Second year history

Question 1

Beliefs prior to the age of exploration

Answer 1

Acronym: FBSSM
● F​lat - world was flat
● B​oiling - seas further south were boiling
● S​mall - the world was smaller than it actually was
● S​trange people - people in the south would be stranger
● M​onsters - the sea was full of monsters

Question 2

New ships in age of exploration

Answer 2

Caravel
● Clinker built - overlapping wood made the caravel stronger
● Lateen and square sails - the caravel could
● Rudder - the caravel sailed faster and easier to steer
● Castle - a raised platform to see enemies approaching

Question 3

New navigation equipment

Answer 3

Astrolabe, quadrant and cross staff measured latitude
● Compass determined map directions
● Portolan charts were upgraded
● Log and line measured speed
● Lead and line measured water depth

Question 4

Christopher Columbus Short summary

Answer 4

Background
● Born in Genoa, Italy 1451
● Sailor
● Gained experience from previous voyages
● Attended Prince Henry’s school of navigation in Sagres
Aims and beliefs
● Believed Earth was round
● Believed that if you sailed from the West to East, you would reach Asian countries such
as China and Japan
● Portugal and England did not want to sponsor his voyage
● King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to sponsor his voyage
● Spain provided him with 3 ships: the Santa Maria (his flagship), the Pinta and the Nina
● He was promised the title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” if he made a discovery
Voyages
● 3rd August 1492 set sail from Palos, Spain
● First stop was the Canary Islands for fresh supplies
● In September 1492, set sail into the unknowns of the Atlantic
● Diseases, punishments and poor food aboard
● 12th October 1492, Pinta spotted land which Columbus named “San Salvador” meaning
“Our Saviour”
● Columbus discovered Cuba and Hispaniola, but thought he had reached Asia
● Left 40 men in Hispaniola and returned to Spain with 6 “Indians” and strange plants/birds
Died in 1506

Question 5

Results of the age of exploration

Answer 5

● Explorations brought great wealth to European countries e.g the gold found by Cortes
and Pizarro
●  trade routes were established
Effect on Natives
● Their land was taken
● Forced to work in mines or on land
● Christianity was imposed on them
● Too many natives died that there was no one left to do the work, leading to slaves being
imported from Africa

Question 6

What is the reformation?

Answer 6

The Reformation ​refers to the changes and improvements that occurred in the Catholic Church that led to the growth of new religions

Question 7

Causes of the reformation

Answer 7

● W​ealth of the Catholic Church - people were jealous of their wealth. Princes and kings
wanted this wealth to build up their countries. The church received money in a number of ways:
➢ Medieval people gave money to priests and nuns to pray for them because the people were anxious to get to heaven
➢ Taxes were paid to the Pope and bishops by the Christians
● A​buses of the Catholic Church
➢ Nepotism - relations of nobles, cardinals and bishops were given church positions
➢ Simony - the buying and selling of church positions
➢ Pluralism - cardinals and bishops owned more than one diocese
➢ Absenteeism - when cardinals and bishops were absent from one of their diocese
due to pluralism
➢ Bishops cared more about power and wealth than their religion
➢ Bishops often had little education about their religion and they were unable to
read Latin and perform ceremonies and conduct services
● P​rinces - they wanted to control the power and influence of the Catholic Church
● P​rinting press - criticism of the Catholic Church could be spread quickly through books
and pamphlets
● I​nfluence of the Renaissance - it encouraged people to question things, including
religion. Many criticised the church and said that it was not following what was written in the Bible

Question 8

A summary on Martin Luther

Answer 8

Background
● Born in Saxony, Germany in 1483
● Read the Bible and discovered that justification by faith alone could get you to heaven
and not by buying indulgences
Protest 1517
● Luther wrote the 95 Theses, or arguments, against the Catholic Church. He then nailed them to the door of Wittenberg Castle
● A meeting was organised by King Charles V “Diet of Worms”, to discuss Luther and his beliefs

