EoY exam yr 7 Flashcards
Revision (80 cards)
Problems Facing Medieval Kings:
What problems did the Church (potentially) create?
The Pope had significant influence over the population due to strong religious beliefs.
People wanted to go to heaven, so they obeyed the Pope’s authority.
This created a problem for the king, as people might prioritize the Pope’s commands over his.
This meant the King’s power was challenged
Problems Facing Medieval Kings:
What problems did the peasants (potentially) create?
80% of the population were peasants – a large, hard-to-control group.
Rebellion risk – peasants could turn farming tools into weapons.
Disrupted farming – uprisings would reduce food production.
Problems Facing Medieval Kings:
What problems did the succession (potentially) create?
Challenges from rivals – could lead to battles and instability.
Heir’s legitimacy issues – if not accepted by society, may be removed, causing future problems
Problems Facing Medieval Kings:
What problems did the Empire (potentially) create?
Huge distances in the Empire made messaging slow.
Delayed communication meant rulers learned of attacks/rebellions too late.
By the time they responded, attacks/rebellions would already be fully-fledged.
Problems Facing Medieval Kings:
What problems did the barons (potentially) create?
Provided soldiers for the ruler’s army – if they rebelled, the ruler would lack military support.
Held significant influence in their region, making them powerful.
What can you learn from Mappa Mundi about medieval people’s beliefs?
We can learn that they quite literally put religion at the centre of their world (Jerusalem)
Interactions with ordinary people:
Villagers paid a 10% tax (tithe) on their farm produce to the local priest.
Villagers would attend Church on Sundays
Priests conducted services in Latin.
Communal worship was a key part of medieval village life.
The Chuch’s power:
Pope as Head of the Church – Lived in Rome and claimed divine authority.
Confession & Forgiveness – People confessed sins to priests for absolution; Church courts punished persistent wrongdoing.
Limited Science & Technology – The Church provided answers to life’s big questions.
Poor Medicine & High Mortality – Disease, famine, and war were common; Church teachings on the afterlife increased its influence.
Powerful Religious Leaders – Often wealthier, better educated, and more influential than the general population
WHO SHOULD APPOINT BISHOPS?
Who did Kings try and appoint as bishops, and why?
What problems did this cause?
Why did the Pope object to this practice?
Kings preferred friends/advisors as bishops – to ensure loyalty and support in conflicts with the Pope.
Goal was increased royal influence – over both the Church and the people.
Some bishops neglected duties – too focused on serving the king or lacked religious commitment.
Pope opposed royal appointments – believed he alone should choose bishops and feared kings gaining too much power.
WHERE SHOULD CLERGY WHO BEHAVED BADLY BE PUT ON TRIAL?
Where did the King want clergy to be put on trial? Why?
What did the Pope think and why?
Why was this a problem?
In the King’s court, like everyone else. This was because the Church issued much lighter punishments for serious crimes. The King wanted everyone under his control and was concerned about the clergy committing serious crimes and not being properly punished, and that this would increase number of crimes.
The Pope thought that clergy should be tried in Church courts. He believed it was part of the privilege of their position.
They Disagreed!
Excommunication
This is the power to remove someone from the Catholic Church- they could not be married or buried in Church (which meant if they died they would not go to heaven). The Pope could even excommunicate a king - which would be important because it would end his authority (people would not want to obey a man who had been removed from the church.
Why did Henry appoint Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury?
Becket was Henry’s friend and also his Chancellor. Henry trusted taht Becket would do what he wanted.
What does sources suggest about Becket?
He fully applied himself to whatever he did
Very full-on- - no medium: either very good or very bad
Very strong- minded - will not admit wrongs
What does sources suggest about Henry ii?
It suggests that Henry was a regularly angry man.
WHY DID THEY ARGUE AND WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID IT AFFECT THEIR RELATIONSHIP?
Becket protected a priest who had committed murder and abuse by putting him in a bishop’s prison instead of allowing him to be fairly tried in the King’s court.
They quarrelled because Becket did the opposite of what Henry had anointed Becket as Archbishop for.
This made their relationship worse because it created tension between them.
WHY DID THEY ARGUE AND WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID IT AFFECT THEIR RELATIONSHIP?
Becket says that the Church, and therefore he, was more powerful than the King.
They quarrelled because Becket was saying he was better than the person who gave him power.
WHY DID THEY ARGUE AND WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID IT AFFECT THEIR RELATIONSHIP?
Henry tries to make amends and fix their relationship, but Becket sneakily excommunicates priests Henry appointed that he doesn’t like when he comes back. This causes Henry to become livid at Becket when he finds out Becket had betrayed him, and insults him
They quarrelled because Becket betrays Henry
What happens when Becket betrays Henry?
Henry, in a moment of rage, says “Who shall rid me of this troublesome priest?”, and a few knights thought he meant it. They then go on to murder Becket in a church, where Becket doesn’t put up a fight as he wanted to become a martyr. As Becket was murdered in a holy place, it meant Henry had to pay penance.
Comparison of John and Richard
Richard = happy, jolly; strong broad - good king, good at fighting battles; clothing is simple - not egotistic, humble; large, fine mane - manly; respected and loved
John = looks like he’s too young - not his, imposter king; no mane, childish; jewels - stealing from the poor, greedy; isn’t seen as King by subjects; immature, controlled, pictured as a crybaby, spoilt; the worst king
King John - reasons why he was a good king
– Helped protect the Jews; suggest he was fair
– Put under a lot of pressure and coped well
– Had great potential for success, and many good traits for it
King John - reasons why he was a bad king
– was greedy and took money from his people
– tyrant - too many personality flaws which held him back from being a good king
– cruel punishments, even harmed children and old men
– failed at main job - winning england land; instead he lost land in normandy
– hell was too good for him/ made worse by him
How do we know if John was really a bad king?
– Most interpretations of King John came from a book published more than 600 yrs later
– author of bad account of john potentially unreliable:
He was a monk and Church fallen out with John
Paris supported Barons who fell out with John
Would write negative things of him
– Vague of who and where but then gives a precise quotation which highlights how awful John was by letting a murder go. Government records at the time show proof this is fake
– When we check records, it showed that the man supposedly condemned to death by John was still STILL ALIVE 15yrs after AND john had promoted him and made him Bishop of Ely
Shows John was merciful and even though these people wrote these awful lies of him he didn’t condemn them.
Why did John lose control of barons?
– during Richard’s rule Barons had great freedom to act
– when John became King he took a much more active role in law and justice - the Barons didn’t like this as they had gotten used to doing as they pleased and resented John’s more active involvement.
– John quarrelled with the Pope, resulting in England being banned from all church services for 5 years. John was also excommunicated
Who benefited (or didn’t) from the Magna Charter?
– People who were more important and were relevant to Barons benefited more
– villeins did not benefit at all
