Key Stage 3 Religious Studies - Wars of the Roses

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Key stage 3 religious studies will provide you with some insight into the way ordinary people’s lives were governed by religious belief five hundred years ago. Until the English Reformation in the mid-sixteenth century, everyone born in England became a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The yearly calendar was dominated by days dedicated to saints and church festivals such as Easter, the most important day in the Christian year when everyone was meant to go to church and receive communion.

Of great importance to everyone was what would happen after they died. Belief in Heaven, Hell and an intermediate place of punishment called Purgatory was taught by the church and people were encouraged to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. Belief in the resurrection of the dead at the end of the world led people to choose a place of burial close to or even inside a church. Over time space inside buildings became unavailable, for instance there has been no burial inside York Minster since the end of the 17th century, so bodies were buried in the consecrated ground around sacred buildings.

Medieval Burials

Tomb effigies of Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, painted blue and red, at Fontevraud. Wikimedia Commons

Your Task

Choose any of the following.

Research the burial places of the Plantagenet kings and queens of England of whom Richard was the last. Create a guidebook to these, including any images of their tombs and interesting facts you may find out about their construction and the individual they commemorate.

Links to all medieval Cathedrals in England , where some kings and queens were buried, can be found here.

Based on the graves and monuments of other Plantagenet kings, describe and design a tomb for Richard in a style of the 15^th century. This can be in any media you like. You can see the 21^st century tomb created for Richard III’s reburial in Leicester here, consider what elements of medieval religiosity feed into this modern interpretation and why.

Imagine you are a herald for the court of the new king, Henry VII. Write a description of Richard III’s burial as you think it was conducted by the Grey Friars of Leicester in 1485. Remember the burial would have been conducted according to Christian rites, and his body placed in a grave in front of the altar. This article will help you.