What's covered
Key facts
Medieval church services and the Bible were in Latin, which most ordinary people could not read.
Becket was canonised a saint by Pope Alexander III in 1173, three years after his murder; his shrine at Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site.
Most medieval Christians believed in heaven, hell, and purgatory as the three possible destinations after death.
Becket defended the jurisdiction and authority of the Church courts against Henry II's attempt to bring clergy under royal courts.
The Roman Catholic Church was the dominant Christian denomination in medieval England before the Reformation.
Becket was murdered inside Canterbury Cathedral.
Monasteries were major centres of learning and farming in medieval Britain.
Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 by knights of King Henry II.
Medieval monasteries provided learning, manuscript copying, and care for the sick, alongside worship.
The archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 was Thomas Becket.
Sample questions
A taste of the 25 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Which Christian denomination dominated medieval England before the Reformation?
- •Church of England
- •Eastern Orthodox Church
- •Lutheran Church
- ✓Roman Catholic Church
Why did medieval kings often clash with the Church?
- •Bishops openly led peasant armies against the royal household
- ✓Both claimed authority over land, law and people's loyalty
- •Kings refused to allow churches to be built in their kingdoms
- •The Church taxed kings to fund foreign Crusader campaigns
What were medieval pilgrims doing when they walked to Canterbury or Walsingham?
- •Delivering tax money to the king's officials
- •Performing military service for the bishop
- •Trading goods across local market towns
- ✓Visiting holy shrines to seek blessings or healing
What was excommunication?
- •A royal punishment that exiled a noble from England for seven years
- •A trial of innocence by walking across a hot iron without burning
- ✓Being cut off from the Church by the Pope or bishop
- •The right of monasteries to refuse entry to royal tax collectors
Why did medieval people go on pilgrimages?
- •To choose which Christian denomination they would belong to
- •To enlist directly with the king's army before going overseas
- •To pay royal taxes that could only be collected at major cathedrals
- ✓To seek forgiveness, healing or to fulfil a religious vow
What was a major cause of Henry II's conflict with Thomas Becket?
- •Whether Becket should marry into Henry II's family
- ✓Whether clergy who committed crimes faced royal or Church courts
- •Whether king or Pope appointed England's archbishop
- •Whether the Church should pay taxes to fund Crusades
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