William the Conqueror's Sons

William the Conqueror had three sons: Robert the eldest, William and Henry. When William I died he left his possessions in Normandy to Robert, and William got England.

William II was nicknamed "Rufus" (Latin for red) because of his red hair and red face.

All the three brothers were not friendly. William II Rufus (1087-1100) was ill-tempered and greedy. He wanted to take Normandy from Robert. The latter, in his turn wanted to become the king of England. Henry did not get any title at all, though he got 5000 in silver. He had little chances to become the king of England because he had elder bro­thers.

In 1096 Robert went on the First Crusade. William hoped that he would never return, though he himself was destined to die during that time. King William II died quite mysteriously. He went out to hunt the deer and was separated from the others. At that moment he was shot by an arrow. Nobody knew who had done it. But people used to say that it was Henry, the younger brother who had always dreamed to become the king.

After that accident Henry proclaimed himself king of England. Soon he was crowned King Henry I.

Meanwhile, Robert was on his way home. Expecting that Robert would try to invade England Henry I collected a large army and pre­pared to meet Robert. In 1106 Robert was defeated in the battle at Tinchebrai. He had spent the rest 28 years of his life in prison until he died in 1134.

Henry I became the ruler of both England and Normandy. As time went on, he realised that he needed an heir whom he could pass on his throne. Unfortunately, his only son was drowned at sea in 1120 on the way from Normandy to England. Besides the son he had a daughter Matilda. Though people at that time thought that women were unfit (25) for governing the country, Henry I announced that she would be the queen after his death. Then Henry quarrelled publicly with Matilda's husband, Geoffrey Count of Anjou. This fact let the barons and nobles question Matilda's right to the throne after Henry's death.

There was one more heir — Henry's nephew Stephen, the son of William the Conqueror's daughter Adela. The barons preferred Stephen to be crowned king. Matilda and Stephen were rivals for about eight­een years. For eighteen years the country was in disorder People got tired of wars. The situation in the country was becoming intense. So the two sides had to reach a compromise. Stephen would rule the country until his death, and Matilda's son Henry would succeed him

Fortunately for the people, Stephen died a year later in 1154. Stephen had never been a good monarch. He was hot-tempered and unwise in the matters of politics.

THE PLANTAGENETS

Henry II

(1154-1189)

Henry II was born to Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. It meant that his possessions included England, Normandy, An­jou, Touraine and Maine. Later he acquired Aquitaine through his mar­riage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former wife of Louis VII of France. Then he conquered Brittany and Ireland

Henry II was a strong monarch. He ruled over such a large territory that no English king had ever possessed before. He introduced the com­mon law system, which meant that any freeman could plead in royal courts. Henry also improved the system of the Exchequer (it exists in modern Britain).

To the end of his reign Henry II had to face a serious trouble. His wife and his sons rebelled against their father in an effort to depose him.

Henry II had seven sons but several of them had died earlier than their father. His elder sons Henry the Younger, Richard and Geoffrey were given some territories in England and France. But he never let them be independent. They felt as if they were puppets in the king's hands. They were watched, spied and ordered what to do. Besides, Henry, had a favourite son, the youngest of them, John to whom he was willing; to pass on his crown. So the elder brothers rebelled. Henry II turned to be stronger than all of them and the sons had to submit. However, Hen­ry did not forgive his wife and imprisoned her.

Soon Henry the Younger (1183) and Geoffrey (1186) died and Richard became the eldest of Henry's surviving sons. Henry II was not fa­vourable to his son. He started to plot against Richard. Notorious is the story of Richard's fiancée Adelaide (Alice). She was the sister of Philip II Augustus, the French king. Henry II promised Louis VII in 1174 that Richard would marry Adelaide. Henry took her to England. Some time later there came the rumours to France that Henry II took the girl him­self. When Richard learned about it he refused to marry Adelaide. Lat­er Philip showed Richard a document which said that Henry n prom­ised Philip to marry his younger son John to Adelaide and make the spouses heirs to Aquitaine, Normandy, Anjou and England. For the first time Richard showed his power: he made an agreement with Philip and together they made Henry leave his residence by attacking and pursu­ing him for several months in 1188-89. Henry II was not a young man any more. He fell ill. At last the king agreed to give Richard everything he wanted. On 6 July 1189 Henry II died forgotten by everybody. Hen­ry's servants stole everything they thought to be valuable. The dead king was left in trousers and a shirt. When Richard learned about his father's death he ordered to bury him with honour because Henry II was his father and King.

 

Richard the Lion Heart

(1189-1199)

King Richard I has stayed the most popular king through the whole history of Britain.

What do you know about Richard I?

Why was he nicknamed "Lion Heart"?

Why was he popular among people?

