Around 1500, why was the Church such a powerful institution in western Europe?
It dominated religion and society.
It shaped belief, law, education, politics and everyday life.
Who stood at the head of the western Church in the early sixteenth century?
The Pope
The Pope claimed supreme authority in the Catholic Church.
What name is given to the senior ranks of Church leadership below the Pope?
Clerical hierarchy
This included cardinals, bishops, abbots and parish clergy.
What were Church courts mainly used for in the early sixteenth century?
Moral and religious cases
They dealt with matters such as marriage, wills, heresy and clerical discipline.
Fill in the blank:
Church _____ heard cases involving marriage, wills and moral offences.
courts
Their existence showed how far ecclesiastical authority reached into daily life.
Why did the Church have influence in government as well as religion?
Clergy held political roles.
Senior churchmen often served as royal advisers and administrators.
How did the Church shape the daily lives of ordinary people c1500?
Through worship and ritual
The Church organised the calendar, sacraments and key moments of life.
What term describes the official teachings of the Church?
Doctrine
Doctrine covered beliefs about salvation, sacraments and Christian duty.
How many sacraments did the Catholic Church recognise c1500?
Seven
These were central to Catholic worship and spiritual life.
True or False:
The Catholic Church in 1500 taught that salvation came through faith alone.
False
Catholic teaching stressed faith, sacraments and good works.
What did the Church teach people needed in order to gain salvation?
Faith and good works
Good works included charity, prayer and participation in the sacraments.
Why was the priest seen as essential in Catholic life?
He mediated grace.
Priests administered sacraments that were believed necessary for salvation.
Fill in the blank:
In Catholic teaching, the parish priest played a vital role in administering the _____.
sacraments
This gave the clergy major spiritual authority over laypeople.
What term was used for actions such as prayer, fasting and charity that helped a Christian life?
Good works
Catholics believed these contributed to the saving of the soul.
Which pope became notorious for corruption and immorality in the late fifteenth century?
Alexander VI
His conduct helped fuel criticism of the papacy.
What broad accusation was often made against the papacy and clergy before 1517?
Corruption
Critics attacked greed, worldliness and abuses of office.
What does ‘anti-clericalism’ mean in the context of the early Reformation?
Hostility to the clergy
It was resentment of clerical privilege, wealth or behaviour.
True or False:
Criticism of the Church before 1517 always meant rejection of Catholic belief itself.
False
Many critics wanted reform, not the destruction of the Church.
Which intellectual movement encouraged a return to the original sources of Christianity?
Humanism
Humanists emphasised learning, languages and moral reform.
Which English humanist preached reform and attacked clerical abuses?
Colet
John Colet called for a more sincere and moral Church.
Which English statesman and humanist criticised corruption while remaining loyal to Rome?
More
Thomas More supported reform but opposed heresy.
Which Dutch humanist used scholarship and satire to expose Church failings?
Erasmus
He criticised superstition and corruption while seeking renewal from within.
Fill in the blank:
_____ used humanist scholarship to call for a purer and more educated Christianity.
Erasmus
He remained Catholic but influenced reform-minded thinkers.
What term describes beliefs that went against accepted Church teaching?
Heresy
Heresy was treated as a serious religious and social threat.