Religion, humanism, arts and learning

What were guilds and confraternities

Voluntary associations of individuals created to promote works of Christian charity or devotion

How strong was the hold of late-medieval Catholicism over the people

Enormously strong, diverse, and vigorous

What did traditional religion show about its ability to adapt

It was well able to meet new needs and new conditions

How were teachings of late-medieval Christianity presented

Through religious books, sermons, saints' lives, Corpus Christi and Miracle plays, and church decorations

During Henry VII's reign, who did English people theoretically belong to

The Catholic Church under the jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome

What was central to the lives of most people in the fifteenth century

Their own religious experience

How were lives regulated in fifteenth-century England

According to the Church's major ceremonies

What was the role of the parish church

The focus of religious experience and popular entertainment

How many parish churches were there in England during Henry VII's reign

Over 8,000

What did the Church festivals provide

Much-needed enjoyment linked to the agricultural year

What opportunities did guilds and confraternities offer ordinary people

Charity, good fellowship, and a chance to contribute to their local community

How did the Church help the social and political elites

By encouraging good behaviour, obedience, and community values to maintain social control

What kind of opportunities did the Church provide

Employment and social advancement for some like Cardinal Wolsey

What change did Henry VII make to the bench of bishops

He weakened its religious leadership by appointing mainly administrators

What was required of Henry VII's bishops

Service to the State, even to the detriment of the Church

What was the political role of the Church

Significant in international relations and domestic matters

Who held the highest position in the Church

The Pope in Rome

What power did the Pope have besides spiritual authority

Head of a substantial state in northern Italy

Why did Henry VII seek a papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York

Due to careful political and religious considerations

How did the Popes behave towards Henry VII's control over the Church

They rarely interfered and were eager to grant his demands

What was the relationship between Church and State in Henry VII's England

Erastian—State had authority over the Church

How did Henry VII use the wealth of the Church

To reward churchmen given high political office

How was the Church in England administered

Through two provinces, Canterbury and York, each with an archbishop, and seventeen dioceses under bishops

Which dioceses were known for considerable wealth

Winchester and Durham

What positions did senior churchmen hold in the late fifteenth century

Positions of significant influence and power within the kingdom

What does Erastian mean

The view that the State should have authority over the Church

What is a diocese

An area under the pastoral care of a bishop in the Christian Church

Who commonly participated at a high level in the political process during the medieval period

Senior clergy

From which social group were the most senior Church figures in England usually drawn

The senior ranks of the aristocracy

Who was an example of aristocratic senior clergy related to Margaret Beaufort

Her great uncle, a cardinal and bishop of Winchester

Which two churchmen exercised most power under Henry VII

John Morton and Richard Fox

Which offices of State were often monopolised by clergymen

Especially the office of chancellor, the highest adviser to the king

How were the most senior clergymen generally described

Highly competent and conscientious professionals, often with legal training

What dual duties did senior clergymen perform effectively

Duties to both Church and State

Who shared membership of the House of Lords with the bishops

The abbots, heads of the wealthiest religious houses

What skills did abbots need besides spirituality

Management and administrative skills to run complex organisations

What criticisms were growing about the monastic life

That some heads of house failed to meet the demands of management and spirituality

What is grace

Grace is the pure state a soul needed to be in to enter heaven.

What is purgatory in traditional Catholic thinking

Purgatory was the state in which the souls of the dead were purged of their sins before they could enter the kingdom of heaven.

What is transubstantiation

Transubstantiation is the Christian belief that the substance of bread and wine completely changed into the substance of Christ's body and blood by a validly ordained priest during the consecration at Mass.

What does Corpus Christi literally mean

Corpus Christi literally means the 'body of Christ'.

What is Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a feast of the Catholic Church which celebrates the 'blessed sacrament' and whose importance developed from the thirteenth century with the increasing emphasis on transubstantiation.

What was central to religious experience in late-medieval England

The parish church was central to religious experience.

Why did a late-medieval community believe collective prayers were important

They believed prayers made together as part of the parish were more powerful than those from the individual alone.

What did the church provide for community life

The church provided the outward structures of community life and a framework for controlling how an individual thought, reasoned and behaved.

What was the function of the church besides spreading Christian teaching

It offered various ways by which an individual could acquire grace to reach heaven and minimise time spent in purgatory.

How many sacraments were necessary to observe to reach heaven

It was necessary to observe as many of the seven sacraments as possible.

What is Baptism

Baptism welcomed the newly born infant into the community.

What does Confirmation mark

Confirmation marked the transition from childhood to adulthood.

What is Marriage in the Church

Marriage is the community witnessing two individuals pledging themselves to each other.

What is the Anointing of the Sick

It prepares the dying for their passage into the next world.

What is Penance

Penance is when the individual seeks God's forgiveness for the sins they have committed.

What is Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the process by which the priest becomes empowered to deliver sacraments to others.

