Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

I'll be guiding you through all of our resources today, and my top priority is to make sure that, by the end of our lesson, you're able to successfully meet our learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on mediaeval medicine and health.

Well, we've been asking ourselves how much was known about medicine and health.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to evaluate the impact of Christianity and the church on medicine in mediaeval Britain.

There is one key word which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson, and that is institution.

An institution is a large and important organisation.

Today's lesson will be split into two parts, and we'll begin by focusing on Christianity and the church in mediaeval Britain.

Christianity was the dominant religion in mediaeval Britain.

The church was a powerful institution.

Christianity and the church, therefore, had a lot of influence over different aspects of people's lives in this period.

The Christian church was a central institution, both in ordinary people's lives and in the overall running of Britain in the mediaeval period.

The power this gave the church allowed Christianity to influence many different aspects of life.

For one, the church, and therefore Christianity, had a constant presence in most people's lives.

Aside from the expectation that everyone would attend their local church on Sundays, major life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths, were marked with ceremonies held at churches.

This meant that people spent large amounts of time at church, where they learned the teachings of Christianity and were encouraged to accept what the church taught.

The church's power and influence was also amplified by its considerable wealth.

According to some estimates, the church controlled 33% of land in England by the end of the 15th century.

Similarly, the church often received donations of land, money, and valuable items, which all increased its wealth further.

Finally, the church was very important for learning.

Many books were copied out by hand by monks living in monasteries.

Similarly, the church had considerable influence over higher education, as the only two universities in England, Oxford and Cambridge, were under its control.

This meant that the church was able to ensure that only ideas which they considered acceptable would be taught to the students who attended those universities.

So, let's check our knowledge of everything we've just heard.

Firstly, we have a statement which reads, The church played a major part in most mediaeval people's lives.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So, why was that original statement correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said, people were expected to attend church every Sunday and also attended it regularly for ceremonies linked to major moments, such as birth, marriage, and death.

And let's try another question.

What percentage of land in England is estimated to have been owned by the church by the end of the 15th century? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was 33%.

33% of land in England is estimated to have been under the control of the church by the end of the 15th century, showing just how wealthy it was as an institution.

And let's try another question.

Which example below best demonstrates the church's power over educational institutions? Is it that the church received many donations? That most of the country was Christian? Or that the only two universities in England were run by it? In other words, run by the church.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

We can tell that the church had a lot of power over educational institutions in the mediaeval period because the only two universities in England, Oxford and Cambridge, were controlled by it.

So, we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge of Christianity and the church in mediaeval Britain into practise.

I want you to outline two reasons why the church was an influential institution in mediaeval Britain.

As part of your answer, you should include specific factual details.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So, I asked you to outline two reasons why the church was an influential institution in mediaeval Britain.

And your answers may have included that the church was influential because of its control over higher education institutions.

The only two universities in mediaeval England, Oxford and Cambridge, were both controlled by the church.

And you may also have written that the church was influential because it was very wealthy.

For example, it has been estimated that 33% of all land in mediaeval England was controlled by the church.

So, well done if your own responses look something like those models which we've just seen.

And that means we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson, where we're going to focus on the medical impact of Christianity and the church.

There were several key Christian beliefs which related to medicine and public health.

These beliefs were drawn from both the Bible and the teachings of the mediaeval church.

Mediaeval Christians in the church were able to draw various medical beliefs from their religion.

Amongst these beliefs was the idea that illness and disease came from God.

The Bible included many stories where God was said to make people sick, sometimes as a punishment and other times as a test of their faith.

Similarly, it was frequently accepted that God was all-powerful, and therefore, it was concluded that diseases must be part of God's plan.

As Christians worshipped Jesus, the church also taught that it was important to follow examples from his life.

As the Bible also included many stories about Jesus caring for others, the church encouraged people to care for and offer assistance to those who were more vulnerable than themselves, including the sick.

Furthermore, this type of charitable behaviour was seen as important, as the church taught people that it could help ensure that they would make it to heaven after they died.

So, let's reflect on what we've just heard.

What did the Bible suggest about the causes of illness and disease? Was it that they had natural, not religious, causes, that they only affected sinners, or that they were part of God's plan? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was C.

The Bible suggested that illness and disease were part of God's plan.

And let's try another question.

I want you to write the missing word from the following sentence.

As the Bible included stories of blank, caring for the sick, mediaeval Christians believed it was important for them to do so too.

So, what's the missing word? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the missing word was Jesus.

As the Bible included stories of Jesus caring for the sick, mediaeval Christians believed it was important for them to do so too.

Christian beliefs and the actions of the church were able to have a significant impact on medicine in mediaeval Britain.

In some cases, historians have considered this impact beneficial, whereas in other cases, it has been blamed for slowing down medical progress.

Because Christians believed that it was important to follow Jesus' example and care for the sick, a lot of investment was provided to support hospitals in mediaeval Britain.

Indeed, between 1000 and 1500, over 700 hospitals were founded in England alone.

Some of these hospitals were set up or supported by wealthy donors, and many more were run and funded by the church itself.

Similarly, as many hospitals were linked to specific churches or monasteries, they were often staffed by religious figures, such as nuns or monks.

However, this religious concern also meant that hospitals tended to prioritise patients' spiritual health over their physical health.

For instance, daily prayers would be held, which patients were expected to participate in.

