The lifestyles were different for the clergy, depending on their wealth and status. Most high-ranking clergymen, such as bishops, were of noble birth. They devoted their lives to the church, yet they remained rulers of large fiefs and lived with the same wealth and power of military lords. Monks lived within the monasteries and devoted their time to religious scholarship. They were also members of the clergy, and their days were filled with studying, praying, and participating in church services. Many peasants joined the clergy as village priests, who typically resided in small cottages near their churches, where they offered advice, helped settle disputes, and performed religi ceremonies. However, becoming a member of the clergy was not necessarily a passport to wealth, as most priests lived the poverty- stricken life of the peasants whom they served.
Peasant families lived in crude huts furnished with straw-filled bags. A typical peasant diet included black bread, porridge, eggs, poultry, and whatever vegetables their fields produced. Since any game on the manor belonged to the lord, peasants were prohibited from hunting or fishing. In addition to farming their own fields, peasants worked the farms of their lords and provided such services as cutting wood, grinding grain, repairing roads and bridges, pressing wine, and baking bread for the lord's family. They also had to pay taxes for their lands; but since money was scarce, many payments came in the form of grains or poultry from the peasants' lands.
By the thirteenth century, feudalism had begun its decline. As the European economy grew, paid soldiers replaced feudal knights; and as cities grew wealthier and more densely populated, the importance of the aristocracy lessened. The rise of an educated class paved the way for trained political leaders who eliminated the necessity of the vassals. Finally, centralized governments emerged, which resulted in the ending of the system that had sustained the kingdoms of Europe for seven hundred years.