The Power of the Church in the 1520s Flashcards
Explain how the church was so powerful in the 1520s. [10]
(Framing the answer) The Church of the 1520s was powerful because it was so wealthy, it had a huge influence on the lives of ordinary people and it exerted political influence too.
(Use connectives) Firstly, it had immense wealth - which came from a variety of sources (see separate card for details - just include a few examples here). Wealth at this time equated to power.
Secondly, the church exerted a strong influence over the lives of the people. For example, the Church promoted the Great Chain of Being - the idea that there was a strict hierarchy starting with God, and within this everyone ‘knew’ their place. Also, the desire of people to go to Heaven was so strong that ordinary people ‘submitted’ to the authority of the church.
Finally, the RC church was powerful because it had political influence. Many churchmen had a political role in government. For example, they served as Government ministers and Bishops and abbots sat in the House of Lords. In this way they could influence the thinking of Parliament.
Explain why the Church in the 1520s was so wealthy [10]
The Church was a hugely wealthy institution in the 1520s - it had income from its lands, the services it offered and from endowments it recieved. It could rely on an income of £400,000 a year, ten times that of the royal estates!
A key method was through endowments and these came in many forms.
For example, in East Anglia, rich cloth merchants donated money to the church to pray for their souls after their deaths so they did not linger in purgatory for too long. Individuals would also leave money and gifts in their wills. Very wealthy people even left money to found a CHANTRY.
A second way in which the church gained wealth was through its collection of the TITHE. This was a percentage of a person’s income, usually about 10%. Ordinary people often paid this in grain (TITHE BARNS) This money went to the local church.
The church also accrued wealth through services, such as weddings, funerals etc and by selling indulgences, whereby additional prayers could be paid for to speed your entry into heaven.
Explain why the Church played such an important role in communities in the c 1520s. [10]
(Framing the answer) In many ways, the Church played an important role in society because it supported the monarch in maintaining authority, people had strong beliefs and it provided cohesion for the community.
For example, because churchmen were educated they would support the monarchy in the administration of the country by serving as government ministers. Also, Bishops and Abbots would sit in the House of Lords, at this point the more important of the parliamentary Houses. Also, the concept of the Great Chain of being ensured that ordinary people remained obedient (most of the time!)
Secondly, at this time people had a strong faith and commitment to God and so the Church was very important to them. It brought people comfort and stability by helping them understand their place in God’s universe. Also, by teaching them how to live a good Christian life people would take comfort in the belief that they would go to heaven.
Secondly, the Church played a central role in people’s lives. It was probably the only stone building (other than the Lord’s manor) and it was a place where communities would gather, not just for religious reasons, but also for entertaining festivals. There were many festivals which always involved drinking and dancing such as Candlemas, Shrove Tuesday and Corpus Christi. Many parishes had their own local tradirions and festivals such as the festival of Walstan in Norfolk.
Overall, people had immense loyalty to their church and it gave people a strong sense of belonging and was at the centre of their celebrations.
