Medieval england

After defeating the Anglo-Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William of Normandy introduced the Norman feudal system, rewarding his French-speaking followers with land in return for their continued support, and French remained the language of the upper classes and administration until the 14th century.

The power of these Norman Barons gradually increased and during the reign of the Plantagenets began, together with the Church, to challenge the King’s absolute power, which resulted in King John being forced to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. This document contained a long list of limitations to the King's power and these rights obtained by the Barons were eventually extended to the entire population.

The origins of Parliament are to be found in the reign of John's successor, Henry III. It was a meeting of the King and his Barons and servants at which various administrative and financial problems were discussed. In order to make it easier to put the decisions taken into practice, each Shire had to elect a number of knights to attend these meetings and report the decisions to their Shires. Edward I continued this experiment and in 1295 called a parliament that became known as the Model Parliament, at which barons, earls and the high clergy (bishops and abbots) were present, together with the knights and burgesses representing the shires and boroughs. The “House of Commons” as a separate Chamber resulted from the unofficial meetings of these knights and burgesses. The person chosen to “speak” for these “commoners” in Parliament became known as the Speaker.

The Hundred Years’ War fought between France and England had a devastating effect on the English economy. The high taxation necessary to finance the war and the Black Death (a plague in 1348 that killed a third of the population of England) led to such extreme hardship for the peasant class that there was a revolt in 1381. Although the Peasants’ Revolt was soon put down, it led to greatly improved conditions for the peasant class and was the first step towards the ending of the feudal system in England.

Exercise 3. Perhaps the most important of the clauses of the Magna Carta is the one which states that:

“no freeman shall be arrested or imprisoned or disseised [dispossessed] or outlawed or exiled or in any way victimized . . . except by the lawful judgment of his peers or the law of the land”

What constitutional principle is contained in this clause?

Exercise 4. Outline the main characteristics of:

1. the Norman Conquest 4. the Black Death

2. the Magna Carta 5. the Peasants’ Revolt

3. the first parliaments

Tudor england

No sooner was the Hundred Years’ War over than a long power struggle (1455-85) began for the English Crown between two families: the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The War of the Roses (so called because both families used a rose as their symbol) ended when Henry VII (Henry of Tudor) united the two rival houses, giving origin to the Tudor dynasty.

During Henry’s reign the medieval period came to a close. Men were no longer tied to manors and estates in the country; the power of the towns, with their educated and industrious middle classes, began to make itself felt; and there was a revival, or Renaissance, of learning, partly as a result of the printing press, which ended the Church’s monopoly of learning.

Henry’s son and heir, Henry VIII (1509-1547), was a typical Renaissance prince: handsome, learned, ambitious and unscrupulous. He also had an instinctive understanding of his times. It was his creation of the Royal Navy that enabled England to realize her imperialistic ambitions under Elizabeth and defy the Pope and the Catholic powers of Europe.

Henry used Parliament to establish himself as the head of the Protestant Church of England with the Act of Supremacy in 1534. His decision to act through Parliament greatly strengthened this institution, which had lost virtually all its authority under Henry VII. There was general support on the part of the English people, who were resentful of papal interference in national affairs. His Reformation led to the creation of the religiously distinct Anglican Church. The dissolution of the monasteries (and the confiscation of their large estates) served to destroy papal authority in England and at the same time provide Henry with much needed wealth.

Elizabeth I (1558-1603) was an outstanding ruler. She restored national unity, opposing extremist doctrines and supporting a moderate form of Protestantism similar to that of her father’s. Her reign is considered by many as the Golden Age of English history, producing not only poets of the stature of Shakespeare and Spenser, but also prosperity for the entire nation. The discovery of America placed Britain at the centre of the world's trading routes and brilliant naval commanders (especially Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh) enabled England to dominate these trade routes. During this period great trading companies, like the East India Company, were also established. Parliament was regularly called and consulted, while Justices of the Peace administered justice and carried out all the ordinary functions of local government.

Exercise 5. Discuss briefly the following:

1. Social change during Henry VII’s reign

2. The role of Parliament under the Tudors

3. The Church in Tudor times

4. The Navy and overseas expansion