OCR Specification focus:
‘The short- and long-term impact of Augustine’s mission of 597.’
Augustine’s mission in 597 transformed the religious, political, and cultural foundations of early Anglo-Saxon England, initiating Christianisation and reshaping its long-term identity.
Background to Augustine’s Mission
In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine, prior of St Andrew’s monastery in Rome, to convert the Anglo-Saxons. King Æthelberht of Kent, married to the Christian Frankish princess Bertha, provided Augustine with both protection and influence. His conversion marked the start of official Christianity among the Anglo-Saxon elite, setting the foundation for wider religious change.
Definition of Key Term
Christianisation: The process by which societies or communities adopt Christianity, replacing or adapting pre-existing religious practices.
This mission carried both immediate effects on royal courts and lasting effects on the structures of English religion and society.
Immediate Effects of Augustine’s Mission
Conversion of Kent
Æthelberht accepted baptism, likely in 597, ensuring Christianity had royal endorsement.
Map showing the principal Anglo-Saxon and Brittonic kingdoms around c.600, including Kent. It clarifies the geopolitical landscape into which Augustine’s mission arrived and why royal conversion in Kent mattered beyond the court. The map also includes Welsh polities and some features not required by the syllabus. Source
Augustine was granted land at Canterbury, where he established the cathedral and St Augustine’s Abbey, creating the nucleus of Christian authority in England.
View along the nave of St Augustine’s Abbey at Canterbury, the early monastic centre of the Gregorian mission. The image shows the standing remains that mark the site’s continuity from the 7th century. It includes later medieval fabric (e.g., Wulfric’s 11th-century rotunda crypt), which exceeds the syllabus scope but does not obscure the site’s early importance. Source
Foundations of the Church
Appointment of bishops (e.g., Mellitus in London, Justus in Rochester).
Augustine’s elevation to Archbishop of Canterbury provided England with a direct link to Rome, giving legitimacy to the mission.
Rapid Christianisation of Kent’s nobility and court circle created a ripple effect through alliances and marriages.
Conflict with Existing Traditions
Augustine struggled with the Celtic Church, particularly in Wales and Ireland, which had developed independently of Rome.
Initial pagan reactions occurred when Christianity appeared to undermine traditional religious rituals and kin-based loyalties.
Long-Term Religious Impacts
Establishment of the English Church
The mission permanently embedded Canterbury as the spiritual centre of England. The archbishopric became a position of enduring influence, still central in English Christianity today.
Roman vs Celtic Practices
Augustine’s insistence on Roman practices (dating of Easter, tonsure, authority of Rome) created tensions with the Celtic Church.
These disputes culminated in the Synod of Whitby (664), where Roman customs were chosen over Celtic ones, showing the long-lasting legacy of Augustine’s Roman authority.
Definition of Key Term
Synod: A council of the Church convened to decide on issues of doctrine, practice, or organisation.
The Whitby decision reinforced Augustine’s original Roman mission, aligning English Christianity with continental Europe.
Long-Term Political Impacts
Alliance Between Kings and the Church
Augustine’s mission established a pattern of king–church cooperation, where rulers derived legitimacy from Church endorsement.
Kings patronised monasteries and bishops, while the Church supported dynastic authority.
Over time, Christianity gave rulers access to diplomatic ties with Christian Europe, strengthening kingdoms against rivals.
Spread of Literacy and Law
With Christianity came Latin literacy, enabling the recording of charters, laws, and histories.
Christian teaching on morality influenced early law codes, such as those of Æthelberht, which integrated Christian values with secular governance.
Textus Roffensis, fol. 3v, where Æthelberht’s code concludes and the laws of Hlothhere and Eadric begin, exemplifying the Latin-literate compilation of early English law. This visual supports the point that conversion enabled the recording and preservation of legislation. Extra detail: the visible heading belongs to a slightly later Kentish code, not required by the syllabus but part of the same manuscript tradition. Source
Long-Term Cultural Impacts
Monasticism and Education
Augustine’s foundation encouraged the growth of monasteries, which became centres of learning, manuscript production, and cultural transmission.
