Date of Award

7-1-1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Arts (DA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Walter Ellis

Abstract

When Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine to England in 596, Christianity was formally reintroduced into England after nearly two hundred years of isolation due to the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The success or failure of the mission hinged on the ability of those sent to establish a relationship with the provincial rulers. As Christianity took hold throughout the seventh century, the inchoate relationship between the rulers and Church matured within the nucleus of two different world views. The relatively rapid and peaceful success of the Church in England raises several questions: why was AEthelberht, bretwalda of Kent, so willing to accept the missionaries into his region and allow them to proselytize a foreign message? To what degree did either the Church or State understand the spheres of power as each institution perceived them? Understanding these issues permits us to realize why both Church and State found it advantageous to position themselves under the auspices of one another; and in doing so, they believed it served to strengthen their own political and religious authority in England.I have examined primary sources such as History of the English Church and People, by the Venerable Bede, The Laws of the Earliest English Kings, Chronicles of England, English Historical Documents, Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents Relating to Great Britain and Ireland, the vitae of various saints, as well as other primary and secondary sources. I have traced the development of Church/State relations in the various regions in Anglo-Saxon England from both the Anglo-Saxon rulers' and the Roman Church's perspective.Drawing from different sources to legitimize their sovereignty, provincial rulers and the episcopate had fundamental differences as to the nature and extent of their authority. Early success of Christianity in England was largely due to the fact neither the State nor Church had undisputed power, and because of this, neither was perceived as a threat to the other. Moreover, the ambitions and motives of both the State and Church were often tacitly ignored as each institution maneuvered to secure and firmly establish their authority.

Download

Share

COinS