Religion, Humanism, Arts And Learning

• The Catholic Church


  Mean of maintaining social control, Important political role, Catered for Spiritual Needs, Opportunities for employment and social advancement,
• How many dioceses in England?

  17, each under a bishop
• What was religion a essential part of?

  Daily life
• What was the church central to?

  Personal religious experience and community life
• What threat was a major influence on behaviour?

  Hell and Purgatory
• What did the church offer?

  Ways for a person to acquire grace in order to reach Heaven
• What was the central religious experience?

  Mass
• What did Catholics believe about holy communion?

  That the bread and wine was the body and blood of Jesus Christ
• How did lay people leave money to the parish church?

  In their wills
• Where did lay people gather for collective masses?

  The confraternity
• What did lay people take part in?

  Practice of 'beating the bounds'
• What did the lay people donate towards?

  Rebuilding the parish church buildings
• Monastic Orders


  1% of adult males were monks, living in 900 monasteries
• Benedictine Order


  Large houses, some operated cathedrals, members were often from wealthier parts of society
• Cistercian & Carthusian Monks

  Situated in more rural areas
• What were the 3 main Friar orders?

  Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians
• What did Friars do?


  Worked among lay people, supported by charity donations, recruited from lower down the social scale
• When did Friars go on the decline?

  Late 15th Century
• What were the Nunneries?

  Less prestige then monasteries, often populated by women, relatively poor
• Lollards


  Emerged in the late 14th century, followed the teachings of John Wycliffe, emphasised the importance of understanding the bible, wanted the bible translated into English, sceptical about transubstantiation
• 1401


  Law on burning heretics was introduced
• Late 15th Century


  Lollardy was on the delince
• Humanism Development


  Development of the 14th and 15th century renaissance
• Humanism Movement

  concerned with the reliability of Latin and Greek translations, intellectual movement, affected religious teachings, politics and economics
• Humanism Impact

  Largely restricted as only educated nobility and gentry understood, made a limited impression on England
• Key English Humanists:

  William Grocyn, Thomas Linacre, John Colet, Thomas More
• Humanism with Education

  Founded university colleges at Cambridge, spread of grammar schools for the wealthy
• 1476

  William Caxton brings painting to England
• Impact of Printing

  Literacy increased, language became more standardised, more texts became avaliable
• Drama

  Popular with church ale festivals, troupes would tour the country
• Music

  Local wind groups entertained crowds, Great choral performances in the country's cathedrals