week 2: Kings and the church in the seventh century Flashcards
1
Q
what were the political advantages to converting to christianity?
A
- churchmen were some of the most literate in society and therefore involved in official documentation. The Laws of One issued in 6934 record Bishop participation - perhaps so they could safeguard ecclesiastical interests. This centralised and streamlined the administration whilst allowing for more effective communication, especially at a distance.
- The establishment of diocese in subordinate kingdoms allowed powerful rulers to place individuals whom they could trust in areas ruled by powerful rivals and sub-kings
- kings could acts as godfathers during conversion to other kings making them implicitly superior. King Cynegils baptised at Dorchester in 635 using King Oswald as sponsor. This ensured submission of other rulers.
- They could guarantee succession - monasteries were safe havens for retirement of periods of political instability, abdicating and nominating an heir to the throne. this prevented a succession crisis and ensured smooth transition as they could oversee from a distance. For example, both Sigebert of East Anglia and Ceolwulf of Northumbria resigned and selected a successor
- the church could validate dynastic loyalty as religious men who were thought to be in contact with God could testify to divine genealogy - encouraged acceptance.
- The old testament represented a style of kingship which was divinely ordained and qausi-sacral, while the imperial gov of the new testament had law making and tax raising powers
- conversion linked to St A from Rome in 597 and this meant international connections developed. Aethelbert married Bertha and was accompanied by Bishop Liudhard on her travels suggesting intent for conversion. Merovingian coinage, Sceatta found on the English side of the channel and similarities between Kentish and Neurstrian accessories. An affinity of square headed brooches found in France suggesting the spread of artistic tradition. Incrased trade and diplomacy.
2
Q
economic benefits for conversion
A
- Tribal hide - list of tribes in AS E and the number of hides assigned to each one who h allowed for elaborate systems of land assessment- suggests large amounts of land were endowed to the church.
- Caedwalla granted Wilfrid 1/4 of the Isle of Wight as he was convinced that the Christian God had led him to victory in battle.
- monasteries at Jarrow and Wearmouth were endowed with forty and seventy hides fo land, respectively.
- used monasteries as military outposts, establishing a permanent military presence in contested areas to deter and quell insurrections. This meant less money needed to be invested int transporting the army around England, mitigating short-term economic drawbacks
- Early designs were modelled on Merovingian coins with the imperial bust on the obverse and a cross on the reverse. Coin finds are concentrated at Wics such as Hamwic on Southampton Water - increase trade
3
Q
economic drawbacks to conversion
A
- more people lived in and around monasteries and therefore more money had to be invested into their upkeep. Bede suggests in his letter to Ecgbert of York in766 that as more wealth was being invested into monasteries there was a reduction in resources available for the king and therefore more likely to suffer heavy losses in battle.
- Bede lived at Wearmouth monastery which as renowned for its stringent way of living. He was critical of more lax and lavish monasteries and this may have led him to exaggerate the content of his letter.
- Warriors expected patronage but these resources usually reverted to the king at death. Endowment of land to the church led to permanent alienation of land. It was exempted from traditional inheritance practices.
4
Q
social incentives for conversion
A
- churchmen were some of the most literate and therefore at the helm of medieval learning. Bishop Wilfrid offered private education for the children of elite families and archbishop Theodore founded a number of schools throughout the 7th century. Aristocrats brought into conversion to improve opportunities for their kin and kings did to improve the competitive edge of their kingdom against rivalling polities.
- Monkwearmouth/Jarrow was at the forefront at learning producing the 2060 page Codex amiatinus.-bolstered his reputation showing a moral and ethical concern for his people
- increase in philanthropy as here was a social contract embedded in biblical doctrines. This created an implicit hierarchy orientated around royal and ecclesiastical authority. For example, Xenodochium hospital at Lyons was generously endowed.
- The church was a Bastian of Latin - the language of the bible - and therefore Bede stresses that it created a common sense of Englishness with a shared language and religion, uniting people across kingdoms not just on a local level. This may have gone hand in hand with the idea of Bretwaldas. Homogeneity of burial rituals and artefact assemblages implies a growing sense of English identity.
5
Q
social drawbacks for conversion
A
-at the very highest levels education improved but critics have argued that this was only the case for a specific stratum of society and at a limited number of sites. Other explanations may be more accurate.
6
Q
How did Roman missionaries contribute to conversion?
A
- in 597, St Augustine and baptised Aethelbert before being established at Canterbury and establishing further bishoprics in London and Rochester.
- a second entourage of Meltitus, Justus and Paulinus were sent from Rome in 601 accompanied by liturgical relics and vessels and the latter converted Edwin of Northumbria
- by 664, only Sussex and the Isle of Wight were Pagan.
- Theodore of Tarsus became archbishop of Britain not just Canterbury in 669. He wanted to create a bishop per province. He increased the number of bishop as he thought the north wasn’t receiving sufficient guidance despite paying the same dues as the south, disciplined the laity, founded schools and a single archbishopric who had authority over all AS churchmen.
