Lanfranc's reforms | History | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Which word describes a system in which people are put at various levels or ranks according to their importance?

'hierarchy' ✓
Which word describes a title given to a person who has received an official honour from the Pope for having lived in a good and holy way?

'saint' ✓
Put the following positions in the Anglo-Saxon Church hierarchy in order of importance, starting with the most important first.

1

⇔

archbishops

2

⇔

bishops and abbots

3

⇔

priests, monks and nuns
Why was monasticism so important in England?

Monasteries produced manuscripts. ✓

Monasteries and nunneries provided education. ✓

Nunneries cooked and cleaned for the monarch.

Monasteries and nunneries cared for the sick. ✓

Monasteries did the gardening for the nobility.
What local practices did the Anglo-Saxon Church observe?

some prayers often used Old English ✓

all religious services were conducted in Latin

veneration of local saints ✓

removed shrines such as St Swithin
Match the words to their correct definitions.

pluralism

⇔

the act of holding more than one position within the Church ✓

nepotism

⇔

important posts going to people because of close relationships ✓

simony

⇔

important posts being sold to wealthy men instead of deserving men ✓

Exit quiz

Stigand was replaced as Archbishop of Canterbury by...

'Lanfranc' ✓
What practice was banned at the Council of Winchester in 1170?

simony

pluralism

clerical marriage ✓

monasticism
Which statement describes the relationship between the Archbishops of York and Canterbury after 1070?

Canterbury became more important than York. ✓

They remained of equal importance.

York became more important than Canterbury.
In 1072 ______ were introduced in dioceses.

'archdeacons' ✓
Which statement is correct?

William I allowed many Anglo-Saxon prelates to remain in their positions.

William I allowed hardly any Anglo-Saxon prelates to remain in their positions. ✓

William I replaced every single Anglo-Saxon prelate with Normans.
As part of William's reforms to the Church, he ruled that all legal cases involving clergy should be heard in __________ courts.

Church ✓

manor

hundred

royal

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Stigand was deposed and Lanfranc introduced as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070.
Lanfranc's reforms aimed to reduce corruption, and to modernise and re-organise the English Church.
Lanfranc secured primacy for Canterbury over the English Church.
Lanfranc's reforms involved the replacement of Anglo-Saxon prelates with Normans.
Lanfranc's reforms included the separation of Church cases from secular courts.

Common misconception

Lanfranc's reforms introduced new concepts like celibacy for monks, Benedictine rules for monasteries and separate courts for the Church (or even archdeacons).

All these were already present in Anglo-Saxon England - monasteries had been following the laws of St Benedict for centuries, for example - but Lanfranc revitalised them, ensured that they were carried out and repurposed them to boost Norman control.

Keywords

Pluralist - someone who holds more than one position within the Church
Clergy - members of the Church who have been ordained, which means they are permitted to carry out religious services
Primacy - the state of being most important
Diocese - an area under the control of a bishop