The Middle Ages Flashcards
When were the Middle Ages and what was significant about this time?
The period after the Norman Conquest up until about 1485 is called the Middle Ages/Period. It was a time of almost constant war.
Who was Edward I and when was he King of England?
Edward I also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307.
What happened with Wales during the Middle Ages?
In Wales, the English were able to establish their rule.
In 1284, King Edward I of England introduced the Statute of Rhuddlan which annexed Wales to the Crown of England. Huge castles were built to maintain his power. By the middle of the 15th century the last Welsh rebellions had been defeated. English laws and the English language were introduced.
What happened with Scotland in the Middle Ages?
In Scotland in the Middle Ages, the English kings were less successful than in Wales. In 1314 the Scottish, led by Robert the Bruce, defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn and Scotland remained unconquerable by the English.
What happened with Ireland during the Middle Ages?
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, Ireland was an independent country. The English first went to Ireland as troops to help the Irish king and remained to build their own settlements. By 1200, the English ruled an area of Ireland known as Pale, around Dublin. Some of the important lords in other parts of Ireland accepted the authority of the English king.
What wars abroad did the English kings fight during the Middle Ages?
The wars that the English kings fought during the Middles Ages include:
- The Crusades: European Christians fought for control of the Holy Land.
- The Hundred Years War: war with France lasting 116 years - Battle of Agincourt in 1415 where King Henry V’s vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French. The English left France in 1450s.
What happened in 1348 and what was the impact?
In 1345, a form of plague, came to Britain called The Black Death. One third of the population of England died and a similar proportion in Scotland and Wales. In Ireland, the Black Death killed many in Pale, and for a time the area controlled by the English became smaller.
Following the Black Death, the smaller population meant there was less need to grow cereal crops. There were labour shortages and peasants began to demand higher wages. New social classes appeared, including owners of large areas of land (later called the gentry) and people left the countrysides to live in towns. In the towns, growing wealth led to the development of a strong middle class.
When did Parliament begin to develop into what it is today?
Parliament began to develop into the institution it is today during the Middle Ages. It’s origins can be traced to the king’s council of advisers, which included important noblemen and the leaders of the Church.
What is the Magna Carta and how did it develop?
There were few formal limits to the king’s power until 1215. In that year, King John was forced by his noblemen to agree to a number of demands. The result was a charter of rights called the Magna Carta (which means the Great Charter). The Magna Carta established the idea that even the king was subject to the law. It protected the rights of the nobility and restricted the king’s power to collect taxes or to make or change laws.
What was the structure of Parliament in England in the Middle Ages?
In England, parliaments were called for the king to consult his nobles, particularly when the king needed to raise money. The numbers attending parliament increased and two separate parts, known as Houses, were established.
1. The House of Lords: The nobility, great landowners and bishops.
2. The House of Commons: Knights (smaller land owners) and wealthy people from towns and cities.
Only a small part of the population was able to join in electing the members of the Commons.
A similar Parliament developed in Scotland. It had three Houses called Estates: the lords, the commons and the clergy.
How did the legal system develop in the Middle Ages?
The principle that judges are independent of the government began to be established.
In England, judges developed ‘common law’ by a process of precedence (following previous decisions) and traditions.
In Scotland, the legal system developed slightly differently and laws were ‘codified’ (written down).
How did the English language develop in the Middle Ages?
After the Norman Conquest, the king and his noblemen had spoken Norman French and the peasants had continued to speak Anglo-Saxon. Gradually these two languages combined to become one English language. In modern English, there are often two words with very similar meanings, one from French and one from Anglo-Saxon.
When did English become the primary language of England?
By 1400, official documents were being written in English and English had become the preferred language of the royal court and Parliament.
Who wrote The Canterbury Tales, when and what was it about?
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the years leading up to 1400. They were a series of poems about a group of people going to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. The people told each other stories on the journey, and the poems describe the travellers and some of the stories they told. It was one of the first books to be published by William Caxton, the first person to print books using a printing press.
Who is John Barbour?
John Barbour is a Scottish poet who wrote The Bruce about the Battle of Bannockburn, in the Scots language.
