People paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the Church. This tax was called a tithe. Tithes could be paid in money or in goods produced by poor farmers. Because farmers were very poor, they almost always had to pay in seeds, grain, or animal parts. This usually caused a lot of problems for farmers because they needed the seeds to plant the next year's crops. The church was so rich that it took these tithes from the farmers and placed them in large granaries. The barn food would usually be invaded by rats and other animals who would eat the seeds, or the seeds/goods would simply rot. This truly demonstrates the power and wealth of the Roman Catholic Church. People were almost forced to pay these tithes because if they didn't pay them the consequences were enormous. The peasants could be punished on earth by the church, or go to hell afterwards