Starter quiz
- The year 1066 is part of the ______ century.
- '11th' ✓
- What type of beliefs are monks committed to?
- political
- environmental
- religious ✓
- economic
-
- What is the name of the building where monks live and work?
- hospitals
- monasteries ✓
- nunneries
- schools
-
- What was the religion in England in the 11th century?
- Christianity ✓
- Judaism
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
-
- Making changes to something in order to improve it - especially an institution or practice - is referred to as ...
- 'reform' ✓
- Starting with the earliest, sort the following invasions of England into chronological order.
- 1⇔Celtic invasion
- 2⇔Roman invasion
- 3⇔Anglo-Saxon invasion
- 4⇔Viking invasion
- 5⇔Norman invasion
Exit quiz
- Write the missing word. The 6th century monk who wrote guidelines for how monks and nuns should live was called Saint ...
- 'Benedict' ✓
- Match each word with its correct definition.
- abbey⇔the building occupied by a community of monks or nuns ✓
- monastery⇔a community of monks ✓
- monasticism⇔relating to monks and monasteries and religious life in monasteries ✓
- reform⇔to change with the intention of making better ✓
- Write the missing word. In addition to their religious function, monasteries were also important centres of ...
- 'learning' ✓
- Which group of 10th century invaders targeted monasteries and were responsible for a decline in English monasticism?
- the Vikings ✓
- the Iceni
- the Normans
- the Anglo-Saxons
-
- Why did the reform movement argue it was necessary to change practices in English monasteries?
- Monasteries had become too religious and their rules were too harsh.
- Monasteries had become too secular and did not follow the Benedictine Rule. ✓
- Monks were doing too little to help support local communities.
- Monks were starting to question the authority of the pope in Rome.
-
- Why were 90% of monasteries able to resist the 10th century Church reforms?
- Their aristocratic backers were not members of the reform movement. ✓
- The pope intervened to stop the changes.
- King Edgar, who had led the reform movement, died in 975. ✓
- Most monks preferred secular to religious life.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In the 8th century, there were at least 200 monasteries in England, almost all Benedictine.
- Some monasteries were large and wealthy establishments and many were important centres of learning.
- The 9th century saw an actual decline in monasticism and also a change in how monasteries were run.
- Viking raids and invasions targeted monasteries and were most responsible for the decline in monasticism.
- A reform movement in the 10th century brought changes to monasticism in southern England.
Common misconception
That Anglo-Saxon monasteries all followed the same rules, as set out by St Benedict.
In fact, the abbot of a monastery was able to decide what the rules of their monastery should be, so that there was a lot of variation between monasteries.
Keywords
Abbey - the building occupied by a community of monks or nuns
Benedictine - following the rule of St Benedict, a 6th century monk who wrote guidelines for how monks and nuns should live
Monastery - a community of monks
Monasticism - relating to monks and monasteries and religious life in monasteries
Reform - to change with the intention of making better
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