7
Q
Had there already been christianity on England?
A
- see stuff on 400-600
- King Aethelbert had Married Princess Bertha of France who was accompanied by Bishop Liudhard on her travels suggesting intent for conversion
- In 429, Bishop Germanus of Auxerre came to Britain to combat the Pelagian heresy.
- the Roman army had been a conduit for christianity. Two early churches in Wales were situated near Roman forts (e.g. Llanbeblig) and forts on Hadrian’s wall may have contained churches.
- place names indicate church sites before 600. ‘Eccles’ in Lancashire and Norfolk.
- Bede describes St Ninian as the evangelist of Pictland who had been trained in Rome. Many Irish cleric were involved in the Christianisation of Pictland, but Bede seems to have streamlined it
- the coins in the prittlewell burial (cross on eyes) date to 580s
8
Q
How did Irish missionaries contribute to conversion?
A
- Edwin of Northumbria had been converted by Roman missionaries but when he died there was a temporary ebb in Northern Christianity.
- Oswald re-established the church based on the Dalriadic Irish monastery of Iona and the work of Monk Aidan
- in NW Britain, St Columba’s monastery Iona built an ecclesiastical empire holding influence of a network of churches spanning the Irish sea. -
9
Q
arguments against growing christianity
A
- Aethelbert’s successor was pagan leading to a temporary rejection of christianity. Bede says he eventually converted but went back to the Pagan faith. Eadbald didn’t follow the religious doctrines but at a surface level recognised and utilised the benefits.
- Synod at Whitby showed religious conflicts over the date of Easter.
- Some reverted back to paganism just in case the aristocracy didn’t follow suit or to communicate with pagan deities who retained power. For example, Raedwald erected a christian alter next to a pan shrine.
- missionaries tended to accept the maintenance of pre-christian customs as long as the core tenants of the faith were taken up swiftly,
10
Q
how did christianity create opportunities for women?
A
- Only male members of monasteries could perform religious rites.
- Women were often the leaders of double-monasteries as it provided an attractive alternative to the vulnerabilities of single or widowed life. In the interests of their family’s reputation, they maintained a role in public life.
- St Aethelthryth daughter of the King of East Angles and she married King Ecgfrith of Northumbria but she changed her mind and the King let her enter his aunt’s monastery at Coldingham.
- There were 5 monasteries in Kent alone led or housed by women from the 630s onwards.
- in Ireland, Queen Maeve of Connaught got power, but in general any political power which resided in the hands of women was canned towards manipulating the position of male realtives.
- Numerous aristocratic families were investing into monasteries by vesting authority in female kin. Whitby was ruled successively by female members of the Northumbrian royal family from 650 to the early 8th century. It was a novel mechanism for elite patronage.
11
Q
what are the merits and drawbacks of Bede’s account of conversion?
A
- Bede focuses on kings and therefore he religious needs of the bulk of the population go largely unnoticed
- he focuses on the centrality of Rome and conversion particularly in Kent and Northumbria. This is a manicured version of events.
- Franks, Irish and Britons all played a role and Scandinavian settlers may have adopted the faith by osmosis
- Bede criticised monasteries such as Coldingham in a letter to the bishop of York as they did not follow regular monastic life and were seen as tax havens for the aristocracy. He had lived at a monastery with stringent regulations.
12
Q
why did the aristocracy support conversion?
A
- Monasteries provided a home for sons and daughters where they could live in a manner to which they were accustomed whilst remaining in tough with their family. This established permanent links between the family and the institution and this was more stable than secular landowning which could dissolve easily due to royal intervention
- The Ruthwell Cross depicts biblical scenes with Latin inscription and Old English runes presenting the manuscript the Dream of the Rood. Resonance with literate members of society.
13
Q
red-defining of bishoprics
A
- Roman and Italian churchmen tended to pick Roman cities such as Canterbury whilst Irish-speaking Clergy areas like Linidisfarne.
- Bishoprics tended to coincide with the parameters of kingdoms. They had considerable staying power and therefore could hold jurisdiction of areas even when the kingly boundaries changed.
- Bishopric of London matched that of East Saxons in 7th century and therefore in later times incorporated Essex, Middlesex and Hertfordshire.
- Theodore based in Canterbury organised a number of synods and councils held in his region. From 73, York also gained archbishopric status.
14
Q
monasteries
A
- Bede lived in the joint monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow which was particularly strict and he looked down on more law religious houses.
- The English Benedict Biscop confected a set of his own rules, drawing on the customs of older monasteries and the rules of St Benedict. The oldest known copy was written in southern England in 700. Most remained as private property, selectively adhering to said rules. That is why they are often referred to as Minsters.
15
Q
local churches and pastoral care
A
-They performed sacraments. Pastoral care had privileges which added to the church’s standing and which could be lucrative. -People paid for sacraments for example – laws of 700 refer to church-scot (Sceat). -They also got income from performing Christian burials.
