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History 📜 > Richard And John > Flashcards

Richard And John Flashcards

1
Q

What was the role of the king in the feudal system

A

Extremely powerful
Owned all land in England
Duty to protect his people

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2
Q

What was the role of tenants-in-chief in the feudal system

A

Vassals of the king
Barons / archbishops / bishops
Provided knight service to king
Advised king
Granted land to under-tenants

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3
Q

What was the role of knights / under-tenants in the feudal system

A

Vassals to tenants-in-chief
Fought on horseback in king’s army
Usually lords of manorial estates

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4
Q

What was the role of peasants in the feudal system

A

Provided labour service to lord in return for protection, shelter and land
Couldn’t leave without permission

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5
Q

The king kept __% of land for himself - this was known as ____

A

20%
Demesne

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6
Q

What was a fief

A

Land held by a vassal in return for service to a lord

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7
Q

How could a vassal be punished if he broke his oath of loyalty?

A

Forfeiture or death

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8
Q

What were the 3 types of peasant

A

Villeins
Cottars
Freemen

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9
Q

What was a villein

A

Property of their lord
Worked on certain days of week (week-work) and harvest (boon-work)

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10
Q

What was a cottar

A

Held cottage with small piece of land in return for labour services
Worked 1 day a week on lord’s land

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11
Q

What was a freeman

A

Paid rent for their land
Free to move as they liked
Didn’t have to work on lord’s land

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12
Q

The quota of knights that tenants-in-chief owed to the king depended on…

A

How much land they’d been given

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13
Q

The quota of knights owed by a tenant-in-chief was known as…

A

The servitium debitum

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14
Q

Number of knights owed by a tenant-in-chief ranged from…

A

A handful to 50 or 60 knights

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15
Q

Knights swore loyalty to ____ and ____ before being given land

A

Their overlord
God

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16
Q

Rent from peasants supported the knight’s family, but…

A

They weren’t necessarily rich

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17
Q

What did knight service entail?

A

Up to 40 days’ service guarding lord’s castle and training
At least 2 months in king’s army at his own expense
Helping raise money to pay ransom of his lord if captured in battle

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18
Q

What was homage

A

Public demonstration of loyalty

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19
Q

What was fealty

A

A feudal tenant’s or vassal’s sworn loyalty to a lord

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20
Q

How much power did the feudal system give the king?

A

Most powerful person in country
Had military service, money, sources of patronage
Social and political control

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21
Q

What could the king do to his vassals that other lords couldn’t?

A

Controlled marriages of widows of tenants-in-chief
And those of heirs / heiresses when they were his wards

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22
Q

Describe two features of feudalism in the years 1189-1216 (4)
What points would you make for this Q?

A

King at top of feudal system, complete power, provided land in return for army and labour service

Peasants worked lord’s land, freemen paid rent instead and could move around whereas villeins belonged to lord

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23
Q

Describe two features of landholding in the years 1189-1216 (4)
What points would you make?

A

Villeins and cottars held land in exchange for labour services (1), for instance villeins had to work on lord’s land on certain days of week (1)

Knights held land in exchange for military service (1), for instance had to serve in king’s army for 2 months and guard service for 40 days (1)

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24
Q

What was the Anarchy and when did it take place?

A

Civil war
1135-53
Between Matilda and Stephen of Blois

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25
Q

What were Matilda and Stephen’s claims to the throne

A

Matilda = daughter of Henry I
Stephen = nephew of Henry I

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26
Q

Where were Matilda’s and Stephen’s power bases

A

Matilda in South West
Stephen in South East

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27
Q

When did the nobles promise to support Matilda?

A

1127

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28
Q

How did the Anarchy weaken the power of the crown by the time Henry II came to the throne

A

Royal revenue down by 2/3
Royal lands had been granted away
Control over church shaken
Far north of England now ruled by king of Scots

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29
Q

How did Henry II’s qualities make him a successful ruler?

A

Restored royal authority to England
He was passionate and intelligent
Destroyed rebel castles, went back to landholdings as they’d been under Henry I, strengthened legal system

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30
Q

What compromise did Henry II have to make about his position in the feudal system?

A

Became a vassal of the French king

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31
Q

Henry II married ____, expanding his ___ and ___

A

Eleanor of Aquitaine
Land
Power

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32
Q

What was the crisis of Henry II?

A

1172-74
Reputation damaged by murder of Thomas Becket
Rebellion by Henry the Young King, Eleanor, William of Scotland
Henry II win but had to exploit Royal rights a lot —> resentments

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33
Q

How did Richard secure power?

A

Didn’t have competitors but needed to establish himself
Rewarded barons who’d been loyal to his father
Replaced many of Henry’s men
Kept brothers quiet, released mother from prison
Honoured agreements with Philip II

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34
Q

Philip II wanted to reassert ____ against the Angevin rulers

A

Power of France

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35
Q

Philip II had been waiting a long time for marriage between ______ and _____
He came to hate Richard personally because of actions in ____ and ____

A

His sister
Richard
France
On crusade

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36
Q

Henry II reformed the legal system to…

A

Make law function independently of him and make the crown lots of money

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37
Q

Henry II took responsibilities very seriously - “…”
He was passionate and ___
He moved around quickly - good at….

