Skip to content

Loading…

Home
Subjects
Past papers
Key terms
Pricing

My courses

Select your courses

Loading…

Subjects

History
Geography
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Classics

Resources

Browse courses
Past papers
Key terms & definitions
Pricing

About

Sign up
Log in
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

© 2026 GradeGen

Not affiliated with any exam board.

Penance — Edexcel & OCR GCSE History Definition | GradeGen

Home
History
Key terms
Penance

GCSE History · key term

Penance

Definition

An act undertaken to express repentance for sin and fulfil a religious obligation imposed by the Church.

Used by Edexcel and OCR

How each exam board covers it

Edexcel GCSE History · 1HI0

Paper 1, Paper 2

A religious punishment or act intended to express sorrow for wrongdoing and encourage repentance.
Church courts avoided execution and could impose penalties such as fines or penance. This made them more lenient than royal courts, where serious crimes could receive the death penalty.
Revise: Case Study: The Influence of the Church
An act of repentance intended to seek forgiveness for sins, such as fasting.
Revise: Approaches to Prevention and Treatment

Exam tips

1
Link each approach to its underlying belief: bloodletting to unbalanced humours, purifying air to miasma, and prayer or penance to religious explanations.

Related key terms

Chivalry
Pilgrimage
Apothecary
Aristocracy
Barber surgeon

Revise History with GradeGen

Create a free account to read GCSE History revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.

Sign Up to Start Revising Log In

An act performed to show repentance and make amends for sin, such as prayer or giving money to the Church.

Revise: The Norman Aristocracy

Edexcel History past papers

OCR GCSE History B · J411

Paper 3

An act undertaken in repentance for sin. Urban presented the expedition to the East as a religious undertaking linked to the remission of sins.
Violence could be associated with sin, yet Urban presented participation in this particular undertaking as a form of penance. His December letter explicitly connected the expedition with the remission of sins. The preaching accounts also linked pardon to confession and promised spiritual rewards.
Revise: Urban II
Revise: Joining the Crusade
An act expressing repentance for sins. Crusaders performed acts of penance because they believed spiritual preparation could help them gain God’s support.
Revise: Capture of Jerusalem

OCR History B past papers

Benefit of clergy