chapter 7- monasticism

• what was monastic life like ?

  • followed a simple way fo life laid down by Saint Benedict
• what was the vow of poverty ?


  to give up all wealth and possesions
• what was the vow of chastity ?

  abstain from sex and other physical pleasures
• what was the vow of obedience ?

  obey the teachings of God
• what was the vow of stability ?

  never to leave the Monastic community
• what was the day in the life of a monk like ?

  • lived far away from therest of society
  • self sufficient
  • often included copying out texts
  • people could pay monastries to pray for them
  • day begins at midnight and ends at 21:00
• what were the norman reforms to the Monastic life ?

  • encouraged the building of abbey's
  • abbots and abesses were brought from Normandy
  • cluniac order was introduced which made Benedictine more strict
  • under the feudal system abbots could become rich land owners
  • 36 cluniac monastries by the end of the 11th century
• what were the challenges in education ?

  • better education was needed as size of towns increased
  • imported literacy and numeracy skills were required
  • norman barons & knights wanted their children to have the highest level of education
  • children could no longer be educated in monastries
• how did education change ?

  • schools moved out of religious grounds
  • large numbers of new schools were built
  • French replaced the vernacular for teaching
  • archibishops played key roles
  • one of the main functions of school was to educate the clergy
• describe the development of grammar schools

  • at the age of ten wealthy boys were enrolled in grammar schools
  • girls did not attend school
  • students were taught to speak and write in Latin
  • started in September and ended in June to help the harvest
  • some students would go to further education others wouldn't