POWER AND THE PEOPLE Flashcards
what year was the magna carta?
1215
what were the main reasons for the magna carta?
King John deemed unfit
lost land & wars in France
scutage - tax for his wars
argued with the church - got services banned for years
what were the demands within the magna carta?
stop unfair taxation
prevent arrest without a fair trial
group of 25 barons to monitor the king
what was the relevance of the magna carta - at the time?
relevance today?
at the time: did not solve problem - pope declared charter null and void
Only applied to freemen not peasants
many laws about fishing
today?
applies to more people
became a symbol of power
first step towards democracy
point in the constitutional law
in what battle did Simon De Montfort capture King Henry III and his son Edward?
Battle of Lewes
what were the reasons for the provisions of oxford?
Henry ruled in a very ARBITRARY (unpredictable) way.
lost major wars in France
young and inexperienced - became King aged 9
when people thought Simon was becoming too powerful what did he do?
asked merchants and knights from every county to attend meeting of the Great Council - first house of Commoners
in what battle was Simon De Montfort murdered? and by whom?
Battle of Evesham
by King’s men
significance of Simon De Montfort and the Provisions of Oxford?
first parliament to include representatives from the whole country.
De Montfort’s death regarded as a MARTYR for freedom.
provisions became a symbol of democratic principles, realised hundreds of years later.
causes of the Peasants’ Revolt
statute of labourers
poll tax
people thought church was too rich
attitude of tax collectors - raped and abused women
significance of the Peasants’ Revolt? short term:
long term:
at the time: first time commoners had rebelled against royal power
short term: rebellion failed - Richard went back on his promise, the leaders were hanged
longer time:
peasants never taxed so heavily again
peasants’ wages continued to rise
more peasants became freemen and were able to buy their own freedom.
main people in the Peasants’ Revolt?
Wat Tyler - leader
John Ball - priest that encouraged peasants to revolt
Simon Sudbury - Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by Peasants
King Edward III - introduced statute of labourers
King Richard II - introduced Poll Tax
why did Henry dissolve the Monasteries?
He wanted to divorce his wife - Catholicism wouldn’t allow it
wanted the wealth and the power of the church
what problems were caused by the dissolution of the monasteries?
economic - Henry still increased taxes
religious - different to Catholicism - many thought they would be punished for the changes to church
Political - many prominent nobles lost influence after the change of religion and Henry’s divorce, while other families gained
many people disliked seeing Henry as the Head of the Church (Act of Supremacy), instead of the pope.
social - the church was the centre of most people’s social lives - King took this away
what were the consequences of the Pilgrimage of Grace?
no more rebellions
Henry had complete control over the church and the country
Henry continued to dissolve larger monasteries in spite
leader Robert Aske executed
nearly 300 Pilgrims murdered
when was the Pilgrimage of grace?
1536
when was the English Civil War?
1640-1649
causes of the English Civil war?
puritans dominated England and did not like the Catholic changes of Archbishop Laud
Charles I believed in divine right
did not consult parliament for 11 years
raised taxes without Parliaments’ permission
how did Cromwell over throw the monarchy?
New Model army - employed on ability and skill not status and class
soldiers were religious and believed God was on their side
- soldiers very austere, never drank etc
many MPs did not trust Charles so insisted Parliament controlled the Army.
Charles found guilty of treason and was executed on
causes of the American revolution?
“no taxation without representation”
searching for freedom was an ingrained attitude to many of the citizens of the colonies.
their declaration of independence claimed all men created equal.
events during the American revolution:
Boston Tea Party
significance of the American Revolution?
first colony to reject rule by a European Power
the idea that ordinary people have fundamental rights spread to France - leading to the French Revolution
what problem with their Great Petition did the chartists have?
they claimed it had over 5 million signatures but in fact had less than 2 million
significance of the Great Reform act? 1832
gave the vote to more middle-class people
Britain’s new King was keener on reform
act redistributed MPs so that industrial towns were represented
however you still had to own property to vote
the chartists were not satisfied so came up with the Great Petition.
