During the reign of William the Conqueror there were many small, also big changes but there wasn’t really a revolution in government and administration. The sheriffs weren’t really efficient so they were suspended which is to a small extent a revolution. William also started the Domesday Book. Men were send all over the country so they would visit every shire to find out what land the king had and what taxes he could get for it, also what lands the bishops and earls had and how much taxes the owed the king. The Domesday Book helped to establish control and was an improvement for the English government as William got more information about his finances.
Although Henry did eventually get his Heir to crown it didn’t happen till’ Edward VI in 1537. This means that Henry’s biggest and most important aim was technically a failure during the early years of his reign. Another important goal that Henry VIII wanted to achieve in the early years of his Reign was to bring Honour and Glory to England and for him to be known as a true English warrior to the rest of Europe. Henry did somewhat achieve this goal with his wars with France and Scotland. The battle of the Spurs (1513) and the Battle of Flodden (1513), although to some considered small skirmishes, did make the countries of Europe start to notice England as a possible threat and certainly now knew about Henry VIII.
‘The Lancastrian council (of Henry VI) ruled economically and well’ do you agree with Gillingham’s interpretation? Henry VI was born on December 6, 1421 and became king of England on September 1, 1422. Problems began almost immediately, though these problems were not seen as such at the time. First, the power of the king, instead of being entrusted to one man, it was given to a council of magnates. They claimed the ‘precedent of Richard II’s minority to support their actions.’ Though the council did rule fairly on the whole, it created a big problem.
Was his victory inevitable? How did he deal with the problem that he was a foreign invader in a land where people did not like him and did not want him? This essay will discuss the importance of Battle of Hastings and reasons for William’s prevail as it was a first big step for William towards conquering England. Also, the significance of the harrying of the North of England and other riot towns will be looked at as it was vital in terms of gaining full control of England. The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October, 1066 and it was the Normans who eventually came on top as Harold ll was slain and his army was crushed.
Fourth, their use of the feudal system, as well as the administration which accompanied it enabled them to keep their kingdoms and subjects in check. Whilst all these factors played a role, without the force of their armies behind them, the ruler’s control of the kingdom crumbled, marking out force as the most important factor enabling effective royal government. The use of force by rulers was crucial in establishing and maintaining effective royal government in the middle ages. By the victories of armies the rulers of kingdoms could be changed in a very short space of time, as the Norman conquest of England in 1066 aptly demonstrates. This ‘Right of Conquest’ gave rulers a legitimate claim to a throne because of their military might.
In 1066, William Duke of Normandy, now known as “William The Conqueror” became king of England for several reasons, after the previous king Edward the Confessor. In the elections in 1066, Harold Godwinson was chosen by the witan to be king. William became king after he had defeated Harold in “The Battle of Hastings”. William won from both, William’s skill and Harold mistakes. William also had the opportunity to become king during the elections, because the other candidates had weaknesses: Edgar Aetheling was only 6 years old and he was too young to become king; Harald Hardrada was a Viking and a foreigner, this was to risky; Harold Godwinson wasn’t related to Edward and wasn’t fully English.
Motte and Bailey Castles were made out of wood, this is what made them cheap and fast to construct. William needed to establish himself fast and by building castles quickly he sets up controlling the country just as fast. In the centre of a Motte and Bailey castle was a keep, this was the safest place in the castle and was built on a defensive mound of earth, the motte. On lower ground, there would have been a large walled area where the soldiers and animals would have lived, this part of the castle was
Some may say that Henry was largely successful in achieving his aims with his biggest success being the battle of the spurs in 1513. Henry VIII want to be seen as a different king to his father who had a bad reputation for being aware of his money and not engaging in many wars which the nobilities did not like. He started by giving away the crowns land and gave many titles to the nobilities to prove that he would be different to his father. Catherine of Aragon, who had married Henry’s brother Arthur was still kept in England after Arthur had died. Henry had immediately married her after all the delays that his father had caused.
New weaponry made in the war made the king stronger against nobles. Because the king was the only one who could afford cannons, it made it impossible for the nobles to assert their
England and Wales however were different. The key development of prisons is how they have progressed into becoming more humane and how their objective has changed. Their initial objective started off not really about punishment but now, prison is the main form of punishment. The gradual development of the UK constitution and the constitutional law becomes noticeable. It relates to the power and individual liberty i.e., the monarchs and the relationship of the monarchs and the commoners.