Part 1 : Challenging authority and feudalism Flashcards
what was medieval society built on?
- the feudal system
the feudal system
- king at the top of this system
- king gave land to the barons
- barons gave the king money and men to fight in wars
- knights were given land if they promised to fight when needed
what was a medieval king meant to do?
- defend the people by leading the army well
- keep the country peaceful
- successfully deal with any rebellions
- maintain good relations with the Church and the Pope
christianity
- an important part of medieval life as it was believed that the king was appointed by God
- church was very powerful - led by the pope in rome by controlled in england by bishops and other members of the clergy
what did the church own?
- large amounts of land and set rules on everything from marriage to inheritance
why is king john not remembered as a good medieval king?
- he fell out with the pope and the barons
how did king john and the pope differ on the archbishop of canterbury?
- the pope wanted stephen langton as archbishop, however john wanted someone who would listen to him instead
- the pope retaliated by cancelling all church services, including marriages and funerals
- made barons very unhappy - they thought they would go to hell
john and battle
- king john was not very good in battle and he lost vast areas of territory in France that England once ruled over
- earnt the nicknames ‘lackland’ and ‘softsword’
- as a result, john struggled to raise enough money to govern and defend the country
why were the barons unhappy?
- they were worried about invasions from foreign countries because of the fall out with the pope and john did not maintain good relations with the pope
- john’s poor battle record meant he lost land in France
- they had to pay scutage - a high tax on those barons who did not fight for john when he asked
- john repeatedly ignored the demands of the great council which meant that the barons felt their views weren’t respected
what action did the barons take?
- they were fed up with john so they raised an army against him and occupied london
- john realised he would need to listen to the barons so met with them on 15th june 1215 to negotiate the way in which the country should be governed
who were the barons under leadership of?
robert fitzwalter
when did king john meet with the barons to negotiate the way in which the country should be governed?
- 15th june 1215
where did king john and the barons meet on the 15th of june 1215?
- runnymede
what happened in runnymede?
- john signed the magna carta
what were the events to the lead up to the first barons’ war?
- king john went back on his word, saying he had been forced to sign the magna carta
- the pope agreed, stating that the magna carta was invalid
- war started in england between the barons and the king ; the barons had the support of the french who sent troops and money to help the barons
- the seige of rochester in late 1215 gave john the upper hand after he and his men were able to storm rochester castle
when was the seige of rochester and what did it mean?
- late 1215
- gave john the upper hand after he and his men were able to storm rochester castle
may 1216 - the first barons’ war
- the barons promise the french prince louis the english throne, and he arrives on the coast
- price louis takes control of most of england and he has the support of the scottish king
2 june 1216 - the first barons’ war
- prince louis announced, but not crowned, king of england
october 1216 - the first barons war
- king john dies
28 october 1216 - the first barons war
- john’s young son henry becomes king henry III
- magna carta reissued and henry III agrees to the conditions
the magna carta: ‘a baron’s heir..
..shall inherit his lands on payment of £100 to the king’
the magna carta: ‘no scutage shall be imposed on the barons except…
…with the common counsel of the realm’
the magna carta: ‘no freemen shall be arrested or…
..imprisoned without a proper trial and according to the law of the land’
the magna carta: ‘the english church shall…
…be free to make its own appointments’
the magna carta: ‘a group of 25 barons will be created to monitor…
…the king and ensure he commits to magna carta’
the magna carta: ‘all merchants shall have safety, in…
…staying and travelling in England, for buying and selling goods, free from evil tolls’
short term impacts of the magna carta
- king john went back on his word, meaning magna carta had no immediate impact on society
- peasants and villeins were still not free; nothing changed for ordinary people at the time
- only the politically powerful such as barons, the Church and merchants benefited from magna carta
long term impacts on the magna carta
- magna carta introduced the idea that there were some laws and rules the king had to follow
- eventually more people gained their freedom
- kings after john signed similar versions of the magna carta
- it was viewed as the first step in britain becoming a democracy
how did king henry III rule when king john died in 1216?
- with the help of advisers
king henry III - 1234
he started ruling on his own
what were king henry III’s problems?
- the Pope
- the french
- the barons
what was king henry III’s relationship like with the pope?
- henry III was a very pious king which meant he had a close relationship with Pope Innocent IV in Rome
- the Pope tried to use Henry to fight wars in Sicily
- henry was meant to pay the pope money to fight these wars, and when he did not pay, the new pope, alexander IV threatened to excommunicate the king
who did the pope want to be the holy roman emperor?
