norman conquest- elizabeth 1

Battle of Hastings

The decisive battle in 1066 where William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king.

William the Conqueror

Duke of Normandy who defeated Harold at Hastings and established the Norman dynasty in England.

Domesday Book

A massive survey of English land, animals, and resources ordered by William I in 1086 to calculate taxes.

Tower of London

A stone fortress built by William I to defend his power and intimidate Londoners.

Henry II

The first Plantagenet king (1154–1189) who expanded English territories but famously conflicted with Thomas Becket.

Thomas Becket

Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by Henry II's knights in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

One of the most powerful women in history; wife of Henry II and mother of Richard I and John.

Richard I "Lionheart"

A legendary warrior known for the Crusades; spent almost no time in England.

King John

Nicknamed "Lackland"; lost land to France and was forced by barons to sign Magna Carta in 1215.

Magna Carta

The Great Charter (1215) that limited the king's power and protected barons' rights.

Hundred Years' War

A series of conflicts (1337–1453) between England and France over the French throne.

Black Death

Bubonic plague (1348) that killed nearly 50% of England's population, causing labor shortages and social unrest.

Peasants' Revolt

A major uprising (1381) led by Wat Tyler against high taxes and serfdom.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The "Father of English Literature"; wrote The Canterbury Tales in the late 1300s.

Wars of the Roses

A civil war between the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose).

Princes in the Tower

Sons of Edward IV who disappeared; many believe their uncle Richard III had them killed.

Battle of Bosworth

The final battle of the Wars of the Roses (1485); Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor became king.

Henry VII

First Tudor king; united York and Lancaster by marrying Elizabeth of York.

English Reformation

Henry VIII's break from the Roman Catholic Church after the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Act of Supremacy (1534)

Law declaring Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

Dissolution of the Monasteries

Between 1536–1541, Henry VIII closed Catholic religious houses and seized their wealth.

Cardinal Wolsey

Henry VIII's chief advisor who failed to secure the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.

Thomas More

Scholar and advisor to Henry VIII; executed for refusing to accept the king as head of the Church.

Anne Boleyn

Henry VIII's second wife; mother of Elizabeth I; executed for treason.

Jane Seymour

Henry VIII's third wife; mother of Edward VI; died shortly after childbirth.

Edward VI

The "Boy King" (1547–1553); strict Protestant; came to throne at age 9 and died at 15.

Mary I

"Bloody Mary"; devout Catholic who burned many Protestants, including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.

Philip II of Spain

Mary I's husband; their marriage was very unpopular in England.

Elizabeth I

The "Virgin Queen"; never married; ended the Tudor line.

Elizabethan Settlement

Elizabeth's policy creating a "middle way" between Catholic and Protestant practices.

Spanish Armada (1588)

A massive Spanish fleet sent to invade England; its defeat was England's greatest naval victory.

Sir Francis Drake

First Englishman to sail around the world.

Sir Walter Raleigh

English explorer who tried to colonize North America.

William Shakespeare

Greatest playwright of the Elizabethan "Golden Age"; author of Hamlet.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Elizabeth's Catholic cousin; involved in plots to take the throne; executed in 1587.

James I

First Stuart king of England (James VI of Scotland); succeeded Elizabeth in 1603.