Final answer:
The correct answer is c. The Inquisition often replaced feudal lords, aiding in centralizing power under the Church and monarchs, thereby contributing to the decline of feudalism and promoting religious homogeneity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Inquisition often replaced feudal lords and their jurisdictions with a more centralized and conformity-enforcing institution under the Church's control. During the Middle Ages, as monarchies started to centralize their power, institutions like the Inquisition were used to impose religious homogeneity and suppress any forms of dissent or nonconformity, both religious and social. The Inquisition also played a part in the decline of the feudal system, as it further centralized power away from feudal lords towards monarchs and the church. Moreover, the Black Death significantly contributed to the decline of feudalism, as the depopulation led to a scarcity of labor, prompting peasants to seek employment in towns and cities and diminishing the control feudal lords had over the peasantry.
The enforcement of religious conformity was achieved through rigorous investigation into personal beliefs, and this scrutiny primarily targeted heretics, Jews, and Muslims, especially during the period of the Spanish Inquisition. The practices of the Inquisition included the use of torture and execution to enforce Church doctrine and to manage personal morals and beliefs within society.