Reforming the English church Flashcards
Church under West Saxon and Danish Kings
Little separation between church and state
Papacy’s influence limited
Anglo Saxon background
Obsessed with moral condition
Much concern with enforcing Christian law and reforming church- conduct of clergy- aversion of God’s wrath
Cnut’s Oxford Law code
Honour one god
Just laws
Consolidate royal authority
Danish church reform
Reform movements concerns
Eradicating secular lordship
Gregory VII
William I and the papacy
Had to manage the church in a way that would ensure it still supported the regime
How did the papacy show its support for William I’s regime?
Helping of removal of Archbishop Stigand
When was Lanfranc appointed Archbishop of Canterbury?
1070
Why was Lanfranc chosen as Archbishop of Canterbury?
Papal approval
Could be trusted to manage the English church that would limit the papal reform movement and preserve king’s authority
William I moves
Lanfranc as Archbishop of C
Established separate system of ecclesiastical courts
Separate system of ecclesiastical courts
Allowed bishops to establish their own courts, two systems of justice
What can England can be defined as under West Saxon and Danish kings
A theocracy
Lanfranc’s policies
Pursuit of the ‘primacy’
Plan to create a pan-Brittanic patriarchate
Problems w Lanfranc’s plans
Papacy opposed- extra layers of jurisdiction would reduce the amount of business coming into its court
The canons of St Peters cathedral York saw it as a challenge to their own status
Aspects of Lanfranc’s reform programme
Some trivial things eg changing dates of certain feasts
Lanfranc’s monastic reforms
Suppression of masturbation, sodomy and unnatural relations- indicated English church was in a moral crisis
Lanfranc’s actions (3)
Reform programme
Monastic reforms
Relocation of sees
Relocation of sees
eg Bishop Peter moved his see from Lichfield to Chester
Point of Lanfranc’s reforms
Demonstrated that the church needed it
Papal reformers could be reassured
Winning acceptance for the conquest
Wanted to make the Normans look moral
Reforms helped to legitimise the conquest
New Norman churches
Built very fast
Often viewed as one of the Norman eras biggest achievements, but did destroy all pre-Norman churches
Why rebuild churches?
Legitimacy of the Norman regime
Worthiness of Abbotts and bishops who had taken over
Earlier churches were a symbol of Gods approval for the Anglo-Saxons church and its incumbents
Lanfranc’s success?
Largely successful ion averting papal disapproval and legitimising the conquest
Gregory VII’s incompetence helped
William II and the church
Increased financial exploitation of church as he wanted to conquer Normandy
This was ok because papal reform movement flopping
Election of Anselm
Far less willing than Lanfranc to ignore excesses of the king
Receptive to the ideas of the papacy
Fell out with king- exile