First, people believed in God and the church. Second, people saw monastic life as a way to life in peace and security in a chaotic world. During the first four hundred years o
…f the middle ages, people in western Europe were badly exposed to armed groups of people who were migrating or raiding. The Germanic tribes were a type of such groups, and the Vikings were another. People who lived in the countryside needed protection, and this could come if they moved to walled cities or organized themselves under local, able leadership. Both of theses routes provided some security, but at a price. In those days things were so bad that many people literally sold themselves into slavery in exchange for security. One alternative to this exposure was living in a monastery. Monasteries were sacked and destroyed, just as towns and cities were, but they were not as tempting as targets in most places. People in them had a better chance than many in the countryside, also. (MORE) 
