Travel Essay 2: Britain and Religion
As my program has continued on, and we've visited different cities all over the UK, I can honestly say that I have had my fill of cathedrals, churches, and abbeys. On every trip we've been on we have visited at least one religious institution, be they intact or in ruins. I've been impressed by the sense of reverence that I have seen from the caretakers, and visitors of these places as in some cathedrals that I have visited outside the UK have not held people to the same standard of awe. We have also been learning about British history before visiting certain cities and sites, and at every major point in the history here, religion seemed to have played a part. These things have led me to question how has British identity been shaped by religion?
In the ancient times, it was at Canterbury Cathedral that one of the kings crowned himself King of all of England in the name of God. Canterbury became one of the four great places for Christian pilgrimage and still holds a special place in the role of Britain as the mother institution of the Church of England. At Westminster Abbey, which has served the people of London since 1090, most of the past British monarchs are entombed either above or below ground, or they are remembered by statues and effigies. Filled to the brim with tombs and memorials, it seems to place the monarchy on the same level as deities. Egbert started this tradition when he crowned himself King of England in the 800s and declared that it was God's will. It was believed and used as propaganda by many different monarchs around the world that they were divinely chosen by God to be placed as the leader of that kingdom or country. This tactic worked great when Kings and Queens wanted to keep their subjects in line and their enemies at bay, because who wanted to go up against the word of God? I think that because Christianity was brought into England by the monarchy, it became the fashionable thing and was sort of forced onto everyone else. Eventually, it stuck.
It is because of Christianity that we know what we do about the history of the UK. Scribes were usually monks or other members of the church organization, as only nobles and religious officials were allowed to be educated until around the time of the reformation. There is one monk in particular that we can thank for a series of myths and legends that we have pieced together as part of history. Bede was a Benedictine monk who gathered much of the history of England after the fall of the Romans. He is seen as one of the single most important scholars in English history because of his historical accounts as well as his religious commentaries. Without him, we would not have as clear of an understanding of the Anglo Saxon kings that formed the monarchy of the UK. In the creation of a British identity, he has offered an instrumental role.
Because the UK is a constitutional monarchy, and the monarch is head of the Church of England thanks to King Henry VIII, there isn't a separation of church and state. There never was in this country. Even before Henry broke off from the Roman Catholic Church, I think there was a real feeling of following the monarch, because of the shared myth that they were divinely appointed by God to rule. I also think that this idea of divine appointment spread to the common people. Part of the British identity that I have seen is this overwhelming feeling of steadfastness. This island has not been conquered for about 1000 years and instead has flourished, and gone on to conquer most of the known world. It has been recorded that leaders during the height of the imperialist age and industrial age of Britain said that it was God's great will that the United Kingdom thrive. This feeling I think even lasted until the mid-twentieth century and in studying the world wars, I think that it becomes especially salient during times of hardship and conflict. A feeling of standing firm, as a beacon of light and hope to the rest of the world, Great Britain's citizens seem to have felt that their country is a leader due to divine intervention. This primordial sense of purpose, that Britain has been built up to be special, is part of British nationalism.
In the ancient times, it was at Canterbury Cathedral that one of the kings crowned himself King of all of England in the name of God. Canterbury became one of the four great places for Christian pilgrimage and still holds a special place in the role of Britain as the mother institution of the Church of England. At Westminster Abbey, which has served the people of London since 1090, most of the past British monarchs are entombed either above or below ground, or they are remembered by statues and effigies. Filled to the brim with tombs and memorials, it seems to place the monarchy on the same level as deities. Egbert started this tradition when he crowned himself King of England in the 800s and declared that it was God's will. It was believed and used as propaganda by many different monarchs around the world that they were divinely chosen by God to be placed as the leader of that kingdom or country. This tactic worked great when Kings and Queens wanted to keep their subjects in line and their enemies at bay, because who wanted to go up against the word of God? I think that because Christianity was brought into England by the monarchy, it became the fashionable thing and was sort of forced onto everyone else. Eventually, it stuck.
It is because of Christianity that we know what we do about the history of the UK. Scribes were usually monks or other members of the church organization, as only nobles and religious officials were allowed to be educated until around the time of the reformation. There is one monk in particular that we can thank for a series of myths and legends that we have pieced together as part of history. Bede was a Benedictine monk who gathered much of the history of England after the fall of the Romans. He is seen as one of the single most important scholars in English history because of his historical accounts as well as his religious commentaries. Without him, we would not have as clear of an understanding of the Anglo Saxon kings that formed the monarchy of the UK. In the creation of a British identity, he has offered an instrumental role.
Because the UK is a constitutional monarchy, and the monarch is head of the Church of England thanks to King Henry VIII, there isn't a separation of church and state. There never was in this country. Even before Henry broke off from the Roman Catholic Church, I think there was a real feeling of following the monarch, because of the shared myth that they were divinely appointed by God to rule. I also think that this idea of divine appointment spread to the common people. Part of the British identity that I have seen is this overwhelming feeling of steadfastness. This island has not been conquered for about 1000 years and instead has flourished, and gone on to conquer most of the known world. It has been recorded that leaders during the height of the imperialist age and industrial age of Britain said that it was God's great will that the United Kingdom thrive. This feeling I think even lasted until the mid-twentieth century and in studying the world wars, I think that it becomes especially salient during times of hardship and conflict. A feeling of standing firm, as a beacon of light and hope to the rest of the world, Great Britain's citizens seem to have felt that their country is a leader due to divine intervention. This primordial sense of purpose, that Britain has been built up to be special, is part of British nationalism.
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