What is the Eucharist

The Eucharist is when church members receive Christ's body and blood in the form of bread and wine to be nourished physically and spiritually and brought closer to God.

What is the central religious experience of the Catholic Church

The central experience was the Mass.

What happens at the climax of the Mass

The priest consecrates the bread and wine, declaring them sacred.

What do Catholics believe happens at consecration

Catholics believe the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ, known as transubstantiation.

Who consumes the bread and wine during Mass

The priest consumes both; lay members receive the bread only.

Why was the Mass important

It was a sacrifice performed by the priest on behalf of the community and a sacred ritual involving the whole community.

What festival emphasised the importance of the consecrated bread

The feast of Corpus Christi.

When did the feast of Corpus Christi become important

It developed in importance from the thirteenth century.

What is a benefactor

A benefactor is a person who donates money or property to support the Church, often to enhance worship or fund religious institutions.

What are chantries

Chantries are chapels or altars where priests were paid to say Masses specifically for the souls of the dead to help them through purgatory.

What is intercession in traditional Catholic thinking

Intercession is the act of a priest praying to God on behalf of another person's soul, particularly to shorten their time in purgatory.

Why did lay people invest in their parish churches

They donated money and goods to improve church services, express their piety, and secure spiritual benefits for themselves and their families.

Why did the dying leave money to the parish church

To beautify religious services, be remembered through prayers and monuments, and reduce their soul's time in purgatory.

What was the purpose of chantries

They allowed priests to say regular Masses for the soul of a deceased donor, believed to help the soul reach heaven more quickly.

How were chantries usually funded

Through land, money, or property left in a person's will specifically to endow a priest to perform intercessory Masses.

Why did the dissolution of the chantries by Henry VIII cause distress

Because people believed chantries were crucial for helping souls in purgatory and for sustaining local religious life.

What is a confraternity

A confraternity is a lay religious group linked to a parish church, focused on communal worship, charity, funeral costs, and social activities.

Why were guilds and confraternities popular

They offered spiritual support, community involvement, charitable activities, and a way for members to help each other in life and after death.

What kind of activities did guilds support

They funded church maintenance, paid for Masses, sponsored festivals, ran schools and almshouses, and supported public works like bridges.

What did wealthier guilds do

They provided local leadership, built infrastructure like church spires, and funded community services, gaining influence and prestige.

How did many parishes raise funds

Through church-ale festivals that involved brewing and selling ale, combined with games and performances to raise money for the church.

What was ale's role in church festivals

Ale was donated or made for sale during events, serving as the main source of income and refreshment.

What did a Venetian visitor note about English parish churches in 1497

Even small rural churches were richly decorated with silver religious items, indicating widespread wealth and piety.

What was the social role of religion in England

It unified communities through shared worship, local funding, religious guilds, and traditions like pilgrimage and festivals.

What was the purpose of pilgrimage

To visit holy sites like saintly shrines or miraculous places, as a form of penance or devotion to reduce time in purgatory.

What were popular pilgrimage sites in England

The tomb of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury and the shrine of the Virgin Mary at Walsingham were key destinations.

What was the criticism of pilgrimage in the late medieval period

Some religious reformers, like Thomas à Kempis, saw it as overly commercial or lacking true spiritual focus.

What was Rogation Sunday

A special day when the parish community walked its boundaries together, praying for protection and blessings on the land.

What was the purpose of 'beating the bounds'

To spiritually and symbolically protect the parish, reinforce community identity, and remind people of parish limits.

Why was the parish important in local life

It acted as the religious, social, and sometimes economic centre of village life, organising events and communal worship.

How did individual religious experience grow in importance

Through practices like mysticism and private devotion, people sought personal connection with God.

Who was an example of personal religious experience

Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, showed intense personal piety through regular prayer and generous donations to education and religion.

What is a pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a religious journey made by individuals seeking spiritual benefits, such as penance, healing, or relief from purgatory.

What percentage of adult males in England were monks by c.1500

Around one per cent

Where did monks live

In religious housing known as monasteries

What was the oldest and most common religious order

The Benedictines

Who founded the Benedictine rule

St Benedict

What role did larger Benedictine houses like Durham serve

They also functioned as cathedral churches of their diocese

Which orders were founded in response to the perceived lack of zeal of the Benedictines

The Cistercians and Carthusians

Where were Cistercian and Carthusian monasteries often located

In remote rural areas

Give examples of rural Cistercian or Carthusian houses. Fountains and Mount Grace in Yorkshire

What social background did monks in larger houses often come from

The wealthier parts of society

Where did many monasteries recruit their members from

Predominantly from their own localities

When did friars first arise

In the thirteenth century

How were friars different from monks

Friars worked among lay people and lived off charitable donations

What were the three main orders of friars

Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustinians

What type of friars were the Dominicans

A preaching order