Religion Flashcards
What was the relationship of English people to the Catholic Church during the reign of Henry VII?
All English people belonged, at least theoretically, to the Catholic Church and were under the jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome.
What was central to the lives of most people living in the fifteenth century?
Their own religious experience.
How many parish churches were there in England during the fifteenth century?
Over 8000.
What role did the parish church play in the lives of ordinary people?
It was the focus of religious experience.
How did the Church contribute to popular entertainment?
Its festivals were closely linked to the agricultural year and provided enjoyment.
What social functions did guilds and confraternities serve?
They offered charity, good fellowship, and a chance for ordinary people to contribute to their local community.
How did the Church help social and political elites maintain control?
Through encouragement of good behaviour, obedience, and stress on community values.
What opportunities did the Church provide for individuals like Cardinal Wolsey?
Employment opportunities and social advancement through high office.
Fill in the blank: The Church provided the focus of popular _______.
entertainment.
True or False: Ordinary people’s religious experiences were secondary to the Church’s rituals.
False.
What was a significant change Henry VII made regarding the bishops?
He changed the character of the bench of bishops.
Who held significant spiritual power in the Christian Church during the reign of Henry VI?
The Pope in Rome
The Pope was not only a spiritual leader but also the head of a substantial state.
What was the nature of the relationship between the Church and State in England during Henry VI’s reign?
Erastian
This means the king was in control while the popes were generally eager to grant favors.
How did Henry VII use the wealth of the Church?
To reward churchmen given high political office
This indicates the intertwining of church and political power.
What were the two provinces through which the Church in England was administered?
Canterbury and York
Each was under the jurisdiction of an archbishop.
How many dioceses were there under the Church in England?
Seventeen
Each diocese was under the control of a bishop.
Which dioceses were noted for their significant wealth and influence?
Winchester and Durham
These dioceses held considerable power within the kingdom.
What was common for senior churchmen in the late fifteenth century?
To enjoy political power
Many churchmen shared legal and political responsibilities with the king.
Fill in the blank: The Church in England was administered through _______ provinces.
two
True or False: The popes actively intervened in the running of the Church in England during Henry VI’s reign.
False
Successive popes did little to interfere directly.
What was the role of the archbishops in the Church in England?
To oversee their respective provinces
This included managing the dioceses and bishops under their jurisdiction.
What was a key characteristic of parish life according to the religious beliefs of the time?
Providing teaching and grace
Parishes were central to community and religious life.
Fill in the blank: The Church in England had a significant influence on _______.
politics
Who were the two churchmen who exercised most power under Henry VII?
John Morton and Richard Fox
What role did senior clergy commonly play in the political process during the medieval period?
They participated at a high level in the political process
Which office of State was often monopolized by clergymen?
The office of the chancellor
What was the general competence level of the most senior clergymen?
Highly competent and conscientious professionals
What responsibilities did abbots have in addition to their spiritual duties?
Management and administrative skills
What was the central aspect of religious experience during this period according to Eamon Dufly?
The age of the parish church
Fill in the blank: The church provided the outward structures of _______.
[community life]
What did the Church offer to help individuals reach heaven?
Various ways to acquire grace
How many sacraments are necessary to observe to reach heaven?
Seven sacraments
What is the significance of Baptism in the sacraments?
It welcomes the newly born infant into the community
What does Confirmation mark in the life of an individual?
The transition from childhood to adulthood
What is the purpose of the sacrament of Penance?
To seek God’s forgiveness for sins
What is the process by which a priest becomes empowered to deliver the sacraments?
Holy Orders
What is the Eucharist in the context of the Catholic Church?
Receiving Christ’s body and blood in the form of bread and wine
What is the climax of the Mass ceremony?
The consecration of the bread and wine
What is transubstantiation?
The transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ
True or False: Lay members of the congregation consumed both the bread and the wine during the Mass.
False
What was a common criticism of heads of religious houses?
