church+monasticism

• what was the role of bishops in society?

  • they held important status
  • they were in charge of church districts
  • they were represented in the witan
• what was the role of the archbishop of Canterbury?

  leads the church of england.
• why did William want to replace Stigand as archbishop of Canterbury?

  Stigand was an anglo-saxon and because the church was so important in England (it ruled people's lives and owned 25% of England's land) allowing it to be run by an anglo-saxon was a problem for him.
• why was Stigand not a very good example to England or the church?

  he used his position to increase his personal wealth. Stigand was the bishop for lots of different regions in the UK, meaning he controlled more land and earned more money.
• when did Lanfranc become archbishop of canterbury +what did he do?

  1070: he centralised power towards himself and towards William. Lanfranc brought every aspect of the church of England under his control. He was controlled by only 2 people, the king and the Pope. So, William gained great power over the church by giving Lanfranc power.
• how did english church change under lanfranc?

  it became much stricter. Previously, monks and nuns had mixed well with local populations and lived normal lives. Lanfranc introduced celibacy for priests. However, many anglo-saxon priests were already married.
• what crimes did the church courts look into?

  • blaspheming
  • simony
  • failing to go to mass or church ceremonies
  • adultery
  • incest
• who was William of Saint-Calais?

  the French-Norman bishop of Durham. He was a key advisor to William II and during Bishop Odo's rebellion in 1088, he offered to support William with some troops. However, the troops never arrived. He was tried in court for treason and William II refused the trial to happen in the church courts.
• when was William of Saint Calais tried?

  2nd November 1088, in a secular court, not a church court. Archbishop Lanfranc led the prosecution, explaining the king's case against Saint-Calais for treason. He was found guilty and banished into exile.
• what demands did Anselm make when he took over Lamfranc's role after he died in 1089?

  • all lands should be returned to the archbishop (under his control).
  • the archbishop should become spiritual advisor to the king.
  • the king agreed, although he kept most of the land and returned only a part Canterbury to Anselm and the church.
• why didn't william II replace Lanfranc when he died in 1089?

  Lanfranc had accumulated a lot of land and wealth from his positions of influence in the church and from advising William I and II. William II thought he could earn great wealth by controlling Lanfranc's territory in England
• what happened between William II and Anselm in 1095?

  Anselm wanted to visit the pope in Rome as he wanted to get the "palium", a symbolic piece of clothing which shows the pope's blessing for him as archbishop. William didn't want to give Anselm more power and the "palium" would have made Anslem blessed by the pope and more influential in England.
• what did William II want from Anselm in the early 1090s?

  thousands of pounds from Anselm and the church to help fund his invasion of Normandy. Anselm refused and gave the money to charity instead. He proceeded without Anslem's or the Catholic church's blessing for the invasion.
• how did rich people and nobles attempt to get into heaven?

  donated their territory and possessions to the church after they died.
• what was the tithe that the church collected?

  a tax of 10% of everyone's income. The church also recieved extra taxes, like Easter dues.
• how did the church's relationship with the pope change after norman control?

  the anglo-saxon church didn't have a close relationship with the pope. But, pope Alexander II blessed William's invasion of England.
• what happened to the norman church when Pope Gregory came into power in 1073?

  Pope Gregory wanted the Catholic church to be even more powerful so demanded that english bishops and archbishops report to him in Vatican, instead of reporting to the king of england. William I ignored him, banned bishops from visiting and refused to swear loyalty.
• despite ignoring pope gregory, what did William I do instead?

  reintroduced a tax on every house called Peter's Pence. The proceeds were sent to the pope in Rome.
• what was the investiture controvesy?

  the Pope in Rome wanted control over all appointments of bishops across the world. The holy Roman Emperor, William II, and Henry I all disagreed with this.
• what did Henry I sign in 1107?

  the Concordat of London which agreed that English Kings would not invest in bishops, but that the king would still recieve homage paid to them by members of the clergy.
• how were monasteries built?

  they were very expensive to construct and normans preferred to build elaborate stone monasteries, rather than wooden anglo-saxon ones. Wealthy people in England would donate money to monasteries to try and go to heaven. The King and his army would donate as penance after wars and battles.
• what were cluniac monasteries?

  in 910, a cluny abbey was built, it was a benedictine religious house, which created its own rules. People who followed the rules were called cluniacs. Cluniacs were free from the feudal system and would only take orders from the pope. There were lots of Cluniac monasteries and abbeys in Normandy and more were constructed in England after William I became king.
• what vows were monks and nuns expected to take?

  • chastity (remaining celibate + never marrying)
  • poverty (giving up their possessions)
  • obediance (to God)
  • stability (a commitment to never leave a monastery)
• how did the number of monks and nuns increase?

  between 1066 and 1135, the number of monks and nuns living in monasteries increased fourfold, from 1000 people to almost 5000. In 1135, there were 19 cathedrals in England and 10 of these had a monastery attatched to them.
• why did Lanfranc want the next generation of the Catholic church to have a good education?

  he wanted children to know church services and psalms by heart. The bible is a key christian book and was important to the christian church.
• who was allowed to go to school?

  school wasn't free. Most peasants couldn't afford to send their children to school. The peasant children who did go to school usually had to do work in monasteries to make up for not being able to pay their school fees. Girld couldn't go to school. Only the richest girls in Norman society ever learnt to read or write.
• what church schools were founded before the norman conquest?

  • King's School, Canterbury, established in 597
  • King's School, Rochester, established in 604
• what type of schools were introduced in norman england?

  grammar schools: their main aim was to educate children to enter the clergy. This meant that education was narrow and focused on religion, latin, learning poetry (verse), and basic maths.
• what new language developed in norman england?

  anglo-norman: this was a mix of english and french and was most commonly spoken by the nobility. The majority of people continued to speak english.
• what language was used for official documents?

  latin was used in royal writs and latin had replaced english in all official documents in england. Latin was also used across Europe as the universal language of trade. The domesday survey was written in norman latin.