power and the people c1170-present day Flashcards
what was the medieval society built on?
feudal system:
king was at the top - gave barons land in return for money and men to fight in wars
then barons - give some of their land to knights if they promised to fight when needed
then knights - give land to peasants in return for food
then peasants
what happened with king john and his disagreement with the pope?
christian religion was an important part of medieval life
john had a disagreement with the pope as john didn’t support the appointment of stephen langton as archbishop of canterbury - due to that fact that stephen would have more respect for the pope then him due the archbishop is a powerful role
what was the consequence of king john and the pope’s disagreement?
pope banned church services in england
frightened people as they believed without regular attendance at mass they would go to hell
barons were worried that this fractious relationship would lead to an invasion of a foreign king
why did taxes result in poor relations leading to the magna carta?
high taxes - scutage
king john charged this to help him fight wars in france
barons were angry as john had a poor record in battles - “lack land” “soft sword”
- barons lost their land in france so they lost money
what and where happened on the 15th on june 1215?
the barons leader robert fitzwalter sent an army to occupy london
king john met with the barons at runnymede, near windsor
signing of the magna carta
what were some clauses of the magna carta?
- baron’s heir shall inherit his land on payment of £100 to the king
- no freemen shall be arrested or imprisoned without a proper trial and according to the law of the land
- english church shall be free to make its own appointments
- all merchants shall have safety in staying and travelling in england for buys and selling good free from evil tolls
- 25 barons will be created to monitor king and ensure he commits to magna carta
- no scutage shall be imposed on the barons
63 PROMISES
what were some short term effects if the magna carta?
- settlement of the immediate grievances therefore people in england were no longer finically exploited
- people were no longer scared of being excommunicated
- only impacted the politically powerful peasants
what were some long term effects of the magna carta?
- introduced the idea that the king must follow the rules of the law
- first steps to britian becoming the best know democracy
what happened to make the siege of rochester occur?
in august 1215 the pope came out that the king had been forced to sign the magna carta therefore it was invalid
war was declared - SEIGE OF ROCHESTER
barons had taken control of london, and occupied rochester castle
what occurred in the seige of rochester?
in october 1215 johns men arrived with 5 seige engines (catapults, trebuchets) and bombarded the castle
using the fat of 40 FAT PIGS john covered sticks and set the foundations of the castle on fire
john and his men stormed the castle
what happened in 1216?
french prince louis arrived in england with troops and the barons had called for him and promised him the english throne
prince louis was announced but NOT CROWNED king
king john died in october and the barons decided that they didn’t need a french king so they crowned johns youngest son instead (henry)
magna carta was reissued
problems with king henry:
he was a pious king
close relations with rome creating finically problems as he had increased his payments to pope innocent to help him fight wars in europe
pope convinced henry to remove the royal family of sicily
henry was threatened to be excommunicated by one of the popes
henry gave top jobs in english churches to italian clergy, stopping english men from being promoted
henry also had close ties with the french, barons hated the french so when henry allowed french men into parliament the barons were alarmed and worried england was becoming under foreign rule
henry increased taxes to fund his and simon de montfords campaign to win back last lost in france by his father
what happened in 1258?
the provisions of oxford
simon de montfort led the barons who had called the great council against henry
king agreed to the provisions of oxford stating that:
- foreign members of the royal household would be banished
- castles would be held by englishmen
- each country would have a sheriff and taxes would be decided locally
gave the barons the majority of power
king could not make decisions without approval of council - impacting royal authority
were the barons happy with the provisions of oxford?
some barons were angered by the provisions of oxford, as they felt the reforms would interfere with their local interests
the younger barons also disliked the provisions of oxford, as they had not been elected to the council, therefore losing the influence
the barons were divided
how did henry regain power?
due to the division of the barons henry use this to return to power in rejected provisions of oxford
what was the battle of lewes 1264?