Not all lived up to the demands of their roles
Fill in the blank: The central religious experience of the Catholic Church is the _______.
[Mass]
What was the significance of the Mass in late-medieval England?
It was a sacred ritual in which the whole community participated and emphasized the importance of the consecrated bread.
What does ‘Corpus Christi’ refer to in the context of the Catholic Church?
It literally means ‘the body of Christ’ and is associated with the feast celebrating the ‘blessed sacrament’.
What role did lay people play in the funding of parish churches?
Lay people invested in the rebuilding of churches and paid for objects accompanying services.
What was the purpose of the donations left by the dying to parish churches?
- Enhance the beauty of worship
- Ensure remembrance of the benefactor
- Reduce time spent in purgatory
What were chantries and why were they significant?
Chantries were foundations financed from property bequeathed in wills, meant for intercession for the soul of the patron.
What was the central function of a chantry priest?
Intercession for the soul of his patron.
What were confraternities in the context of late-medieval religion?
Groups of men and sometimes women who gathered to provide for funerals, pay chaplains, maintain church fabric, and socialize.
How did wealth affect the influence of guilds?
Wealthier guilds could be a source of local patronage and power, running schools, almshouses, and funding major projects.
What role did pilgrimage play in late-medieval religion?
It was a means for individuals to gain relief from purgatory by visiting tombs of saints or shrines.
True or False: The pilgrimage site of Thomas Becket at Canterbury was losing popularity by the late fifteenth century.
True
What was Rogation Sunday?
A community event where parish boundaries were walked to pray for protection, emphasizing the parish’s importance.
What was the significance of individual religious experience in the fifteenth century?
It became more important, highlighted by the writings of mystics who emphasized personal communication with God.
What percentage of adult males in England were monks around 1500?
Approximately one percent.
Who founded the Benedictine order?
St Benedict.
What characterized the Cistercian and Carthusian orders?
They were founded due to a lack of zeal in Benedictine monasteries and were often situated in more remote areas.
What were the three main orders of friars?
- Dominicans (black friars)
- Franciscans (grey friars)
- Augustinians
What was a key difference in recruitment between friars and larger monasteries?
Friars tended to recruit from lower down the social scale.
What happened to the orders of friars by the late fifteenth century?
Their great days were over, but they continued to receive substantial bequests.
What was the status of nunneries in England between 1536 and the dissolution of the monasteries?
Approximately 130 nunneries existed, mostly of Benedictine or Cistercian orders, with less prestige than monasteries.
The exception was the Bridgettine foundation at Syon, which accommodated both women and men.
Who founded the Lollard movement and when did it emerge?
John Wycliffe founded the Lollard movement in the second half of the fourteenth century.
Lollardy was critical of the Church’s beliefs and practices.
What were the main beliefs of the Lollards?
They stressed the understanding of the Bible, favored its translation into English, were skeptical of transubstantiation, considered the Catholic Church corrupt, and denied the special status of the priesthood.
Lollards viewed the Catholic Church as corrupt and sought reform.
Where did Lollard views persist in England?
In parts of southern England, particularly in south Buckinghamshire and around Newbury in Berkshire.
The movement’s popularity declined after the failed Lollard uprising of 1414.
What legal measure was introduced in England in 1401 regarding heretics?
The burning of heretics was introduced into English law.
Although this law existed, relatively few suffered this fate.
What did historians like Christopher Haigh argue about anticlericalism in late-medieval England?
They argued that specific outbursts of anticlericalism were rare, often politically motivated, and that priests retained the support of many laity due to healthy numbers of candidates for the priesthood.
What was the aim of humanism in relation to religious texts?
To purify the ideas of religious texts through translations and intellectual inquiry.
Humanism was a broadly intellectual trend with specific learning objectives.
What is Christian humanism?
A movement that arose when humanist approaches were applied to biblical texts.
Who were the earliest significant humanist scholars in England?
William Grocyn and Thomas Linacre.
Both scholars had experiences with humanist approaches in Florence.
What influence did John Colet have on humanism?
