Church versus State/The Struggle for Power

In the beginning, government and church are close. Archbishop Dunstan is a constant confidante and adviser to King Edgar, and then later to his son as he became King, Edward. Both men ruled with relative dignity and honor. That the church was deeply involved in the government showed in that land was expropriated for the purposes of building monasteries and nunneries, and without the King's power, that would not be possible. The Archbishop would do anything to maintain the integrity of the church and in turn the state.

It is interesting to note that when the church loses favor with the government, the honor and dignity that were a large part of these positions before are no longer there. There is a division of good and evil, both in government, and in the church, and this is England's undoing. Had the Archbishop...