britain in the middle ages

8/2/2019 Britain in the Middle Ages

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FOREWORD

Even if the Roman occupation of Britain lasted nearly 400 years,

the inhabitants did not accept the Latin Language so surprisingly, it is notconsidered a Latin country despite the fact that for other countries likeRomania, when a period of 200 years was enough for Romanization.After the migration of the Anglo-Saxon tribes, followed by the Normansand Vikings, we can talk about the rise of a new power in the NorthernEurope.

Britain was marked by great wars, crusades, plagues which havereally affected the mentality of the people and its internal problems. Butafter long periods of darkness we will see the rise of great people whomanaged, somehow, to build the foundations of one of the most beautifuland powerful country in the world.


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EARLY MIDDLE AGES

Little is known about people inhabiting the British Isles in the pre-Celtic period(before 800 BC) Some monuments built by them have been preserved such asStonehenge, constructed around 1000 BC.

The first Celtic tribes, the Goidels or Gales are believed to have come to theBritish isles between 800 & 700 BC. Two centuries later they were followed by theBrythons or ancient Britons after whom the country was called Britain.

The first Roman invasion was led by Julius Caesar in 55 BC. But Britain was

not conquered until some 90 years later, under Emperor Claudius, in 43 AD. Althoughthe Roman occupation of Britain lasted nearly 400 years, its effects were few. Thepeople did not adopt the Latin language and so, Latin did not displace Celtic.

Hadrians Wall


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In the middle of the 5th century, three Germanic tribes The Angles, Saxonsand Jutes invaded Britain from the continent. From the 8th century the Anglo-Saxonshad to face Scandinavian invaders the Danes and the Norsemen sometimesreferred to as Vikings who occupied parts of Britain and made some permanent

settlements. The Scandinavian invasions continued more than three centuries. TheAnglo Saxon period can be characterised as a period of transition from a tribal tofeudal organisation of society.

The most powerful kingdom in that period in England was Wessex, also knownas the House of Cerdic, refers to the family that ruled a kingdom insouthwest England . This House was in power from the 6th century under Cerdic ofWessex to the unification of the Kingdoms of England.

House of Wessex


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The Feudal System

The feudal system developed from the beginning of the X th century in France andGermany, mainly in the Rhine valley and was exported first of all to England as a result ofthe latter's conquest by the Norman, William the Conqueror, in 1066

The whole system was organized in the shape of a pyramid with crossed relations; agiven suzerain could be the vassal of another lord; the supreme suzerain was the king whoin principle only had vassals even if some of them were in reality more powerful than he.


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HIGH MIDDLE AGES

The High Middle Ages was the period of European history aroundthe 11th

High Middle Ages in England is divided in 2 periods: NormanEngland and England under the Plantagenets., 12th, and 13th centuries(c. 10001300).

An important member of the House of Plantagenets is William I

known as the William the ConquererThe Norman Conquest led to a sea-change in the history of the

English state. William ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, asurvey of the entire population and their lands and property for taxpurposes, which reveals that within twenty years of the conquest theEnglish ruling class had been almost entirely dispossessed and replacedby Norman landholders, who also monopolised all senior positions in thegovernment and the Church. William and his nobles spoke andconducted court in Norman French, in England as well as in Normandy.The use of the Anglo-Norman language by the aristocracy endured forcenturies and left an indelible mark in the development of modernEnglish.


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Richard I, knows as the Lionheart it isimportant for this family because he obtainsome important victories in the Middle Eastand gained enough power and respect inorder to become a legend and a good kingfor the followers.

Richard's tactics ensured success atthe siege of Acre and on the subsequentmarch south, Saladin's men being unable toharass the Crusader army into an impulsiveaction which might not have gone their way.However, the desertion of the French kinghad been a major blow, from which theycould not hope to recover. Realising that hehad no hope of holding Jerusalem even if hetook it, Richard sadly ordered a retreat.Despite being only a few miles from the city,he refused, thereafter, to set eyes on it, sinceGod had ordained that he should not be theone to conquer it. He had finally realised thathis return home could be postponed no

longer, since both Philip and John weretaking advantage of his absence to makethemselves more powerful.

Richard the Lionheart


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Despite of growing in power, Wales faced constant threats from England and bythe end of this period, it was conquered by Edward I who built a ring of impressivestone castles to consolidate his the domination of Wales, and crowned his conquestby giving the title Prince of Wales to his son and heir in 1301. Wales became,effectively, part of England, even though its people spoke a different language andhad a different culture.

Scotland have enough time to develop and to form a powerful kingdom which

cause many troubles for England through their alliances (Auld Alliance).The Auld alliance The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms

of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland,France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh.

It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, Franceand England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. Thealliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that period exceptfor Louis XI. By the late 14th century, the renewal occurred regardless of whether

either kingdom was involved in a conflict with England. The alliance dates from thetreaty signed by John Balliol and Philip IV of France in 1295 against Edward I ofEngland. The terms of the treaty stipulated that if either country was attackedby England, the other country would invade English territory, as became evident atthe Battle of Flodden Field, 1513. The alliance played an important role in conflictsbetween both countries and England, such as the Wars of Scottish Independence,the Hundred Years' War, the War of the League of Cambrai and the Rough Wooing.

By the reign of Alexander III, the Scots were in a strong position to annexe theremainder of the western seaboard, which they did following Haakon Haakonarson's

ill-fated invasion and the stalemate of the Battle of Largs with the Treaty of Perth in1266. The integration of Gaelic, Norman and Saxon culture that began to occur mayhave been the platform that enabled King Robert I to emerge victorious duringthe Wars of Independence, which followed soon after the death of Alexander III.
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THE LATE MIDDLE AGESThe Late Middle Ages was the period of European

history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century (c. 13001500.In this period, Britain was weakened by 2 major conflicts: the one

hundreds years war and the war of the roses.A problem of succession to the throne of France causes this war.

