1086 – The Domesday/Doomsday Book
As an important socio-economic document, the Domesday Book records a survey commissioned by William I. Its ambitious aim was to sum the wealth potential of the nation of England. The amount of revenue available to the crown was calculated. Although it is assumed work was never completed due to William's death in 1087, hence missing data for London and Winchester, over a quarter of a million English residents were surveyed from over 13,000 areas. Many of these places still exist in name today. Because of the importance of the document, in the 12th century it was named after the last day of judgement.
1095 – 1099 The First Crusade
Conflicts between Roman and Muslim cultures at the border between their realms had escalated into widespread fighting when Pope Urban II pleaded the European armies to fight on behalf of the Church. Tens of thousands of warriors from all over Europe, including Britain, took up arms and went to the Middle-East to fight against Muslims and Jews. The battles were bloody and ferocious, many were killed on both sides. In 1099 the Roman-Catholic army captured Jerusalem which the Byzantine Roman Empire lost to the Turks in 1076. Jerusalem remained in Roman Catholic control until 1187, when it was conquered by Saladin.
1100 – The Tower
The Tower of London began construction in the 1070s and was completed in 1100. Designed as a fortress and watchtower, it joined onto the original Roman walls which were still standing. For its time, the tower was a grand structure, much taller than other buildings. This imposed the Norman mark of authority over the people of London. At 90 feet tall, the original tower became the centre point for a much grander castle built surrounding it. Its uses have been varied over its thousand year history, from a Royal home to a prison with times spent as a zoo and a barracks. Now it is a museum which holds some of the nation's most valuable treasure including the Crown Jewels.
1154 – 1189 The Angevin Empire
William's two sons, William and Henry, both ruled in succession to one another until Henry's nephew Stephen took the crown. Henry's daughter Matilda fought a 19 year civil war with King Stephen but was unable to take his crown. This period of unrest is often called the anarchy. When Stephen died, Matilda's son Henry became king. Henry II had inherited Matilda's empire in Europe and upon taking the English throne, was the most powerful English monarch in history. This was thanks to his father's lands and those of his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
King Henry II was able to remove much of the corruption left behind from King Stephen's reign. He also began removing trial by ordeal as commonplace, favouring a jury. The method had been in place before his time, however it was not widely used. Henry visited Ireland during his reign and declared it part of his realm, the first King of England to do this. The Angevin Empire was short lived however, as Henry's two sons feuded over the spoils and upon their father's death, it disintegrated.
King Henry II was able to remove much of the corruption left behind from King Stephen's reign. He also began removing trial by ordeal as commonplace, favouring a jury. The method had been in place before his time, however it was not widely used. Henry visited Ireland during his reign and declared it part of his realm, the first King of England to do this. The Angevin Empire was short lived however, as Henry's two sons feuded over the spoils and upon their father's death, it disintegrated.
1170 – Thomas Becket
In 1162, King Henry asked his friend Thomas Becket to become Arch Bishop of Canterbury. He had hoped that Becket would be more amiable towards the Royal Court as he had previously enjoyed a lavish lifestyle at its expense. However, Thomas Becket became highly pious, choosing to take his role ever more seriously. Becket became outspoken about King Henry II several times, and campaigned for the Church to become more powerful and less influenced by the Crown. In 1170, Henry is said to have remarked that he wants to be rid of the “turbulent priest”, and to which four knights took it upon themselves to do his bidding. They rode up to Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas Becket was working, and murdered him. Henry II immediately realised the error of his ways and walked in sackcloth through Canterbury, where he was flogged at the cathedral at his own request. Pope Alexander III used Henry II's remorse to gain more influence for the church in England.
1189 – Richard The Lionheart
Richard I was Henry II's son, but unhappy with the status quo, Richard drove Henry to an early grave. Richard was then crowned on 3rd September, 1189. Soon after becoming king, Richard joined the Third Crusade, with Philip II of France. This was an attempt to recapture Jerusalem, which had recently been captured by Saladin and his army. After a mainly successful campaign, Richard was unable to take Jerusalem however and agreed an uneasy truce with Saladin. He then left for England, but was captured and held for ransom by Duke Leopold of Austria.
