Question
Examine the reasons for, and the results of, the founding of either the Franciscan or Dominican Order.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates must consider both the reasons for and results of the founding of their chosen order. There are some common reasons for the founding of the Franciscan and Dominican Orders, such as the Church being under attack, losing popularity and experiencing the rise of a number of heretical movements such as the Albigensians and the Waldensians. In addition, Church doctrines were under attack due to the influx of classical philosophy and its impact on Church doctrines, teaching and beliefs.
Indicative content
The Franciscans:
• The Franciscans were founded to be an activist order of mendicant preachers.
• They were to have no wealth and try to overcome the criticism of the Church as a wealthy organization out of touch with its teachings. It was hoped that this would put an end to the heretical movements that had their basis in criticism of the Church.
• The results of the founding of the Franciscan order may include helping to put an end to the heretical movements of the 13th century.
• They gradually emerged as leaders in thought and learning. Note, for example, Roger Bacon.
• Their popularity and influence caused them to be given special privileges that caused divisions in the Church and the universities as other groups were jealous of their favoured status.
• They also became very wealthy and were the subject of criticism for becoming worldly and corrupt. This added to the increasing criticism of the Church from the populace.
The Dominicans:
• The Dominicans were founded as an intellectual order of preachers who would address the intellectual challenges to Church doctrine, and attempt to reconcile them with the new intellectual currents particularly in schools and universities.
• The results of the founding of the Dominican order may include their success in reducing the heretical movements in the 13th century through the establishment of the Holy Office of the Inquisition.
• They produced an effective response to the intellectual challenges as demonstrated by the work of Thomas Aquinas.
• As with the Franciscans their popularity and power caused dissension in the Church and their increased wealth served to encourage criticism of the Church in subsequent years.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, the list is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
“The influence of the Catholic Church on the indigenous populations of the Americas was beneficial.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates will consider the merits or otherwise of the statement. They may choose to address the beneficial and detrimental effects in discrete groups, or they may choose to focus on individual arguments. Candidates are expected to offer opinions and conclusions that are supported by appropriate evidence. The Catholic Church became a driving force in the Spanish conquest when the Pope awarded the Catholic monarchs the exclusive right of evangelization of the indigenous populations in 1493. This legitimized the conquest as a war against paganism. In French North America, the Church interacted with the indigenous peoples and attempted to evangelize them with mixed results. Candidates may argue that the religious beliefs of the indigenous populations were neither understood nor respected. The Catholic Church banned native religious ceremonies, destroyed their idols and forced entire groups to convert, sometimes by persuasion, sometimes by force. Some indigenous populations were moved into missions where religious orders taught them to read and write as well as different farming techniques. Some candidates may argue that the Catholic Church contributed to the protection of the indigenous populations, citing Bartolome de Las Casas.
Question
Evaluate the impact of the religious orders in New France.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates will make an appraisal of the impact of the various religious orders that operated in New France up to 1800. The impact could be social, economic or political. They should show a clear knowledge of the various orders and an understanding of the impact these orders had. Candidates might evaluate the impact of religious orders in general, but some orders are likely to be specifically identified. The Recollects were one of the earliest orders, arriving in 1622 and immediately reaching out to the Huron. By 1630, the Huron saw the Recollects as evil. Jesuits became the dominant order in New France. By the 1640s, thousands of Huron and Algonquin were converted to Christianity by the Jesuits. Candidates could identify the general purposes of the religious orders as conversion and control of the indigenous peoples. Whether either of these purposes was accomplished is debatable.