Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mr. Williams, and I'm gonna be your history teacher today.

This is the first lesson in a unit which explores the changing role of women from the medieval period to the 20th century.

My role today is going to be to help you achieve today's learning objective.

Let's get started.

In today's lesson, we're going to be learning about how the Church influenced ideas about the role of women in medieval Britain.

There are five keywords that are really important to understanding today's lesson, and they are Church, priest, patriarchal, guild, and nun.

The Church is the organization of the Christian religion.

A priest is a religious leader who performs ceremonies, rituals, and provides guidance.

Patriarchal relates to a society that is controlled by men.

A guild is a group of a certain type of craftsmen with their own rules.

A nun is a woman who is withdrawn from ordinary life to dedicate her life to God.

There are four parts to today's lesson.

In this first part, we're going to be finding out why the medieval Church was so powerful.

The Church was extremely powerful in the medieval period and had a significant impact on every aspect of society.

Every village had a Church that was at the center of village life.

Priests led regular Church services on Sundays and saints days that brought people together.

Priests also oversaw the most important moments in people's lives, such as baptisms, marriages, and funerals.

As well as being a focal point for religious life and a community hub, the Church exercised power and influence in other ways.

For example, the Church was a major landowner, and people had to pay taxes to the Church, known as tithes, which made the Church very wealthy.

In addition, the Church also operated its own legal system through the Church courts, which handled matters such as marriage and divorce, inheritance, and moral offenses.

Finally, the Church taught people how they should behave and what they should think.

Ordinary people believed that if they obeyed their priest and lived their life according to the teachings of the Church, they would go to heaven when they died.

As a consequence, the Church had a powerful influence on people's attitudes and behaviors.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

On the screen is the statement, "The Church brought people in medieval villages together.

" Is this statement true or false?

Pause the video now and press Play when you're ready to find out the correct answer.

Well done to everyone who said the correct answer was true.

But we need to be able to justify our answers.

So, on the screen now, two justifications.

The first says, "The Church decided which women in the village were allowed to marry," and the second said, "Priest-led regular services, including for baptisms, marriages, and funerals.

" Which of these justifications shows that our original statement was correct?

Pause the video now and press Play when you're ready to find out the correct answer.

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

One of the key reasons the medieval Church was so powerful is because priests led regular services, which brought people together, and this made the Church a community hub and a focal point for religious life.

Let's try this next task.

I want you to write the missing words in the following sentence.

People had to pay blank to the medieval Church known as blank.

Pause the video here, write the missing words, and press Play when you're ready to see if you got the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who identified that the missing words were taxes and tithes.

So the sentence should read, "People had to pay taxes to the medieval Church known as tithes.

" Another reason why the Church was so powerful in the medieval period is because it was immensely wealthy, and one of the reasons for this is the taxes people paid to the Church, which were known as tithes.

So, now we're ready to put what we've learned about the power of the medieval Church into practice.

We have a statement on the screen, and it says, "The medieval Church was only powerful because it helped bring people together in medieval villages.

" Based on what you've learned about the medieval Church, is Laura's statement accurate?

And I want you to explain your answer, so you might use the following sentence starters to help you.

Laura's statement is, is not accurate.

I can tell this because.

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all your hard work on that task.

So we had the statement, "The medieval Church was only powerful because it helped bring people together in medieval villages.

" And I asked, "Did that statement seem to be accurate based on what we've learned about the power of the medieval Church so far?

" Your answer may have included, "Laura's statement is not accurate.

The medieval Church was also powerful because it had a strong influence on people's attitudes and behaviors.

For example, people believed that if they followed the teachings of the Church, they would go to heaven when they died.

" You might also have written something like this.

"Laura's statement is not accurate.

The medieval Church was also powerful because it was extremely wealthy.

The Church owned a large amount of land.

And also, people had to pay taxes to the Church known as tithes.

" What's crucial for us to remember is that the medieval Church was important, not only because it brought people together, but because it was wealthy and powerful, and because it had a strong influence on what people thought and how they behaved.

So now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson, where we're going to focus on what the Church taught about women.

