Becket and the power of the church Flashcards
Why was the church important in the Middle Ages (give 3 examples)?
It helped solve problems, the bishops were like barons and advised kings, the pope was seen as god’s representative on earth, the priests collected tithes from villagers, people hoped that if they went to church and did what it told them they would go to heaven, the church used doom paintings to illustrate what heaven and hell might be like, people were really afraid of purgatory, etc.
Give three problems medieval people faced and how the church helped.
Problem: bad education, solution: priests could teach them. Problem: bad harvests, solution: feast days and celebrations. Problem: illness and disease, solution: priests and nuns could grow herbs for medicine. Problem: poverty, solution: Alms
What is purgatory?
Somewhere medieval people believed you went until all your sins were burned away .
The church suggested ways people could minimise their time in purgatory. Give three examples of these.
“Trust in the power of your priest “, “use saints and relics to help you pray “, “build a chantry chapel “, “buy a special pardon “, “go on a pilgrimage “, “trust monks, nuns and friars to pray for you “, etc.
