Power and the people - Divine right and parliamentary authority

Question 1

what is scutage?

Answer 1

high taxes for barons to pay to avoid war

Question 2

what is the Magna Carta?

Answer 2

• The Magna Carta were 63 promises that the barons wanted the King to keep.
• These would change the power of the King and give the barons more control.

Question 3

What are freemen?

Answer 3

Freemen were barons

Question 4

Who was Stephen Langton?

Answer 4

The Archbishop of Canterbury

Question 5

What is the feudal system?

Answer 5

the social hierachy in Medieval England

Question 6

what were John’s failures as king?

Answer 6

1. John argued with the church: John refused to appoint Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. In response, the Pope excommunicated John. This meant that no church services took place in England. This made a very pious population fear that they were going to hell.
2. John was a poor leader: in 1204 he lost the valuable region of Normandy which had been held by English kings since 1066. He was nicknamed ‘softsword’ and ‘lackland’ for his successive military defeats, especially at the Battle of Bouvines. Many barons also lost their land in Normandy.
3. John increased a tax: known as scutage, to pay for his wars. The barons thought that their money was being wasted because John kept losing. John raised scutage 11 times in 14 years.
4. John even lost the Crown Jewels: in the marshes near the Wash. This did not affect the barons but it made john look incompetent.

Question 7

What caused the First Barons’ War?

Answer 7

• King John did not comply with Magna Carta and in August 1215, the Pope came out in support of him of him.
• By May 1216 a civil war broke out

Question 8

What happened in the First Barons’ War?

Answer 8

• War was declared and barons took control of London. They requested support from France
• John was in Dover organising his army. This meant that Rochester Castle lay in the middle. The barons occupied Rochester castle
• In October 1215 John’s men arrived with five siege engines with catapults and trebuchets. They bombarded the castle with stone balls but could not break the 3.6m wide stone walls
• John tried to starve the barons out but failed. He ordered 40 fat pigs to be sent to him. He slaughtered them and dug a tunnel under the castle. He covered the sticks in pig fat, put them in the tunnel and set fire to the tunnel
• The castle collapsed

Question 9

What happened after the First Barons’ War?

Answer 9

November 1215 - John successfully sieged Rochester castle, he controlled most of England
May 1216 - French Prince Louis arrived with troops after the barons had called for him. John fled to south-west England and Louis managed to capture most of England
June 1216 - Prince Louis is announced King at St Paul’s Cathedral, even the Scottish King Alexander II swore allegiance to him
October 1216 - King John died. The barons switched allegiance from Prince Louis to John’s young son, Henry and crowned him Henry III

Question 10

What were the short-term impacts of the Magna Carta?

Answer 10

• The Magna Carta did not apply to peasants, only to rich men - John did not stick to Magna Carta, so it was seen as a failure
• It was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects to limit his power

Question 11

What were the long-term impacts of the Magna Carta?

Answer 11

• The laws are still important today - such as we cannot be punished without a fair trial
• America copied part of the Magna Carta in the constitution - “no freemen ought to be deprived of his life”
• The UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 used the Magna Carta

Question 12

Who was Simon de Monfort?

Answer 12

• Simon de Monfort was the Earl of Leicester from 1239 until his death, de Montfort worked for the king but eventually led a rebellion against him which resulted in the Second Barons War.
• He became ruler of England for a short time when the King was imprisoned and became famous for calling two parliaments.
• He died in the Battle of Evesham, August 1265, fighting against the king

Question 13

What were the key problems with Henry III?

Answer 13

Religion - He was a pious king who gave too much money to the Pope to fight wars
France - He allowed French men into the parliament and he risked getting excommunicated by the pope
Italian clergy - He gave top jobs in the English clergy to Italian men
Simon de Monfort - Powerful English noble who was married to the King’s sister and felt bitter towards Henry because of his treatment

Question 14

What were the Provisions of Oxford?

Answer 14

• In 1258, the barons made Henry agree to the Provisions of Oxford. This declared that there must be a Great Council of 15 barons
• King Henry III had to agree that there would be no foreigners in the royal household, castles would be held only by Englishmen, each county must have a sheriff, and taxes would be decided locally -not by the King
• In 1259, the provisions of Westminister were added which said that local governments must ensure that tenants receive quick justice for complaints they had

Question 15

What were the outcomes of the Provisions of Oxford?