Question 9

Results of the reformation

Answer 9

Wars of religion
● Thirty Years War (1618-48)
Intolerance and persecution
● Catholics persecuted 
● Protestant churches wanted everyone to read the Bible and for children to attend school

Question 10

Reformation in England

Answer 10

Henry VIII
● Devout Catholic
● Known as the Defender of the Faith “Fidei Defensor”
● Reign ended in 1547 and he broke away from the Catholic Church because he wanted
to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon but the Catholic Church did not allow divorces
● He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church
● Passed the Act of Supremacy in 1534 which made the King of England the Head of the
Catholic Church
● The Oath of Supremacy was the promise to recognise King Henry as the Head of the
Catholic Church
Closure of monasteries
● Henry confiscated all lands belonging to monasteries, making them Crown property
● Reasons were: they were badly run, he wanted the wealth and land and the monks were
loyal to the Pope
● By 1547, Henry had closed 370 monasteries
English Reformation spreads
● Edward took over developing Protestantism fully and introducing the Book of Common Prayer
● Mary brought back the Catholic religion but she only reigned for 5 years
● Elizabeth established the Church of England (Anglican Church) where there was a
mixture of Lutheran and Catholic beliefs
● Elizabeth made Protestantism the official religion of England
Effects of the Reformation in England
● King became head of Church of England and the ruler of the country
● Parliament became more powerful because that was where the royals passed laws
● England was united

Question 11

What was the pale?

Answer 11

Small area that stretched from the north to the south of Dublin
● King’s officials had power
● Common law, English customs and language was enforced

Question 12

Who were the Anglo Irish?

Answer 12

Descendants from the Anglo-Normans
● Supposed to be loyal to the English Crown
● Followed both common and Brehon laws
● Examples were the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, Butlers of Ormond and the Fitzgeralds of
Desmond

Question 13

Who were the Gaelic Irish lords

Answer 13

Descendants from the native Irish lords
● Followed the Brehon law only
● Each kingdom had its own king
● Examples were the O’Neills of Tyrone, the O’Donnells of Donegal and the McCarthys of
  Cork

Question 14

Brehon law versus common law

Answer 14

Brehon Law
Chief was elected from the derbhfine Land owned by the clan/tribe

Common Law
New lord was the eldest son Land was owned by the lord

Question 15

The plantations why and how

Answer 15

Reasons
● English wanted to extend their control beyond the Pale
How
● Rebellious chiefs were defeated and their lands confiscated
● Their lands were given to loyal settlers and planters
● Planters used English law, language and customs
● Planters defended their new land

Question 16

Results of the plantation in Ireland

Answer 16

Political
● Conflict between Catholics and Protestants continued
● Protestants enforced penal laws to keep their power
● Conflict led to riots, developing into the Troubles
Cultural
● Gaelic culture, language and laws declined
● New farming methods depended on tillage
● Ireland became a more urban society
Religious
● Made country more Protestant
● Failed to crush the Catholic religion

Question 17

The plantation of Laois and Offaly in 1556

Answer 17

Background
The Plantation of Laois Offaly 1556
● The O’Mores and the O’Connors were the main chieftains and they frequently invaded the Pale
● Queen Mary was the monarch responsible for carrying out this plantation
Aims
● To confiscate land in Laois and Offaly
● Impose English law
● Protect the Pale
● Control the native population
Plantation
● Confiscated Laois and renamed it “Queen’s County”
● Confiscated Offaly and renamed it “King’s County”
● Maryborough was the capital of Queen’s County
● Philipstown was the capital of “King’s County”
● 2⁄3 of the confiscated land was distributed to the English planters
● 1⁄3 of the confiscated land was given to loyal Irish
● In total, 360 acres of land were confiscated
● English law, language and customs were enforced in these confiscated areas
Results
● Only 80 planters arrived
● Gaelic Irish were given land because not enough planters arrived
● Confiscated lands were attacked by the O’Mores and the O’Connors
● Plantation was a failure
● The English learnt a lesson