A

“Crucified with anxiety”
Intelligent
Itinerant kingship

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38
Q

What was Richard like as a person?

A

“Superhuman” at best, could be unpleasant and inhumane
Generous, imaginative, risk taker
“Inspired fear and respect”
Great warrior, ideal medieval king

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39
Q

How did Richard impact the crown?

A

Regarded as the model of a medieval king
Went on crusade - doing his duty
Influenced by code of chivalry
Succeeded because he was surviving legitimate son of Henry - very certain

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40
Q

What was John like as a person?

A

“Inspired fear and loathing”
Cruel, mean and paranoid
Not good in crisis
Short temper, rash behaviour
Worst medieval king
Not chivalric - murdered nephew

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41
Q

How did John impact the crown?

A

Showed religious devotion - visited shrines
Showed good judgement by appointing loyal baton to protect N England
Made peace treaty with king of France
Intelligent, capable military leader
Damaged rep by murdering Arthur

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42
Q

What was the king’s primary role?

A

Governing the kingdom and enforcing justice

43
Q

How were new kings chosen?

A

Nominated by previous king or chosen by leading barons

44
Q

What were the king’s duties?

A

Keeping peace
Protecting people
Maintaining justice
Showing fairness + mercy
Defending country w military force

45
Q

How were rituals and display important to kingship?

A

Needed to be seen by subjects in order to reinforce his authority
At coronation anointed w holy oils - seen as God’s representative
Crown-earrings at Easter, Christmas and Witsun (7th Sunday after Easter)

46
Q

Describe two features of kingship at the end of the 12th century (4)
What points would you make?

A

Kings expected to maintain justice (1), this meant had to travel around, hearing cases and making judgements (1)

Rituals and displays of kingship v important to show authority (1), to achieve this there were several public ceremonies eg crown wearings (1)

47
Q

What problems might have arisen from Richard not being in the kingdom long?

A

Someone might try to take over
He wouldn’t be aware of situation in England / wouldn’t be able to help

48
Q

Was Longchamp a good choice to govern England in Richard’s absence?

A

No - he had little knowledge of English government
He was arrogant towards barons (replaced many of them)

49
Q

What was the Church’s influence in society?

A

Widespread belief in Christian teachings
Pope seen as God’s representative

50
Q

What was the Church’s influence in economy?

A

Controlled 20% of land
Wealth from land and wool trade

51
Q

What was the Church’s influence in government?

A

Clergy were educated
Worked in barons’ households as clerks
Chancellor always clergyman so had influence on king’s decisions

52
Q

How did finances preserve the system of royal government?

A

No clear separation between king’s household + treasury
English kings among wealthiest in Europe
Only supposed to use taxes rarely
Money from feudal rents/payments, selling land, land taxes

53
Q

England was an ____ society

A

Agrarian

54
Q

The main unit of organisation was…

A

The manorial estate

55
Q

The special status of towns gave many inhabitants ___

A

Privileges

56
Q

In towns lived groups that were distant from mainstream society, such as…

A

Jews
Foreign merchants
Mendicant friars

57
Q

What were mendicant friars?

A

Monks reliant on charity

58
Q

Towns were required in times of war to…

A

Make extra contributions in feudal dues

59
Q

___ of all kinds founded towns, ___ them and invested in ___ ___

A

Lords
Promoted
Urban property

60
Q

Leicester showed ___ to its lords (the earls of Lancaster) by greeting them with ___ when they visited - they regarded them as ___ as well as ___

A

Deference
Gifts
Patrons
Overlords

61
Q

Lords and the feudal system were able to ___ well with towns

A

Coexist

62
Q

Towns represented ___ and provided an appropriate setting for ___ and ___

A

Civilisation
Castles
Cathedrals

63
Q

The ___ and ___ originally looked down on traders and urban inhabitants

A

Aristocracy
Church

64
Q

How did religious thinkers change their teachings about wealth to fit with the growth of towns?

A

Traditionally taught that personal wealth was sinful
Now taught that moderate wealth was okay if accompanied by charitable giving

65
Q

The urban sector didn’t ___ with feudal society but formed ___

A

Compete
Part of it

66
Q

Urbanisation was linked to…?

A

A more numerous + wealthy aristocracy
A peasantry involved in the market

67
Q

Who had the right to keep and graze animals in the common land and forest?

A

Peasants could keep animals such as cows + sheep
Pigs driven into woods to eat acorns + bark
Freemen had right, villeins had to pay

68
Q

Who lived in a manorial estate and what rights did they claim over others?

