Relics and Power Structures

Relics and Power structures

Why discuss power structures? Look around you. You are part of one!

Your School

The Feudal Triangle

But what exactly is a power structure? The feudal triangle, which you should know well, is a hierarchy. It shows the status of each social group. This status reflects who had the authority to command who. In your school, your teacher has the authority to instruct you to read this guide. In Medieval Britain, the Church had command over religion and the religious practice. The Pope, for instance, chose who was a saint and whose relics had divine power.

However, power structures are much more complex. A power structure is not just the authority to command a group. Power structures focus on interactions. They are the systems of control and interdependence established within the social hierarchy. For instance, your teacher did tell you to read this guide. They are in control of the classroom. But as a student, you also depend on the teacher. You need your teacher's knowledge and resources to learn about the development of the Church and state in England. Likewise, your teacher depends on you. If everyone in your class received bad grades, your teacher would be in trouble with the head teacher.

As we have seen, relics were very important objects in Medieval society. They carried enormous power in the form of health, protection, and good fortune.

What happened then when the nobility owned Relics? What happened when the peasantry owned relics? Could such powerful objects change Medieval power structures?

This guide explores To what extent these material objects Challenged power structures in Medieval Europe from 1066-1509.