6 - Religion, Humanism, The Arts And Learning Flashcards
What religion people did all English people belong to?
Catholic Church
What kind of role did the Catholic Church play?
- Political
- Economic
- Social
Were most people loyal to the Catholic Church?
- Yes: most people fully accepted beliefs of Catholicism
- BUT: some opposition (heresy + anticlericalism)
What was a cardinal?
Senior churchman (international)
What was an archbishop?
Senior churchman (head of province)
What was a bishop?
Churchman (head of diocese)
What was a parish priest?
Head of parish church
Who was the head of the church?
The Pope
What was the relationship between the Church (Pope) + the State (Henry VII)?
- Erastian (State had more authority in England than Church)
- Respectful, positive relationship
- Worked together
Give an example of an action when the Pope + Henry VII worked together
Abolition of the ‘Privilege of Sanctuary’
(Could no longer go to sanctuary to escape convictions)
- Henry VII abolished it
- Got permission of Pope
How did the Church have a political role?
Helped with administration + control of the country (nationwide level, local level, personal level)
What sections was the country split into by the Church to allow it to play its political role (admin + control)?
2 provinces - Canterbury + York - Each run by an Archbishop 17 dioceses - Within provinces - Each run by a Bishop Many (approx 10,000) parishes - Within dioceses - Each run by a Parish Priest
How did the Church play political role of helping control the public at a nationwide level?
Lords Spiritual in House of Lords
- Bishops, abbots, heads of religious houses
- Played position in Parliament, helping pass laws + administer control
Clergymen in high political roles
- E.g. John Morton + Bishop Fox (Council + Privy Chamber)
- Influenced laws passed + actions taken by King
How did the Church play political role of helping control the public at a local level?
Church courts
- Some jurisdiction powers to convict + control public (non-secular matters, marriages, wills, etc)
How did the Church play political role of helping control the public at a personal level?
Individuals behaved better + observed 7 Sacraments, as wanted to acquire grace (pure state of soul needed to enter heaven) + limit time in purgatory (state in which sins purged)
What are the 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church that individuals had to observe?
- Baptism = welcoming baby into Church community
- Confirmation = transition into adulthood, faith own responsibility
- Marriage = two individuals pledge themselves to each other
- Anointing sick = preparing dying for passage to Heaven
- Penance = seeking forgiveness for sins
- Holy orders = priest empowered to give sacraments to others
- Eucharist = Holy Communion, in which transubstantiation completed
Why was Holy Communion important?
- Fulfilled seventh sacrament of Eucharist
- Priest giving sacrifice on behalf of whole community
- Whole community participated
What was transubstantiation?
Bread + wine becomes body + blood of Christ during Holy Communion, which is given to community to bring them closer to God
How did the Church play an economic role?
- Something that individuals spent their money on by choice (indulgences + donations by benefactors)
- Something that individuals were forced to donate to via tax (tithes)
- Way that individuals could get money (well paid high Church roles)
How rich was the Church?
Unknown, but VERY RICH
- Had approx 1/3 England’s land
What were indulgences?
Monetary payment by individuals to absolve sins
What were donations by benefactors?
Donations made by individuals to improve the beauty of worship (e.g. to pay for church repairs) + for personal reasons (e.g. in hope to reduce time in purgatory + be remembered)
What were tithes?
Tax of 1/10 of a person’s income paid to Church (usually paid in wheat)
How did the Church play a social role?
- Time when community came together during services
- Guilds + confraternities
- Pilgrimages
- Entertainment/festivals
- Way that individuals could rise up the social ladder (by getting high Church roles)
What were guilds + confraternities?
Voluntary associations individuals created to promote religion
- Social groups
- Very popular (E.g. Small rural parish Salle, Norfolk, had 7)
- Varied in wealth + size
- Raised money through fundraisers (E.g. Church ale festivals - Mids)
- Contributed to community projects (E.g. bridges, schools)
Why did guilds + confraternities sometimes cause an issue?
Powerful ones acted as monopolies (e.g. on trade)
What was a pilgrimage?
A journey to a place of religious devotion
- Hoped to reduce time in purgatory
- Most popular site: Thomas Becket’s tomb, Canterbury
- Large scale pilgrimages losing some popularity
What was Rogationtide?
- Walk around parish with banners, praying to ward off evil spirits (known as ‘beating the bounds’)
- Completed by members of community each Sunday
How was the Church a source of entertainment?
- Did festivals, often based on agricultural year
- E.g. Corpus Christi (‘body of Christ’) was a festival to celebrate importance of transubstantiation
Was individual worship done?
- Yes
- Mystics emphasised importance of personal communication with God as well as social group services
What were the 3 types of religious orders?
- Monks
- Friars
- Nuns
What was the importance of religious orders?
- Was the life + job chosen by some individuals
- Gave back to the rest of society: charity, education, etc