Religion

• the function of church and churchmen


  during the reign all english people, theoretically, belonged to the catholic church and were under the jurisdiction of the pope in rome. prayers in mass were said for the pope, but what really counted to people at the time was their own religious experience at the center of their lives.
• the function of church and churchmen


  live lived in accourance with church ceremonies. the over 8000 parish churches were the focus of religious experience. they provided popular entertainmentin the form of festivals linked to agriculture, its guilds and confraternities (voluntary associations promoting christian charity) provided charity, good fellowship and allowed people to contribute to their own community
• the function of church and churchmen

  made it easier for elites to maintain social control by encouraging good behaviour, obedience and community. and employment opportunities for those like wolsey who advanced through high office in the church
• the function of church and churchmen

  • its political role was significant, for international and domestic matters.
  • the highest postition in the church was the pope who had spiritual power and a state in italy but did little to interfere with england but did give henry papal dispensation to marry elizabeth of york.
  • the church and state had an erastian (state has authority over it) relationship so the king was firmly in control. the church didnt object to church positions being used as patronage either.
• the function of church and churchmen

  it was administered through two provinces, cantenbury and york under the jurisdiction of an archbishop with 17 bishops underneath him who controlled dioceses who enjoyed positions of influence and wealth.
• the function of church and churchmen

  
  

  • it was common for senior clergymen to participate in political processes, for much of the medieval period it was normal for them to be aristocracy. the two who had the most power under henry were john morton and richard fox
  • indeed it was common for clergymen to hold a monopoly on offices of state like chancellor (highest advisor to the king). most senior clergymen were competent professionals, often with legal training. the abbots (heads of wealthiest religious houses) were in the house of lords along with bishops
• religious community, belief and services

  the parish church was central to both the structure of religion and community life. late medieval communities were intrinsically religious, collective prayer was seen as more powerful. the church controlled how people though and behaved, it upheld christian teaching and offered means to acquire grace (purity of soul needed to escape purgatory and ascend to heaven)
• religious community, belief and services


  to reach heaven and minimise time in purgatory one has to observe as many of the seven sacraments (rituals) as possible:

  • baptism
  • confirmation
  • marriage
  • anointing the sick- prepare the dying to pass into the next world
  • penance- confession and forgiveness
  • holy orders- ordained as a priest
  • eucharist- central religious experience, mass (important as it was a ritual where the whole community partook) and genuine belief in transubstantiation
• the church's social role

  the communal aspect of late medieval religion is well demonstrated by how invested laymen were in their parish church. they funded the lavish rebuilding of many churches and objects which accompanied services. the dying would leave money to the parish for a triple purpose- enhance the beauty of worship, ensure their remembrance and limit time in purgatory
• the church's social role

  benefactors left money for the foundation of chantries (chapels were masses prayed for the souls of the dead). the chantry priest performed intercession (praying on behalf of the dead to intervene with god). chantries were vitally important and benefited religious experience, which explains the distress at their dissolution during 8's reign
• the church's social role

  the confraternity (known as religious guilds) were men who would pray for the funeral costs of members and upkeep of the church. they were extremely popular and acted as a local source of patronage and power, they ran schools and paid for the rebuilding of the church expressing the church's communal influence
• the church's social role

  pilgrimages was another way individuals could gain relief from purgatory. it could be visiting the tomb of a saint like thomas becket at canterbury or a shrine built where the virgin mary was reported to have visited like in norfolk. a simpler form was when the whole community would "beat the bounds" of the parish ie walk around carrying banners to wade off evil spirits
• lollards, heresy and anticlericalism


  a minority was critical of the church, Lollardy was founded by john wycliffe which placed importance of understanding the bible and favoured it being translated. they were also skeptical about transubstantiation, the eucharist and considered the catholic church corrupt.

  views like this were considered heresy (denial of validity of key church doctrine). and its popularity died out after a failed rising in 1414. burning of heretics was introduced into law in 1401 but it was relatively uncommon
• lollards, heresy and anticlericalism



  criticism of the church, anticlericalism (opposition to the church's role in non religious matters) did exist, and was often politically motivated. the continued number of candidates for priesthood showed that priests retained the support of laity (non religious people)
• humanism arts and learning

  humanism is a rationalist outlook/ system of though which says human matters are most important, above the divine/supernatural. the renaissance cultural movement turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in classical ancient greek/roman thought. believed in the catholic faith and notion of freewill, they effected religion as well as politics and economics
• humanism arts and learning- key figures in humanism

  • john colet- saw humanism as a means for church reform, thought his views foreshadow the favoured growth of protestantism
  • desiderius erasmus- wanted to regenerate christianity with a focus on education and rejection of some traditional ceremoies. critical of corruption. friends with more, giving a gateway for his ideas to reach government
  • sir thomas more- a valued concillor to 8, appointed lord chancellor 1529 breifly after wolsey's fall but resigned 1532 and was later executed in 35 for treason for denying royal supremacy
• humanism arts and learning

  during 7s reign humanism and the renaissance had little impression on england and english intellectual life was dominated by traditional scholasticism, which humanists considered old fashioned
• humanism arts and learning

  7s reign was a period of widening educational opportunity. song schools and reading schools provided education to the very young. secondary education took place in grammar schools. there was ample opportunity for the wealthy, but for the laity access to education depended on where they lived. univesity education rested with oxford and cambridge
• humanism arts and learning

  the most popular art form was drama, plays were presented at church festivals and were important festive occasions where straigt forward moral and religious messages were set out, helping improve the moral consciences of audiences
• humanism arts and learning

  • the building and rebuilding of parish churches flourished during this time. the gothic perpendicular architectural style was popular and showed the scale of investment at the time, charicterised by pointed arches, large windows and vertical lines. in 1502 henry approved this style for the lady chapel and westminster abbey
  • additionally william caxton established a prinitng press in 1478 printed traditional medieval works like chaucer's cantenbury tales.