Medieval Britain was a patriarchal society in which men had more power, control, and opportunities than women.

One reason for this was because of the extent to which people's ideas were shaped by the teachings of the Church.

At the heart of the teachings of the medieval Church was the idea that women were weaker than men, both physically and mentally, and that therefore women should obey their husbands.

The Church's teachings about women were centered on two women.

Eve, the first women created by God, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Their stories were used to shape not only how women in general should behave, but also how wives were expected to conduct themselves.

Women were encouraged to be faithful and obedient to their husbands, like Mary was to God.

In contrast, the story of how Eve tempted Adam to disobey God was used as a warning.

Women who did not follow society's rules and expectations were to be feared and despised.

Due in large part to the teachings of the Church, throughout the medieval period, there were significant restrictions on what women were able to do.

For example, women were not allowed to marry without their parents' permission, go on journeys by themselves, own property of any kind, unless they were widows, or divorce their husbands.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

Which of these statements shows that medieval Britain was a patriarchal society?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said the correct answer is C.

A patriarchal society is one in which men have more power and opportunities than women.

Let's try this next task.

We have a statement on the screen, and it says, "The story of Eve was used to show that women had to be controlled.

" Is this true or false?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said the answer was true.

But we need to be able to justify our answers.

So, on the screen are two justifications.

The first one says, "The story was used as a warning so women would be obedient," and the second one says, "The story was used with Eve as a role model for women.

" Which one of these justifications shows us that our original statement was correct?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that the correct answer was A.

The story of how Eve tempted Adam to disobey God was used as a warning to show the consequences when women were not obedient.

So now we're ready to put what we've learned into practice.

There is a paragraph on the screen.

I want you to complete the paragraph by writing in the missing words that are provided at the bottom of the screen.

The missing words are husbands, controlled, Eve, and women.

Pause the video here, write the missing words, and press Play when you're ready to see if you've got the correct answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that task, and particular well done if you got the correct answer.

The completed paragraph should read as follows: The medieval Church used the examples of Mary and Eve to support its teachings about the role of women.

Mary was used to show that women should be obedient to their husbands just as she had been to God.

The example of Eve was used to show that women were weaker than men and needed to be controlled.

The Church thought that women were weaker than men and therefore needed to be controlled by them.

The teachings of the Church had a huge influence on people's attitudes in the medieval period and meant that there were significant restrictions on what women were able to do.

We're now ready to move on to the third part of our lesson where we're going to learn about the work that women did in the medieval period.

The lives of the vast majority of medieval women were centered on the home.

Women were expected to have children and raised them and to cook, clean, and carry out other housework.

In addition, many women carried out other forms of work.

For example, some women made and sold certain goods, such as thread that they spun, and some women helped their fathers or husbands in their businesses.

The most important factors that determined the type of work that was done by medieval women were whether they were rich or poor and whether they lived in towns or in the countryside.

In the medieval period, approximately 90% of people lived and worked in the countryside.

Women in the countryside were expected to work in the fields when extra labor was needed.

In towns, crafts and trades were organized into guilds.

Guilds were organizations that made rules about who could carry out a trade, and they set expected standards for work.

Activities like spinning and brewing were considered to be women's work.

And although women could work in other crafts and trades, the guild system was often used to exclude them.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

Which of these statements best describes the work done by medieval women in the countryside?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

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

Women in the countryside were expected to combine housework and childcare with other jobs, such as working in fields.

This was particularly important at key times in the year, for example, when crops were harvested.

Let's try this next task.

We have a statement on the screen, and it says, "Women in medieval towns could do the same work as men.

" Is this true or false?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said the correct answer was false.

But as always, we need to be able to justify our answers.

So on the screen now are two justifications.

The first one says, "The guild system often excluded women from certain crafts and trades," and the second one says, "Women were not allowed to learn any crafts or trades.

" Which one of these justifications shows us that the original statement was false?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that A was the correct justification.

Although women were allowed to learn certain crafts and trades, the guild system excluded women from those which were considered only suitable for men.

Therefore, most women who practice the trade were limited to activities such as spinning and brewing.

We're now ready to put our knowledge and understanding into practice.

