Lecture 4: British History – The Middle Ages, the Tudors, and the Stuarts ( ) Jason Downs British and American Culture

England in the High Middle Ages  William the Conqueror invaded England from Normandy (France) in 1066, setting up a new ruling class in England.  Eventually, these rulers of England were able to control not only England and Normandy, but much of the rest of present-day France as well.  However, this was a very unstable period, with fierce battles over succession to the throne.  There were also frequent conflicts between the King and the nobles.

area in red/pink = area controlled by the English Kings by 1166

The Magna Carta  After continuous conflict between the King and nobles, the nobles finally forced King John in 1215 to sign a document known as the “Magna Carta”.  Magna Carta is Latin for “the Great Charter” (many documents at that time in history were still written in Latin).  It protected certain freedoms of the nobles from the power of the King. For example, it guaranteed that barons (nobles) could not be illegally imprisoned, and limited the amount of taxes that they had to pay to the King.  Although the charter only dealt with nobles and not with “the common people”, it served as an important symbolic first step in formally limiting the power of absolute government and guaranteeing the people certain legal freedoms and protections from the government.  It served as a later inspiration for further limits to government power in Britain and America.

The Magna Carta – 1215 (only four copies from 1215 survive today)

England in the Late Middle Ages  The Black Death (Bubonic Plague), which killed 30-60% of the entire population of Europe, spread to England in the 1340s.  England and France fought each other in the Hundred Years’ War from (actually 116 years), with tremendous death and destruction on both sides and no clear victor.  There was another royal succession crisis, which caused the War of the Roses, between two families: the House of York, and the House of Lancaster.  Henry Tudor, from the House of Lancaster, won the final victory, and became King Henry VII, establishing the royal House of Tudor.

The Spread of the Black Death in Europe  Modern scientists believe that the plague was carried by fleas who lived on rats. Hygiene at that time in history was very poor.

The Tudors ( )  Under the Tudors, starting with Henry VII, the War of the Roses ended and a period of relative peace and stability began.  The monarchy became more powerful and state power was more centralized.  During the Tudor era, Wales officially became part of the kingdom, in  New patterns of trade and commerce brought prosperity and the rise of a new merchant class.  Although the Tudor dynasty was relatively short, it left a lasting impact on Britain that can still be felt today.

Henry VIII (r )  Henry VIII greatly expanded royal power and used the theory of the “divine right of kings” to justify his power.  He married six times, partly due to his desire to produce a male heir to the throne.  His divorce and remarriage caused a break with the Pope of the Catholic Church; he therefore founded a new church, which later became The Church of England, which still exists today.

Elizabeth I (r )  Following Henry VIII’s death, there were the very short reigns of Edward VI and Mary I (Mary Queen of Scots).  Mary Queen of Scots was deeply unpopular with the people, partly because she tried to return England to the Roman Catholic Church.  After Mary’s death, Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became queen.  Her reign is known as the “Elizabethan Age”, and was a golden age of increasing English power over its European rivals, and flourishing art and literature (William Shakespeare wrote during this period).  Elizabeth I never married, and did not produce any heirs to the throne; therefore, she was the end of the Tudor dynasty.

The Stuarts ( ) and the English Civil War  Since Elizabeth I did not leave any heirs, the throne passed to James I of the House of Stuart.  Since James I was originally the King of Scotland before becoming King of England, his crowning as King of England caused the political union of England and Scotland.  After James I, Charles I became king. He was deeply unpopular, partly because of his marriage to a Catholic, and partly because of his tyrannical policies.  Charles I was a strong believer in the “divine right of kings” and wanted more control over governing the country. This brought him into conflict with the Parliament.  Eventually, King Charles I fought Parliament in the English Civil War ( ). His side lost and he was executed (killed).  After the end of the war, the country came under the control of Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan leader, and his army.

The Trial of Charles I Oliver Cromwell

The Commonwealth of England  After Charles I was executed, the religious and military leader Oliver Cromwell took control of the country. He established a republican government (no monarchy).  However, his government was essentially a military dictatorship and unpopular with many of the people. He came into frequent conflict with Parliament, and eventually dismissed Parliament.  Finally, the British monarchy was restored, with Charles II coming back to London and taking the throne in 1660.

The Stuarts ( ) and the Glorious Revolution of 1688  Charles II restored the monarchy as the leader of the country.  However, the important precedent had now been set that the monarch could only govern with the consent of Parliament.  After Charles II, James II became king.  James II came into conflict with Parliament – he wanted to expand the power of the monarchy but Parliament refused. They did not want England to become an absolute monarchy like other European countries at that time.  Parliament forced James II to resign in 1688 (less than four years after becoming king). They invited the House of Hannover to become the new monarchs; and firmly set the precedent that the monarch must cooperate with Parliament. This is known as the “Glorious Revolution”, mainly because it was nonviolent.  This marks the beginning of the transition to a “constitutional monarchy” where the Parliament made the laws and the monarch had less power.

Acts of Union (1707)  In 1707, England and Scotland signed Acts of Union, which formally combined the kingdoms of England and Scotland into one United Kingdom of Great Britain.