 

Richard ruled the country for 10 years, but out of them he spent only about five months in his possessions in England and France. The rest of the time he spent abroad in Crusades. He went to the Holy Land to fight Muslims.

Richard was a brave soldier and excellent commander. He had a passion for fighting. Right after his coronation he started gathering an army for the Third Crusade (1189-1192). He wanted to set Jerusalem free from the Muslim leader Saladin who had captured the Holy Land. Philip II Augustus was not willing to go with Richard, though he had to so that the world would not think that the king of France was a coward, and a man who was not faithful to Christianity. In 1190 Richard I and Philip II Augustus set off for Palestine. Wherever they went Richard's popularity was so great that nobody seemed to notice Philip's presence. Philip became jealous.

Richard won several battles. He captured Cyprus, because Saladin having caught Richard's fiancée, the Princess of Navarre, Berengaria, kept her on the island. After this victory Richard went to storm Accra. It was not an easy matter for both kings. There they fell ill with some strange disease. The enemies of Richard began to spread rumours that hé poisoned Philip. Philip and Richard constantly quarrelled, and it was partly the reason of their failure in this Crusade. Richard and Saladin made peace, and Saladin promised to pay 200.000 in gold, to return the Holy Cross and 1500 of Christian captives. Richard promised to leave Accra and let off its prisoners. But Saladin did not fulfil his promise. In return Richard made a very cruel mistake: he ordered to behead 2000 of his hostages by the walls of Accra.

After the battle at Accra Philip returned to France, where he be­gan to win back his territories from England while Richard was away. Richard's younger brother John was trying to proclaim himself king of England. When Richard heard the news he had to return back though he was only several miles from Jerusalem Richard had come to the walls Jerusalem twice, but twice he had the reasons to turn back. The Cru­sade was almost a failure. The only thing Saladin agreed to was a three years' truce and the permission for pilgrims to visit the Holy City.

When in 1192 Richard was coming back to England he got ship­wrecked. Richard knew that many people desired his death and revenge. He began his way to England through the Austrian land, disguised as an Austrian. He grew long hair and a beard. In spite of these measures he was recognized and captured while sleeping by the men of Duke Leopold of Austria. Leopold had been offended by Richard in the battle of Accra Richard spent 14 months in captivity. The British people had to pay a large tax in order to collect a great ransom of 150.000 marks.

Having been released Richard began to win back his territories in Normandy. Richard had not been killed in Palestine, but he was killed by a simple French archer. The king got hit in an arm, but the arrow was poisoned. Before his death Richard asked to bring to him Bertran, the boy who had shot the arrow, and asked him what evil he had done to the boy. The boy answered that Richard had killed his father and two of his brothers, and had come to kill him, too. Richard ordered to let this boy go, but his men caught Bertran and killed him cruelly.

Richard willed his brains, blood and internal organs to be buried in Scharrou, his heart in Rouen, and the body in Fontevro by his father's tomb.

Richard was a great figure in the British history. His contemporar­ies and historians characterized him differently. To some of them he seemed handsome, to others he seemed pale and ugly; some people called him greedy, others called him generous; some called him a traitor, some a loyal friend. You can have your own opinion of him. But without doubt Richard had a heart of a lion.

 

John I

(1199-1216)

Richard had no lawful children, thus he was succeeded by his broth­er John. John I, the youngest son of Henry II, was very unpopular with people, with barons and with the pope of Rome. In the first years of his rule he managed to make all of them angry with his greed and failures.

Henry II had granted John with Ireland. On his first arrival to this land John began to mock at the most respected Irish people. Six months later he had to return to England. So his rule in Ireland was also a fail­ure.

In 1205 Hugh Lusignan, supported by the king of France, pushed John from Normandy. It was a kind of revenge: John had offended Hugh by marrying his fiancée, a twelve-year-old Isabella of Angouleme. For 8 years John had been gathering money for the war to win back Nor­mandy. People had to pay heavy taxes. In 1214 John suffered a defeat. This defeat led to a rebellion which was headed by barons. They decid­ed to compose a document which included laws and rules the British monarchs had to obey. It was called "Magna Carta", or the Great Char­ter. With this document the barons demanded certain political freedoms. However, this document was composed by barons, not by common peo­ple, that is why every item included was in favour of barons and nobles.

King John was forced to sign Magna Carta, but later he tried to refuse to fulfil its rules. The barons rebelled again. John was so much depressed by his mistakes that on 19 October 1216 he died. He was suc­ceeded by his 9-year-old son Henry III.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

I. Match the words and their definitions.

1. crusade a) a sum of money paid to free a prisoner who is being held illegally;

2. to pass on b) confusion; a violent public expression of political dissatisfaction;

3. rival c) not having the right qualities or skills;

4. disorder d) to give to another person;

5. to depose e) to remove from a position of power, esp. from that of a ruler;

6. ransom f) a person, group, or organization with whom one competes;

7. unfit g) to have or express doubts about;

8. to question h) any of the Christian wars to win back Palestine from the Muslims in

the XI-XII centuries, led by European kings and lords.

