Why Is Clergy Important In The Middle Ages

In the ecclesiastical world of the Middle Ages, the clergy were divided into two groups: the secular church, and regular church. The latter is best defined to be followers of religious rule, living in monasteries and away from secular life, praying for society “while others fight for it or till the soil for its support” (xv). In England, monasticism first saw a period of great expansion in the seventh century. Although its influence in the ninth century had weakened due to invasions and a general decline in religious fervor, monasticism nevertheless revived in the tenth century, bringing to Europe “some of the most celebrated [monasteries] in the Middle Ages” (vii). In these monasteries, Benedictine Rule was the basis of life, and it was “kept …show more content…
From the way Lanfranc describes the meticulous duties of monks and the specificities regarding punishment, The Monastic Constitutions of Lanfranc reveal the strict and rigid nature of monastic life in the Middle Ages; or at least in eleventh century England. Part of this rigidness comes from the first part of the constitutions on “Liturgical Directory,” where Lanfranc describes the regular duties of monks during certain days and months (xxxviii). Although monasteries had no clocks or calendars during this time period, punctuality was one expectation of monks that was stressed in Lanfranc’s writing. Time was marked by the sun and the stars, but was relayed to the monks in the monastery using bells. For example, in October, Lanfranc describes that “when day breaks…the sacristan shall ring the small bell gently” (28), and “when the third hour approaches, the sacristan shall sound lightly the smallest bell which is called the squilla” (4). Indeed, by indicating the time with bells, all monks in the monastery were informed that it was time to perform a certain duty of their regular routine. One duty would be prayer: after monks have sat in silence after chapter, a bell will ring to indicate Terce, the third prayer of the day (21). In fact, the use of bells was so important that one monk would be appointed to the office of the scarist, whose duty was to “ring the bells, or to instruct others how they …show more content…
Furthermore, children were also expected to be disciplined through physical punishment such as beating or flogging (116). As “a humble confession” of faults (2) was one important aspect of the Rule, the violent act upon those who were deemed as “rebels” for not acting with humility shows the dire importance in exercising the expectations of the Rule. To further uphold this humble environment, monks were encouraged to accuse another in chapter and avoid interaction with those who committed faults (100). Keeping order was so important that Lanfranc says monasteries should appoint roundsmen, or circas, to go around the monastery’s offices at certain times to note the “carelessnesses and negligences of the brethren, and the breaches of regular discipline”