Religion in Anglo-Saxon England (Edexcel GCSE History)

The Impact of Religious Reform in Europe on Anglo-Saxon England - Summary

What Beliefs did Anglo-Saxons have?

• Anglo-Saxon England in c1060 believed in Christianity

• People worshipped a mixture of saints

  • Anglo-Saxons prayed to Anglo-Saxon and Celtic saints

  • Different saints represented different local areas

    • For example, Saint Cuthbert was a monk in Lindisfarne, Northumbria in the seventh century CE

    • Many Anglo-Saxon kings visited his grave. They believed Saint Cuthbert could bring power and faith

• Anglo-Saxons were very religious

  • People worried about their afterlife

    • Anglo-Saxons believed that God would punish them for their sins in the afterlife

  • Anglo-Saxons spent significant time doing religious activities such as pilgrimages

    • Anglo-Saxons thought that this would reduce their suffering in the afterlife

The Structure of the Anglo-Saxon Church

A diagram showing the hierarchy of the Anglo-Saxon Church

What issues did bishops cause in Anglo-Saxon England?

• Anglo-Saxons may not have trusted bishops

  • Norman sources stated that bishops made profits from selling the opportunity to work for the Church

• Conflict between bishops and thegns

  • Thegns established churches on their land

    • Thegns believed that, by owning the church, they had power over its day-to-day running

  • Bishops selected priests

    • Thegns believed that they should have the ability to hire priests who worked for them

  • The issues of priests created a power struggle between bishops and thegns

    • Bishops and thegns had an equal amount of power

    • They both wanted to increase their power

The monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England

• The number of monasteries was declining in England at this time. This was because:

  • Monasteries were becoming less religious. The Anglo-Saxon aristocrats began to have more power over monasteries by the ninth century

  • Viking invasions targeted monasteries. Monasteries were easy to attack and held a lot of gold and treasure. After multiple attacks, monasteries could not afford to stay open

• Monasteries became closer to their local community

  • Monks intended to live a separate holy life from the rest of the world

  • Instead, monks worked with peasant farmers to survive

Edward the Confessor and the Church

• Edward the Confessor was a pious man

  • In Anglo-Saxon times, the name 'confessor' meant someone who lived a saintly life

• Edward's position created a strong link to Christianity

  • People believed that, when the church anointed Edward, he became God's representative on Earth

  • England was prosperous. People saw this as a sign that Edward had God's blessing to rule the country

    • Anglo-Saxons believed that God would punish sinful countries, especially if the sin originated from its monarch

• Edward spent a lot of his later life dedicated to the Church

  • Between 1042 and 1052, Edward ordered the construction of Westminster Abbey

  • The Abbey was not completed until 1090