1170-1450 Challenging Authority (PP)

Question 1

Why did medieval kings depend on their barons?

Answer 1

• medieval society was built on the feudal system
• the barons provided loyalty and service
• the barons maintained law and order and raised armies when needed
• the barons offered advice for the king on his to run the country

Question 2

Who owned all the land in medieval England?

Answer 2

The king

Question 3

What did king John do that was bad?

Answer 3

• lost land in Normandy
• possibly murdered his nephew
• spent money on wars which he lost

Question 4

What were the reasons for the Magna Carta being introduced?

Answer 4

• taxes
• religion
• war

Question 5

Why were the barons angry at how John dealt with taxes?

Answer 5

• he overused scutage
• barons become annoyed at the continued taxes
• they stopped paying in 1214

Question 6

How was religion a cause for the Magna Carta?

Answer 6

• John was in dispute with the church
• John wanted to appoint leading churchmen instead of the pope doing it
• pope innocent iii excommunicated John and said it was not a sin to kill the king

Question 7

How was war a cause for the Magna Carta?

Answer 7

• continuous defeats in Normandy angered the barons
• scuts gets for failed wars annoyed them
• people backed the barons

Question 8

Why did the barons create the Magna Carta?

Answer 8

• to limit johns power

* make a king rule the way he should

Question 9

What were some of the demands in the Magna Carta?

Answer 9

• stop unfair taxation
• ensure a baron’s heir inherits their land
• let the church make its own appointments
• prevent arrest without trial
• create a group of 25 barons to monitor the king

Question 10

What happened after the Magna Carta was signed?

Answer 10

• John refused to obey the barons orders
• the barons invited Prince Louis of France to come to England to be crowned king
• Louis brought an army with him
• king John died in 1216 from too many peaches
• johns son Henry III took over as king
• the barons ran the country until Henry III took over when he came of age

Question 11

Immediate significance of Magna Carta?

Answer 11

• it didn’t solve the problem
• John only signed to avoid a civil war and went back on his word
• the barons must have thought it was important as they reissued it years later
• it had limited scope, only applied to freemen, very small proportion

Question 12

Magna Carta significance in long term?

Answer 12

• as more people became free it applied to them
• it established core principles, the king had responsibilities to the people
• it became a symbol of power, later protests used the Magna Carta to reference their point
• first step towards democracy
• used in chartist movement and American Declaration of Independence

Question 13

How did Henry III rule?

Answer 13

• he ruled in a unpredictable manner
• he lived an extravagant lifestyle and was always short of money
• he lost two major wars in France
• rarely listened to advisors

Question 14

Why were the barons unhappy with Henry III?

Answer 14

• financial- he wasted money and always wanted more
• judicial- royal favourites appeared to receive preferential treatment
• role of foreigners- they excluded the barons
• sheriffs favoured Henry rather than applying the law fairly

Question 15

What happened in 1258?

Answer 15

• barons had had enough
• they demanded a council of 24 rule with the king, ending personal rule
• Henry had no choice but to accept it
• barons seized castles and got rid of foreigners
• this was called the provisions of Oxford

Question 16

Where was Simon de Montfort born and when?

Answer 16

• France

* 1208

Question 17

What was Simon de Montfort like?

Answer 17

• very pious
• he was frugal (didn’t spend money)
• he valued education
• he stuck to his promises
• successful military leader
• strong character

Question 18

What was Henry and Simon’s relationship like?

Answer 18

• up and down
• Simon fought wars for Henry and had married his sister
• Henry put Simon on trial several times but always let him off

Question 19

Why did Simon and Henry clash?

Answer 19

• they had contrasting views
• Simon felt humiliated by Henry putting him on trial
• Simon was short on money and Henry owed him money

Question 20

What happened in 1264?

Answer 20

• Simon won at the battle of Lewes
• he locked up Henry and his son Edward
• he effectively ruled the country
• he alienated many barons
• Edward escaped

Question 21

Who was on simon’s side in the battle of Evesham?

Answer 21

• the commoners
• knights
• shires
• burgesses

Question 22

Why is Simon sometimes called the father of parliament?

Answer 22

• he invited representatives of commons to parliament to vent
• in exchange parliament had the right to tax them
• this is basically the first parliament

Question 23

Why is Simon referred to as a martyr for freedom?

Answer 23

• he felt he had a duty to rebel against unjust kingship

* he was hacked to pieces at his death

Question 24

What were the order of events involving Simon de Montfort?

Answer 24

• he imprisoned John and Edward
• many barons thought he was too powerful and turned against him
• Simon asked merchants and knights to attend a meeting so he could gain support
• this was England’s first parliament
• barons were furious as he did this without consulting them
• he was brutally killed st the battle of Evesham

Question 25

Short term significance of Simon de Montfort?

Answer 25

• effectively called first parliament

* started system of parliament having to approve of taxes given out by king

Question 26

Long term significance of Simon de Montfort?

Answer 26

• martyr for freedom

* symbol of democracy

Question 27

What were the impacts of the Black Death on the society?

Answer 27

• 1/3 of population were killed
• the surviving peasants were in higher demand so could chose who to work for giving them more power
• Edward III passed the Statute of Labourers to make the peasants work for pre Black Death wages
• the governments revenue from taxes fell because of decreased population
• Richard II introduced a poll tax where everyone payed the same tax

Question 28

How did the peasants respond to the poll tax?

Answer 28

• villagers refused to pay tax and threatened the tax collecter
• locals beheaded a tax collectors clerks
• rebels freed a radical priest, John ball, from prison
• the peasants had a large crowd and headed towards London
• they burnt symbols of the rich
• they killed the Archbishop of Canterbury
• Wat Tyler met with Richard II and asked the peasants are made freemen and be given land
• one of the kings supporters killed Tyler
• the king said he’d grant their requests to prevent a riot

Question 29

Short term significance of peasants revolt?

Answer 29

• first time commoners had rebelled against the king this scared him and the nobles
• the leaders were hung and the rebellion failed

Question 30

Long term significance of the peasants revolt?

Answer 30

• peasants were never taxed so heavily again
• peasants wages continued to rise
• more peasants became freemen and could buy their own land
• offered inspiration to later protests like the 1989 poll tax