Question 18

The Munster plantations

Answer 18

Reasons
● Queen Elizabeth wanted to increase power of the British kingdom
● She wanted to decrease the risk of being invaded through Ireland
Background
● James Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald led a rebellion, lost and was killed
● Munster was in shambles and the land was confiscated by the British
Plan
● Younger sons of noble families who wouldn’t inherit land were encouraged to settle in Ireland
● The land was divided into estates of 4000, 6000, 8000 acres
● Rent was imposed to be paid to the crown
● The planters had to be ready to defend against a Spanish invasion after 7 years
● English farmers, labourers and craftsmen would be employed and given homes on the
estates
● Some undertakers received very large estates because of their close connections with
the royal family eg. Sir. Walter Raleigh who received 42,000 acres
Outcome
● The plantation was a failure
● Only 1⁄3 of the aimed for 20,000 planters came to Ireland
Results
● A wealthy protestant minority developed
● Plantation towns such as Lismore and Killarney were built
● New farming methods revolving around tillage (crops) were introduced

Question 19

The plantation of ulster

Answer 19

The Nine-Years War
The Plantation of Ulster
● Between 1594 and 1603
● Led by Hugh O’Neill and Hugh O’Donnell against the English government
● Many Irish victories eg. The Battle of the Yellow Ford
● One great failure ended the war at Kinsale in 1601
● In 1601, King Philip II of Spain decided to help but the Irish still lost at Kinsale
● The Treaty of Mellifont (1603) was signed allowing English law to be imposed by sheriffs
on their land
● O’Neill and O’Donnell became annoyed with the imposition and fled the country to
Europe
● This was called the Flight of The Earls (1607)
● Their land was confiscated
Reasons
● King James wanted power and control
● Wanted to convert the Irish to Protestantism
● Wanted to impose law, language and customs
How
● King James confiscated the land
● 6 counties were confiscated
● In total, 4 million acres
● Commission of Inquiry were appointed to investigate and survey the land
● The confiscated land was divided into crown land and church land
Undertakers
● Loyal British men
● Received 2000 acres
● Paid £5 per 1000 acres
● Could only take English or Scottish tenants
Servitors
● Soldiers who were owed money by the British government
● Received 1,500 acres
● Paid £8 per 1000 acres
● Could take protestant English, Scottish, and Irish Tenants
Loyal Irish
● Irish men who were loyal to the crown
● Received 1,000 acres
● Paid £10 per 1000 acres

Question 20

The American war of independence

Answer 20

Background
The American War of Independence
● 7 years war in North America between England and France over territory
● 13 colonies of English settlers in North America
Taxes
● Navigation Acts allowed British to control America - American products could only be sold to England, low profit margin, lead to smuggling
● The Stamp Act meant that all newspapers and official documents had to be stamped which was expensive. The Americans then had to pay for this, leading to riots, stamps were burnt and stamp officials were attacked
● The Townsend Act refers to the taxes that the British imposed on some imported goods such as tea
● The Quartering Act was the taxes that the Americans had to pay to cover the cost of the war and for troops in America for defence
Sons of Liberty
● An American campaign that reduced British control
● Americans wanted “No Taxation Without Representation” (slogan of the Sons of Liberty)
in the British parliament
Boston Massacre 1770
● Officials were tarred and feathered by Americans protesting against the Stamp Act
● Angry crowds stoned British soldiers who open fired in return and killed 5
Boston Tea Party December 1773
● The Boston Tea Party was the first act of war. Americans disguised as Indians dumped 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbour from British ships
● Martial law was imposed on Boston
● Boston Harbour was closed

Question 21

What was the significance of the meeting of the continental congress in May 1775

Answer 21

A meeting in Philadelphia that representatives from 13 colonies attended
● Washington represented Virginia
● They passed the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July 1776

● Washington was appointed commander in chief when he impressed representatives at the Continental Congress

Question 22

Early battles of the American war of independence

Answer 22

George Washington Became Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army
● Thomas Paine wrote “Common Sense” and Inspired Americans
● Declaration of Independence (1776)

