Topic outline
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Commentary
William had established control of the England. However there were now a series of challenges to the authority of the King. The first of these came from the Church. The Church owed its allegiance to the Pope in Rome, not to the King. With their own courts, system of taxation, rights and lands, the Church and the King had an uneasy relationship which came to head during the reign of Henry II. You need to know what the importance of the Church was in mediaeval life, and why it was so central to the everyday working of society. Then you will look at the conflict between Church and State in the case of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and complete an IST in the guise of a newspaper article. Full details are below as you work through these tasks.