Guess the translation of these words.

 

II. Answer the questions.

1. How did Henry I come to power?

2. What lands did the Plantagenet Kings possess?

3. How did Richard I come to power?

4. Did he devote enough time to his country?

5. How did Richard the Lion Heart die?

6. Why was John I nicknamed "Lackland"?

7. What was the first attempt to limit the power of the king in Britain?

When and why did it happen?

 

III. How do you imagine Richard the Lion Heart? Describe his character and appearance.

 

IV. Think of the cases in the history of Britain and other countries when the monarchs (or other rulers) were deposed by their sons, relatives or subjects. Did it often happen? What were the typical mistakes of the deposed rulers? Discuss it in class.

 

V. What books about this period in the history of Britain have you read? Tell about them in class.

 

 

VI. Henry II is notorious for the quarrel with his friend Thomas Becket, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Complete the story using the words given below.

Thomas Becket was Henry II's (1)... who had been helping his king for the first eight years of his rule. At first Thomas Becket was his Chan­cellor. Then Henry II offered him the post of (2)..., the highest religious post in England. Becket felt that Henry II was trying to obtain (3)... over the Church of England. Only the Church could appoint archbish­ops. Becket (4)... Henry II for his acting against the Church. In 1164 Henry (5)... Becket. On returning from the exile in 1170 Thomas Becket did not change his mind. Once the king shouted that he wanted to get rid of this (6).... Four of Henry's (7)... thought the king wanted Becket to be dead. They went and killed him right at the (8)... of his Cathedral in Canterbury. The whole world was shocked at the news. Thomas Beck­et was announced a (9)..., and Henry H had to do (10)... in public. Since that time the Church had to consult the king on the matter of appoint­ing Archbishops of Canterbury.

Condemned; friend; exiled; Archbishop of Canterbury; knights; pen­ance; priest; power; altar; saint.

WARS, REVOLTS AND DISASTERS

DO YOU KNOW THAT...

… King Henry IH continued wars with France trying to recapture those lands which had been lost by his father John Lackland;

... barons made Henry III agree to share his power with a council of barons in 1258. However, the king refused to fulfil his promise later and the barons took Henry III and his son Edward prisoners. Later they were released and the last seven years of his rule were quiet. The Oxford Pro­visions put the beginning to the appearance of Parliament;

... Edward I Longshanks got his nickname because he had slender legs. He was happy in his marriage to Eleonor of Castile. Edward I par­ticipated in the Seventh Crusade, where he got a 10 years' truce from the Sultan. In 1295 Edward organized the Great Council (the Model Parliament). He also established English rule in Wales and Scotland;

... Edward II was the first to get the title of the Prince of Wales. Welsh chieftains came to King Edward I and said that they wanted to be ruled not by an English king, but by a prince of Wales, who had to be born in Wales, to be of royal blood, not to speak English and French, and not to have done any harm to anybody. It was a difficult problem, but Edward I solved it easily. He named his small son, who was born in Wales and was too small to speak any language and to have done harm to any­body, the Prince of Wales;

... Edward II was deposed from the throne by his wife Isabella, two of his brothers and rebellious barons. Edward II used to have favourites (Piers Gavestone, Hugh Despenser...), whom he adored and obeyed. He did not pay attention to his wife and acted unreasonably in the matters of politics.

Edward II was imprisoned and on 21 September 1327 he was cruelly murdered. His son became King Edward III.

The Hundred Years' War

(1337-1453)

Among the reasons of the Hundred Years' War historians name the following ones:

1) Edward III's mother Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV, the King of France. When her brother Charles IV died the French throne was taken by Philip of Valois. But Edward III thought he had the right to the French crown (Isabella could not become the queen because in France women could not inherit lands).

2) England did not forgive France for having banished John Lackland from Normandy in 1204.

3) After the failure of the war in Scotland and the baronial rebellion Edward II was murdered. Edward III wanted to distract barons’ attention from political intrigues by organizing a military campaign.

Nobles were not eager to support the war, merchants, on the contrary, financed this campaign generously. Thus Philip of Valois ordered (34) to boycott English goods, mostly wool, which was used by Flemish weavers. Edward III, in his turn, ordered not to buy Flemish fabrics. The incomes both of French and English merchants lowered. The tension between the two countries grew and at last in 1337 King Edward III declared war on France. The conflict lasted for a century. At the beginning of it Britain had a sue J cess. The British soldiers were better equipped and more experienced.

