1170-1450 Challenging Authority (PP) Flashcards
Why did medieval kings depend on their barons?
- medieval society was built on the feudal system
- the barons provided loyalty and service
- the barons maintained law and order and raised armies when needed
- the barons offered advice for the king on his to run the country
Who owned all the land in medieval England?
The king
What did king John do that was bad?
- lost land in Normandy
- possibly murdered his nephew
- spent money on wars which he lost
What were the reasons for the Magna Carta being introduced?
- taxes
- religion
- war
Why were the barons angry at how John dealt with taxes?
- he overused scutage
- barons become annoyed at the continued taxes
- they stopped paying in 1214
How was religion a cause for the Magna Carta?
- John was in dispute with the church
- John wanted to appoint leading churchmen instead of the pope doing it
- pope innocent iii excommunicated John and said it was not a sin to kill the king
How was war a cause for the Magna Carta?
- continuous defeats in Normandy angered the barons
- scuts gets for failed wars annoyed them
- people backed the barons
Why did the barons create the Magna Carta?
- to limit johns power
* make a king rule the way he should
What were some of the demands in the Magna Carta?
- stop unfair taxation
- ensure a baron’s heir inherits their land
- let the church make its own appointments
- prevent arrest without trial
- create a group of 25 barons to monitor the king
What happened after the Magna Carta was signed?
- John refused to obey the barons orders
- the barons invited Prince Louis of France to come to England to be crowned king
- Louis brought an army with him
- king John died in 1216 from too many peaches
- johns son Henry III took over as king
- the barons ran the country until Henry III took over when he came of age
Immediate significance of Magna Carta?
- it didn’t solve the problem
- John only signed to avoid a civil war and went back on his word
- the barons must have thought it was important as they reissued it years later
- it had limited scope, only applied to freemen, very small proportion
Magna Carta significance in long term?
- as more people became free it applied to them
- it established core principles, the king had responsibilities to the people
- it became a symbol of power, later protests used the Magna Carta to reference their point
- first step towards democracy
- used in chartist movement and American Declaration of Independence
How did Henry III rule?
- he ruled in a unpredictable manner
- he lived an extravagant lifestyle and was always short of money
- he lost two major wars in France
- rarely listened to advisors
Why were the barons unhappy with Henry III?
- financial- he wasted money and always wanted more
- judicial- royal favourites appeared to receive preferential treatment
- role of foreigners- they excluded the barons
- sheriffs favoured Henry rather than applying the law fairly
What happened in 1258?
- barons had had enough
- they demanded a council of 24 rule with the king, ending personal rule
- Henry had no choice but to accept it
- barons seized castles and got rid of foreigners
- this was called the provisions of Oxford
Where was Simon de Montfort born and when?
- France
* 1208
What was Simon de Montfort like?
- very pious
- he was frugal (didn’t spend money)
- he valued education
- he stuck to his promises
- successful military leader
- strong character
What was Henry and Simon’s relationship like?
- up and down
- Simon fought wars for Henry and had married his sister
- Henry put Simon on trial several times but always let him off
Why did Simon and Henry clash?
- they had contrasting views
- Simon felt humiliated by Henry putting him on trial
- Simon was short on money and Henry owed him money
What happened in 1264?
- Simon won at the battle of Lewes
- he locked up Henry and his son Edward
- he effectively ruled the country
- he alienated many barons
- Edward escaped
Who was on simon’s side in the battle of Evesham?
- the commoners
- knights
- shires
- burgesses
Why is Simon sometimes called the father of parliament?
- he invited representatives of commons to parliament to vent
- in exchange parliament had the right to tax them
- this is basically the first parliament
Why is Simon referred to as a martyr for freedom?
- he felt he had a duty to rebel against unjust kingship
* he was hacked to pieces at his death
What were the order of events involving Simon de Montfort?
- he imprisoned John and Edward
- many barons thought he was too powerful and turned against him
- Simon asked merchants and knights to attend a meeting so he could gain support
- this was England’s first parliament
- barons were furious as he did this without consulting them
- he was brutally killed st the battle of Evesham
Short term significance of Simon de Montfort?
- effectively called first parliament
* started system of parliament having to approve of taxes given out by king
Long term significance of Simon de Montfort?
- martyr for freedom
* symbol of democracy
What were the impacts of the Black Death on the society?
- 1/3 of population were killed
- the surviving peasants were in higher demand so could chose who to work for giving them more power
- Edward III passed the Statute of Labourers to make the peasants work for pre Black Death wages
- the governments revenue from taxes fell because of decreased population
- Richard II introduced a poll tax where everyone payed the same tax
How did the peasants respond to the poll tax?
- villagers refused to pay tax and threatened the tax collecter
- locals beheaded a tax collectors clerks
- rebels freed a radical priest, John ball, from prison
- the peasants had a large crowd and headed towards London
- they burnt symbols of the rich
- they killed the Archbishop of Canterbury
- Wat Tyler met with Richard II and asked the peasants are made freemen and be given land
- one of the kings supporters killed Tyler
- the king said he’d grant their requests to prevent a riot
Short term significance of peasants revolt?
- first time commoners had rebelled against the king this scared him and the nobles
- the leaders were hung and the rebellion failed
Long term significance of the peasants revolt?
- peasants were never taxed so heavily again
- peasants wages continued to rise
- more peasants became freemen and could buy their own land
- offered inspiration to later protests like the 1989 poll tax