Answer 15

• The Provisions of Oxford angered some Barons, for example, Richard de Clare, because he and older barons felt that the reforms were interfering with their local interests
• The younger barons also disliked the Provisions of Oxford because they had not been elected to the court, and had lost their influence
• Henry took advantage of this situation and returned. He had support from the Pope. In 1261, the Pope granted permission not to follow provisions

Question 16

What caused the Second Barons War?

Answer 16

• the Pope told Henry III in 1261 that he did not need to follow the Provisions of Oxford
• In 1261, Henry III had control over England again and de Montfort went to France in disgust
• By 1264, the barons were frustrated with Henry III once more and asked de Montfort to return to England to help them
• This marked the beginning of the Seconds Barons War

Question 17

What occurred during the Second Barons War?

Answer 17

• De Montfort and the barons used military force to attack the King
• De Montfort won the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and captured and imprisoned King Henry III and his son, Prince Edward.
• Henry III was King in name only and De Montfort ruled England
• Many barons were unhappy about the situation when de Montfort ruled England. De Montfort appointed a council of nine members consisting of his friends and allies and he continued to confirm the Magna Carta and the Provisions of Oxford which limited the barons’ power
• De Montfort increased his power by inviting knights and burgesses to the Great Council. This was the first time “commoners” had a voice in the Great Council
• In 1265 this was England’s First Parliament
• The barons however had little power and were now out to get de Montfort
• Because de Montfort had become the barons’ enemy, they put their support behind Henry III and his son Prince Edward instead
• This tension culminated in the Battle of Evesham in August 1265. De Montfort was killed
• Henry III returned to power and ruled and in 1272, Prince Edward became Edward I

Question 18

How significant was Simon de Montfort in the long term?

Answer 18

• influential in the growth of the common man’s power
• did not totally challenge the King’s power until the English Revolution. Women remained without a voice

Question 19

How significant was Simon de Montfort in the short term?

Answer 19

• It did change the way Edward I ruled England and led to the creation of the Model Parliament
• Simon de Monfort was an autocrat so the balance of power was not totally equal
• he was killed and the “republic” was not a success

Question 20

What were the causes of the peasant revolt?

Answer 20

Cause 1 - the impact of the black death:
- in 1348, a ship docked in Dorset bringing trading goods and the plague. It would kill more than a third of the population. -> This led to the majority of the peasant workforce dying. This meant crops rotted and there wasn’t enough workforce
Cause 2 - Statute of labourers:
- Peasants demanded higher wages, and because they were in demand, lords were willing to pay more -> this meant the feudal system was starting to break down. The king and nobility were concerned so in 1351, he passed the statute of labourers
Cause 3 - Poll tax:
- By 1380, Richard had raised the poll tax to 4 groats a year and everyone over the age of 15 had to pay the same, regardless of income
Cause 4 - Religious corruption:
- Priests started to preach about how the church was exploiting peasants. They argued how the church should not be charging for pardons
- John Ball, a preacher, stated, “When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then a gentleman?”

Question 21

What is the Statute of labourers?

Answer 21

Every man and woman in the realm shall only receive the same wages as before the plague

Question 22

How did the peasants respond to the Statute of Labourers?

Answer 22

Between 1377 and 1379, 70% of people brought before the Justice of peace were accused of breaking the Statute of Labourers

Question 23

What happened during the peasants revolt?

Answer 23

1. 30th May,1381 Fobbing
   -> Peasants refused to pay the poll tax. They threatened John Brampton the debt collector
2. 2nd June, Brentwood
   -> Rebels from other villages joined the revolt. The chief justice was threatened and the rebels beheaded some tax clerks
3. 7th June, Maidstone
   -> The rebels made Wat Tyler their leader and freed John Ball from prison. These men also killed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury. They destroyed tax records by burning down government buildings
4. 12th June, Bishopgate
   -> The men make it to the outskirts of London’s city walls and King Richard II says he will meet the rebels on 17th June
5. 13th June, City of London
   -> The rebels storm the Savoy Palace of John of Gaunt and burn it to the ground. However, Wat Tyler has given explicit orders for the peasants to be peaceful. The king offers to meet the rebels and their leader at the Mile end the next day
6. 14th June, Mile end
   -> Wat Tyler meet the King and outline that the King must give royal pardon to all involved and all villeins are to be made freemen
7. 15th June, Smithfield - Richard II meets the rebels again and agrees to Wat Tyler’s demands to the change in law. However, one of the King’s men steps forward and kills Wat Tyler
8. 16th June, London Bridge
   -> When the revolt was over, Richard II broke his promises. The rebel leaders were rounded up and hanged. John ball was hanged and his body was cut to pieces. His head was stuck on a spike of London Bridge

Question 24

What is the short-term significance of the peasants’ revolt?

