Topic Three: Medieval England

What was the Magna Carta and why was it important for the historical development of England?

legal doc signed by king john, said

King has to follow law

Legal rights for king and barons

Describe the origin of Parliament in Medieval England

grew from Anglo-Saxon royal councils (the Witan) and Norman feudal assemblies, evolving into a formal body with the Magna Carta (1215) requiring the King to consult powerful barons for taxes

What was Parliament originally intended to do? Also understand how that function evolved in later time periods.

Originally, Parliament was intended as a council for the English King to get "common counsel," especially from powerful barons and church leaders, to agree on new taxes and discuss major state/legal issues, evolving from the Anglo-Saxon witan to include local representatives (knights/burgesses) to gain consent for funding royal needs

Describe the role of religion in Medieval England and its importance in English life. To what extent were the English tolerant of other religions in the Medieval Period?

In Medieval England, the Catholic Church was the single most powerful and central institution, permeating every aspect of life from politics and law to social life and culture. However, the English state and Church were highly intolerant of other religions and heretical Christian movements, viewing religious unity as essential to the commonwealth. 

kicked out all the jews, etc.

What was the primary economic focus in Medieval England?

The primary economic focus in Medieval England was agriculture, with the vast majority of the population working the land to produce food, supported by the manorial system where peasants farmed estates for lords. While trade, crafts

sheep too

Describe Feudalism

a contractual system of political and military relationships existing among the nobility in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages

characterized by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land, in return for political and military services

Describe Manorialism.

a system of economic and social relationships between lords and their dependent farm laborers in the Medieval Period.

What were the major impacts of the Bubonic Plague in Medieval England?

•Labor pool shrinks – higher wages

•Demand for food declines – prices fall

•Cultivation for market less profitable

•Forced rents down

•Standard of living rose

•Landowners face difficulty, two responses:

•Extorsion and oppression to preserve hold on tenants

•Abandon manorialism in favor of leasing plots to enterprising peasants

•Entire communities deserted

What was Common Law and why is it historically important?

Medieval English Common Law was a unified system of justice, developed from the 12th century under King Henry II, that applied laws "commonly" across the realm, replacing fragmented local customs with judge-made rules based on judicial precedent (past rulings) and local juries, forming the bedrock of modern English-speaking legal systems by providing central royal courts and consistent, recorded procedures like writs and jury trials for all subjects

What was the main issue at hand in the Wars of the Roses?

Edward III was popular and successful, but his reign created three problems:

·      He became popular with the English barons by conceding them increasing amounts of power at the expense of the Crown’s power. This would make it easier for barons to rebel against future weaker kings.

·      He initiated the 100 Year’s War with France. This increased Edward’s popularity with the nobles but, in the long run, drained the royal treasury, damaged trade, and embittered the French.

·      Edward had five surviving sons at the time of his death, which would eventually confuse the succession.

Who won the wars of the roses?

Henry Tudor (H7)
Lancaster decent
Married
Elizabeth of York

bc of