The Monarchy vs. The Church in Medieval England
The Middle Ages represents a periodization of European history which took place from the 5th century to the 15th century; this age was also know as Dark Ages because of the complexity of the period and lack of written documentation and archeological evidence. The Middle Ages was a time of tremendous historical, social and linguistic changes.
Great Britain during the Middle Ages (from the 5th century withdraw of Roman forces from the province of Britannia and the Germanic invasions, until the Early modern period) was divided into a number of independent kingdoms; by the High Middle Ages, after the end of the Viking Age and the Normal Conquest, the kingdoms of England and Scotland came forth as the main poles of political power. The medieval period on England can be dated from the arrival in Kent of Anglo-Saxon troops led by the legendary Hengest and Horsa. Subsequently the Brythonic, Celtic powers were conquered by Jutes, Angles and Saxons Germanic tribes, from the contemporary Angeln and Jutland areas of northern Germany and mainland Denmark. Political takeover of other areas of England proceeded piecemeal and was not completed until the tenth century. Similarly, the end of the medieval period is usually dated by the rise of what is often referred to as the " English Renaissance" in the reign of Henry VIII of England, and the Reformation in Scotland, or else to the establishment of a centralized, bureaucratic monarchy by Henry VII of England. From a political point of view, the Norman Conquest of England divides medieval Britain in two distinct phases of cultural and political history. From a linguistic point of view the Norman Conquest had only a limited effect, Old English evolving into Middle English, although the Anglo Norman language would remain the language of those that ruled for two centuries at least, before mingling with Middle English. At the height of pre-Norman medieval English power, a single English king ruled from the border with Scotland to the border with Wales to the border with Cornwall. After the Norman Conquest, English power intruded into Wales with increasing vigour, but the process of consolidation was continuous and is not just a medieval feature. The other problem with suggesting such a unity is that the various states had relations with Scandinavia and Continental Europe which are excluded by the concept.
The social structure of the Middle Ages was organized based on the system of feudalism. The system has been introduced to England following the invasion and conquest of the country by William I The Conqueror. The king had to think strategically in the way he gave land to his nobles, as most of them were more powerful than him. All the farmland was given half to Norman nobles, a quarter to the Church and a fifth to himself, as he needed to ensure that he was more stable and forceful than his subjects. The king kept the Saxon system of sheriffs and used these as equilibrium to local nobles; as a result, England had one powerful family instead of a large number of powerful nobles. The word 'feudalism' comes from the French word 'feu', which was used to define a land held in return for duty or service to a lord. The main idea was that all land was owned by the king but it was kept by others, called 'vassals', in return for duty and goods. The men who received land were usually noblemen; before they were given the land, they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the king, to collect taxes in his name and to provide soldiers if they were asked to. The greater nobles had to give part of their land to lesser nobles, knights and other freemen. The knights were responsible to fight for the king; to protect the property of their lord while part of the freemen paid for the land by doing military service, while the others paid rent. If the land was not given to the nobles, they would not fight for their king, neglecting their country and responsibilities. Feudalism was focusing on two main principles: every man had a lord, and every lord had land. This way, the king was connected to the poorest and least known man in the country. By 1086, William knew who owned which land and how much it was worth; he used this information for his economical system and for knowing how much each vassal should pay in tax. A new agreement signed by King John, Henry II's son, in 1215 represented an important stage in the collapse of English feudalism. The agreement was known as Magna Carta, an important symbol of political freedom. All freemen were promised protection from the king's officers and the right to legal and fair trials. Magna Carta was recognized until the Middle Ages ended and a new kind of monarchy was established, in the sixteenth century.
The Church was a more powerful force in the Middle Ages society than it is today. Until the Reformation of the sixteen century, there was a single church, which recognized the headship of the pope. The church was the most dominant institution in medieval life, its influence infusing the most important aspects of people's lives. Medieval men and women were born and considered members of the church, just as they were subjects of the monarchy. They had no choice of denominations and they were not free to decide where to attend services. They were forced to pay taxes for the support of their parish priest, taxes which were legally established payments rather than voluntary contributions.. The Church in the Medieval Society was mainly recognized due to its financial importance. It has been confirmed that as least a third of the national revenue in the Middle Ages was used for religious purposed. As mentioned above, churchmen were landlords and their engagements in the society were both monetary and religious. At the same time, the church was also part of the daily life of ordinary people, as its liturgies and ceremonies were designed to follow a cycle relevant to the changing of the seasons and the phases of farming activities. The medieval kings maintained strong connections with the church because it had money, educational resources and moral authority. Although the papal authority was recognized, in practice, kings rather than popes named the English bishops, who were in Parliament and were part of the monarch's chief advisers and administrators; this was done so that they could retain close ties with religious institutions and form strategic alliances. According to History.com, feudal residents were forced to give 10% of their income to the church in order to sustain a solid stream of income; one of the king's main responsibilities was to ensure his connection with the church, securing wealthy and everlasting conditions for the leaders.
The struggle between Church and the monarchy in England started in 1066 when the pope declared that King William promised to accept him as his feudal lord. The king refused to accept the claim and had created Norman bishops, which paid allegiance to him in exchange for land. As a result, it was not clear if the bishops should serve under the Church or the king. Even if many challenges arose for many different reasons, the supreme power and control over the entire Kingdom were the main disputes. One of the most disastrous incidents in the English Church history took placed in 1170, when Thomas '' Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in the holiest place in his cathedral, on the altar steps by four knights sent by King Henry II because he tried to prevent the king from gaining more control of Church affairs. Even though the king disclaimed any intentions of causing Becket's death, he was forced to ask forgiveness from the Pope, restored some privileges of the church and allowed the cult of the canonized Becked to be established at Canterbury. Becket died because he tried to prevent the king from gaining more control of Church affairs. Henry's luck was that he has been supported by the noblility as they were also directly involved in the argument. King's John mistake forty years later was to upset the Church and nobles at the same time losing the support of both. This has weakened the position of the monarchy in the system.
It can be concluded that the Church represented a strong presence in the Middle Age's society; this institution was part of the individuals' lives and their community, ensuring a clear distinction between the secular and the religious. For most common people, the Middle Ages was an age of faith.