Download Middle Ages

Middle Ages
Struggle for Power in
England
Section 4
Struggle for Power in England
• Anglo-Saxon and Norman England
– Before the1000’s – Kings and lords struggled for power
• Anglo-Saxon England
–
–
–
–
By 450 Roman rule in Britain ended
Germanic tribes moved in
Culture that emerged called “Anglo-Saxon”
Over time they formed several independent kingdoms
•
•
•
•
•
Northumbria – Northern England
Mercia – Central England
Wessex – Southern England
Kingdoms divided into districts called Shires
Governed by shire-reeve which becomes the word Sheriff
Alfred the Great
• 800’s Kings of Wessex controlled
• Vikings (Danes) challenged Wessex
kings
– Over ran much of England
• Alfred the Great - 871 CE
– Wessex King
– Attacked Danes-lost fight
– Made a temporary peace and spent 5
years built powerful army and navy
– 876 - Attacked Danes-won in 886
• Treaty allowed Danes to live and
govern themselves
• Alfred’s successors
– Strengthened the government
– Spread Christianity
– Unified country
• Danes began to attack again
– 1013 Danes control England til 1042
– Anglo-Saxons choose Edward the Confessor
The Norman Conquest
• Edward died had no heir in 1066
– Duke William of Normandy
• From France
– A distant relative - claimed the throne
– Anglo-Saxons refused to recognize his claim
– Selected Harold of Wessex to be king
• Edwards brother-in-law
• William was determined to win the throne
– Crossed the English Channel with group of knights
– Defeated Harold’s army
• Crowned William I King of England
– Known as William the Conqueror
The Conqueror and his Successors
• William the Conqueror ruled from 1066–
1087
– Brought feudalism to England
– King, not nobles held supreme authority
• lord swore loyalty to king
• Stopped the lords from uniting against him
• Scattered their fiefs throughout England
• Sent royal commissioners to count shire’s people,
assess land holdings, and measure type and value of
property to set up accurate tax system
– Domesday book
Reforms under William’s Successors
• Henry I – Ruled from 1100 1135
– Williams son, Able ruler
– Exchequer-finance dept.
• handled king’s finances
• government more efficient
– Sent traveling judges throughout
the country to try cases
• Weakened feudal lords
• Kings royal court, not the lords
feudal courts dispensed justice
Henry II
• Henry II - 1154 – 1189
– increases royal authority
– England’s legal system grew
• Traveling judges established routes
or circuits
• Used a 12 member jury system
– Replaced trial by ordeal or combat
– Decided civil as well as criminal
cases
– Vassals could pay the king a fee
instead of performing military
service
• Money used to hire soldiers
• Military loyal because they are
paid
Henry II
• Sought to try members of the clergy who
had already been judged in church courts
– To decrease the influence of church courts
• Thomas Becket - Archbishop of Canterbury
– Refused to allow his clergy to be tried
– Becket and Henry became bitter enemies
• 4 of the king’s knights murdered the archbishop
in his cathedral, to help the king
• Henry denied any part of the murder, but
did penance to appease the church
– Henry leaves church alone
Henry II
• The Last years of his reign were trouble
– Sons plotted against him
– Marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine was stormy
– She brought into their marriage a lot of French
lands which ended up causing conflicts with
the French
• Overall Henry strengthened the English
monarchy, reduced influence of the
nobility.
King John and Magna Carta
• King John
– Henry II’s son
• Demanded nobles pay more taxes
– To support wars with France
– His actions led nobles to revolt
– In 1215 group of nobles joined
together against the king
• Threatened armed revolt against
him
• Forced John to accept a
document--the Magna Carta
Magna Carta and beyond
• Magna Carta
– Protected the liberties of the nobles
– Provided a limited outline of rights for England’s
ordinary people
– King John agreed no new or special taxes without
consent of the Great Council
• A body of nobles and church leaders who
advised the king
– Promised not to take property with out paying for
it
– Promised not to interfere with justice of the courts
– Agreed to trials by jury of peers
– Importance: King is not above the
law
Parliament
• 1260’s - Nobles revolt against Henry III
– Threatened the Monarchy
– led by Simon de Montfort (Lord)
– Tried to build middle class support for the
nobles
• To unite against the king
– The Great Council – Nobles and Clergy
• Middle class representatives
– becomes the English Parliament
divided into 2 “houses”
» Nobles and clergy - House of Lords
» Knights and burgesses - House of Commons
Common Law
• Edward I - ruled from 1272 – 1307
– One of England’s greatest monarchs
– Divided the king’s court into 3 branches
• Court of Exchequer
– kingdom’s financial accounts
– Tried tax cases
• Court of Common Pleas
– cases between ordinary citizens
• Court of the King’s Bench
– Conducted trials concerning king or government
• Decisions made by royal courts were collected and used as the
basis from future court verdicts
– Known as Common Law
– Applied equally to all citizens
– Living Law, not based on code, but on modern times.
