Struggles over power in the medieval period

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  • Struggles over power in the medieval period
    • 1. The barons gradually gained greater rights during the medieval period
      • 1. When Henry I took the throne the barons had favoured his brother,  Robert. When Robert returned from crusades, Henry imprisoned him, which made the barons unhappy
      • 2. Henry I's Coronation Charter of 1100 made some concessions to win them over. (The king having less control over the marriages of the barons' and earls' daughters
      • 3. Henry II did not impose harsh taxes on his barons, and often forgave rebellious ones
      • 4. King John did not have a positive relationship with his barons, partly because he taxed them heavily
      • 5. John abused his power which caused his baron's to resent him. John sold "justice" (allowed himself to be bribed during court cases), and often ruled in favour of the nobles
      • 6. In 1215, a civil war commenced after disputes between John and his barons could not be resolved
      • 7. John was forced to accept the barons' demands and sign the Magna Carta, which limited the power of the king (no more "selling Justice")
      • 8. The signing embedded the principle that everyone was subject to the law. This was the first time relationship between monarch and subject had been arranged
    • 2. Parliament emerged in the thirteenth century
      • By the first half of the 13th century an extended council of barons were consulted by the king
      • During Henry III's reign, lesser nobles and representatives from towns were included in councils
      • In 1251, Simon de Montfort and barons forced Henry to accept the Provisions of Oxford. It stated that the king had to rule with advice from 24 advisers and Parliament had to meet 3 times a year
      • De Montfort ruled for a brief period in which he created the first Parliament which met in 1265
      • Some people thought Montfort was too radical and he was killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Henry was reinstated as king
      • Henry summoned Parliaments until his death in 1272. He accepted the terms of Magna Carta at the start of each Parliament
      • Edward I was an effective ruler. He summoned Parliament regularly, and in 1295 he called the Model Parliament. Knights and burgesses from major towns were invited to make up the Commons
      • A pattern emerged: kings used to Parliament to listen to the concerns of his subjects, and Parliament would give the king money needed for wars
    • 3. The barons had enough power to depose Richard II
      • Richard II became king at 10, so a council of barons ruled on his behalf
      • In 1381, Richard was challenged by the Peasants' Revolt: this was triggered by high taxation for the war with France
      • Richard broke his promise to give in to some of the peasants' demands and ordered the deaths of  over 5000 people in retaliation
      • The situation became worse when Richard started promoting low-ranking men to positions of power
      • Nobles including Henry Bolingbroke of the Lancaster family staged a rebellion. By 1387, Richard had been defeated and was forced to execute some of his allies
      • Over the next decade, Richard restored his power and gained support from some noble families
      • In 1397, Richard arrested some of the nobles that had opposed him in 1387
      • Richard confiscated Henry's inheritance and Henry retaliated by raising a force and defeating Richard in 1399. Henry was crowned Henry IV in October
    • 4. The Wars of the Roses revealed that monarchs were losing power
      • Henry V acceded Henry IV and had a successful and peaceful reign
      • Henry VI was recognised as a weak and ineffective king as he lost s lot of land in France during his reign
      • The Dukes of York and Somerset quarreled about who should be Henry VI's chief adviser; Somerset was killed in battle
      • The Lancastrians and Yorkists began to form armies. The Duke of York was killed but his son deposed Henry VI and became Edward IV
      • Edward IV had a relatively stable reign but began to quarrel with the Earl of Warwick. Warwick rebelled and was killed in 1471
      • After Edward IV died his son became Edward V. 3 months later his uncle seized the throne and was crowned Richard III (Edward and his brother disappeared)
      • Richard III faced opposition from Henry Tudor (related to Henry VI). In August 1485, Henry killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth

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