Question 23

Later battles of the American war of Independence

Answer 23

Battle of Saratoga (1777) - important American win
● French and Spanish help came: money, ships, arms, trained generals and armies
● Washington in Philadelphia - British
● Battle at Yorktown (1781) - American won against British General Cornwallis
● British Surrendered
● America Gained Independence (1787)

Question 24

Reasons why the Americans won the war

Answer 24

The Americans knew the territory better
● They had a cause which motivated them to fight
● They had a good leader - George Washington
● They received French and Spanish Help

Question 25

The results of the war of Independence

Answer 25

Independence was achieved
● Other countries were inspired to rebel and fight for independence
● Washington later became America’s first president
● The American Revolution encouraged similar revolutions in France and Ireland

Question 26

A summary on George Washington

Answer 26

● Washington was made the Commander
● The continental army knew the countryside well
● They had a cause which motivated them
● The British army called the Redcoats had better training and equipment
● But they were not as motivated and they were unused to the areas
cold winter in the Valley forge
● Lots of men lost
● Washington was elected the first president of America
● He died in 1799

Question 27

The Irish revolution causes of the 1798 rising

Answer 27

Reasons for the Irish Revolution Protestant Ascendancy
The Irish Revolution
● Members of the Church of Ireland or the Anglican Church
● Only made of 15% of the Irish population at that time
● Had most power and owned most of the land
● They controlled the Irish parliament
Penal Laws
● These laws discriminated against the Catholics and the Presbyterians
● After 1770, most of these penal laws were abolished but they still couldn’t become MP’s
or have high positions of power
● Tithes still had to be paid
● Protestant Ascendency used these laws to maintain its power
Poverty
● Most people were farmers, labourers and lived in the countryside
● Many farms were subdivided because of the rising population
● Many people were badly off
● Rural societies such as the Whiteboys protested against high rents and tithes\
Influence of the revolutions
● The American Revolution caused great excitement in Ireland
● The Irish had seen how the Americans had gained independence from the British
● The French Revolution was quite popular in Belfast
● The slogan “liberty, equality and fraternity” spread across Ireland
Wolfe Tone
● Admired ideas of the French Revolution
● Argued that no reform in Ireland was needed unless it included voting rights for Catholics
United Irishmen
● Formed from a meeting on the 18th October 1791
● Their aims were to unite all religions, reform Irish parliament, reduce English power and
use no violence
● It spread to Dublin and its membership was mostly middle class
Catholic Committee
● A delegation that went to present a petition of Catholic grievances to the king
● Catholics couldn’t become MP’s or have high positions of power
War
● There was a real fear of French invasion
● Government stopped further reforms and brought in a policy of repression
● Government believed United Irishmen were planning an invasion
● United Irishmen became a secret oath bound society

Question 28

1798 rising

Answer 28

Background
Tone went to France for help
● Lord Edward Fitzgerald and other leaders devised plans for a rebellion in May of 1798
● Spies reported these plans and the leaders were arrested and some killed
Rebellion in Connacht
● Defeated again in the Races of Castlebar and Ballinamuck
● Some of the leaders were sentenced to be hanged
Rebellion in Ulster
● Rebellion in Ulster was limited because the British terror of 1797 caused the United irishmen to retreat
Death of Tone
● British navy captured him
● Tone was sent to Dublin where he was hung after being tried
● He committed suicide
Act of Union
● Passed in 1800
● Abolished the Houses of Parliament in Dublin
● Irish MP’s and lords could only represent Ireland in Westminster

Question 29

Results of the 1798 rebellion

Answer 29

● 30,000 people died
● Increased bitterness between Catholics and Protestants
● Act of Union passed in 1800
● Rebellions of 1803 led by Robert Emmet. These rebellions were also badly organised
and easily put down
● Robert Emmet was later arrested and executed
● Tone regarded as the Father of Irish Republicans
● Tone inspired many later revolutionary leader