Monks preserved classical knowledge and provided education for elites, creating an intellectual revival that shaped Anglo-Saxon identity.
Definition of Key Term
Monastery: A community where monks or nuns live under religious vows, dedicating themselves to prayer, study, and manual work.
Through monasteries, Christian culture spread into the countryside, embedding faith beyond the royal courts.
Identity and Assimilation
Augustine’s mission helped integrate the Anglo-Saxons into the wider Christian European community, strengthening cultural and religious ties.
Pagan traditions did not disappear but were often adapted into Christian practice, creating a distinct Anglo-Saxon religious identity.
Key Features of the Mission’s Lasting Legacy
Enduring centre of Christianity at Canterbury, still the seat of the English archbishop.
Integration with Rome, making Anglo-Saxon England part of the wider Catholic world.
Monastic golden age, which fostered learning, literacy, and art.
A template for church–king relations, influencing politics for centuries.
Long-term religious cohesion after tensions with Celtic traditions were resolved at Whitby.
Augustine’s mission in 597 was more than a single act of conversion: it laid the structural, cultural, and political foundations of Anglo-Saxon Christianity. Its immediate effects were concentrated in Kent and its court, but its lasting consequences stretched across centuries, shaping religion, politics, and identity in England.
FAQ
Gregory selected Augustine because he was prior of St Andrew’s monastery in Rome, known for discipline and obedience. Augustine’s reputation for loyalty and administrative skills made him a trusted candidate to handle a difficult mission.
Gregory also believed that Augustine’s humility and personal devotion would make him persuasive in converting kings and nobles, rather than intimidating them with Roman authority alone.
Queen Bertha, already a Christian from Frankia, created an environment that supported Augustine’s efforts. She had a private chapel dedicated to St Martin, which symbolised Christianity’s presence in Kent before 597.
Her marriage to Æthelberht allowed Augustine to use her influence at court, softening the king’s resistance and giving the mission political legitimacy.
Conversion was rarely absolute. Pagan customs often blended with Christian teaching:
Sacred groves were sometimes rededicated to Christian saints.
Festivals and feasts were reinterpreted with Christian meaning.
Burial practices mixed pagan grave goods with Christian symbols.
This gradual adaptation reduced opposition, but also created a hybrid religious culture in early Anglo-Saxon England.
Outside Kent, rulers resisted adopting a faith tied to a rival kingdom. Political independence mattered as much as religious loyalty.
Augustine’s Roman approach clashed with local traditions, and limited numbers of clergy slowed expansion. Travel difficulties and warfare further restricted the mission’s reach before later waves of conversion took root.
The mission strengthened Kent’s links with Christian kingdoms like the Frankish realm. Shared faith made alliances easier and encouraged the flow of scholars, traders, and churchmen.
Roman backing also gave Kent international recognition. By adopting Christianity, Æthelberht could position himself as a civilised Christian king, comparable with rulers on the continent rather than a pagan outsider.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
In which year did Augustine arrive in Kent, beginning his mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons?
Mark Scheme:
1 mark for identifying the correct year: 597.
No credit for approximate or incorrect dates.
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain two ways in which Augustine’s mission of 597 had a lasting impact on Anglo-Saxon England.
Mark Scheme:
Up to 3 marks per explanation.
Award marks for the following points (or similar):
Foundation of Canterbury as the centre of Christianity: 1 mark for identification; 1 mark for description (e.g., establishment of cathedral/archbishopric); 1 further mark for explaining its enduring influence.
Integration with Rome and the wider Christian Church: 1 mark for identification; 1 mark for description (e.g., authority of the pope, Roman practices like Easter calculation); 1 further mark for explanation of how this shaped long-term religious alignment.
Law and literacy: 1 mark for identification; 1 mark for description (e.g., Æthelberht’s laws written down); 1 further mark for explanation of Christian influence on governance.
Church–king relations: 1 mark for identification; 1 mark for description (e.g., royal patronage of bishops, Church support for royal power); 1 further mark for explanation of how this created enduring patterns of cooperation.
Maximum of 6 marks: 3 for each explanation.
Answers must address lasting impact; immediate effects alone do not gain full credit.
