Summary AS Notes from Religious Conflict and the Church

Religious Conflict and the Church in England: 1529-1570

The monarchy:
 Wars of the Roses- conflict between the House of Lancaster and the House of York
 Battle of Bosworth 1485- Richard III defeated by Henry Tudor
 Henry claimed to be true Lancastrian heir to Edward III
 Marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York- ended Wars of the Roses
 However, the Pretenders Lambert Sinnel and Perkin Warbeck- backed by foreigners-
not defeated until 1499- after Henry’s coronation
 White Rose faction- York malists- challenged the throne as claimants
 Arthur Tudor- died 1502- made Henry VIII unsuspected heir to the throne
 Dealt with threats- Margaret, Countess of Salisbury in 1541 and the execution of the
Earl of Salisbury in 1546

The nobility:
 Higher nobility- had military and political strengths
 Henry VII became king emerging from equals- weakened his position
 Nobility had a political role in Parliament
 Privy Chamber- private chambers of the monarch only accessible to those closest to
the king- heavily guarded and staffed by trusted nobles
 Privy Council- a group of councillors composed of the nobility and clergy- chosen by
the king to help him govern
 Parliament divided into two:
-House of Lords- major nobility and leading clergy
- House of Commons- representatives from shires and boroughs and MPs from
towns and cities
 Parliament- called infrequently, sat for a short time and main function was to grant
taxes for the king- in times of imminent danger from foreign powers
 King lived on feudal dues and crown lands
 Under Henry VIII- Parliament revolutionised and quintessential in organsing the
break with Rome
 Monarch was present in localities
 Nobles active in court- legal cases related to land, property- brought criminals to
justice
 Court of the Star Chamber- ceiling decoration at Westminster palace- court
supervised lower courts and could be appealed to directly- gained great power
under Henry VIII

The church:
 Monarch dependent on the church
 England part of the Christendom- countries in which Catholicism was the established
religion- monarchs swore obedience to the pope
 Henry VIII claimed legitimacy by being anointed by the Pope with Holy Oil by the
Archbishop of Cantebury at Westminster Abbey
 Popes were said to be the successors of St Peter
 Church’s control over England included:
-collecting taxes- sent to Rome

, -Practicing canon law- decided by cardinals and Pope in Rome
-Church courts- tried religious matters
-Abbots and Bishops sat at the House of Lords with the right to determine secular
legislation
-Churchmen wielded power as advisors

 Power of church in England
-Widespread- each settlement had a priest and parish church- had local authority
and collected tithes
-Abbeys, monasteries, priories- most areas had these- worked with the people to
help the poor and provided education for the sons of the gentry
-Held omnipresent power- more significant than the monarch’s

Significance of Religion
 Medium which all people viewed the world through
 All things explained as god’s will or the ‘work of the devil’
 Eternal life viewed as more important than life on earth
 Fear of Hell- wall paintings and stain glass windows- requirements of godly life and
obeying the priest would reduce time spent in purgatory
 Purgatory- state after death in which those destined for heaven ‘undergo
purification, so as to achieve holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven’
 Masses, members of guilds, gifts to the church- hastened passage to heaven
 Pilgrimages, the acquisition of indulgences, praying to saints and viewing holy relics-
important in day to day life

New Religious ideas:
 Majority of population didn’t question religious beliefs
 End of 15th century- educated people affected by intellectual change caused by the
Renaissance- cultural movement born in Italy- late middle ages
 Learning of classics- people like Erasmus- translated ancient Greek religious texts-
wanted to transform the church to the original views of Christ
 Books of Hours- bought to inspire greater
 Questions raised about the fundamentals of the religious doctrine
 Martin Luther- argued that Christianity was based upon the inner workings of
humanity rather than the outer workings- argued that only faith, not good works,
could benefit the soul
 Also argued faith was a gift from god- salvation couldn’t be achieved by performing
Catholic approved works
 Published ‘On the freedom of a Christian’ led to his excommunication in 1521
 Book criticised and challenged religion and beliefs and political and economic beliefs-
asserted a view of individualism
 Challenging church was heresy- punishment was death by fire
 Invention of printing press meant by 1529 communications had improved and ideas
from Europe were gaining prevalence in London and East Anglia

