Chapter 6 Henry VII Religion, Humanism, Arts & Learning

Question 1

What was the role of the church (parish) and churchmen ?

Answer 1

• as all English people belonged to the church it was a central aspect of many people lives, it provided the focus for popular entertainment such as festivals as well as offering charity, good fellowship and the chance of ordinary people to contribute to the good of their local community
• also provided employment opportunities and for a select few the opportunity to advance themselves through the attainment of high office in church and state

Question 2

How was the church significant ?

Answer 2

• it made it easier for social and political elites to maintain social control through encouraging good behaviour and obedience
• significant in both international relations and domestic matters

Question 3

How were the church and state (politics) interrelated ?

Answer 3

• pope despite spiritual and political power, they did little to intervene directly with the running of the church in England - the king was firmly in control (the relationship between the sate and church was erastian (state had authority)
• was common for the senior clergy to participate at high levels in the political process (as competent and contentious professionals often w/legal training) eg. John Morton and Richard Fox enjoyed the most power
• some offices of state were monopolised by clergymen
• abbots shared membership of the House of Lords w/bishops

Question 4

What was the (social) role of the church ?

Answer 4

• parish church= central to religious experiences + provided framework for controlling how individuals thought, reasoned and behaved
• not only to spread + uphold christianity but also offered various ways that an individual could acquire grace in order to reach heaven

Question 5

what was the churches social role (economically)?

Answer 5

• communal aspects were emphasised by investment eg. benefactors would leave money for the foundation of chantries
• confraternity would also provide for funeral costs for members, help maintain church fabrics, make charitable donations & socialise (wealthier ones would run schools & almshouses)
• wealthier guides could be sources of local patronage and power
• overall benefiting the religious experience (remembered + less time in purgatory) and the community

Question 6

What was the churches social role ?

Answer 6

• going on pilgrimages (to tombs of a saint eg. Thomas Becket or a shrine built where a visit of Virgin Mary was reported) was a way an individual could gain relief from purgatory

Question 7

What were monastic orders ?

Answer 7

-people who committed themselves to the church
- its estimated that around 1% of adult males in England were monks living in religious housing known as monasteries (900 religious communities in England)
- friars worked among the lay + largely supported by charitable donations- by late 15th C the great days of the friars were over
- nunneries enjoyed much less prestige as mostly populated by women deemed unsuitable for marriage (entered as last resort) - Bridgettine foundation at Syon= exception

Question 8

Who criticised the church ?

Answer 8

• small minority critical of beliefs and practises of the church
• Lollardy:
• founded in 2nd half of 14th C by John Wycliffe -
• wanted bible translated into English & thought catholic church was corrupt + sceptical about practises (substantiation & Eucharist)
• considered to be heresy (denial of validity of the church)
• movement widespread at end of 14th C start of 15th particularly in southern England eg. Buckinghamshire & Newbury- popularity declined after failed lollard uprising 1414
• anticlericalism:
• opposition to church’s role in political and other non-religious matters
• widespread in late medieval England
• however it is argued that outbursts were rare + encouraged priesthood

Question 9

What was humanism ?

Answer 9

• originated in Renaissance Florence & broadly an intellectual movement
• concerned w/est. reliability of Latin + Greek translations in order to purify the ideas of religious texts
• mainly believers in catholic faith (particularly notion of free will)
• effected not only religion but also politics + economics
• by end of HVIII’s reign had made little impression on England and English intellectual life continued to be dominated by traditional medieval scholastic philosophy

Question 10

Who were popular humanists ?

Answer 10

• earliest humanist scholars+ William Grocyn (1449-1519) lectured at Oxford and Thomas Linacre (1460-1524) who was particularly influenced by science
• John Colet (1467-1519) even more influential educator who was highly critical of standards of clergy - foreshadow of protestantism- saw humanist scholarly approaches as a means of reforming the Church from within (became deen of St Pauls school in 1512)
• Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch Scholar) sought to regenerate Christianity through emphasis on education + rejection of some of the churches traditional ceremonies (Book- ‘the had book of a Christian soldier ‘)
• Thomas More (1478-1535) distinguished lawyer, humanist scholar
• a valued councillor to HVIII and was appointed Lord Chancellor on the fall of Wolsey in 1529- resigned 1532 in despair at Henry’s religious changes, having denied the royal supremacy he was executed for treason
• Erasmus + More would give a huge boost to humanist ideas in the early years of HVIII’s reign

Question 11

What were developments in education ?

Answer 11

• more opportunities
• for majority access to education depended on where you lived- ample provision for very wealthy
• ‘song schools’/ ‘reading schools’ provided education for the very young
• grammar schools existed for centuries by 53 new ones created 1460-1509
• study of latin was central to the curriculum but by 1480’s saw beginning of humanist approach eg. particularly in Magdalen College school in Oxford
• university education rested w/ ancient Universities of Oxford and Cambridge who both experienced great expansion of new colleges

Question 12

What were developments in drama ?

Answer 12

• most important art form at the time
• plays sometimes presented in association w/ church ale festivals
• troupes of players (some sponsored by nobility) toured the country
• most famous dramas: mystery plays performed at the feat of Corpus Christi by guilds of towns & cities eg. York, Lincoln, Wakefield & Coventry
• performances were festive occasions combining public celebrations w/ religious + moral messages for moral improvement of their audiences

Question 13

What were the developments in music ?

Answer 13

• music enjoyed at various levels in 15th C eg. local bagpipes + wind groups (entertained crowds on saints’ day w/drinking songs) and the great Choral pieces sung in the countries cathedrals
• Eton Choir book (collection of 93 musical compositions complied around 1505)- most important surviving source
• Browne & Fayrfax- 2 most important composers in the book who had close links w/ political est. of HVII’s reign (they also composed seculars- non religious for entertainment)
• music performed at court + in homes of wealthy regularly accompanied by meals
• carols were popular (not exclusively associated w/ christmas)

Question 14

What were the development in art & architecture ?

Answer 14

• massive building + rebuilding of parish churches
• large no. of churches eg. St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol built in gothic perpendicular style- indication of scale in investment
• gothic= prevalent in Northwestern Europe in 12th-15th C (pointed arches/ large windows)
• perpendicular= dominant form of church architecture in late 14th- start of 15th C England (emphasis on vertical lines ect) eg. Chapel of Kings college Cambridge= most popular
• printing press= new industry est. William Caxton in 1478
• printed works eg. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales + other traditional medieval works (chivalric romances)
• by end of HVII’s death tastes began to change as humanist influences had reached England: Caxton’s work became unpopular and eg. John Colet became ore fashionable

Question 15

Summary

Answer 15

• during HVII’s reign English church was generally in a healthy state & relations between both church and state & pope and king were generally positive
• the church fulfilled its major functions quite well + despite patches of lollard activity there was little dissent
• on a whole the church was remarkably effective at fulfilling what people considered their spiritual needs
• ” the early 16th C do not appear to have been in urgent need of radical reform” - Christopher Harper Bill referring to the English church
• speed of cultural change= slow
• humanism made its way into education however its major influence wouldn’t be felt until HVIII
• visual culture remained predominantly Gothic