Hello and thank you for joining me for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox and today I'll be guiding you through the resources and the materials that you need to be successful in this lesson.

So let's begin.

Today's lesson is part of an AQA GCSE historic environment topic on Norman England.

The lesson today will focus on Anglo-Saxon monasteries.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to describe Anglo-Saxon monasticism and the reform movement of the 10th century.

Now, in our lesson today, we'll use some key words.

Let's have a look at those now.

The first word we'll use is "abbey", which is the building occupied by a community of monks or nuns.

We'll also use the word "Benedictine".

"Benedictine" refers to monks following the rule of Saint Benedict, who is a sixth century monk who wrote guidelines for how monks and nuns should live.

We'll also use the word "monastery", which is a community of monks.

We will also use the term "monasticism", which is relating to monks in monasteries and religious life in monasteries.

And finally, we'll use the word "reform".

"Reform" means to change with the intention of making something better.

The lesson today is in three parts, so let's get started now with part one, which will look at Anglo-Saxon monasticism.

Supported by kings and aristocratic families, some monasteries became very wealthy in the eighth century, and many were important centres of learning.

One of these was the joint monastery of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow in Northumbria in the north of England.

This is where a monk called Bede lived for most of his life, writing books in the monastery scriptorium, including the first history of England and accounts of the lives of saints such as St.

Cuthbert.

His writings show that he had access to a large library of religious and legal books from other parts of Europe at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, and it is clear from his accounts that he and other monks lived their lives according to Benedictine rule.

On the screen now you can see an image of Bede working in the monastery.

It is time now to have a check of your understanding so far.

I'd like you to answer this question.

How many monasteries were there in England in the eighth century? A.

100, B.

150 or C.

200? Press pause and when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well done if you said that the correct answer was C, there were 200 monasteries in England in the eighth century.

Here's another question for you now, true or false, the monks who lived in Anglo-Saxon monasteries were poorly educated.

Press pause and when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

You should have said that the correct answer was false.

I'd like you to press pause again and write an explanation as to why the answer is false.

You might have said as part of your explanation that monks could read and write.

They had access to libraries and some like Bede wrote important books.

Monasteries were important centres of learning.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to attempt this question.

I'd like you to read Aisha's statement and correct the mistakes that she has made.

Press pause to complete the task and then press play to see the correct answers.

Welcome back, let's see how you got on.

Aisha's statement should have read as follows, " By the seventh century, most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were Christian.

Almost all of the monasteries followed the ideas of St.

Benedict.

Most monasteries were rich as they were supported by kings and aristocrats.

A monk called Bede lived at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow Abbey and wrote a history of England." We're ready now to move on to the next section of the lesson today.

this section will look at the decline of Anglo-Saxon monasteries.

The ninth century saw an actual decline in Anglo-Saxon monasticism due to Viking raids and invasion and also what reformers in Europe saw as a decline in quality.

Monasteries became more secular, which means more connected to non-religious concerns, such as making money and gaining political power and influence.

Here's a quick check of your understanding now.

What became less important to monastic leaders in the ninth century? A.

worship and prayer, B.

power and money, or C.

helping the poor and charitable causes.

Press pause and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

You should have said the correct answer was worship and prayer.

One reason for this was that Anglo-Saxon monasteries had often been founded by local aristocratic families who gave land and made donations to the monastery.

These families kept close links with the monasteries as they grew larger and richer and expected that members of their family would have the top jobs in running these religious institutions, these family members might not be particularly religious and often saw these jobs as a route to gaining wealth and power and certainly saw nothing wrong with combining a leading religious role with being married and having children.

All these things were in contrast to Benedictine rule, which said that an order of monks should separate themselves from everyday life, devote their lives to worship, should have no possessions at all and should be celibate, which means not have any sexual relationships.

Time for another quick question now.

True or false, St.

Benedict wanted monks to live like ordinary people.

Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answer.

Well done if you said the correct answer is false.

I'd like you to press pause again and write an explanation of why the answer is false.

You could have said in your explanation that Benedictine rules said that monk should devote themselves to God by keeping themselves separate from ordinary people, by devoting themselves to worship and having no possessions and remaining celibate.

In 793, Vikings raided the monastery at Lindisfarne, killing or enslaving monks, destroying the monastery and stealing many of its treasures.

This was the beginning of yearly raids that targeted more and more monasteries and settlements and culminated in the invasion of England by a Viking army in 865.

Reinforced by new arrivals, this Viking army gradually conquered many of the northern and eastern kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England throughout the 870s until finally, their advance was halted in 880 by Alfred the Great.

Throughout this period, churches and monasteries were prime targets for Viking raids and monasticism suffered as a result.

It was not just monasteries that suffered of course, ordinary Anglo-Saxons were caught up in the conflict as Viking armies plundered their food, stole their livestock and burnt their homes and possessions.

In these circumstances, locals looked to monasteries to help them and banks provided medical aid, shelter and food to their communities, and as monasteries became more connected to local communities, they became more secular, less isolated from everyday life as commanded by Benedictine rule.

Here's another true or false question now.

Viking raids on Anglo-Saxon England meant that monasteries became more connected to their communities.

Press pause to think of your answer and then press play.

You should have said the correct answer is true.

I'd like you to press pause again and write an explanation of why the answer is true.

Your explanation might have included some of the following, due to Viking raids, which destroyed their homes, animals, food and possessions, the Anglo-Saxon people turned to monasteries for shelter, medical aid and food.

