Section 1, Chapter 1

Question 1

The structure of the Church in England at the beginning of the 16th century.

Answer 1

Pope → Secular clergy → Cardinals → Archbishops → Bishops → Parish priests → Other orders

Question 2

What powers did the Pope have?

Answer 2

He could draw up non-secular laws which applied to the whole of Christendom.

Question 3

What members of the Church also sat in the House of Lords?

Answer 3

Abbots and bishops

Question 4

What was the highest position of power in the Church in England

Answer 4

Archbishop of Canterbury followed by the Archbishop of York.

Question 5

What were the roles of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey?

Answer 5

• He was the principal advisor to the king.
• As Chancellor he had ultimate authority of the legal system.
• As Cardinal he held an important position in the Catholic Church.
• As Archbishop of York he held the 2nd most important religious role in Britain.
• As ‘legatus a latere’ he had the right to act on behalf of the Pope.

Question 6

What was Church law know as?

Answer 6

Canon Law

Question 7

How many parishes were there across England?

Answer 7

9000

Question 8

How much did the Church receive every year in taxation and religious fees from England?

Answer 8

£4500

Question 9

How much did Henry VIII receive every year in taxation and religious fees from England?

Answer 9

£12,500

Question 10

What was the name of the annual tax paid by every house to Rome?

Answer 10

Peter pence

Question 11

How much money was the annual tax to Rome?

Answer 11

1 penny

Question 12

How many miles away was a parish from a monastery?

Answer 12

4 miles

Question 13

What would happen to you if you were found guilty in a Church court (for a charge other than heresy)?

Answer 13

You could be fined or imprisoned

Question 14

What would happen to you if you were found guilty of heresy?

Answer 14

You were executed

Question 15

What was the other role of the church courts?

Answer 15

Proving wills.

Question 16

What were most parishes built of?

Answer 16

Stone

Question 17

What was the high alter used for?

Answer 17

• Masses held on a Sunday
• Masses held on holy days
• The reserved sacrament was held there.

Question 18

What happened in chantry chapels?

Answer 18

Masses were said for souls of the dead.

Question 19

What was ‘year’s mind’?

Answer 19

When you held a mass for the anniversary of a death.

Question 20

How many monasteries were there when Henry VIII ascended to the throne?

Answer 20

850 institutions

Question 21

What happened in rural abbeys?

Answer 21

Prayer and learning

Question 22

What were the roles of the monks who lived in the priories?

Answer 22

• Worked within the community
• Pray
• Help the poor and sick
• Provided education to the sons of the nobility and gentry.

Question 23

What jobs did the land around monasteries provide?

Answer 23

• Arable farms produced food
• Employment for labourers
• Producers of wool
• Selective breeding of sheep

Question 24

What were abbeys producing by the 16th century?

Answer 24

Iron

Question 25

What were Cistercians?

Answer 25

Part of the Catholic religious order who originally sought to live off the land.

Question 26

Which abbey had a community of Cistercians?

Answer 26

Roche.

Question 27

What aspects of society did the monarch use to maintain power?

Answer 27

• Justices of Peace
• Privy Council
• The Church
• Execution
• Taxation

Question 28

What was the role of Parish priests?

Answer 28

• Responsible for giving sermons in the native language to explain to the common people what they had just listened to.
• They gave sacraments

Question 29

What were sacraments?

Answer 29

Sacraments are important events that involve the church. For example: baptisms, reconciliations, confession, marriage and last rights.

Question 30

How many churches were there in Oxford?

Answer 30

20

Question 31

What were the roles of the Cardinals?

Answer 31

• Responsible for electing the Pope when the previous one dies.
• Acting as intermediaries with people back home.

Question 32

What is the difference between Benedictine monks and Mendicant orders?

Answer 32

Benedictine monks work within the confines of an abbey and carry out their work away from society in order to achieve a connection with God. On the other hand Mendicant orders decided that they would go out into the world to talk to the people.

Question 33

Who was John Wycliffe?

Answer 33

• He was the first man to translate the Bible into English

Question 34

What grievances did Wycliffe have against the church?

Answer 34

He felt the church had too much wealth and money, he believed parishes were spending too much money on festivals and celebrations and they were bringing in too much money from the civilians.

Question 35

What issues did the laity have with the priests?

Answer 35

• The clergy are often landlords so accumulate wealth through the parishes. The laity felt that the clergy should be devoting themselves to God rather than taking money.
• The lower members of society also resented the clergy due to their links with the nobility.
• Pluralism was another problem: some priests belonged to many parishes so weren’t dedicated to on parish at a time.

Question 36

What could the Church fine people for?

Answer 36

• Breaking the 10 Commandments
• Not going to Church