While Richard was away, Prince John was in charge and had heavily taxed the nation. John had also been plotting with Philip II of France to depose Richard. When Richard was eventually released from captivity he returned to England to thwart John from seizing the throne in his absence. Richard then went to France to fight once more, this time to reclaim territories lost there. In one attack, at the Castle of Chalus, Richard was struck with a crossbow bolt and died.
While Richard was away, Prince John was in charge and had heavily taxed the nation. John had also been plotting with Philip II of France to depose Richard. When Richard was eventually released from captivity he returned to England to thwart John from seizing the throne in his absence. Richard then went to France to fight once more, this time to reclaim territories lost there. In one attack, at the Castle of Chalus, Richard was struck with a crossbow bolt and died.
1199 – Bad King John
Although educated and preferring matters of government and law, King John was a greedy and vicious king. He was the youngest brother of Henry II's four children. Famous for conspiring with his brothers during his father's reign, he then conspired against the same brothers during their own reigns. The Pope was unhappy with John and excommunicated him from the Catholic Church in 1209. He also lost huge amounts of territory in France which he repeatedly failed to recapture. Along with ever rising taxation, unhappy people with an uncoordinated church, the nation eventually broke into civil war.
1215 – Magna Carta
Because of King John's greed, his taxations drove the land Barons to draw up a document that contracted the King into not extorting the people. The King reluctantly signed the document, endorsing the 63 clauses written into it. These included more powers for the church, the land Barons, and less power for the King himself. Splitting the authority of the King into sections was hoped to stop him from taking any more money for failing wars. King John proceeded to ignore the contract however, and this forced the Barons to rebel.
1295 – Parliament
King Henry III reigned after King John, and the Magna Carta was re-issued. Upon his death, Edward I became King. During Edward's reign, the nation was drawn into wars in France. The King demanded that the Scottish fight on the behalf of the English crown. Refusing to be a vassal state of England, the Scots took up arms alongside the French. When the French were subdued, the Scottish were invaded by the English to avenge their failure to respect the alliance. This long war required a lot of money in the form of taxes, and because of the Magna Carta, Parliament had to be held every time taxes were changed. During the reign of Edward I, Parliament began meeting regularly for the first time.
1297 – The Scottish Revolt
Edward I had supported John Balliol, the King of Scotland, to secure his throne. In exchange, Edward had expected Balliol to support his troops against the French. Outraged by this demand, the King of Scotland signed a pact with the French in which Scot forces were promised against the English. In response to this, Edward I ordered the conquering and pillage of Scotland, which sparked a national revolt. William Wallace is famed for starting the rebellion when he murdered an English sheriff. Wallace, along with Robert the Bruce, managed to recapture many Scottish towns. Wallace's forces were halted shortly after however Bruce found a political route to continue the resistance. Under English authority, Bruce and John Comyn took the roles of guardians of Scotland in a dual person role. Bruce then killed Comyn and was crowned King of Scotland, succeeding Balliol. He was however then forced into exile by Edward I who did not accept Bruce's title. When Edward died, Bruce returned to wage skirmishes against English towns and cities. In 1320 the Pope recognised Bruce as the King of Scotland which ended Edward II's claim over the land.
1337 – The Hundred Years War
For 116 years, England and France were at war. The English had French territory, which had been a source of tension since the Norman period. The English crown no longer identified as Norman or French. When Edward III was denied his right to the land of Gascony in the South West of France, which he had inherited through his mother, Edward invaded France. The English navy captured the French port of Calais while a land force took control of the South West. This was achieved by capturing the French King, and then releasing him on the guarantee of English control in the South West.
The peace was short lived, and French forces sought to drive the English out of the South. As they pushed the English further North, they recaptured Calais and took control of the English channel. When the King of France, Charles V died, his heir was still a child. Not wanting to risk any further warfare, governors for Charles VI signed a peace treaty with England, ending hostilities again. Charles VI suffered from poor mental health, and upon many strange events, the French people fell into civil war. Henry V, the King of England, took this opportunity to recapture some of the lands previously lost. Henry then married the French King's daughter, in an attempt to solve the political differences. Henry however died shortly after, leaving his child son as the rightful King.