Answer 24

YES - workers’ wages began to rise and the statute of labourers was removed
NO - the revolt failed, Wat Tyler was killed and the king went back on his promises on 2nd July when he revoked the document he had signed

Question 25

What is the long-term significance of the peasants’ revolt?

Answer 25

YES - Poll tax wasn’t repeated until Margaret Thatcher. There was widespread opposition and it was removed
- Within 100 years, peasants became “freemen” and could buy their own land
- Started the breakdown of the feudal system

Question 26

Where did the Protestant faith come from?

Answer 26

• Martin Luther became increasingly angry about the clergy selling indulgences for sin: this was when people would give the priests money to get forgiveness for their sins. He believed that Christians were saved through their own faith
• He translated the Bible into German. His ideas spread throughout Europe and started the Protestant reformation

Question 27

What are the motives behind England’s break with Rome?

Answer 27

Henry’s personal desires - Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn but the Pope would not grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon
England’s Sovereignty- There was a clash of power between England and the pope. Henry believed that he should have the most control over England
Religion - Criticism of the Catholic Church - e.g. sins
Wealth - the monasteries in England had a combined value of £200,000 as they controlled 1/4 of all the land

Question 28

What does Henry do to break from Rome?

Answer 28

• In 1534, the Act of Supremacy recognised Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England
• In 1536, parliament passed an act closing down the smaller monasteries that had an income of less than £200

Question 29

What were the demands of the pilgrims?

Answer 29

• the pilgrims were unhappy because they wanted a return of having the pope as the spiritual leader of the church
• the pilgrims wanted Cromwell to be dismissed alongside similar ministers
• the pilgrims wanted for the dissolution of the monasteries to stop and the monasteries in the North be restored as they did important social work

Question 30

what were the events of the pilgrimage of grace?

Answer 30

• the rebels called themselves the “pilgrimage of grace” to connote their religious purpose
• carried a banner of the “Five Wounds of Christ”
• Swore an oath of loyalty to the king and promised to remain peaceful throughout the protest
• the rebellion was led by Robert Aske
• It broke out in Yorkshire, 1536
• the rebels did not question the King but did want to remove Cromwell and other ministers
• the pilgrims captured key locations such as Pontefract castle, which had been held by Lord Darcy
• He surrendered to the pilgrims and joined their campaign
• By the end of October, they had control of most of England

Question 31

What were the outcomes of the pilgrimage of grace?

Answer 31

• On 27th October, Norfolk met the pilgrims at Doncaster Bridge - he had an army of 8000 and the rebels outnumbered 30,000
• Norfolk asked the rebels to draw up a list of demands for the king
• They asked for the same as before but added that they wanted parliament to meet in York

Question 32

What is the short-term significance of the Pilgrimage of Grace?

Answer 32

• the pilgrimage failed and 74 people were hanged in their own gardens. Robert Aske, Lord Hussey and Lord Darcey were executed
• Larger monasteries are now dissolved along with the smaller ones from 1539

Question 33

What was the long-term significance of the Pilgrimage of Grace?

Answer 33

• There were no more rebellions under Henry VIII - he had spent the money on defence such as the Royal Navy and introduced the council of the North
• England was never a conclusively strong catholic country again

Question 34

How was Charles’s attitude a long-term cause of the English civil war?

Answer 34

• Charles I believed in the divine right of the kings
• He made the Duke of Buckingham a favourite, which alarmed parliament because of the influence Buckingham had over the king
• Charles responded by dissolving parliament in 1629 and did not call it for 11 years
• Some people refer to this as the personal rule but others call it the eleven years tyranny

Question 35

How was the economy a long-term cause of the English civil war?

Answer 35

• James VI was refused the money to fight wars by the parliament
• Charles, who believed it was his divine right to have the money, introduced a tax known as “ship money”
• One member of the parliament, John Hampden refused and was taken to court

Question 36

How were religious tensions a long-term cause of the English Civil War?

