Power and the people - king john Flashcards
how was the feudal system organised
king
bishops + barons
knights
peasants
who owned all the land
the king
what does the king do with the land
give it to vassals who swear fealty to him (including the church)
what was the divine right of kings
the belief god decided who the monarchy was
what the king decided was the will of god
what is an absolute monarchy
a system in which the monarch decides everything including taxation, who is arrested or executes
low key a dictatorship
what is scutage
a tax used in place of military service
how did john raise money for his wars
scutage
fines
additional taxes
what tax did john put on marriage
men who wanted to marry rich widows had to pay him
he began to force this marriage
what is interdiction
the act of stopping any religious services in england for a period of time
how did john upset the pope
appointed his own archbishop instead of having the popes choice
who did the pope want as archbishop
stephen langton
how did the pope punish john
excommunicated him
interdicted england
when did john give in to the pope
1213
was john good at war?
no, lost almost every battle
lost most of his lands in france
gained the name ‘lackland’
was john fair with money
no, constantly introduced taxes, additional fines andd fees
why were the barons angry at john
he began fining large sums to inherit their titles
he appoointed french friends and nobles to senior englishh positions
how did the barons try to get john to change (failed attempts)
wrote lists of grievances
presented them to king
how did the barons eventually act against the king
robert fitzwalter raised an army to occupy london
forced him to negotiate
when are where did john meet the barons
runnymede
15th june 1215
what was the role of the magna carta
limit the power of the king and give more contol over how country was run to barons
what are 6 of the main clauses of the magna carta
barons heir will inherit title with £100 payment to king
no scutage with be imposed except with common counsel of realm
no freemen will be arrested without trial
church is free to make its own appointments
merchants have safety in staying and travelling in england
group of 25 barons will monitor the king
how did john respond to the magna carta
appealed to liege lord
pope declared magna carta NULL AND VOID
john was allowed to ignore it
why was the magna carta significant
first legal document to limit the power of the king
why were the barons strong in the 1st barons war
they were backed by the king of france
november 1215 sent a force of french knights to help