In 1154 Henry Plantagenet was at the same time Duke of Normandy,King of England and Lord of Aquitaine, he had married Elinor ofAquitaine, divorced from Louis VII. He remained the vassal of the King ofFrance, but was a vassal of more powerful than his suzerain. In 1328, hissuccessor was Edward III, grandson of Philippe le Bel, through the

latter's daughter. At the same moment, the direct accession was nolonger ensured in France, the three sons of Philippe le Bel died withoutmale heirs. The states general of 1328, applying the Salic law, decided toexclude women from the succession, and endorsed the crowning ofPhilippe III, nephew through the male line of Philippe le Bel. The King ofEngland swore allegiance to the new king of France in 1329, retracting itin 1337 by declaring war.


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The Plantagenets were particularly successful in the first of these, the EdwardianWar, 13371360, their victories in battles at Crcy and Poitiers leading to the Treaty ofBrtigny.

In spite of having to deal with the Black Death

during his reign, Edward was able tomake vital developments in legislature and governmentThe death of Valois' John II inEnglish captivity during 1364 instigated the rise of Charles V of France with his capableallies, and the second period of the Hundred Years' War known as the Caroline War brokeout. In this the Plantagenets were led by Edward's sons Edward, the BlackPrince and John of Gaunt. The Black Prince died in 1376 of an illness which may havebeen cancer, and Edward III himself died of a stroke the following year, having suffered anillness caused by an abscess.

Henry desired the ancestral Plantagenet lands of the Duchy ofNormandy and County of Anjou, earlier confiscated by Valois. He first attempted thisdiplomatically by suggesting that he and Charles VI of France's daughter Catherine ofValois should marry. The rejection of this proposal began the third part of the HundredYears War, the Lancastrian War (14151429). Two political purposes lay behind this warfor Henry, to gain land and to unite his cousins under a common cause in the hopes ofdissuading further rebellion at home.

The rise of Joan of Arc and of the Valois claimant to France, Charles VII, sparked acontinuation of the Lancastrian War. Between 1449 and 1453 the territories of Brittany,Normandy, and Gascony were lost, leaving the Plantagenets with only the Pale ofCalais on Europe's mainland.


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While england has decided to ally with Burgundia, France hadalready signed the Auld Alliance with the old enemies of the royal crown:Scotland.

The death of king Alexander III in 1286, and the subsequent death of hisgranddaughter and heir Margaret (called "the Maid of Norway") in 1290,left 14 rivals for succession. To prevent civil war the Scottish magnatesasked Edward I of England to arbitrate. He extracted legal recognitionthat the realm of Scotland was held as a feudal dependency to thethrone of England before choosing John Balliol, the man with thestrongest claim, who became king as John I (30 November1292). Robert Bruce of Annandale, the next strongest claimant, acceptedthis outcome with reluctance. Over the next few years Edward I used the

concessions he had gained to systematically undermine both theauthority of King John and the independence of Scotland. In 1295 John,on the urgings of his chief councillors, entered into an alliance withFrance, the beginning of the Auld Alliance.

In 1296 Edward invaded Scotland, deposing King John. Thefollowing year William Wallace and Andrew Murrey raised forces to resistthe occupation and under their joint leadership an English army wasdefeated at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Edward came north in personand defeated Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk (1298). Wallace escapedbut probably resigned as Guardian of Scotland. In 1305 he fell into thehands of the English, who executed him for treason despite the fact thathe owed no allegiance to England.
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After the end of the war with France, in Britain started a series of

dynastic civil wars for the throne of England ,fought between supportersof two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses ofLancaster and York (whose heraldic symbols were the "red" and the

"white" rose, respectively). They were fought in several sporadic episodesbetween 1455 and 1485, although there was related fighting both beforeand after this period. The final victory went to a relatively remoteLancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, who defeated the last Yorkistking Richard III and married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth of York tounite the two houses.

Under Henry VII's son, Henry VIII of England, the Laws in Wales Acts

1535-1542 were passed, annexing Wales to England in legal terms,abolishing the Welsh legal system, and banning the Welsh language fromany official role or status, but it did for the first time define the Wales-England border and allowed members representing constituencies inWales to be elected to the English Parliament.
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AGEOF DISCOVERIES

The Age of Exploration, also known as the Age of Discovery and the Great

Navigations, was a period in history starting in the early 15th century andcontinuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged inintensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with Africa,the Americas, Asia and Oceania and mapping the planet. Historians often refer tothe 'Age of Exploration' as the pioneer Portuguese and Spanish long-distancemaritime travels in search of alternative trade routes to "the Indies", moved bythe trade of gold, silver and spices.

The Age of Exploration can be seen as a bridge between the MiddleAges and the Modern era, along with its contemporary Renaissance movement,triggering the early modern period and the rise of European nation-states.Accounts from distant lands and maps spread with the help of the new printingpress fed the rise of humanism and worldly curiosity, ushering in a new age ofscientific and intellectual inquiry. European overseas expansion led to the riseof colonial empires, with the contact between the Old and New Worlds producingthe Columbian Exchange: a wide transfer of plants, animals, foods, human

populations (including slaves), communicable diseases, and culture between theEastern and Western hemispheres, in one of the most significant global eventsconcerning ecology, agriculture, and culture in history. Europeanexploration allowed the global mapping of the world, resulting in a new world-view and distant civilizations acknowledging each other, reaching the mostremote boundaries much later.
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