On the screen, there are two sentences that I'd like you to complete.

The first says, "One similarity in the work done by women in the countryside and in towns was," and then the second says, "One difference between the work done by women in the countryside and in towns was.

" Pause the video now, complete the sentences, and press Play when you're ready to reflect on what you've done and take a look at some model answers.

Okay.

We had two sentences to complete, and you may have written something like this.

"One similarity in the work done by women in the countryside and in towns was that they were both expected to raise children and complete housework.

One difference between the work done by women in the countryside and in towns was that women in the countryside worked in the fields, whereas some women in towns were able to learn certain trades.

" The majority of women lived in the countryside and would be expected to help out in the fields at busy times of the year.

Some women who lived in towns were able to take advantage of more opportunities, for example, to learn a trade.

But regardless of where they lived, medieval women were expected to focus their lives on the home and were responsible for all housework and childcare.

We're now ready for the final part of our lesson, and we're gonna finish off by finding out about the role that women could play in the medieval Church.

The medieval Church was dominated by men.

Women were not allowed to become priests because the Church taught that they were weaker than men and needed to be controlled by them.

Despite this, the Church did represent one route in which women could achieve greater independence.

They could become a nun.

Nuns were women who cut themselves off from society and dedicated their lives to God.

Nuns lived together in nunneries and spent their time praying, looking after the poor, and growing food in the fields and gardens attached to the nunnery.

It is estimated that there were approximately 80 nunneries in medieval Britain.

Nuns were better educated than other women, and becoming a nun was one of the few ways in which a woman in the medieval period could receive an education.

This was because nuns had to be able to read to use their Bibles and prayer books.

Additionally, some nuns, such as those at the Abbey of Barking, also played an important role in copying important religious manuscripts.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

We have a statement on the screen, and it says, "Women could not play an active role in the medieval Church.

" Is this statement true or false?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that the correct answer was false.

But we need to be able to justify our answers.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says, "Some women were able to become priests," and the second says, "Some women were able to become nuns.

" Which of these justifications shows us that our original statement was correct?

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that B was the correct justification.

Women were excluded from most positions of power within the Church.

They were not allowed to become priests, but they could achieve some independence if they devoted their life to God and became a nun.

Let's try another task.

This time, the statement on the screen says, "Women who became nuns received some education.

" Is this true or is it false?

Pause the video now and press Play when you're ready to find out the correct answer.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that the correct answer was true.

But let's try and justify our answer now.

On the screen are two justifications.

The first one says, "Nuns had to be able to read and write so that they could worship God and copy religious manuscripts," and the second one says, "The Church believed that men and women should be educated equally.

" Which of these statements shows that the original statement was true?

Is it A or is it B?

Pause the video now and press Play when you're ready to find out.

Okay, well done to everyone who said that the correct answer was A.

Nuns had to be able to read and write so that they could worship God and some were also playing an important role in copying out religious manuscripts.

For the final time this lesson, let's apply our knowledge.

In this final practice task, I want you to explain how the medieval Church enabled women to have greater independence.

Your answer must identify at least one way and support it with a historical example.

Pause the video here and press Play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all your hard work on that task.

I asked you to explain how the medieval Church enabled women to have greater independence, and your answer may have included the following.

One way that the medieval Church enabled women to have greater independence was by allowing them to become nuns.

Becoming a nun allowed medieval women to receive some education.

For example, the nuns living at Barking Abbey played an important role in copying religious manuscripts.

So now, we've reached the end of our lesson.

Let's finish by summarizing some of our learning from today.

The Church was extremely powerful in the medieval period and had a significant impact on every aspect of society.

The medieval Church taught that women were weaker than men and needed to be controlled by them.

Medieval Britain was a patriarchal society in which women had less power and fewer opportunities than men.

Women in towns had more opportunities than in the countryside, but the guild system excluded women from certain trades.

Women could play an important role in the medieval Church as nuns, and this was one of the few ways that women could receive an education.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

You've worked so hard to explore the lives of women in medieval Britain and how the Church influenced ideas about the role they should play.

I look forward to joining you in the future.