1. Magna Carta England 1215

11. To Summarize The Magna Carta was the first constitutional text and one of the most important documents on the path to democracy. The reason why the Magna Carta was so important in terms of the founding of the United States was that the Founding Fathers used many of the principles first codified in the Magna Carta. Many of them studied English Law and understood this document's part in guaranteeing basic rights and freedoms for the English. Up until its creation, monarchs ruled supreme. With the Magna Carta, the king, for the first time, was not allowed to be above the law. Instead, he had to respect the rule of law and not abuse his position as king.

12. The Social Classes of Medieval Times

14. King The King was in complete control under the Feudal System. He owned all the land in the country and decided who he would lease land to. He therefore only allowed those men he could trust to lease land from him. However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at all times. The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons, they were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they leased from the King.

15. Barons Barons leased land from the King which was known as a manor. (definition later) They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. They established their own system of justice, minted their own money and set their own taxes. In return for the land they had been given by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it. They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court when they travelled around the country. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. Barons were very rich.

16. Knights Knights were given land by a Baron in return for military service when demanded by the King. They also had to protect the Baron and his family, as well as the Manor, from attack. The Knights kept as much of the land as they wished for their own personal use and distributed the rest to villeins (serfs). Although not as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy.

17. Villeins (Serfs) Villeins, sometimes known as serfs, were given land by Knights. They had to provide the Knight with free labor, food and service whenever it was demanded. Villeins had no rights. They were not allowed to leave the Manor and had to ask their Lord's permission before they could marry. Villeins were poor.

18. More Details A manor was the district over which a lord had domain and could exercise certain rights and privileges in medieval England. A typical manor would include a Manor House which was built apart from the village where the peasants lived. Medieval manors varied in size but were typically small holdings of between 1200 - 1800 acres. Every noble had at least one manor; great nobles might have several manors, usually scattered throughout the country; and even the king depended on his many manors for the food supply of the court. England, during the period following the Norman Conquest (1066), contained more than nine thousand of these manorial estates.

19. A Few Castles from the Middle Ages

20. Dover Castle-England Built in the 1100’s

21. Dover Castle

22. Windsor Castle 1100’s

24. Tower of London 1100’s

25. Most famous killed at the Tower of London and why? William Wallace (Brave Heart) was imprisoned for a short time before his execution in 1305 (fought the English for Scottish independence) Thomas More (treason- religious reasons) was imprisoned on 17 April 1534. He was executed on 6 July 1535 and his body was buried at the Tower of London Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, was imprisoned in 1536 on charges of High Treason: adultery, incest, and witchcraft. She remained a prisoner about 2 weeks before being beheaded. (3 miscarriages and on son, plus he fell in love with some else) Catherine Howard (18 years old), fifth wife of Henry VIII (49 years old), was imprisoned in 1542 before her execution. (she had a affair)

26. Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was one the most famous Kings of England for several reasons. He broke away from the Catholic Church which why most of us are Protestant (Church or Christ, Baptist, Methodist, etc.) It is estimated that during his 36 year reign, up to 72,000 people were executed including two of his six wives.

27. Henry VIII Wives Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was one the most famous Kings of England for several reasons but mainly for his 6 marriages and executions of 2 Catherine of Aragon (annulled; died while detained under guard at Kimbolton Castle) Anne Boleyn (annulled and later executed) Jane Seymour (died days after giving birth, widely believed to be following birth complications) Anne of Cleves (annulled) Catherine Howard (annulled and later executed) Catherine Parr (widowed)

28. Thousands killed here at the Tower of London