Medieval English Piety 1300-1550
St. George Patron Saint of England
Late Medieval Mardis Gras
Feasting & Processions
A Book of Hours
English Mystics Langland Julian
The Gutenberg Bible c. 1450
Erasmus 1466-1536
Luther Emphasized the Bible as the Source of Religious Authority
William Tyndale’s English Bible 1525
How might the Canterbury Tales have angered members of the Church? What is a Friar? What is a Summoner? Pardoner?
What is the sin of the Summoner in the Friar’s Tale? Rage: he brawls regularly Adultery: sleeping with wives Gluttony in the form of drinking to excess Greed in the form of Extortion
What is the sin of the Friar in the Summoner’s Tale? Pride – he constantly boasts Greed – he performs confessions for a fee Blasphemy – he swears oaths Envy – he wishes he was a bishop Sloth – he never wakes before noon
Why is the Pardoner’s moral, Radix malorum est cupiditas, somewhat ironic? Because he drinks heavily Because he admits that he commits fraud Because he has taken a vow of celibacy Because he is involved in the administration of justice
The Decline of Papal Prestige 1215-1550
During the 1350s and 1360s Edward III passed statutes limiting papal authority in England
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Dominant figure in English politics of the 1370s Embroiled in struggle with the Church and merchant elite over prosecution of the war with France Progenitor of the house of Lancaster
Baldasare Cossa was deposed as pope in 1415
Leo X Giovanni de’Medici r. 1513-1521
Henry VIII with Pope Leo and the Emperor c. 1520
England & the Reformation
Pope Clement VII Giulio de’Medici