Middle Ages: Normans-Plantagenets Flashcards
When did the 100 years war happen? Ad why ?
I happened between 1337-1453 because England was desperately trying to get back the territories lost in French thanks to Lackland, but it specifically started when Edward III claimed the crown of France because his mum was the sister of the french king .
The war also had commercial reasons : France was attacking the Flanders which was the chief market for English wool.
How did feudalism end ? And who benefitted from it?
Feudalism ,introduced by the Normans,ended thanks to the Black death, or better, the Plague.
Thanks to this fatal disease more than a third of the British population passed away.
The population was now less and so the peasants willing to work, and since nobles needed someone to work their lands ,the serfs were nw being paid. this was a huge change from the loyalty agreements of before.
Can you tell me about the religious revolt that happened the last years of Edward III’ s reign?
During this time a religious movement called Lollardy rose . The leader was John Waycliffe. They were against the corruption in Church and the lining of money from of course the church benefitted. They believed the right way a Christian should behave is like Jesus ,poor and modest .
Can you talk about the social revolt that happened in 1381 and who cause d it ?
The social revolt in 1381 was caused by the “poll tax” ,a tax that every adult ,no matter the income, needed to pay, established by Richard II . The leader of the revolt was War Tyler who gathered a group of people to march on london and ask the king to abolish the peasant’s duties to their lords.
What was the war of the roses ,between who was it and how did it end?
The war of roses was a war fought between two rival families: The Yorks and the Lancaster. It’s called War of Roses because the symbols of these families were a white rose for the Yorks and a red rose for the Lancesters . The civil wars ended in 1485 when Richard III ,the last Yorkish king, was defeated by Henry the Tudor in the Battle of Bowsworth.
After Henry became king he married a descendant of the Yorks ,Elizabeth o York,finally reuniting these two rival families.
When the Normans conquered England,what changes did they bring?
After the Norman conquest in 1066, English society completely changed .The whole upper class shifted from Anglo-saxons to Normans since most of the Anglo-saxons were either dead, exiled or had lost their lands. William’s flowers build castles to show their authority and power .
What did the Normans introduce ? And how did it work?
The Normans introduced the feudal system. The king knew he couldn’t control all of his territories so he portioned them out to the barons in return of goods and services. The barons also portioned their lands to the knight in exchange of military services and protection. On these lands the peasants worked day and night.The only thing they received in return were a place to live and the means to grow their food, but they also had to give a portion of their harvest to their lord.
What was the Domesday book ?
William I wanted to know how his lands were made and who worked on them so he sent a few of his men to conduct a survey regarding these questions. He collected the result of this survey in the Domesday book .Thanks to this he would know how high he could raise his taxes. It was calle dDomesday Book because people felt like their souls were weighed on judgment day or doom’s day hence Domesday Book.
Who was the first Plantagenets king ? Can you summarise in 3 points what he did ?
The first Plantagenets king was Henry II .
- He reduces the power of the barons by establishing the reform of the scutage and craeting the figure of mercenaries
- He reduced the power of the Church by making Thomas Becket,his friend and chancellor, head od the Church of England
- He created the Common Law
How did the Common Law happen ?
Henry II wanted to establish a legal system in england. so he sent a bunch of judges in the biggest cities and in every region of the country to bring the Common Law . Like a chain reaction soon everyone followed this law hence the name “Common Law” . It was differed from the rest of the European legal system that still followed the Civil Law of the Roman Empire and the Canon Law of the Church . The Common Law was based on custom, comparisons and previous cases and decisions . Henry II also found a way to resolve land disputes ,he would make a jury of 10 free men that had the duty to arbitrate the case.
What happened to Thomas becket and why ?
He was murdered the 29 th December 1170 because he betrayed Henry II.Everyone was choked and he became a martyr and saint and pilgrims all around Europe would visit his grave .
