MMMiii!

My lecture yesterday

1066 Oct 14 - Battle of Hastings / Norman Conquest

• King Edward had no heir; William the Conqueror thought he was the next in line.
• Harold Godwin, Earl of Wessex was crowned. William got mad and waged war and won. Harold died
• Ties were cut with Scandinavia, End of the Anglo-Saxon period, Start of Middle Ages
• Normans had Feudalism and French Language and Culture, which William brought to England
• William took the lands of those who went against him, and distributed it among those who were loyal to him and some he kept for himself – fiefs and fealty
• Replacement of the Saxons and Britons in offices by Normans (French)

1067 – Pope Gregory VII was new pope

• established Church reforms
  
• Stronger and stricter church
• Celibacy, centralization of organization to Rome

1085 – English language of the ruling classes was replaced by French

1086 – Domesday book – assessment of William’s possessions

1087 – William died

1099 – 1^st Crusade, taking Jerusalem back from Muslims

1117 – University of Oxford was established

1118 – Knights Templar was founded to protect pilgrims going to Jerusalem

1147 – 2^nd Crusade – they lost.

PLANTAGENETS

1170 – Murder of Thomas Becket by Henry II

• asserted independence of the church courts against King’s authority
• Constitution of Clarendon – after a clergy has been disrobed, they can now apply royal laws. (death)

1188 – Richard I – Richard the Lionheart

• Anti-Semitic
  • Barred Jews from coronation but some wanted to give gifts and they were murdered/killed
  • Massacre
• Spent almost all the Kingdom’s resources within 6 months after being seated on the throne for his Crusades.
• Was not present during his crusades and let younger brother John handle the kingdom

1199 – King John I of England

• Favorite son of Henry II
• Despised by people
• Imposed heavy taxes
• Efficient ruler, stayed in England most of the time
• Lost battles

1214 – King John lost in a battle that forced England to make peace with France which in turn triggered the drawing of the Magna Carta or the Great Charter

1215 – Magna Carta was signed by King John

• Governing according to the wish of subjects
• Limit on power
• Early beginnings of Parliamentary system

1257 – Provisions of Oxford – Henry III of England

• New form of government – limited regal authority

1272 – Edward I

• Founded the Parliamentary system as we know today
• Model Parliament – representatives from both shires and town plus the Great Council
• Anti-Semitic; Expelled all Jews from England

1307 – Knights Templar were massacred

• Managed a large economic infrastructure, had techniques similar to modern idea of banking
• King Philip the Fair of France had them massacred because he had a large debt
• King pressured the Pope

1337 – 100 Years’ War began

• 116 years, 5 reigns of kings
• England VS France
• Edward III’s claim to French throne because his mother was the sister of the previous king.

1347 – Black Death or Bubonic Plague all over Europe and Britain

• Killed 20-40% of people, mostly the lower classes
• Greatly reduced the labor force

1378 – Start of Western Schism – 3 popes in 3 diff places each claiming they’re the real pope

1380 – Chaucer started on Canterbury Tales

1381 – Peasant’s Revolt

• Reform on feudalism and increase in rights for the serf class
• Induced by:
  • Reduced labor force from Black Death
  • Poll Tax or fixed amount of tax per person

1415 – Battle of Agincourt – Henry V’s win over numerically superior French Artmy

• English longbow was reintroduced to be used in battle
• Signaled the end of the heavily armored knight which was the backbone of the feudal army

1417 – End of Western Schism

1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the siege of Orleans

• Vision from God to drive the English out

100 Years’ War (1337-1453)

• Called for changes and advancements in weapons and artillery, tactics, army structure, societal meaning of war
• Instead of lands, the vassals were paid
• Royal authority was questioned
• High war taxes
• Renaissance in Europe was starting

1455– War of the Roses Began – 1485

• Lancaster (Red) vs York (White)
• Civil war in England
• Fighting over succession of the throne
• Collapse of the Plantagenet Dynasty
• Ended feudal society

TUDORS WON AND RULED

• Henry VII, first Tudor King, was originally a Lancasterian but married a Tudor

1534 – Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage and then got excommunicated

• Established the Church of England wherein the King is the “only supreme head of the Church of England”

1553 – Mary Tudor, Bloody Mary

• Strong Catholic – rejoined the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church
• Known for persecution and violence towards the protestants

Start of Golden Age

1559 – Elizabeth I

• Mary’s half-sister
• Repealed what Mary did
• Re-established the Church of England with her as “The supreme Governor of the Church of England”
• Protestant + catholic (between), i.e., clergy allowed to marry, catholic governmental organization
• Economy grew

Welcome Elizabethan Era

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