A

Lord of the manor or his bailiff
Lord kept some land, rest was divided among peasants for them to farm

69
Q

What were guilds?

A

Groups of individuals working in the same trade - members paid entrance fee

70
Q

Membership of a guild meant…

A

A tradesman had an unrestricted right to trade in the town

71
Q

Why were towns such an important source of revenue?

A

Tolls paid on sales + purchases
Tolls on certain roads and bridges
Rent for market tables
Trade boosted income
Port towns enabled foreign trade

72
Q

Who governed towns and how was town government linked to royal government?

A

Many towns established by royal charter
This granted citizens freedom from certain taxes
Richard and John granted charters in return for large sums of money
Town had a law court and form of self-govt

73
Q

How did royal demesne give the king money?

A

It was made up of royal hunting forests, manorial estates and towns
Money from rent
Taxes from people in towns

74
Q

What was tallage?

A

A type of land tax

75
Q

Who had to pay tallage?

A

Tenants of the royal demesne

76
Q

Why was tallage unpopular?

A

Only paid by lower classes
There was no fixed sum so amounts were seen as unreasonably high

77
Q

How could the king make money from courts?

A

Cases usually started by payment of a fee for a writ, which went to the king
Some kings gave favourable judgements if they were paid

78
Q

What were the feudal incidents kings could claim?

A

Payments made by vassals - forest fines, wardship fines, money paid when heir inherited land, dowry for king’s eldest daughter, ransom if king captured

79
Q

When would you have to pay a wardship fine?

A

If baron died while heir underage, heir became king’s ward
When they reached adulthood they paid a fine in return for getting their lands back

80
Q

What were forest fines?

A

Forest land was under king’s protection so he claimed fines for those living / working / hunting / foraging there

81
Q

Why were forest fines increasingly resented?

A

They affected everyone and John increased them in his reign

82
Q

What was scutage?

A

A payment made by the holders of a knight’s fee in return for not having to fight

83
Q

What did kings use scutage to pay for?

A

Engineers, foot soldiers and bowmen

84
Q

Why was scutage becoming resented during John’s reign?

A

He demanded 11 scutages in 16 years

85
Q

How were jobs different in the countryside vs towns?

A

Country - all farmers
Towns - many different jobs, apprenticeships started at 14, children didn’t have to follow parents’ professions

86
Q

In towns, women were sometimes allowed to…
And many women supported their husbands through…

A

Join guilds and work in professions
Working in bakeries or taverns

87
Q

Living conditions in towns were ___ and ___

A

Cramped
Dirty

88
Q

Jews had been in England since ___
Most were ___ and ___, some became wealthy like ___

A

1066
Poor and marginalised
Aaron of Lincoln - richest man in England

89
Q

How did Jews have a complex legal status?

A

Allowed to travel freely and trade
Not allowed to join guilds
“King’s property”
Could be taxed without limits
Had their estates seized when they died

90
Q

Christians were forbidden to charge ___ on loans, this was called ___
Therefore it was ___ who made profits from ___ ___

A

Interest
Usury
Jews
Lending money

91
Q

As moneylenders, Jews were resented for…
They were often disliked by…

A

Profiteering from Christian work
Powerful members of society, who owed them money

92
Q

Jewish people spoke a different ___ and lived in separate ___

A

Language
Areas of towns

93
Q

Jews lived in high concentrations in certain towns - these came to be known as…

A

Ghettoes

94
Q

Events such as deaths of children were blamed on ___, who were seen as ___ with ___ religious practices

A

Jews
Outsiders
Corrupt

95
Q

How were Jews seen in the context of the Crusades?

A

Seen as “other” and a potential threat to society from within
Many in Germany killed by Crusaders

96
Q

What religious reason did medieval Christians have for rejecting Jews?

A

Believed they had killed Jesus - not true but was taught in church

97
Q

By 1200, how many Jews lived in England?

A

5000

98
Q

What is a pogrom?

A

Riot against a particular group of people

99
Q

The pogroms of 1189-90 involved…

A

Setting Jews’ homes on fire, stealing their property, attacking and killing them

100
Q

What were the long term reasons for the pogroms?

A

Widespread antisemitism in society
Jews seen as Christ’s killers and outsiders, hated for charging interest and blamed for bad events

101
Q

What triggered the pogroms?

A

Jews tried to attend Richard’s coronation and give him a gift, some Christians saw it as an insult and attacked them
There was a lot of “crusading spirit” as Richard was preparing for a crusade

102
Q

How did Richard react to the pogroms beginning?

A

He was furious, hanged the ringleaders and ordered people to leave Jews in peace
However, violence spread anyway

103
Q

What specifically happened to Jews in York?

A

150 of them took refuge in Clifford’s Tower but had no way out, so they set the tower on fire and killed themselves

104
Q

How did the Pope convince people to go on Crusade?

A

Promised forgiveness of sins / ensured passage to Heaven
Portrayed Saladin in negative light - threat to Christians

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