There were two famous bat­tles which brought victories to Edward III. The battle of Crecy took place on 26 August 1346. The English army was eight times smaller than the French one. Nevertheless the French lost a lot of soldiers, among then: eleven princes, twelve hundred knights and 30.000 common men. The English army was more ex­perienced and well-organized. English bowmen were so skilled that maybe only owing to them the battle was won by the Eng­lish army.

During the reign of Plantagenets all English men had to train shoot­ing arrows from a bow; all other competitions were forbidden.

The French army, on the contrary, was badly organized. Princes and knights acted separately, bowmen were not skilful Knights were often haughty and treated peasants as a useless crowd. (Peasants used to be hired in all European armies. Having got experience they could act quite successfully.)

In the battle of Poitiers in September 1356 the situation was simi­lar. The French army lost many important commanders: an archbishop, 13 counts, 5 viscounts, 21 barons and baronettes and about 2000 knights. English casualties were not numerous.

The war can be divided into two stages but both of them were fail­ures for England. The English army usually started with striking victo­ries which were changed by protracted war and ended with the French victory.

The fighting did not go on all the time though. There were long pe­riods of truce. But the desire of France to return back all of its lands made it begin fighting again. To the end of the war England lost several important battles. As the result, France won back almost all the British territories in France, leaving Britain with several ports: Calais, Cher­bourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne. Besides, Scotland attempted to cross the border and make troubles, and Britain had to defend its terri­tory in the north, which seemed more important than victory in the Hundred Years' War.

 

DO YOU KNOW THAT...

... in 1348 Britain was troubled with the terrible plague called the Black Death;

... the Black Death killed half of Britain's population;

… the Black Death ended serfdom in Britain, because the lack of working hands forced the nobles to pay workers salary for their service.

 

Wat Tyler's Revolt

(1381)

The Hundred Years' War and the plague were not the only troubles of the 14th century. When Richard II came lo power the government introduced a tax payment for each person who was over the age of fifteen. Then the tax was enforced two more times and each time the payment became even higher. This resulted in revolts, which spread all over Britain. The biggest revolt was led by Wat Tyler, John Ball and Jack Straw. People demanded more rights, they wanted to be equal to other people, they wanted to be allowed to buy and sell at all the markets, like other free men, they wanted taxes to be made lower, etc. The most part of the rebels were peasants. The revolt lasted for about four weeks and was skilfully defeated by Richard II: Wat Tyler was killed as well as those who helped him. Richard II told the crowd that Wat Tyler was a traitor. So the crowd dispersed. About 1500 peasants were captured and executed with great cruelty. The revolt was defeated, but it served as a warning to the king that the people could rebel again if he did not improve their life.

 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

I. Match the words and their definitions.

1. banish a) an attack of disease causing death and spreading quickly to a large

number of people;

2. income b) a person who opposes or fights against someone in a position of control;

3. truce c) the same in size, number, value, rank, etc.;

4. plague d) money which one receives regularly, usu. as payment for one's work or

interest from investments;

5. equal e) an agreement between enemies or opponents for the stopping of fighting

or arguing, usu. for a short time;

6. rebel f) to force to leave; drive away.

Guess the translation of these words.

 

II. Answer the questions.

1. Why did the Hundred Years' war begin?

2. How did the scenario of the war develop?

3. Why did England lose the war?

4. What caused the dramatic fall in population in the 14th century?

5. Who was the leader of the Great Peasants' Revolt?

6. What were the reasons of the revolt and how did it end?

 

III. Choose the correct date or each event.

1. England declared war on France. 2. The terrible plague spread all through Britain. 3. The Battle of Crecy took place. 4. The Hundred Years' War ended. 5. Richard II became King. 6. The Battle of Poitiers took place. 7. Wat Tyler stirred up a revolt.

a) 1453 b) 1348 c) 1377 d) 1356 e) 1381 f) 1346 g) 1337

 

IV. True-False quiz.

1. The 14^th century was a quiet time for England.

2. Edward II declared war on France in 1337.

3. English army lost the Battle of Crecy.

4. The English king was a vassal of the French king.

5. England went to war because Edward III wanted to become King of France.

6. At the beginning of the war England had a success.

7. Black death didn't spread further than London.

8. Plague killed half of the population of Britain.

9. Wat Tyler's revolt happened during Edward Ill's reign.

10. Wat Tyler's demands were satisfied.

 

V. Discuss the question.

Why was the Poor People's Revolt a failure? Recall the similar cas­es in the history of your country. Which of the revolts were successful? What helped the rebels win the struggle?

 

THE WARS OF THE ROSES