Rise of Capetian Kings
• France
– Last of the Frankish/Carolingian kings die.
– Nobles choose Hugh Capet as King of France
– Will work to create a strong central government
• Create Estates General
– Representative body of the three social classes
– Commoners, nobility, and clergy
– unsuccessful, no support at local levels
• France remains feudal
Clash over Germany and Italy
• After Charlemagne’s death his empire
slowly fell apart
• Several of Charlemagne’s descendants
in Germany inherited the title of Holy
Roman Emperor
– However they did not really rule Italy
– Part ruled by the Pope
– Part ruled by the Arab Muslims
Holy Roman Empire
• Germany
– Feudal lords elected Otto I - 936
• Known as Otto the Great
• Worked to developed a strong kingdom in
Germany
• In 951 Otto attacks territory in northern Italy
• Later Pope John XII struggled with Roman nobles
– Begged Otto for help
– Pope crowned him ‘Emperor of the Romans’ in
962
» Same title given to Charlemagne
• Otto rules Germany and northern Italy
• Germany becomes a major power
Holy Roman Empire
• Henry III - 1046 – 1056
– Viewed the church as a branch
of the imperial government
– Expected the church to
actively support the empire
and its ruler
– 3 different men claimed the
papacy during his rule
– Removed them from office
and elected a German pope
• Also chose next three popes
Struggles - Papacy vs. European Rulers
• Henry III dies
– 5 yr old son Henry IV king
– German nobility sees this as an opportunity to
regain their independence
– The church also moves to restore its power
– At age 15, he tries to strengthen his rule
• Pits him against Pope Gregory VII
– one of the most powerful popes in the Middle
Ages
• Clash between Pope and Henry IV
Pope Gregory VII
• Pope Gregory was a strong & able
leader
– Worked to bring spiritual
reform
– Increased the power and
authority of the papacy
• Believed the church was the
supreme spiritual and
temporal power in the earth
• Thought had control over
rulers and people
Pope Gregory and Henry IV
• Main Conflict involved lay investiture
– Appointment of bishops by temporal rulers
• Henry believed he had the right to
appoint bishops
• Gregory opposed this
–In reaction he excommunicated
Henry
–Also released Henry’s subject from
their vows of loyalty
–Urged nobles to elect another king
Imperial Submission
• Fearing rebellion Henry sought the pope’s
mercy
– Traveled to meet the pope
– Met in the mountains of northern Italy
• Bitter cold, icy mountain paths
– Pope made Henry wait 3 days to see him
– Henry pleaded for the pope’s mercy
• Pope revoked his excommunication
Imperial Submission
• Struggle continued over lay investiture
• Finally representatives for both sides meet
– Agreement reached called Concordat of Worms
• Named after city they met in
• Limited imperial power of the German church
• Emperor could appoint bishops to fiefs (land
grant)
• Only the pope had power to name bishops
• Recognized the spiritual leadership of the pope
Frederick Barbarossa
• Frederick I (Frederick of the Red Beard)
– Ruled Germany from 1152-1190
– Set out to capture Lombard states in
northern Italy
• Captured Milan
–Destroyed city and drove out the
people
• Other city states and Pope unite to
form the Lombard League
–Raised a powerful army –
defeated Fredrick
Innocent III
•
•
•
•
1198 – 1216
Strongest of the medieval pope’s
Skillful political leader
Believed in the supreme earthly power of the
papacy
• Felt he had authority to settle all political as
well as spiritual problems
– Involved himself with disputes all over Europe
• Used his powers of excommunication and interdiction