- richard, henry’s brother, which was an important job
- the meant henry would feel pressured to help pay for the pope’s wars
how was henry’s relationship with the barons?
- by 1254, henry’s relationship with the barons had deteriorated - they were angry about his various schemes
why were the barons unhappy with king henry III?
- they were angry that Henry’s French family were given jobs in the English court and Italian clergy were given top jobs in the Church
- Henry’s tax increases to pay the Pope made the barons angry as they were the ones to pay
what did henry have to do in order to get the lands lost in france back?
- henry had to raise money to fund war campaigns to get them back
- because his father had lost a lot of frnech lands
how did henry tackle the issue of the french land?
- he was unsuccessful at first but then he sent his brother-in-law, the powerful and aristocratic Simon de Montfort, who won land back in Gascony and controlled the area for Henry
- reports reached henry that simon de montfort had been too harsh with the french people so he sent his son, edward, to keep control
when were the provisions of oxford
1258
what was done due to the issues between the barons and the king?
- simon de montfort led the barons to call a great council meeting in 1258
- here, king henry had to agree to the provisions of oxford
what did the barons refuse to do?
- fund the planned payment to the pope over the wars in Sicily
what did the provisions of oxford give the barons?
- great power
- barons could now make decisions without the king’s approval, but the king could not make decisions without the approval of the council
what did the provisions of oxford do?
- reformed local government and gave more power to the less powerful and wealthy in society
why were the old and young barons angered by the provisions of oxford?
- older barons were angered as they felt the reforms were getting in the way of their local interests
- some younger barons were angered by the provisions as they weren’t elected to the council and so lost their influence
- the barons were divided
provisions of oxford: ‘a council of 15 barons would be in charge of the…
…Great Council’
how many men did the provisions of oxford state should be elected to be in charge of the great council?
- 12 appointed by the king and 12 appointed by the barons
provisions of oxford: ‘foreign members of the royal…
…household would be banished’
provisions of oxford: ‘castles would be held by…
…englishmen’
provisions of oxford: ‘each county would have..
…a sheriff and taxes would be decided locally’
whose support did henry gain after the provisions of oxford and why?
- the support of those barons who did not like de Montfort and the Provisions of Oxford
- henry wrote to the pope and asked for his permission to cancel the provisions
- pope agreed in 1261 and so henry appointed his own men to the great council
- henry was back in charge
when did the pope agree to reverse the provisions of oxford?
- 1261
how was henry’s rule after he was back in charge?
- he ruled as badly as he did before, and after three years the barons called upon simon de montfort
the second barons’ war
- at the battle of lewes in 1264, de montfort captured the king and imprisoned his son, the young price edward
- simon de montfort was now in charge and england was on its way to becoming a republic
what was the parliament of 1265
- simon de montfort created a council of nine of his closest friends and allies
- he reconfirmed magna carta and the provisions of oxford
why did the barons begin to worry once simon de montfort created his council?
- they started to worry that he had become too powerful
what was called in 1265?
- de montfort called a meeting of the great council
who was invited to the meeting of the great council?
- rich merchants (the burgesses) and knights which meant that he had now secured support from ordinary people - the burgesses of the towns who were sometimes referred to as ‘commoners’
- this group later known as the commons, in this early form of parliament
- developed democracy in england and would pave the way for all groups to have a voice
why did the barons start to get concerned after the meeting of the great council?
- they started to become concerned that de montfort was becoming an autocrat so they put their support behind henry
the battle of evesham 1265
- prince edward released from prison and had raised an army - they were out to get de montfort
- 4th august 1265 at the battle of evesham - de montfort fell from his horse - his body was cut into pieces and sent around the country as a warning
- the monarchy was back
short term significance of the parliament of 1265
- henry III ruled until 1272 but he never called another meeting of the great council - when his son edward become king edward I he learned from his father’s mistakes and called many parliaments
- in 1295 - edward called the model parliament - the first parliament that resembled our parliament today with invited aristocrats and elected commoners
medium term significance of the parliament of 1265
- the kings power challenged once again in 1649 with the death of charles I and the start of the english revolution - a republic governed for a period of time
- the kings power wasn’t totally changed until the glorious revolution of 1688 and the 1689 bill of rights - the parliament gained more control than the monarch
long term significance of the parliament of 1265
- 1840s - the chartists campaigned for representation for the working class
- women waiting a long time for their voices to be heard- all women and men over age of 21 got the vote in 1928 (from 1918-28 women aged 21-30 were allowed to vote but only if they owned property)
today’s significance of the parliament of 1265
- the queen or king is a figurehead with no direct influence over the government
when did king edward I hold the first model parliament?
