Role And Influence Of Church Flashcards
Who did most people believe controlled everything and decided whether they went to heaven and hell?
God
What was the structure of the church?
Pope Cardinals Archbishops Bishops and abbots Priests Deacons The laity( people or church members who serve the hierarchy )
Who was the head of the Church in England?
The head of the church in England was the archbishop of Canterbury and he was supported by the Archbishop of York.
What were bishops in charge of?
Bishops were in charge of the priests and monks in their diocese( church district ). Abbots were in charge of monasteries.
What were priests responsible for?
Every parish ( small area ) had a priest who was responsible for his church and the people in his parish.
What power did the pope have?
The pope was God’s representative on earth, he authorised the appointment of archbishops. However the King also had a say over who became an archbishop or bishop. This could cause conflict between King and the pope. Another potential problem for kings was that clergy were more likely to be loyal to the pope than to the King if the pope and the King disagreed.
What spiritual influence did the church have?
The clergy guided and taught people to live according to church teachings-accepting nature of feudalism, helping to control society. Clergy performed daily services, including Mass, in all villages and towns in England. They also performed baptisms, marriages and funerals.
What economic influence did the church have?
The church earned money from rent and profits from agriculture on its land. People frequently donated money and land to the church or left money in their wills. Everyone had to pay a tithe ( a tenth of their produce ) to the church every year. The church had many vassals and employees and therefore many people depended on the church for their land, food and employment. The King relied on the church to provide taxes to him in the money earned from its land. This gave the church influence over the King.
What political influence did the church have?
Member of clergy provided knight service for the King
Important churchmen, along with the barons, were leading members of government and advised the King.
Many clergy were well educated and became clerks in important households including he king’s.
The King was under the authority of the pope, who could therefore influence the king’s policies and actions.
What social influence did the church have?
Priests and monks taught people how to read and write and some church buildings housed large collections of books.
Monasteries, nunneries and parish priests looked after the elderly, poor and sick.
Many churchmen played major roles in law courts and the church kept collections of the laws.