Answer 36

• Since the reformation, there were still many Catholics in England - many of them worshipping in secret
• The famous gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a Catholic attempt to kill Charles’s father James. Religion was a contentious issue in the seventeenth century
• Charles was not Catholic but he did marry a Catholic princess from France, Henrietta Maria
• William Laud was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and felt the same as Charles about bringing conformity back to the church

Question 37

How was Scotland a short-term cause of the English civil war?

Answer 37

• At this point, the Scottish Church was Presbyterian, a form of Protestantism
• However, in 1637, Charles introduced the Laudian prayer book. This relied on a catechism - a religious instruction by a priest -
• There were riots in St Giles Cathedral
• By 1638, they signed an agreement not to accept the Laudian prayer book. These rebels were known as covenanters
• In 1639, Charles sent an army to Scotland, and the covenanters defeated it. They then invaded England

Question 38

How was the short parliament a short term cause

Answer 38

• Charles realises that he needs more money to defeat the Scots. The parliament agrees however he must agree to their terms:
  -> King Charles I must not pass laws without the parliament’s agreement
  -> He cannot raise unpopular taxes - He refuses,
  -> this only lasts a month

Question 39

How was the long parliament a short-term cause of the English civil war?

Answer 39

• the King calls the parliament again for money in 1640. He must agree for:
  -> Stafford and Laud to be imprisoned
  -> the star chamber to be abolished
  -> the parliament to meet every three years
  -> ship money to be made illegal

Question 40

How was Ireland a short-term cause of the English civil war?

Answer 40

Thomas Wentworth, a favourite of Charles and the Earl of Stafford, was sent to keep control of Ireland
- There was religious tension between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland
- In 1640, riots broke out and many Protestants were killed by the Catholics
- The parliament took control of the army and the King was furious

Question 41

What were the trigger causes for the English civil war?

Answer 41

• In 1642, the relations deteriorated again between the king and parliament
• John Pym a leading opponent of the king, presented the Grand Remonstrance.
  This was a list of grievances against Charles
• The King was furious - He raised an army and marched to the parliament to arrest the five men who led the opposition
• This proved to people that Charles was a tyrant

Question 42

Who were the Cavaliers/Royalists?

Answer 42

• Rich landowners who supported the king, as a way to show personal loyalty to the King and to keep in place the social structures they benefited from
• mainly from the North of England
• They wore expensive clothing into battle, with feathers in their hats, silk coats and frilly shirts.

Question 43

Who were the Roundheads?

Answer 43

• The middle classes and peasant workers who supported parliament, as there was a less rigid social hierarchy in parliament
• Mainly from South of England
• They wore simple/ practical clothes into battles, with metal helmets and breastplates

Question 44

What were the events of the English civil war?

Answer 44

Battle of Edgehill - 1642
-> King Charles I tried to take London but failed and withdrew to Oxford
Battle of Naseby - 1645
-> Decisive victory for Cromwell and Fairfax
-> Cromwell forms the New Model army
-> outnumbered the Kings army with 14000 men to his 9000 men
- Charles was later captured in 1647 by the scots in Nottinghamshire and was imprisoned

Question 45

What were the immediate events leading to the execution of Charles I?

Answer 45

1648:
- Whilst imprisoned in Nottingham, Charles I secretly wrote to the Scottish Parliament to convince them to raise an army against the new model army - this proved that he could not be trusted
- Thomas Pride’s purge of the house of parliament led to the formation of the rump parliament. This effectively meant that the king would stand trial with no supporters

Question 46

Why was King Charles I’s execution significant?

Answer 46

• The fact that out of the 135 commissioners due to judge Charles, only 68 turned up showed the magnitude of the event - it was unprecedented and scary, even for those who had fought against Charles
• Parliament had to secure a law to ensure another king did not replace Charles before executing him

Question 47

How was Oliver Cromwell a fair and suitable ruler?

Answer 47

• He won wars against the Dutch and Spanish
• He restored England’s reputation abroad
• freedom to worship how you liked
• everyone became freemen

Question 48

How was Oliver Cromwell not a fair and suitable ruler?

Answer 48

• kept strict control on aspects of life, tried to ban Christmas
• Cromwell imprisoned the levellers - was there a freedom of religion?
• Cromwell massacred Drogheda in Ireland - killing 2000 people

Question 49

What happened at the end of Cromwell’s reign?

Answer 49

• When Cromwell died in 1658, his son, Richard, was not interested in politics and resigned in 1659
• In 1660, Charles II rode into London and was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Question 50

What was the era called during Cromwell’s reign?

Answer 50

Interregnum, Protectorate, Commonwealth