tortured because he published his book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies shortly before his death. However, the Church placed his book in the Index of Banned Books. But Galieo was tortured and forced to renounce his beliefs. Another person who disagreed with the Church was a German priest named Martin Luther. His theological disagreement with the Church sparked a revolution that divided Christianity into two camps and ultimately led to a significant decrease in the power of the Catholic Church..