the barons had enough of henry’s rule so they sent for simon de montfort
de montford started the second barons war and they used military strength instead of negotiation
de montford and his men were successful and they captured the king and imprisoned his son
what happened after king henry was captured by de monford, magna carta and the provisions of oxford?
simon de montfort became the most powerful person in england - however not all barons supported him, as he was dictatorial therefore the barons ONCE AGAIN changed who they supported, now favoruing henry
the battle of evesham in 1265 was due to barons putting all their support behind henry and during the battle de monford fell from his horse and he was cut into pieces and sent around england as a warning
what is the long term effect of simon de montfort?
he was influential as he represented the common man’s growth of power
what was the black death?
started in china due to dead bodies being thrown at enemies
the black death spread 5 kn over 5 years
it arrived in england in 1348 (in europe in 1347)
the disease spread due to FLEAS ON RATS boarding ships and arriving in england
people blamed jewish communities and the church/god
what did the black death result in?
the black death effected the peasants most (who made up the work force)
field of crops rotted as there weren’t enough people to bring in the harvests and villages were abandoned
few workers so they demanded high wages
what was the statue of labourers?
local lord and the king became worried that peasant were becoming too powerful so in 1351 the king passed the statue of labourers
-every man’s and women had to receive the same wages as before the plague
70% of people were brought before the justice of peace and accused of breaking the statute of labours
what were the causes of the peasants revolt 1381?
- the new king richard had a bad reputation due to his association with john gaunt is main adviser and englands most hated landowner
- richard was fighting in the 100 years war against the french, to fund this he introduced POLL TAX
- by 1380 people 15+ had to pay 4 groats each year
- priest were preaching about how the church was exploiting the peasants (main people doing this were john ball and john wyclif) = church shouldn’t be charging for pardons and that they shouldn’t have so much property when people are starving
what was the timeline of the peasants revolt?
- after john ball was imprisoned
- on the 30th of may in fobbing:
- the peasants do not pay the poll tax
- the rebels made a man called Wat Tyler their leader
- the rebels freed john ball
- rebels storm rochester castle and destroy tax records by burning down governt buildings
- the king them met with rebels in london and gave them a royal pardon and claims all peasants are free men
- wat tyler refuses to leave until the king agrees to his demands
- however, one of the kings men kill tyler and the revolt is over and the peasants reclaim their alliance with the king
- revolt is over
what were some short term effects of the peasants revolt?
-peasants had forced the king into agreeing to their demands
-richard went back on his word and killed rebel leaders
-john ball was hanged and body cut into pieces
-king and nobles were scared as it was the first time commoners rebelled against royal power
-rebellion failed
what were the long term effects of the peasants revolt?
-the poll tax was stopped until 1990
-workers wages began to rise as there was still a lack of workers as peasants could demand higher wages so land owners would pay
-first time ordinary people had revolted
-parliament stopped trying to control peasant wages
-due to the unused land (from black death) peasants could now buy their own land, freeing them from working the lords land
-peasants had become independent
-changed peasants lives
-taxes were never as high again
-john ball had inspired rebels
when did henry the 8th come to power?
1509
what happened with henry and the reformation?
henry the 8th was a devout catholic but he was unhappy with the wealth and power of the church
the pope refused to give henry a divorce so he made himself the head of the church of england through the act of supremacy 1534 giving him full control
what was the dissolution of the monastries?
henry started taking money from the monestries causing the dissolution
monasreies controlled 1/4th of land in england and had an income of £200,000, nearly double the king
1536 parliment closed all small monasteries
why were people unhappy with henry the 8th changes?
- rising prices
- changes to religion (dissolution of monasteries and wanted pope back as head of church)
- landowners lost influence
- cromwell had great power and was the creator of new religious policy
what happened in 1536 with the pilgrims?
a rebellion broke out in yorkshire due to their anger towards the changes caused by henry
they wanted henry to:
-restore monasteries
-recognise pope as head of the church
-dismiss cromwell and other ministers who were poorly advising the king
pilgramige of grace!!!
what were some key motivating factors of the pilgrimage of grace?
