next (saxons and norman conquest) Flashcards
(17 cards)
- Who’s King Arthur?
Legendary British leader who, according to medieval tales, defended Britain from Saxon invaders.
Possibly based on a real Romano-British warrior from the 5th–6th century.
Became a symbol of chivalry, bravery, and national identity through later myths (e.g., the Knights of the Round Table).
King Arthur is a legendary British leader said to have lived in the 5th or 6th century, possibly during the time after the Romans left Britain. He is most famous for:
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Key Legends:
• Leading the defense of Britain against invading Saxons.
• Creating the Knights of the Round Table—a group of noble warriors who upheld chivalry and justice.
• Living at Camelot, his mythical castle.
• Owning the magical sword Excalibur.
• Being connected to Merlin (a powerful wizard), Queen Guinevere, and Lancelot.
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Fact or Fiction?
• There’s no solid historical evidence Arthur really existed.
• Some believe he may have been based on a real warrior or war leader, but the stories are mostly myth and medieval romance, written centuries later.
- What language had become the language of administration and education, the language of the Church in Rome?
Latin
- Germanic invasions in the 8th century. Who were the invaders?
In the 8th century, the new invaders were the Vikings (Danes and Norwegians).
They raided and later settled in parts of Britain, especially the northeast and east.
In the 8th century, the main Germanic invaders were the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes, but by this time, the bigger threat came from the Vikings, who were not Germanic tribes in the traditional sense but Norse seafarers from Scandinavia (modern Denmark, Norway, and Sweden).
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Clarification:
• The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were Germanic tribes who had already invaded and settled parts of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans left.
• By the 8th century, these tribes had formed Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (like Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria).
• The new invaders in the 8th century were Vikings, especially Danes, who began raiding monasteries and coastal towns—starting with Lindisfarne in 793 AD, a key date in the Viking Age in Britain.
- Who defeated the invaders in the 9th century?
King Alfred the Great of Wessex
Defeated the Danes in key battles and made a truce known as the Danelaw.
Preserved Anglo-Saxon culture and promoted learning and law.
- What was the plot of the agreement?
Refers to the Danelaw agreement (late 9th century).
Divided England between Anglo-Saxon and Danish rule.
Allowed peaceful coexistence, with Danes controlling the northeast and Alfred ruling the southwest.
- When and Where did the Battle of Hastings take place?
Date: 14 October 1066
Location: Near Hastings, in Sussex, southern England
- The outcome of the Battle of Hastings.
William of Normandy defeated King Harold II.
William became King of England, starting the Norman Conquest.
Marked a major shift in English culture, language, and land ownership.
- Whose heir was William of Normandy?
Claimed to be the heir of King Edward the Confessor.
Said that Edward had promised him the throne and that Harold broke an oath.
Used this claim to justify the invasion of England in 1066.
- What did Domesday Book describe?
A detailed survey of landholdings in England ordered by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Described who owned what land, how much it was worth, and what resources (e.g., livestock, mills) were present.
Used for taxation and control of the kingdom.
- The division of Domesday Book.
It had two parts:
Great Domesday: covered most of England.
Little Domesday: covered Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
- What kind of agreement was “Magna Carta”?
Magna Carta was not a constitution, but a legal charter that:
Restricted royal authority
Guaranteed legal protection to certain groups
Started the development of constitutional law and individual rights in England and beyond.
- Which country dominated Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the last quarter of the 13th century?
England
- Who continued struggling for independence in the last quarter of the 13th century?
Scotland, led by figures like William Wallace.
- Who was Thomas Becket?
Archbishop of Canterbury (appointed in 1162 by King Henry II)
Once close to the king but later defended the Church’s rights against royal interference
Murdered in 1170 by knights loyal to the king in Canterbury Cathedral
Became a martyr and saint, and his shrine became a major pilgrimage site
- Who was not going to keep to the agreement “Magna Carta”?
King John of England
Although he signed Magna Carta in 1215, he quickly sought to annul it
Asked the Pope to declare it invalid, leading to civil war (the First Barons’ War)
The person who was not going to keep to the agreement of the Magna Carta was King John of England.
Although King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215 under pressure from rebellious barons, he had no intention of honoring it. Shortly after agreeing to it, he sought and obtained a papal annulment from Pope Innocent III, declaring the charter null and void. John claimed he was forced to accept it under duress, and he soon resumed his conflict with the barons, which led to the First Barons’ War.
In summary:
King John agreed to the Magna Carta but did not plan to keep to its terms.
- Who wanted to be completely independent of the people who had controlled his life for so long?
The person who was not going to keep to the agreement of the Magna Carta was King John of England.
Although King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215 under pressure from rebellious barons, he had no intention of honoring it. Shortly after agreeing to it, he sought and obtained a papal annulment from Pope Innocent III, declaring the charter null and void. John claimed he was forced to accept it under duress, and he soon resumed his conflict with the barons, which led to the First Barons’ War.
In summary:
King John agreed to the Magna Carta but did not plan to keep to its terms.
King John
Sought to centralize royal power and reduce the influence of powerful barons and advisors
Created new laws and institutions to assert royal authority
- What was “the representative institution” created by Edward I?
The Model Parliament (summoned in 1295)
Included nobles, clergy, and two commoners from each county and town
Marked the beginning of parliamentary representation in England
Became a foundation for the modern British Parliament