England and Europe:
 Merchants involved in woollen trade helped to spread ideas

,  England- integral part of Christendom- had a widespread diplomatic network
 Viewpoints of merchants depended on their trade, the views of the clergy were
influenced by Rome
 Henry VIII claimed title of King of France- wanted to regain territories along with his
nobility lost in the Hundred Years War
 Lost all his father’s money in 2 failed invasions in the first ten years of his reign
 Henry failed to raise taxes in the 1520s- led to more secure funding in the 1530s
 In 1529- England only held Calais-
 Battle between Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Francis I of France- fought in
Pavia in 1524- incarceration of Francis due to his defeat would’ve enabled Henr to
invade however he lacked the resources- Charles V continued through the Italians
states to occupy Rome and control the Papacy
 Church and monarch interdependent- shown by Pope Leo X awarding Henry the title
of Defender of the Faith in response to work he did defeding the seven sacraments
against Martin Luther

Chapter 1: The political and social role of the church;

England and Rome- England one of the oldest Catholic countries- converted from paganism
in the seventh century. People believed they had a special relationship, as England is an
island

Churchmen as Royal Advisors:
 Pope had great authority and prestige- king had to look to the Pope to secure his
authority- therefore kings were eager to show allegiance
 Henry VII- built Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey- show the Tudor line’s loyalty
 Church played role in politics:
 Abbots and bishops- sat in the House of Lords
 Decided on legislation and advised the king
Cardinal Wolsey:
 Henry VIII’s chancellor:
 As principle adviser to the king- responsible for day to day running of the coutry
 Chancellor- ultimate authority over the legal system
 Cardinal- significant authority over the church- elected by the pope
 Archbishop of York- 2nd highest church position in the UK
 Legatus a latere- right to act on behalf of the Pope
 From 1514- Henry’s chief minister and most important person in England excluding
Henry
 Known for exploiting his position to benefit himself and Henry
 Described as being ‘very handsome, learned, and extremely eloquent’- by the
Venetian Ambassador
 Also ‘detested by everyone’ and possessing ‘arrogance’ by the ambassador to the
Vatican

Church teachings on monarchical authority:
 Church law- canon law- covered beliefs, teachings and practices of the church and
the Pope acted as the final arbitrator

,  Pope could excommunicate the king if he was a tyrant or heretic
 Interpretation of canon law depended on the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
 Below the archbishops- archdioceses, dioceses, parishes- loyalty to the pope
 Authority over the whole of society- 9,000 parishes- everyone was a parishioner
 People attended church every Sunday- partaking in liturgy
 Could be arrested and tried by church courts
 Henry dependent on church for control- as biggest body of wide spread power
tangible to the population
 Church- social centre of each parish
 Illiterate peasants were told the laws through the church
 Wall paintings showed repercussions for the breaking of the ten commandments
 Social tensions eased as giving to the poor encouraged
 Catholics believed in salvations- reformists believed in faith, sola fide- also didn’t
believe in purgatory

Wealth of the church:
 Pluralism- clergy who held more than one parish in order to amass more money
 Some of the taxes were sent on to Rome
 1520s- Rome received £4500 in annual taxation from England, Henry was receiving
£12,500
 Peter’s Pence- penny tax paid to Rome
 Tithes- 1/10 of produce given to the church- intended to help the priest and poor,
but was often sold
 Communities controlled by monastic laws- many communities less than 4 miles from
a monastery
 Monasteries were extremely wealthy and had great economic and political power
 Although monks had to swear an oath of poverty, monasteries accumulated great
wealth- gifts of silver and gold

Church courts:
 Fined people for not attending church or breaking the ten commandments
 Breaking of society’s moral code- adultery or slander- brought before church courts
 If found guilty- could be fined or imprisoned, but not executed unless for heresy
 Excommunication- individual couldn’t attend church, obtain forgiveness or
participate in mass
 Church courts used to prove wills

Parish churches:
 Magnificent buildings
 Built of stone
 Area divided by a screen- area for laity, and area reserved for the choir and clergy
 High altar decorated with hangings of rich fabrics and candles- focus of the church
 Reredos- highly decorated screen behind the altar
 High altar- used for masses on Sunday and holy days- reserved sacrament was held
there
 During the week- side altars held for masses- often in chantry chapels