- north of england were mostly catholic and felt henry and cromwell were attacking their religion
- monasteries provided for the poor and helped the sick
- king was charging a lot of taxes
- there were poor harvest so people were hungry and unhappy
- people thought churches would be closed after monasteries
- dissolution of monasteries was attacking religion
what were the events of the pilgrimage of grace?
1536 yorkshire rebellion
the pligrims captured key locations
henry chose the duke of norfolk to represent him
nolfolk met with the rebels and they demanded that the north has better representation
norfolk promised robert aske (the rebel leader) and the rebels a pardon
= therefore the rebels went home
in 1537 the rebels attacked castles in hull and beverly
henry used this as an excuse to cancel the pardons
74 rebels were hung and the rebellion was squashed
what were the short term effects of the pilgrimage of grace?
-execution of the main leaders
-dissolution of monastries
-landowners gained more land
-local people take glass lead wooden beams
-henry has control again of church and country
-henry builds the english navy
what were the longer term effects of the pilgrimage of grace?
-henry has complete control
- england is no longer under control of the pope
-english navy established further
-death of cromwell
causes of the english civil war/revolution:
religion
- charles the 1st married a catholic princess from france, and she became charles’s closest advisor = people scared about her influence and what this could mean for the church
- england was mainly protestant however there were still many Catholics
- archbishop laud had huge amount of influence over religion, he felt strongly about conformity in the church
- laud was not catholic but arminian, meaning he believed people should worship in a similar way to Catholics
- laud met much opposition with puritans
- protestants were prominent in government
- 3 men wrote a pamphlet criticising the church = they were tried in the star chamber (a substitute for parliament), biased ruling as the ruling always favoured the king and laud
- scots were protestant therefore didn’t want to conform to laud’s way of worship like using the laudian prayer book = 1638 signed an agreement called the convent, saying they wouldn’t accept changes
- charles sent army to Scotland, and the covenanters defended it and then invaded england
causes of the english civil war/ revolution:
money
- fears that charles couldn’t be trusted with money and that he would use it to become independent from parliament
- as a result he introduced SHIP MONEY/TAX, made everyone pay this tax = could make charles financially independent
- after the 11 years charles dissolved parliament he asked to meet again in 1640, parliament provided charles with funds to fight the scots
- charles ruled without parliament for 11 years
how long did charles rule without parliment?
11 years
causes of the english civil war/ revolution:
power
- charles believed strongly in the divine right of kings, he was appointed by god
- charles always gained advice from his favourite advisers instead of parliament
- he dissolved parliament for 11 years = 11 years of tyranny
- relations between parliament and the king deteriorated = in 1642 an opponent of the king presented a list of grievances towards Charles, the king raised an army and marched to parliament to arrest the “5 men”, this proved charles was a tyrant
who fought who in the english civil war?
the roundheads - parliament
the cavaliers - the royalists
did the king or parliament have support of the south during the english civil war?
parliment
did the king or parliament have support of the north during the english civil war?
the king
who led the roundheads (the parliament)?
oliver cromwell
what was the new model army 1645?
oliver cromwell trained a new army
- he recruited men based on their ability, rather than their privilege
- the army was disciplined and lived by strong religious and moral code
- men were not allowed to drink or swear
- army used for the first time at battle of naseby = new model army 14,000 men outnumbered the kings 9000 men = defeating the royalist calvary
- men well paid
- soldiers believed god was on their side
when was king charles captured in the emglish civil war?
1647 by the scots in nottinghamshire
went on trial for treason
executed in 1649 at whitehall
what happened and resulted in charles’s execution?
- charles found guilty of treason, refused to plea as he didn’t want to recognise the power of the court
- executed 1649
- after his execution parliament abolished the monarchy and the house of lords
- england was declared a commonwealth
what was the significance of the english civil war?
