Early Britain/History Flashcards

1
Q

Stone Age monuments that still exist today

A
  • Stonehenge (located in Wiltshire, England)

- Skara Brae (on Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Bronze Age

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Iron Age

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

The Romans

A
  • Left Britain in AD 410 to defend other parts of Roman Empire and never returned
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Anglo-Saxons

A
  • ~ AD600, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were formed in Britain

* The language spoken is the basis of modern-day English

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The Vikings

A

• Came from Denmark & Norway

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

The Norman Conquest

A
  • Last successful foreign invasion of England
  • Leader: William, the Duke of Normandy (nowadays’ northern France)
  • Invaded Britain in 1066.
  • Defeated Harold, the Saxon King of England.
  • As Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, William became the King of England, hereafter known as William the Conqueror.
  • This period has resulted in many changes in government and social structures in England.
  • Norman French has influenced the development of English language as we use today

This battle is commemorated in an embroidery piece, known as Bayeux Tapestry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

The Middle Ages

A
  • Also known as the medieval period
  • a period of almost constant war
  • Parliament began to develop into the institution it is today. This orginates from the king’s council of advisers who demanded legal limits to the king’s power in 1215, called the Magna Carta (meaning the Great Charter).
    * council of advisers were noblemen & Church leaders.
  • the Magna Carta established the idea that even the kind was subject to the law. It protected the rights of the nobility and restricted the king’s power to collect taxes or to establish/change laws. From then on, the king would need to involve his noblemen in decisions.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

The Black Death

A
  • Killed 1/3 population in England, Scotland and Wales.
  • Following the Black Death, labour shortage has resulted in peasants demanding for higher wages. This has therefore led to a socio-economical changes.
  • people left countryside to live in towns, where they grow wealth and developed a strong middle class

• In Ireland, the Black Death killed many in the Pale, the area controlled by the English became smaller.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

the Evolution of Parliament

A
  • As the numbers of noblemen grew, two separate parts were formed, known as Houses.
  • House of Lords = the nobility + great land-owners + bishops
  • House of Commons = knights (smaller land-owners) + wealthy people from towns and cities
    * only a small part of the population can join the election to choose the members in the Commons

In Scotland
• their “Houses” are called Estates - 3 Estates:
- the Lords
- the Commons
- the Clergy (religious leaders)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Legal system

A

Judges began to be established. They are independent of the government.

England:
• Judges developed ‘common law’ by a process of precedence (i.e. following previous decisions) and tradition
–> laws were not written down

Scotland:
• laws were codified (i.e. written down)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Language development

A

England:
• after the Norman Conquest, the king and his noblemen spoke Norman French, whereas the peasants continued to speak Anglo-Saxon.
• Gradually, these two languages combined to become English language.
• By 1400, English became the official document language as well as the preferred language of the royal court and Parliament.
• The years leading up to 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a series of poems in English about a group of people going to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. This collection of poems is called “The Canterbury Tales”.

Scotland
• many people continued to speak Gaelic and the Scots language also developed
• a number of poets began to write in Scots, e.g. John Barbour wrote “The Bruce” - about the Battle of Bannockburn

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

The Wars of the Roses

A
  • in 1455, a civil war was begun to decide who should be king of England.
  • It was fought between the supporters of two families:
    * White rose: House of York (led by King Richard III)
    * Red rose: House of Lancaster (led by Henry Tudor)
  • Ended in 1485 with the Battle of Bosworth Field

Results:
• King Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII.
• Henry VII then married King Richard’s niece, Elizabeth of York, to unite the two families
• Henry was the first king of the House of Tudor. The symbol of the House of Tudor was a red rose with a white rose inside it as a sign that the Houses of York and Lancaster were now allies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

post-War of the Roses

A
  • after his victory in the War of the Roses, Henry VII wanted to make sure that England remained peaceful and that his position as king was secure.
  • He deliberately strengthened the central admin of England and reduced the power of the nobles.
  • He also built up the monarchy’s financial reserves.
  • When he died, Henry VIII continued this policy of centralising power.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Monarchy names and order

A

Saxon King - King Alfred the Norman King - William the Conqueror

King Henry II 
King Richard I
King John (1199-1216; Magna Carta)
King Henry III
King Edward I
King Edward II
King Edward III
King Richard II
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ House of Lancaster
King Henry IV
King Henry V
King Henry VI (began the War s of the Roses)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ House of York
King Edward IV
King Edward V
King Richard III (lost the Wars of the Roses)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ The Tudors
King Henry VII (won the Wars of the Roses)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Monarchs of England, Wales & Ireland
King Henry VIII
King Edward VI

