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The Church

The Church was very important in the way the country was run. It was powerful due to the involvement of churchmen in politics, education and land ownership.

Bishops

Bishops

  • All of the bishops in England also sat in the House of Lords, and therefore influence which laws could be passed.
Land

Land

  • The Church owned about 1/3 of the land in England. This made it incredibly powerful and influential.
  • This land would produce goods and taxes for the King, as well as giving jobs to the peasants who worked on it.
King's advisors

King's advisors

  • Many of the top churchmen worked in government to advise the King.
  • Lower down, it would be Church-trained clerks who would do all of the paperwork necessary to run the country. For example, the Treasury and law courts.
Education

Education

  • Churches were often the only place of education available to the public.
  • The Church could teach boys how to read and write in Latin, to train them to become priests.
Libraries

Libraries

  • The Church also ran the majority of libraries and was the main place where books could be produced, carefully copied out by hand by the monks.
The Pope

The Pope

  • The Head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, had the final say on who became an Archbishop in each country.
  • They also sent special representatives, called cardinals, to make sure everything was running as it should, or to hear special law cases.
Power of the Pope

Power of the Pope

  • The Pope was seen as having power over all of the monarchs of Europe because he was appointed by God to lead the Church.
  • We can see this power when the Holy Roman Emperors (rulers of roughly modern-day Germany) had to be approved and anointed by the Pope.
Jump to other topics
1

Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1

The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2

The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3

The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4

The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5

Medieval Religion

1.6

The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7

How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8

Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9

Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10

Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11

Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12

European Renaissance

1.13

Norman Conquest & Control

1.14

Historical Skills

2

The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1

Anglo-Saxon England

2.2

The Contest for the English Throne

2.3

Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4

King John

2.5

The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6

The Black Death

3

Worldviews

4

The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5

The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6

The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7

The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8

Religion in the Middle Ages

9

Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10

The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11

The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12

US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13

The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14

The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15

Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16

World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17

The Russian Revolution: 1917 AD

18

The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

19

World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

20

The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

21

Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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