The war began again when Joan of Arc fought back against the English, recapturing most of the territories captured by Henry V. Charles VII of France was a much more suitable leader and alongside the invention of artillery, the French were able to completely push the English back to England. Only Calais remained in English control, this occupancy lasted until 1558.
The peace was short lived, and French forces sought to drive the English out of the South. As they pushed the English further North, they recaptured Calais and took control of the English channel. When the King of France, Charles V died, his heir was still a child. Not wanting to risk any further warfare, governors for Charles VI signed a peace treaty with England, ending hostilities again. Charles VI suffered from poor mental health, and upon many strange events, the French people fell into civil war. Henry V, the King of England, took this opportunity to recapture some of the lands previously lost. Henry then married the French King's daughter, in an attempt to solve the political differences. Henry however died shortly after, leaving his child son as the rightful King.
The war began again when Joan of Arc fought back against the English, recapturing most of the territories captured by Henry V. Charles VII of France was a much more suitable leader and alongside the invention of artillery, the French were able to completely push the English back to England. Only Calais remained in English control, this occupancy lasted until 1558.
1348 – 1350 The Black Death
A disease carried in fleas that lived on rats caused the deaths of millions of people worldwide. The most common strain of the plague was called the Bubonic plague, which caused swellings on the neck, armpits, and groin. These swellings would turn black within days, killing the infected person within a week. Usually burials happened in churchyard consecrated ground, but with the thousands of bodies piling up in every town and city, massive burial pits were used to dispose of the corpses. The event caused economic issues, where land could not be worked and goods could not be sold. Although within 2 years the massive epidemic had ceased, isolated outbreaks would occur until the 17th century.
1381 – The Peasants' Revolt
Because the plague had recently decimated the workforce, the peasants were able to command more money for their labour. Laws were altered to keep the peasants in line but it didn't resolve their issues. At the time, there was no union or human rights charter for everyday people. The workers were seen as the property of the land owners by many, free to be exploited. This finally came to a head when the government introduced a poll tax to pay for the war in France. The peasants rose up and murdered several officials, including the Arch Bishop of Canterbury.
The peasants marched to London from all around the South East where they demanded an end to the current system of feudalism. The King agreed to terms with the peasants, and waited for the crowds to disperse. Once they had done so and the threat was over, the King had the ring leaders rounded up and executed.
The peasants marched to London from all around the South East where they demanded an end to the current system of feudalism. The King agreed to terms with the peasants, and waited for the crowds to disperse. Once they had done so and the threat was over, the King had the ring leaders rounded up and executed.
1382 – The Lollard Movement
John Wycliffe was a professor of philosophy at Oxford University. He wanted to make Christianity available to more people. The bible was currently only written in Latin which was a language for the elite classes. John Wycliffe proceeded to translate the bible into English without permission from the Pope. The Church, who were under the guidance of Rome, denounced the Wycliffe Bible as illegitimate. A new law was passed that made it a crime to translate the bible without permission from the Pope. John Wycliffe's followers were dubbed Lollards, which at the time was an insult meaning one who mumbles
1343 - 1400 – Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer is famous for writing many books in the English language. Inspired by Italian renaissance literature, Chaucer wrote many stories which brought him success. Because of his popularity, the English language became more widely used in literary circles and his use of it caused a certain degree of unification in standard words used across the country.
1476 – The First Printing Press in England
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany during the 1450s. William Caxton was an English merchant who took the technology back to England and set up his own press. Mass production of literature followed, which undermined the authority of the Church who would previously use its wealth to employ scribes to write commissioned books. The press was able to bring further standardisation of the English language and spelling. It also made writing a more popular and accessible career, meaning people with all kinds of views could add their ideas to the general consciousness.
1455 – 1485 The Wars of the Roses
The House of Lancaster and the House of York were both descended from Edward III. They fought a lengthy war over the crown of England. The House of York wore a white rose on its crest, and the House of Lancaster had associations with the red rose. This association has been exaggerated over time to give the conflict its memorable name. The battle came to a head when Edward IV of York died, and his young son was the heir. The boy king and his brother were both kidnapped before either could be crowned, and both were never seen again. Their uncle then took the crown as Richard III but was subsequently killed in battle by the Lancastrian Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth.
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