Why were medieval abbeys rich?

Answer 1

The monasteries were wealthy because the church was wealthy. The church taxed everybody including the peasants a tithe (this meant they had to give a tenth of their harvest to the church). Also when people died some chose to give their valuables to the church - this made it even more wealthy. Finally people paid indulgences to the church. They believed that in paying indulgences they would skip purgatory (a place of punishment) and go straight to heaven.

I hope this goes towards answering your question.

Answer 2

Not all Abbeys were rich or wealthy - and some of those that had money were taxed heavily by the king so that they lost much of their wealth.

Abbeys gained rents and other incomes from the lands they held, which were often very extensive and included villages, small towns, farmlands, woodlands, mills and other resources. They also received donations of land, money or valuables from wealthy nobles who saw this as a way of ensuring a place in Heaven for themselves.

Abbeys also received a portion of tithes from the people on their lands, as well as income from markets and fairs for which they held legal authority - an example is the annual St Peter's Fair at Shrewsbury in Shropshire, with all the rents, taxes and other income going to the Abbot's coffers.

However, this income has to be balanced by expenditure. Most Abbeys were in constant need of building works and repairs; certain items had to be bought, since they could not be produced on site; the lay servants, ploughmen, shepherds and others had to be paid; the Church was often seen as a considerable source of income by the king, who could impose fines and taxes at any rate he chose.

Milton Abbey in Dorset is a good example of a medium-sized monastic house with considerable incomes that was bled dry by the king, to the point where the Abbey was in constant financial difficulties. It was only "rich" for a very short period of its life; for most of its hundreds of years of existence it struggled to remain as a working monastic house. It was not alone in being targeted by the king in this way.

Answer 3

Because they were crooks with power to stand over poor ignorant peasants.