Finally, in this section, let's put everything you've learned into practise by answering this question.

I'd like you to explain two reasons for the decline in Anglo-Saxon monasticism in the ninth century.

You could use these sentence starters to structure your answer.

Press pause now and when you're ready to see what you could have written, press play.

Welcome back, let's see how you got on.

Your answer could have included the following, one reason for the decline in Anglo-Saxon monasticism in the ninth century was the influence of aristocratic families who took a more secular approach to running the monasteries.

They were more interested in power and making money than in following strict Benedictine rule.

A second reason was because of Viking raids and invasions on monasteries, which resulted in the loss of many treasures and the destruction of buildings.

Local communities were caught up in the conflict and became more dependent on monasteries, which further led to the monasteries' secularisation.

We're ready to move on now to the final section of today's lesson.

This section will look at monastic reform in Anglo-Saxon England.

By the 10th century, a reform movement had begun in continental Europe.

The criticised the way monasteries across Europe had drifted away from strict observance of the rule of St.

Benedict.

This reform movement started in Cluny in the burgundy region of France at the very start of the 10th century, and then spread through northwestern Europe.

King Athelstan of England had four half sisters who married European rulers.

As a result, Athelstan's court became a place where English bishops and abbots could discuss the reforms with church leaders from these European centres of reform.

Here's a quick question now.

What was the main aim of the Cluny reform movement? A.

to reduce the power and wealth of European monasteries, B.

to make European monasteries more secular, or C.

to restore European monastic life to Benedictine rule? Press pause and then press play for the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer was C.

The main aim of the Cluny reform movement was to restore European monastic life to Benedictine rule.

By the middle of the 10th century, King Edgar replaced his Archbishop of Canterbury with a reformer Dunston, who had been a monk and an abbot.

Dunston's view was that English monasticism had died in the ninth century and could only be brought back to life through monasteries strictly following Benedictine rule.

Around 973, Edgar issued a single set of rules that all monasteries were ordered to follow called the Regularis Concordia, which expanded the rule of St.

Benedict into all areas of monastic life.

King Edgar also replaced the secular clergy of Westminster with an order of monks.

Historians think around 30 monasteries and perhaps eight abbeys ended up being reformed during Edgar's rule, nearly all in the south of England and in monasteries where the King and other reformers had a lot of influence.

They were often given large new grants of land, making them very wealthy.

This land was often taken from local aristocratic families.

However, although that made the reform monasteries locally important, 30 monasteries were only around 10% of all Anglo-Saxon monasteries.

The other 90% were more able to resist reform if they wanted to, relying on the support of their aristocratic backers who were not part of the reform movement.

Even in Winchester, the king faced a great deal of resistance to the reform of the cathedral since the secular clergy were all well connected, wealthy men who did not want to lose their influential positions.

After Edgar's death in 975, aristocrats who had lost land to reform monasteries seized back their land.

Some married clerics were replaced in the positions they had lost and according to the abbot of Ramsey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, the error was worse than before.

Time for another check of your understanding now.

What was the name of the set of rules King Edgar introduced to reform monasticism in England? Was it A.

the Regularis Concordia, B.

the monastic constitutions of Lanfranc or C.

the suppression of Religious Houses Act? Press pause and I press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said that the correct answer was A.

the Regularis Concordia.

Finally today, I'd like you to answer this question.

To what extent did the 10th century reform movement succeed in restoring monasticism in England? In this question, I'd like you to try to write a balanced answer, which covers the areas that changed as well as those that stayed the same or did not last.

You could use some of the following points in your answer, the influence of the Cluny movement, the reforms of King Edgar and resistance to reform of the monasteries.

Press pause to complete your answer and then press play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back, let's see how you got on.

Your answer might have included some of the following.

To some extent, monasticism was restored in Southern England during the 10th century.

The Cluny reform movement in France aimed to restore Benedictine rule, which led to greater religious devotion.

The reform movements influence extended to England as the court of King Athelstan allowed English bishops and abbots to discuss the new ideas with European church leaders.

During the reign of King Edgar, the king took steps to bring English monasticism back to life.

He appointed Dunston, a reformer, as Archbishop of Canterbury and introduced uniformity to monastery rules in the Regularis Concordia.

This expanded the Benedictine rule to all areas of monastic life.

However, only around 10% of monasteries were reformed in King Edgar's reign, and these were nearly all in the south of England.

The rest were able to resist reform by relying on the support of local aristocrats who used their power to maintain their positions as secular clergy.

After the death of King Edgar in 975, even those aristocrats who had lost land and positions to the reform monasteries were able to seize their land back, and some were returned to their roles as married clerics.

Overall, the attempts to restore monasticism were only partially successful, as although stricter monasticism was restored under Edgar, standards started to slip again following his death, and only some southern monasteries were fully reformed.

We've now reached the end of today's lesson, so let's have a summary of everything you should have learned.

England in the eighth century had around 200 mostly Benedictine monasteries, which were often large, wealthy establishments that were important centres of learning.

The ninth century saw an actual decline in monasticism due to the effect of Viking raids on English monasteries.

There was also a change in monasticism, which became more secular, that's connected to everyday life.

In the 10th century, some reforms were made to restore monasticism in England, for example, the introduction of the Regularis Concordia.

However, these reforms only had a limited effect mostly in the south of England.

Many thanks for all of your hard work in our lesson together today.

I hope that you feel confident that you've understood the material and hope that you'll join me in a future Oak Academy history lesson.