^Ref: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/KingsQueensofBritain/

Anne (1702–14)
George I (1714–27)
George II (1727–60)
George III (1760–1820)
George IV (1820–30)
William IV (1830–37)
Victoria (1837–1901)
Edward VII (1901–10)
George V (1910–36)
Edward VIII (1936)
George VI (1936–52)
Elizabeth II (1952– )
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

The Reformation in Scotland

A
  • Scotland had also been strongly influenced by Protestant ideas.
  • In 1560, the predominantly Protestant Scottish Parliament abolished the authority of the Pope in Scotland and Roman Catholic religious services became illegal.
  • Church of Scotland with an elected leadership was established but, unlike in England, this was not a state Church
17
Q

Scotland Protestant period - Mary, Queen of Scots

A
  • became Queen when she was 1-week-old
  • most of her childhood was spent in France. When she returned, she was the centre of a power struggle between different groups.
  • Mary fled to England when she was suspected to be the murderer of her husband.
  • Mary handed the throne to her Protestant son, James VI
  • Mary hoped Elizabeth I (her cousin) would help her, but Elizabeth I suspected she wanted to take over the English throne, thus kept her imprisoned for 20 years.
  • she was eventually executed because she was accused of plotting against Elizabeth I
18
Q

The Rise of Parliament

A
  • Elizabeth I was very skilled at managing Parliament. During her reign, she was successful in balancing her wishes and views against those of the House of Lords and those of the House of Commons.
  • James I and his son Charles I were less skilled politically. Both believed in the ‘Divine Right of Kings’: the idea that the king was directly appointed by God to rule, so they can act independently and do not need to seek approval from Parliament. Charles I managed to act independently without Parliament’s help for 11 years, until trouble in Scotland.
19
Q

English Civil War

A
  • Origin of war: citizens were unhappy that Charles I introduced a revised Prayer Book and his reforms of the Church of England. Charles I didn’t have enough funds to form his own army, he then tried to convince Parliament to support him. Parliament refused as its members disagree with Charles I’s religious views.
  • Even when the Scottish army was formed to invade England, the Parliament refused to support Charles I.
  • This civil war has divided the country into two parties: those who supported the King (the Cavaliers) vs those who supported Parliament (the Roundheads).
  • Results: Parliament won the war in 1646, and substantial power was transferred from the king to Parliament as Parliament demanded control of the English army. Charles I was imprisoned by the parliamentary army and got executed in 1649.
  • England then declared itself a republic (i.e. the Commonwealth) and no longer had a monarch. However, Scotland wasn’t happy with the execution of Charles I and declared his son Charles II to be king. As Charles II was crowned in Scotland and led the Scottish army to England, Oliver Cromwell defeated this army in the Battles of Dunbar and Worcester. Charles II managed to escape from Worcester and eventually fled to Europe. The Parliament officially controlled Scotland, as well as England and Wales.
20
Q

The Habeas Corpus Act

A
  • This Habeas Corpus Act was established 1679 - very important piece of legislation that remains relevant today
  • Habeas corpus is Latin for ‘you must present the person in court’. The Act guaranteed that no one could be held prisoner unlawfully. Every prisoner has a right to a court hearing.
21
Q

The Glorious Revolution

A
  • This revolution was called Glorious Revolution because there were no wars/fighting in England and it guaranteed the power of Parliament, ending the threat of a monarch ruling on his or her own independently.
  • King James II (Charles II’s brother; James favoured Roman Catholics) had an elder daughter, Mary, who married her cousin William of Orange, a Protestant ruler in the Netherlands. Protestants in England asked William to invade England and proclaim himself King in 1688. When William reached England, there was no resistance. James II fled to France and William took over the throne, becoming William III in England, Wales and Ireland, and William II of Scotland. William ruled jointly with Mary.
  • James II wanted to regain the throne and invaded Ireland with the help of a French army, but William defeated James II at the Battle of Boyne in Ireland in 1690 - an event still celebrated by some in N Ireland today. James II then fled back to France.
  • Results: Many restrictions were placed on the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland and Irish Catholics were unable to take part in the government.
  • There were still supporters (mostly in Scotland), who still believed James II was the rightful king. They became known as Jacobites.
22
Q

Constitutional Monarchy - the Bill of Rights

A
  • At the coronation of William and Mary, a Declaration of Rights was read. This confirmed that the king would no longer be able to raise taxes or administer justice without agreement from Parliament. The balance of power between monarch and Parliament had now permanently changed.
  • The Bill of Rights, 1689, confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the king’s power.
  • Parliament can now take control of who could be monarch and declare that the king/queen must be a Protestant.
  • A new Parliament had to be elected at least every 3 years (this later became 7 years, and now it is 5 years).
  • There’s also regulation in place that the monarch had to ask Parliament to renew funding for the army and the navy every year
23
Q

WWI

A