- first time a king was not replaced by another king
- between 1649 and 1660 England tried to rule without a king but failed = parliament, army, cromwell
- when monarchy was restored it did not hold the same power = parliament met more regularly, not as influenced by the abilities of the king, parliament asked charles the 2nd to become king
what were some of the long-term causes of the american revolution?
- in early 1700s there were 13 english colonies in north america and later on the population of settlers and enslaved people was 2.5 million
- many colonists in America didn’t consider themselves english but American
- the British taxed the amercians to pay for the army as it ‘protected them’
- the British introduced the STAMP TAX of 1765 ( a tax on documents like newspapers) = people unhappy and rioted against this
- Americans were forced to comply with the NAVIGATION ACTS (ensuring that only British goods were imported into America)
- colonists felt bossed around by britian
what were some short-term causes of the American revolution?
- americans were ruled by britain but had no representation, no one to stand up for them
- NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
- Boston massacre in 1770 when anti-british colonists there snowballs and sticks at british army, the army opened fire and some were killed
- boston tea party when anti-british individuals threw tea into the sea
when did america declare independence?
they met in congress and made george washington the leader of their army
1776 they had a declaration of independence = stating that 13 colonies were free and that all control from britian had ended
however 7 years of fighting took place before the colonists were victorious
AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE BY THOMAS JEFFERSON
what happened at the battle of yorktown and how did America become victorious?
- many of the battles took place in forests and mountains that the british did not know very well
- yorktown battle 1781
- American troops perceived to be weak however they had the support of the french who secured the waters around yorktown = this was important was britain relied on their supplies from the sea
- George Washington attacked the british who had few weapons and no supplies therefore the british were forced to surrender
what were the consequences of the american revolution for the americans?
- not all americans were happy with their independence = some moved to Canada
- the Americans set up their own system of government known as a constitution with a parliament (congress) and a president
- America developed into the most powerful country in the world
- the “land of free” was not perfect = many poor farmers could not afford to buy their land and therefore had no vote, african-americans, women or indigenous people had no vote, slavery still existed
what were the consequences of the american revolution for Britain?
- britain spent a lot of money on the war and had lost a lot of men
- the involvement of France had worsened the relations between the two powers
- britain made up for the loss of America by colonising other countries
- America was used as a penal colony, but now britian used austrialia and new Zealand to send convicts
- the relationship between Britain and America improved over the years as the two countries started to trade with each other
- Britain was worried that the idea of overthrowing authority was one that might spread to Britain due to the growing working-class population
how did the american revolution influence other countries?
the french were fed up with their king
the people decided to take action and the french revolution took place
the American revolution was a trigger cause that resulted in the french revolution
what were some of the key problems with voting?
- the king and those who owned land and titles were the people who controlled the country
- rotten boroughs
- pocket boroughs
- no secret ballot
- potwalloper boroughs
- women could not vote
key problems with voting:
rotten boroughs
area that sent two MPs to represent that area even though no one lived there
however, places that had a large population like Birmingham has no mps therefore no representation in parliament
key problems with voting:
pocket boroughs
boroughs that were controlled by rich individuals who did not represent the needs of everyone
key problems with voting:
no secret ballot
meant that people had to say in public who they were voting therefore people could be easily bribed and some people were sacked if they didn’t vote for the “right” candidate
key problems with voting:
potwalloper boroughs
people allowed to vote purely because they had a fireplace and a locked door
what was the peterloo massacre in 1819?
many people gathered at st peters fields for a peaceful protest
the local government panicked due to large amount of people that gathered
they called the local military in
= 600 people injured and 15 killed
as a result of this, the government introduced the SIX ACTS stating that any meeting of more than 50 people was an act of treason, therefore breaking the law
who was thomas attwood and what was his role in bringing about parliamentary reform?
he formed the birmingham political union of the lower and middle classes of people (BPU) in 1829
- attwood along with 8000 others sent a petition to parliament, this petition claimed to vote for all men who contributed to local or national taxes = the petition was rejected
- BPU vowed to cooperate with the law, making it harder for it to be banned