Question 30

A short summary on the agricultural revolution

Answer 30

Background
The Agricultural Revolution
● Industrial revolution reres to the system where goods were made in factories using water or steam power
Old systems of farming
● Agricultural Revolution refers to the changes that occurred in farming methods in the late
18th century and early 19th century
● One field had to be left fallow to allow for recovery
Causes of the Agricultural Revolution Rise in population
● Demand for more food and clothes
Raw materials
● These were used to make goods
● The goods were sold and the profit was used to build machinery and factories
Reasons why it happened Enclosures
● The open fields and common were divided into farms surrounded by fences and hedges
● The Act of Enclosure meant that commissioners were appointed to divide the land
● Easier to farm
● Work in new factories increased in the city

Question 31

A short summary on the transport revolution

Answer 31

Before the Transport Revolution
● Carriages and carts transported goods
● Slow and expensive
● First steam engines took over the sailing ships because they were faster, safer and bigger
● Railroads were used to haul coal from mines
● Huge stationary steam engines were used
● Richard Trevithick designed small engines on wheels in 1804
● In 1825, George Stephenson built the first good train running between Stockton and
Darlington
The impact of railways was quite a massive change as transportation was faster cheaper and good like coal and iron could be transported

Question 32

Background to the industrial revolution

Answer 32

Manufacturing inventions
● 1764 James Hargreaves - Spinning Jenny
● 1769 Richard Arkwright - Water Frame
● 1779 Samuel Crompton - Spinning Mule
● 1733 John Kay - Flying Shuttle
● 1787 Edmund Cartwright - Power Loom
Steam Engines
● Thomas Newcomen was the first to build steam engines
● James Watt made improvements by adding a flywheel
Impact of steam power
● Coal mines
● Transport
● Factories
● Iron industry
Coal uses
● Engines for factories
● Gas lighting
● Railways and steamships
● Home heating and cooking
● Chemicals
● Furnaces
Iron
● Smelted by charcoal
● Abraham Darby used coke instead of charcoal in 1709
● Henry Cort discovered a way of making wrought iron in 1794. Liquid iron was stirred and
rolled through rollers to make sheets of wrought iron
● Iron replaced wood in bridges. ships , piper and tracks
Steel
● Henry Bessemer’s converter was invented to produce cheap steel in 1856

Question 33

Causes of the industrial revolution

Answer 33

Rising population
● Profits from trade
● Agricultural revolution
● Transport revolution

Question 34

Causes of the great Famine

Answer 34

Rise in population
● Subdivision of land
● Dependence on potato
● Blight

Question 35

Progress of the famine

Answer 35

1845 Small area affected and very few people had died
● 1846 Entire crop destroyed
● 1847 Less severe but crops were small, starvation spread
● 1848 Greater force, 3⁄4 crops destroyed, many died/emigrated
● 1849 and 1850 Worst effects were over

Question 36

Sir Robert peel helps victims

Of the famine

Answer 36

Imported 100,000 pounds worth of maize in 1845 to feed 1 million people
● Reduced impact of famine
● However, it was hard to eat and digest
● Set up public work schemes
● Allowed poor people to earn money by working on roads

Question 37

The soup kitchens (the famine)

Answer 37

Set up Society of Friends/Quackers
● Very successful, government passed Soup Kitchen Act in 1847
● Closed down in September 1847 by the government

Question 38

Workhouses during the famine

Answer 38

200,000 by 1848 (only 40,000 in 1845)
● Built to cater for only 100,000 people
● Overcrowding led to diseases
● Government gave permission to open soup kitchens when they got full

Question 39

Emigration during the great famine

Answer 39

250,000 left for the USA in 1846 (200,000 left in the next 5 years)
● Some were helped by landlords who cleared their estates
● Sometimes 1 family member was sent to find work abroad to support the family
financially
● Conditions on ships were bad “coffin ships” - many died on the way
● Overcrowding on board, spreading diseases quickly

Question 40

Results of the famine

Answer 40

Fall in population
● Subdivision ended
● Decline of the Irish language
● English government blamed for the Famine
● Decline of cottiers and small farmers
● Death and emigration