Furthermore, there was some concern that a patient's physical condition shouldn't be treated at all.

This was because, if diseases and illness were to be considered part of God's plan, then trying to find a physical cure for someone's sickness might be seen as a challenge to God.

One monk, St.

Bernard, argued that to buy drugs or consult with physicians doesn't fit with religion.

So, let's make sure all of that new knowledge is secure in our heads.

How many hospitals were founded in England between the year 1000 and 1500? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody.

He said the correct answer was over 700.

Over 700 hospitals were founded in England between 1000 and 1500.

Let's try another question.

What did the monk St.

Bernard mean when he said to buy drugs, or consult with physicians doesn't fit with religion? Was it that good medicine was hard for most people to find? That physicians and apothecaries were too expensive? Or that spiritual health was more important than physical health? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was C.

St.

Bernard's quote was suggesting that spiritual health was more important than physical health.

Because it was believed that disease, and illness were sent by God, if you were to try and cure it, this could be seen as a challenge to God's plan.

And that's why St.

Bernard said that taking drugs or consulting with physicians wouldn't fit with Christianity and its teachings.

The Christian belief that illness was sent by God encouraged methods of medical treatment and prevention based around religious actions.

If sickness was a punishment or test of faith, it was believed that avoiding sin or demonstrating one's faith could help to protect and restore good health.

Consequently, prayer was considered very important for both preventing and treating disease, despite the fact that it offered no physical benefits.

Acts of penance, which were intended to show people were sorry for their sins, were also seen as ways of treating or preventing disease.

For example, some Christians would fast, meaning they went without food for a certain period of time.

Furthermore, the church encouraged belief in miraculous healing, especially those achieved at holy sites.

There were reported to be 200 holy wells in Wales alone, and many people made pilgrimages to the shrines of saints elsewhere in Britain in hope of miraculous cures to their sickness.

For instance, it was reported that Petronella of Polsworth was cured of her epilepsy after making a pilgrimage to St.

Thomas Becket's tomb at Canterbury Cathedral.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, why did many sick people go on pilgrimages to locations like holy wells and the shrines of saints? Was it to benefit from the exercise, to escape areas where disease was widespread, or to experience miraculous healing? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

Many sick people went on pilgrimages in mediaeval England in hope that they could experience miraculous healing.

Church control over England's universities meant that it also shaped the education of physicians who were trained there.

The church approved medical ideas which it considered compatible with the teachings of Christianity.

Thus, the works of Galen were supported by the church, and taught to physicians because Galen had believed in a single God.

Despite the fact that Galen's work contained various mistakes, such as his belief that new blood was constantly made in the liver, it continued to be taught in mediaeval universities and was hard for people to challenge, as any criticism of Galen could also be interpreted as a challenge against the church.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, we have a statement on the screen which reads, The church was able to influence physicians' medical knowledge.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So, why is it that that original statement was correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said, Physicians in England were trained at Oxford and Cambridge universities, which were both controlled by the church, and it only approved medical ideas which it considered compatible with Christianity.

And let's try another question.

Why did the church approve of Galen's ideas? Was it because all of Galen's ideas had been proven correct? Because Galen believed that there was only one God? Or because Galen had donated a lot of money to the church? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was B.

The mediaeval church approved of Galen's medical ideas because Galen had also believed there was only one God.

And this fit with the teachings of the Christian church.

They continued to support Galen's ideas, despite the fact that not all of them were correct.

So, we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge of the medical impact of Christianity in the church into practise.

So, I want you to answer the following question.

To what extent did the influence of Christianity, and the church hold back medical progress in mediaeval Britain? You may consider explanations for disease, methods of treatment and prevention, and medical care.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So, I asked you, to what extent did the influence of Christianity and the church hold back medical progress in mediaeval Britain? And your answer may have included: The influence of Christianity and the church created many problems for mediaeval medicine, especially by encouraging incorrect ideas.

For instance, the belief that disease was sent by God encouraged mediaeval Christians to focus on acts like praying or penance, which had no physical benefit for their health.

Meanwhile, the church supported medical ideas, such as Galen's, despite the fact that his works contained some critical errors, because they fit with its own teachings.

The church's support made it harder to challenge these ideas, and its control over universities meant that generations of physicians were taught to accept some of these errors.

However, the influence of Christianity and the church did encourage progress in some areas of mediaeval medicine.

For instance, the desire to follow Jesus' example in the Bible encouraged the church to provide care for the sick.

Over 700 hospitals were founded in England during the mediaeval period, and many of these were funded and run by the church itself.

Although patients' spiritual condition was prioritised over their physical condition in hospitals, it was still important that church support increased access to some medical care.

Therefore, whilst Christianity and the church did create many problems for mediaeval medicine, their influence was not entirely negative.

So, really well done if your own response looks something similar to that model which we've just seen.

And so, now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning.

We've seen that Christianity and the church were able to influence many aspects of people's lives in the mediaeval period, including medicine and public health.

Religion was often used to explain the origin of disease and, therefore, encouraged religious forms of treatment and prevention, such as praying and fasting.

Physicians were only taught ideas approved by the church, such as Galen's, due to its control over universities.

And the church ran hundreds of hospitals to offer care for the sick, but these hospitals prioritised spiritual care for their patients.

So, thank you for all of your hard work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources today, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we continue to think about mediaeval medicine and health.