Henry 7th was ruthless in securing the Tudor dynasty. Firstly he quickly married Elizabeth of York, which not only united the country, but also gave him two sons, Arthur and Henry, which meant that the Tudor line was secure. Next, to protect the marriage of Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, Henry executed the Earl of Warwick who was in the tower. This was a smart move by Henry because Warwick did have a claim to the throne and could have not only split up the marriage of Arthur and Catherine, but also threaten Henry’s stability as king. Henry also needed to control the nobility because if he didn’t, or only managed to control a minority, he could have a revolution, and Nobles, together, had a lot more money and power than the king himself.
How did William gain control of England by 1086? William, Duke of Normandy and King of England, needed to gain control of England after a big victory when the Normans defeated the English in 1066. Some of the short-term problems were the fact that Dover castle was full of English soldiers, London was under the control of the English troops and there was also a threat of invasion in the north by Vikings with English support. William overcame these problems quickly and with ease. However there were still some long-term problems.
Explain why William introduced the system of military feudalism into England. (12 marks) William introduced the military feudal system into England because instantly, when William had finally conquered England in 1066, he became the most powerful man in the country; but he couldn’t take military action without an army. He had limited access to his Norman soldiers as they were back in Normandy and would take a few months to transport them all across the channel for his defence. Military feudalism made every tenant-in-chief provide soldiers for the King’s army on condition for holding land for the King. A fixed number of troops were then created called the ‘servitium debitum’ which could produce around five thousand soldiers if called upon by William: military feudalism to secure a huge army, organisation and sophistication of the military.
This huge amount of land that was under his controlled was known as the Angevin Empire, this land meant that Henry wasn’t going to be just King of England but also lord of half of France. This meant that he had immense power which could have intimidated the people that were willing to threaten his rule. As well as his power being something to fear, his power could also have been respected because he was so powerful he was able to keep half of France under control before he became king of England. This shows that he was a very capable leader, with lots of experience which would have aided him in getting a fast and secure kingdom easily. Henry had several advantages that came with becoming King of England, England had well established laws and customs that were in place, despite them being under strain through Stephens reign, they were still in place and waiting to be used.
‘William’s reign was a period of major change in the government and administration of England’. Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement. (24 marks) Life after the Norman Victory in the Battle of Hastings for the Anglo-Saxons saw changes in government and administrative structures for England. New methods of justice and control were introduced as well as new castles and towns being constructed. As well as there being changes for the English culture there was also a lot of continuity in their lifestyle such as the Anglo-Saxon style of long hair and bushy beards and moustaches.
Other than Harold Godwinson, two other men were claiming the English throne; their names were William, Duke of Normandy and Harald Hardrada, a Viking from the north. On 21st of September 1066 Harold received word that Harald had arrived in York so he quickly gathered his troops and prepared for a surprise attack at Stamford Bridge. Harold’s army was made up of two types of soldiers. The well paid ones were called the Housecarls and they were well trained and the best fighters in the Saxon army who were there to protect their King. The Housecarls were very loyal because they were paid.
They usually entrusted their estates to a steward who superintended the working in the estates and even collected revenues. The stewards who were charged with this responsibility came to be known as mayor of the palace. Over time the palace mayor started assuming more responsibility like being a custodian to a minor king, a disciplinarian in the King’s court and this made him become very powerful. With so power in their hands they monopolized the position of the palace mayor and used their power to craft laws or policies that would be used to govern their people. As mentioned earlier on, the dynasty played a pivotal role in uniting most of Western Europe and the man who was behind all this was called Charles Martel.
Feudal laws generated by kings, by popes, and by God's authority in the belief of salvation in heaven, and the balance of power that standardized heavenly and earthly kingdoms, created a wealth of common interests and ideas, and common regulations, which, in turn, inspired the consent of the governed. Barbaric tribal European chaos faded away as early Christian medieval empire slowly transitioned into order and a more structured feudal government of kings. When this new and more structured government and authority of regional kings generated the common law, citizens loyal to the king were agreeable to abide by the king's law. Feudal dominions’ kings granted land to regional lords, who supplied freemen for the king’s military, and taxes from their serfs’ production from the land. As serf population grew, society was fed and protected by wealth from the land they harvested: “Here is subscribed the inquisition of lands as the barons of the king .
The earliest record of the Bayeux Tapestry is in 1476.The closer it was made to the actual battle of the hastings the more likely htat it would have been more accurate. Another limit of it is the involvment of William the conquerors half brohter ODO bishop of bayeaux. This is thought because he is very prominent in events leading up to the battle of hasting. This is probably over emphasised and a historian must keep that in mind when looking at the Bayeux tapestry. Another reason that the Bayeux tapestry would be extremely biased is that it is a Norman document.
During the Civil War, Cromwell commanded his troops with courage, valour, bravery, and employed great tactics at the battles of Naseby, Marston and many others. His contribution to democracy and politics relating to the people of England towered above any other. And finally, in the early years of his reign as “Lord Protector” Cromwell brought peace, harmony, and unity throughout the British Isles. Against: Although, at first, Cromwell may have been fighting for democracy, not dictatorship, towards the end of his control, he became power-hungry, strict, cruel, and similar to King Charles. For example, In 1649, Oliver Cromwell made a speech in which he said: “We fought for a world in that the voice of the people is heard; now we have that world.” But, just four years later in 1653, he made a speech wherein he said: “It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue.