Compare William and Henry / 2 rulers

Question 1

Good introduction to compare 2 rulers:

Answer 1

The figures I would choose and William the Conqueror and Henry VII.

It can be argued that they both played a crucial part at laying the foundations of modern Britain.

For this reason it is important to have an understanding of their life and accomplishments.

Interestingly they also share significant similarities in the way they came to power and consolidated their rule.

They both took power from an existing ruler against all the odds and were highly effective rulers.

These features make them interesting, inspirational and important to the history of Britain.

Question 2

Who was William’s father?

Answer 2

William was the illegitimate child of Duke Robert of Normandy.

Question 3

When did William’s father die?

Answer 3

His father died when William was seven leaving him to rely on other men to rule his duchy until he came of age.

Question 4

What was William’s young life like?

Answer 4

These years were fraught with peril.

Perhaps these times made William the warrior he would become, strong enough to lead the conquest of England in 1066.

Question 5

What was the situation of Henry VII’s parents when he was born?

Answer 5

Henry’s father Edmund was captured and killed whilst fighting for Henry VI 3 months before Henry was born. His mother Margaret Beaufort was only 13 when she had him.

Question 6

What was Henry VII’s childhood like?

Answer 6

He spent his childhood separated from her and saw his guardian William Herbert executed on the battlefield when he was 13.

Question 7

Where was Henry in exile in his youth?

Answer 7

He spent the rest of his young life in exile in the court of Francis II, Duke of Brittany.

Question 8

How did their tough childhood’s change William and Henry’s characters?

Answer 8

In both cases their early lives probably shaped their toughness and understanding of how to control people.

Question 9

Did William the Conqueror have a strong claim to the throne?

Answer 9

No, William was the Illegitimate son of Robert Duke of Normandy and only a distant cousin of Edward the Confessor.

He claimed that Edward had promised him the throne on a visit to England in 1052 and that Harold had sworn in 1065 on holy relics to support him.

Question 10

Did Henry VII have a strong claim to the throne?

Answer 10

No, Henry’s claim to the throne was weak, his mother Margaret Beaufort was great grand-daughter of John of Gaunt, son of Edward III.

Question 11

What did Henry VII do to unite the houses of York and Lancaster and to increase his claim to the throne?

Answer 11

To unite the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions (opposing sides), he married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV.

Question 12

What is remarkable about the fact that William the Conqueror and Henry VII had weak claims to the throne?

Answer 12

The fact they both had such weak claims makes their success as rulers all the more remarkable and therefore worth understanding.

Question 13

What factors were against William the Conqueror winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066?

Answer 13

When he fought at Hastings in 1066 William the Conqueror was fighting on foreign soil and his opponent Harold had taken a strategically superior position on the top of Senlac Hill.

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Question 14

How did superior tactics help William overcome Harold’s army?

Answer 14

However, William exploited the inexperience of the Saxon army, by pretending to retreat, causing the Saxons to break rank and to chase them.

Question 15

What was the name of the battle where Henry Tudor took the crown?

Answer 15

In 1485, Henry won the Battle of Bosworth where he seized the throne from Richard III.

Question 16

By how much were Henry’s forces outnumbered by Richard III’s?

Answer 16

Henry’s forces were outnumbered three to one by Richard’s force of 15,000 men.

Question 17

What surprise tactic helped Henry win the Battle of Bosworth?

Answer 17

Henry’s step father, Sir William Stanley, brought in 6,500 troops on Henry’s side in mid-battle, to surprise the Yorkists.

This was probably arranged between Henry and Sir William in advance and shows Henry understood strategy and tactics on the battlefield.

Question 18

When was the battle of Bosworth?

Answer 18

22 August 1485.

Question 19

What do William and Henry have in common in warfare?

Answer 19

Both men won key battles to take the crown from a position of military disadvantage.

This makes them both great military tacticians and exciting figures.

Question 20

What would an essay plan for compare 2 leaders you have studied be:

Answer 20

William the Conqueror; Henry VII:

Introduction

Child hood: They both had a tough childhood

Claim: They both had a weak claim to the throne.

Battle: They both won the throne as a result of a decisive battle.

Nobility: They both consolidated power very effectively and controlled the nobility.

Conclusion

CCBPN

Question 21

What measures did William the Conqueror use to control the nobility and to consolidate his power as king?

Answer 21

Following the battle of Hastings William divided land among his loyal supporters.

He also built around 500 motte and bailey castles around England and Wales.

These were bases from which he could keep law and order among the conquered Anglo Saxon population.

He used the existing Anglo Saxon tools of government and taxation very effectively rather than recreating his own system.

Question 22

What measures did Henry VII use to control the nobility and to consolidate his power as king?

Answer 22

Henry also used existing structures of government effectively to increase royal control. Henry reorganised the Court of Star Chamber and increased its power to deal with cases of rebellion.

He also limited retaining (keeping of private armies).

Additionally, Henry took away the right of nobles to attend the Council and increasingly used lesser nobility and educated men from the growing classes of professionals and merchants to help him run his government.

Question 23

How in summary did both William and Henry keep control of the country after they became kings?

Answer 23

Both William and Henry were skilled at using the tools of government; land, the law and military strength to consolidate their power.

Question 24

Conclusion paragraph for comparing William and Henry as important rulers who should not be forgotten:

Answer 24

William the Conqueror is one of the most famous kings of England but interestingly Henry VII is not.

However there are striking similarities in their life and rule.

They both were pivotal in establishing the foundation of Britain. William took much of the Anglo Saxon’s system of government adding ruthless military efficiency though his system of landownership and castles.

Henry successfully established the Tudor dynasty who presided over England and Wales during the sixteenth renaissance period.

Both of these kings should be understood and remembered as they laid the foundations of modern Britain.

Question 25

Introduction paragraph for comparing William and Henry as important rulers who should not be forgotten:

Answer 25

The figures I would choose and William the Conqueror and Henry VII.

It can be argued that they both played a crucial part at laying the foundations of modern Britain.

For this reason it is important to have an understanding of their life and accomplishments.

Interestingly they also share significant similarities in the way they came to power and consolidated their rule.

They both took power from an existing ruler against all the odds and were highly effective rulers.

These features make them interesting, inspirational and important to the history of Britain.