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Year 7 - History

The Great Schism

The Christian Church: how completely did the Great Schism transform Christendom?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the Great Schism. They study the similarities and differences between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches and consider the degree to which the Great Schism fundamentally changed the relationship between these two centres of Christendom.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why the Christian Church split in two in 1054.

Key Notes

  • Some of the disputes resulted in the location and relative isolation of the two centres of Christianity.
  • There were liturgical disputes between different members of the Church.
  • One dispute concerned the nature of the Holy Spirit.
  • These disputes resulted in the Church splitting into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
  • The 1054 Schism could be regarded as a transformational change.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Church: the Church is the organisation of the Christian religion
  • Holy Spirit: in Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God in the world
  • liturgy: liturgy means the form in which worship is conducted
  • schism: a schism is a split between strongly opposed parties

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Christianity is a single religion.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

Some of the disputes resulted in the location and relative isolation of the two centres of Christianity. There were liturgical disputes between different members of the Church.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Church'

the Church is the organisation of the Christian religion.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Christianity is a single religion. Correction: There are more than 45 000 different Christian denominations around the world today: although most of them believe the same fundamental things, there are stark differences between many of them.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 7 History guide library.