The Reform Papacy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the impact of the Reform Papacy on relations between the Church and secular rulers.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.___________ was replaced as Archbishop of Canterbury by Lanfranc.
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.
Q6.A compromise over __________ was reached in 1107 with the Concordat of London.
Assessment exit quiz
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?
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...
Q6.In the German city of , a Concordat agreed a compromise between the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V.
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The Reform Papacy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The Reform Papacy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the British Depth Study: Norman England, c1066–c1100 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.