power and the people - chapter 1 Flashcards
what system was medieval society built on
the feudal system
how did the feudal system work
- the king was at the top of this system and gave the barons land, in return for money and men to fight wars
- the barons would then give some of their land to the knights if they promised to fight when needed
what allowed the barons to meet and have their views and concerns heard
the Great Council
-> however the king did not always listen
what religion was an important part of medieval life
the Christian religion
what did medieval kings believe
believed they were appointed by god
what was the role of the pope in medieval times
pope was the head of the church and had great power over many european countries
why did king John have a disagreement with the pope
- john refused to support the appointment of Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
-> the archbishop of canterbury was often a key advisor to the king, so it was a very powerful role
-> john was against Langton’s appointment because he did not want someone who would obey the pope and go against the king’s wishes
what did the pope do in retaliation to his disagreement with king john and what were the reactions
- he banned church services in england; even marriages and funerals
-> this frightened the people as they thought that without regularly attending mass they would go to hell
-> the barons were nervous, as this breakdown in relations between king and church could lead to an invasion from a foreign king
what was a cause of poor relations between the king and the barons
- high taxes (known as scutage)
-> john charged barons to help him fight wars in france
why were the baron’s angry at john charging them scutage
- john was not living up to their expectations
-> he was given the nicknames ‘lackland’ and ‘soft sword’ due to his poor record in battles - john charged them scutage to help pay for his wars in france
-> but john wasn’t winning the wars meaning the baron’s lost their land in france, meaning they lost money
what did john do despite his losses in france
he continued to charge the barons even higher feudal payments
what did john do that made people questions his competence
lost the crown jewels in an area of marshland called the Wash
why was it down to educated monks and barons to record the events of the day and what did this mean
few people could read or write in the middle ages
meant there are many negative historical accounts of john and what kind of king he was, mainly because he came into conflict with the very people who could write down their opinions
in what was was john a ‘good’ king
- he would have never been able to live up to the great reputation of his father and brother
- richard had left john in debt because of his wars in france so john struggled to raise enough money to govern and defend the country
- john did win some wars against the scottish and welsh, and strengthened the english navy
- john ensured the english people could have a fair trial with a judge and jury: he sometimes even delayed proceedings so he could be there himself to ensure a trial was fair
-> this helped everyone in england, not just the rich barons
what did the barons do when they became fed up with john
they put an army together under the leadership of Robert Fitzwalter, and sent it to occupy London
-> they barons were ready to fight the king
-> if john wanted to gather an army of his own, he would need the baron’s support - he therefore had no choice but to negotiate with them
when and where did john meet the barons to negotiate the way in which the country should be governed
on 15th June 1215
met at Runnymede, near Windsor
what did the barons get john to sign at runnymede
the Magna Carta
what did the magna carta contain
63 promises that the barons wanted john to keep
-> these would change the power of the king and give the barons more control
what were the 6 main clauses of the magna carta
- a baron’s heir shall inherit his lands on payment on £100 to the king
- no scutage shall be imposed on the barons except with the common counsel of the realm
- no freemen shall be arrested or imprisoned without a proper trial and according to the law of the land
- the english church shall be free to make its own appointments
- all merchants shall have safety, in staying and travelling to england, for buying and selling goods, free from evil tolls
- a group of 25 barons will be created to monitor the king and ensure he commits to magna carta
why did john agree to the magna carta
so the civil war would end so he could get the barons back on his side, but he had no intentions of sticking to it
why do many people consider the magna carta a failure in the short term
because john quickly backed out of the agreement, saying he had been forced to sign it
why was the magna carta not important to everyone at the time
it only referred to freemen, such as barons
-> peasants and villeins were not free so it didn’t apply to them
why did the barons include some other people, rather than just themselves
only included the church and the merchants because they needed more support against john