1295
what were the causes of the peasants revolt in the fourteenth century?
- economic
- political
- religious
- social
when did the plague arrive in england?
- in 1348
what did the black death result in?
- killed most of the peasant workforce, which meant that fields of crops were left to rot and villages were abandoned as there were fewer workers so the peasants could demand higher wages
what did king richard III raise to fund his campaigns?
- taxes to fund his campaigns against the french in the Hundred Years War - a poll tax
how much was poll tax by 1380?
- everyone over the age of 15 had to pay four groats per year to the king ; this was a massive increase from the one groat they had previously paid
what did local lords and the king worry about in the fourteenth century?
- worried that the peasants were becoming too powerful and that the feudal system would break down
what was passed in 1351?
- the statute of labourers
what was the significance of the statute of labourers?
- restricted the movement and wages of the peasants as they were forced to return and work for their lord again
why did the peasants want reform?
- to reduce the influence of landowners
what did priests begin to preach in the 14th century?
- that the church was exploiting the peasants by making people pay pardons for their sins
john ball stated that God had created everyone equally…
….and there should be no rich or poor
what happened to john ball?
he was arrested
how did the black death plague affect socially?
- it spread across the country
- killed a third of the population, mostly poor people
- many peasants started to move around from village to village looking for the best paid work
- between 1377 and 1379, 70% of the people brought before the justice of the peace were accused of breaking the statute of labourers
- peasants returning from the Hundred Years War forced to go back tot heir old lives and pay higher taxes
the peasants’ demands: ‘all villeins…
..to be made freemen’
the peasants’ demands: ‘full change…
…to the system of law’
the peasants’ demands: ‘church lands…
…to be given to the people’
the peasants’ demands: ‘all bishops except…
…one to be removed’
30th may 1381
- peasants refuse to pay poll tax and threaten to kill local tax collector
2nd june 1381
- chief justice comes to collect poll tax and is also threatened
- peasants find tax collector’s clerks and behead them and also set fire to the houses of poll tax supporters
7th june 1381
- peasants march to maidstone and make wat tyler their leader
- they free john ball
- storm rochester castle and burn tax records
12th june 1381
- peasants reach london’s city walls and richard II sails to meet them, but the crowd is too rowdy
13th june 1381
- peasants storm the city walls, burn palaces and kill supporters of the king
- some peasants are peaceful as wat tyler had ordered
14th june 1381
- wat tyler meets the king and outlines the peasants’ demands
- the king agrees and asks the peasants to go home
- while this is happening, another group of peasants kills the archbishop of canterbury
15th june 1381
- the king meets the peasants again and agrees to their demands, but one of his men kills wat tyler
- peasants leave london and the revolt is over
how did richard go back on his word?
- he said he had been forced to agree to the demands so it did not count
- the rebel leaders were all rounded up and hanged, and john ball’s and wat tyler’s heads were stuck on spikes on london bridge
what was the impact of the peasants’ revolt on poll tax?
- king richard did stop the poll tax after the revolt
- wasn’t repeated until 1989 in scotland and 1990 in england and wales
what was the impact of the peasants’ revolt on peasant’s wages?
- peasants’ wages began to rise because the situation before the revolt remained the same: there was a lack of workers so the peasants could demand more money
- parliament eventually gave in and stopped trying to control the peasants’ wages
- the statute of labourers was eventually withdrawn
what was the impact of the peasants’ revolt on peasants’ land?
- some peasants were even able to buy their own land because there was so much unused after the black death
what was the impact of the peasants’ revolt on peasants’ freedom?
- gradually, peasants became more independent and within 100 years peasants and villeins were freemen
what was the historians’ view on the peasant’s revolt?
- some historians believe that the revolt was unnecessary - they say that society was already changing and that serfdom was coming to an end
- most historians believe that the revolt was significant, as it was the first time ordinary people, or the working class, had rebelled
- some historians further believe that the revolt marks the start of english ideas of freedom
