New
New
Year 10
AQA
The Reform Papacy
I can explain the impact of the Reform Papacy on relations between the Church and secular rulers.
New
New
Year 10
AQA
The Reform Papacy
I can explain the impact of the Reform Papacy on relations between the Church and secular rulers.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Popes from the mid-11th century wished to reform the Church.
- The pope had given William of Normandy the papal banner to invade England.
- In return, William promised to reform the English Church in line with the Reform Papacy.
- Pope Gregory IX issued his Dictatus Papae which said the pope had the power to depose monarchs.
- The Reform Papacy clashed with monarchs in Europe, especially the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV.
Keywords
Secular - the opposite of sacred; a part of life that is not to do with the Church or religion
Depose - remove someone from office (their official role or position)
Excommunication - to exclude someone from the community of the Church until they put right what they had been doing wrong
Concordat - a treaty or official agreement
Common misconception
The Normans reforms of the Church were specific to England.
The Church reforms were part of a much bigger European reform movement led by a succession of popes known as the Reform Papacy.
Students may have studied the Reform Papacy as background to learning about the Crusades at Key Stage 3: if so, reconnect with that prior learning here.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
___________ was replaced as Archbishop of Canterbury by Lanfranc.
Anselm
Wulfstan
Q2.
The pope William's reforms to the Church in England.
Q3.
When Gregory became pope William I refused to travel to Rome and 'do '.
Q4.
William II was motivated to leave important Church positions unfilled because of reasons to do with...
Q5.
William II appointed __________ as Archbishop of Canterbury but later tried to remove him, but failed.
Lanfranc
Stigand
Wulfstan
Q6.
A compromise over __________ was reached in 1107 with the Concordat of London.
pluralism
simony
clerical marriage
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
The Papacy was a movement in the Church that aimed to address corruption and improve the spiritual authority of the Church.
Q2.
Controversially, the Dictatus Papae said that the pope had the right to depose kings and...
Q3.
Which pope agreed to support William's invasion of Normandy?
Gregory VII
Leo IX
Q4.
In return for the papacy's support for his invasion, William promised to reform the English...
Q5.
In 1077, Pope Gregory VII was able to demonstrate his...
wealth
piety
Q6.
In the German city of , a Concordat agreed a compromise between the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V.
Additional material
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