He saw humanist scholarly approaches as a means of reforming the Church from within.
Who was Desiderius Erasmus and what was his significance?
A renowned Dutch scholar who epitomized the spirit of new learning and supported humanist ideas, particularly through his friendship with Thomas More.
What was the significance of the printing press in relation to humanism?
It facilitated the spread of humanist ideas, beginning with William Caxton in England.
Fill in the blank: The Lollards were skeptical of _______.
transubstantiation
What was the primary intellectual influence in England during Henry VII’s reign?
Traditional medieval scholastic philosophy
Humanism and the Renaissance made little impression during this period.
What types of schools provided elementary education during this period?
Song schools and reading schools
These schools catered to very young children.
How many new grammar schools were founded between 1460 and 1509?
53 new grammar schools
This indicates an increase in educational opportunities.
What was central to the grammar school curriculum?
The study of Latin
The teaching of English was secondary to Latin.
Which two ancient universities were central to university education in England?
Oxford and Cambridge
Oxford expanded with new colleges, while Cambridge also saw new foundations.
Who was responsible for the foundation of Christ’s College and St John’s College at Cambridge?
Lady Margaret Beaufort
Her generosity significantly benefited Cambridge.
What was the most important popular art form during this period?
Drama
Plays were often associated with church-ale festivals.
What types of performances were the mystery plays?
Performed by guilds at feasts of Corpus Christi
These plays conveyed moral and religious messages.
What types of music were enjoyed in the fifteenth century?
Bawdy drinking songs and great choral pieces
Music varied from local entertainment to cathedral performances.
What significant musical collection was compiled around 1505?
The Eton Choirbook
It contains 93 separate musical compositions.
Who were the two important composers represented in the Eton Choirbook?
Thomas Browne and Robert Fayrfax
Both had close ties to the political establishment of Henry VII’s reign.
What instruments were commonly used in music performed at court?
Trumpets, shawms, sackbuts, stringed instruments, recorders, and lutes
Different instruments were used for various styles of music.
What architectural style was prominent during the rebuilding of parish churches?
Gothic perpendicular style
This style indicates significant investment in church buildings.
Who established the first printing press in England, and when?
William Caxton in 1476
He printed works like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
What change in cultural taste began to emerge by the time of Henry VII’s death?
Humanist influences began to reach England
This influence came particularly from Italy.
True or False: The new industry of printing immediately focused on humanist literature.
False
Initially, it was still concerned with traditional medieval culture.
What became more fashionable among Englishmen like Thomas More and John Colet?
Humanist literature
This reflects a shift away from chivalric literature, which was viewed with contempt by humanists.
What did historian Jack Lander identify about the works printed by Caxton?
They became unfashionable
This was due to the emergence of humanist contempt for chivalric literature.
What was the general state of dissent in the Church by 1509?
Remarkably little dissent
There were patches of Lollard activity, but overall dissent was minimal.
How effective was the Church at fulfilling perceived spiritual needs by 1509?
Remarkably effective
This assessment is based on the judgement of Christopher Harper-Bill.
Did the institutions of the English church in the early sixteenth century appear to need radical reform?
No
The institutions were viewed as generally healthy and effective.
What remained strong between the Church and other societal sectors?
Relationships with education and culture
These relationships contributed to the Church’s stability during this period.
What was the speed of cultural change in England by 1509?
Quite slow
Humanism had made inroads in education, but its major influence was not felt until later.
When did the major influence of humanism in education become evident?
During the reign of Henry VIII
This indicates a shift in educational practices and philosophies.
What was the status of visual culture in England by 1509?
Prevalent with abuses
This suggests that while visual culture was present, it was marred by issues that needed addressing.
What was the relationship between Church and State during Henry VII’s reign?
Generally positive
This positive relationship contributed to the Church’s stability and effectiveness.
What major functions did the Church fulfill by 1509?
Spiritual needs of the people
The Church was perceived as meeting the essential spiritual requirements of society.
