History A-Level
Religious and secular authority
What Religious and secular authority means in History A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of Religious and secular authority
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Religious and secular authority in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Bishops held religious authority as spiritual leaders and secular power as princes, ruling territories, collecting taxes and commanding troops.
Topics that use Religious and secular authority
- Conditions in early sixteenth- century Germany (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Clerical reform and criticism
- Decentralisation of power
- Dynastic politics and bribery
- Economic inequality
- Financial exploitation
- Humanist scholarship
- Indulgences and salvation
- Origins of protest
Using Religious and secular authority in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise History questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
Start free
All History A-Level termsA week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge