#english_history 

# Church and state
Unlike [[Christianity after the Saxon invasion|early Church-State relationships]], it all came down to the struggle for power and money between the Roman Church and the king. The church wanted the kings of Europe to accept its authority over both spiritual and earthly affairs, but kings chose as bishops men who would be loyal to them.

## Quarrels
1. In **1066** [[Troubles on the Throne in 10th-11th century England#^c6b3ec|William]] refused to accept the pope as his feudal lord, creating Norman bishops and giving them land on condition they paid homage to him
2. [[Kingship as a family business in the early Middle ages#^002cae|William Rufus]] vs Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had escaped from England and refused to do homage to Henry I. Henry, meanwhile, had created several new bishops but they had no spiritual authority without the blessing of the archbishop. Finally the king gave ground and agreed that only the Church could create bishops, but the Church agreed that bishops would pay homage to the king for the lands owned by them.
3. Thomas Becket vs Henry II: when in **1162** Henry II appointed his friend Thomas Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury, he hoped that Thomas'd help him bring the Church more under his control. At first Becket refused, then gave in, then changed his tune again and fleed to France. Then in **1170** he returned to England resolute to resist the king, which resulted in Thomas being murdered in the cathedral by four of the king's knights. All Christian Europe was shocked, Thomas canonised and Henry II had to ask for pope's forgiveness and be whipped by monks. ^339a11

# Church and the ordinary folk
The Church at local village level was significantly different from the Church the king had to deal with. At the time of William the Conqueror the ordinary village priest could hardly read at all. His church belonged to the local lord. Almost all priests were married, and many inherited their position from their father. 
The Church tried to prevent priests from marrying, which was rather successful.
Many people wanted to be monks, as the still life in a monastery guaranteed food and tranquility.
The 13th century brought a new movement, the "brotherhoods" of friars, who were itinerant preachers, living with the poor.