Christian religious life in medieval Europe were centered around the Catholic Church. Many, many people were involved with the church in some way. Some boys went to a monastery and trained as a monk at a very early age. Girls were allowed to be nuns, the female equivalent of a monk. The top of a monks head was shaved in something called a tonsure. A tonsure is like any normal haircut except there in a single bald spot at the top that was said to represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. Peasants had to give one-tenth of their crop a year to the church and the rich gave presents and treasures to the church. Cloisters are covered walkways monks could walk along where they could pray, read and think quietly. The church was so powerful that it was even frightening. Anybody who disagreed with the church was sometimes burned and accused a heretic or a worshiper of the Devil. In the seventh century a new religion began to spread. It was called the Islamic faith. Anybody who believed in it was called a Muslim. It was started by one man named Mohammed. Mohammed was born in a respected but poor family in 570 A.D. When he was forty he saw a vision from an angel. Mohammed said that the angel told him to preach to the people that there was only one God. The Koran was the holy book for the Muslims. It's a collection of Mohammed's teachings.
abbot- a man who is the leader of a group of monks
caliph- a successor of Mohammed,somebody who preserved his teachings after he died
cell- a single room occupied by a monk
diocese- the district under a bishop's authority
The Koran- The Islamic Faith holy book that is a collection of Mohammed's teachings.