The Fascinating History of

ENGLAND1066-1485

“KINGS and WARS”

England’s history is a story of how a nation was forged out of the ambitions of its kings and their wars. Almost all forms of genres from tragedy to romance are found in the diary of this nation. But it is more complex than any book could explain. Yet, it could not be denied that England have one of the most interesting history in the world.

The history from the Norman Conquests to the start of the Tudor dynasty manifests England’s struggle for a national identity. The struggle was facilitated by the bloody and almost endless wars that sacrificed many of its sons. But out of the bloodshed, a new England would be born to dominate the world.

TIMELINE OF ENGLAND’s HISTORY

(1066-1485)

Battle of Hastings

The battle that would change the face of England started-out from a dispute of who would succeed King Edward the Confessor who had no heir. The late king’s son-in-law Harold Godwinson, earl of Wessex, eventually became king as Harold II. However, Harald Hardrada, the king of Denmark also claims the throne. He invaded England, only to be defeated and killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Then, another challenger to the throne emerges. He is William, duke of Normandy.

The Battle of Hastings was to decide the fate of England. Harold II represented the preservation of the old Anglo-Saxon way of life, while William represented the transformation to a new Anglo-Norman identity. Their armies were equally matched yet the exhaustion of Harold’s men proved to be a vital factor that would cause his defeat and death. The victory at the Battle of Hastings paved way to the Norman Conquest, changing England forever.

William the Conqueror becomes the first Norman king of England.

Bayeux Tapestry: The Art behind the

Conquest The Bayeux Tapestry is the primary visual source for the Battle of Hastings, artistically manifesting the transformation of England, Historically it is considered an unreliable account of events. It shows the prelude, the battle and the aftermath entirely from the Norman perspective. Thus, it is more like a Norman propaganda than an artistic record of history.

The tapestry was probably commissioned in the 1070s by William's half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and made in Canterbury. It was completed around 1077, and has been in Bayeux since the 15th century.

Magna Carta

Battle of Hastings October 14, 1066

Foundation of Oxford University

1096

Battle of HastingsAccession of Henry II, the

first 'Plantagenet' King December 19, 1154 Murder of Thomas Becket,

Archbishop of CanterburyDecember 29, 1170 Signing of the Magna Carta

June 15, 1215Imposition of the

Provisions of Oxford 1258

Annexation of Wales 1282

The ‘Model Parliament’ was summoned by

Edward I1282

Simon de Montfort's 'parliament' is summoned

1265

Beginning of the Hundred Years War

May 24, 1337

Peasants’ Revolt 1381

English Victory at the Battle of Agincourt

October 25, 1415

Union of English and French crown under the

infant king Henry VIOctober 31, 1422

End of the Hundred Years War

1453Beginning of the Wars of

the Roses May 22, 1455

Defeat of the Lancastrians and proclamation of the Yorkist king Edward IV

May 29, 1461

Brief Restoration of the Lancastrian Henry VI

October 40, 1470

Richard III becomes King and the Disappearance of the ‘Princes in the Tower’

July 1483

Battle of Bosworth FieldAugust 22, 1485

Source: BBC History

- RONALD ONGUDA, AB Econ IIIA

Usurpation of Henry IVSeptember 30, 1399

Battle of CrecyAugust 26, 1346

The tyranny and incompetence of the “bad” king John led to a rebellion by northern barons. This would force the king to a negotiation table in which the Magna Carta (Great Charter) was signed to appease the demands of the rebels. It was essentially a list of baronial grievances relating to the king’s exploitation of taxation and privileges. More significantly, it represents the first time that defined limitations to royal rights were established in written law.

Magna Carta serves as one of the most famous attempts to define the rights and duties of king and people in England. It facilitated England’s path to modernity and democracy and away from despotism. The Magna Carta’s provisions echoed the basic human rights that we still enjoy up to the modern era.

Medieval Parliament

Simon de Monfort’s Parliament serves as an early example of English people having a voice in the government of England. However, it was to be short-lived as de Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham by the forces of Prince Edward, and royal authority was restored. Thirty years later, this Edward would summon his own ideal concept of Parliament of which he is now King.

The Model Parliament of Edward I included a broader range of members than was usual, extending beyond senior clergy and aristocracy to lower clergy, knights of the shire and representatives of towns. Its main aim, for Edward, was to raise money for his wars against France, Scotland and Wales. Yet, the formation of a Medieval Parliament facilitated the political developments in England.

Hundred Years’ War

The 'Hundred Years' War' is a series of related conflicts fought over the course of more than a century between the rival nations of England and France. The causes were complex and varied, but included English territorial and dynastic ambitions in France. The war began with Philip VI's confiscation of Gascony, which led Edward III of England to declare himself the rightful heir to the French throne.

Battle of Crecy (1346): The first decisive battle of the war in which the English under Edward III defeated the French under Philip of Valois. This enabled the English to Calais and force the city defenders to surrender one year later.

Battle of Poitiers (1356): The war in which Edward the Black Prince, son of Edward III, heavily defeated the superior French army. The English longbowmen played the decisive role in the outcome of the battle. The French king John II was captured during the battle and taken to England. He was released in 1360 after he promised to pay an enormous ransom.

Battle of Agincourt (1415): The most brilliant English victory in the Hundred Years’ War against France. The English, led by King Henry V decisively defeated the numerically superior French army and conquered much of France. He forced the insane French king Charles VI to name him as heir to the French throne and legitimize his claim by marrying the king’s daughter.

Lifting of the Siege of Orleans (1429): The turning point in the Hundred Years’ War in which a peasant girl called Joan of Arc lifted the Siege of Orleans. This enabled Charles VII to travel to Rheims to be crowned as King of France but it also significantly increased the morale among the French soldiers.

Battle of Castillon (1453): The French victory which marked the end of the Hundred Years’ War. The English lost all their possession in France except for Calais. The battle, however, also went into history as the first battle in Europe in which cannons played a decisive role.

Throughout the course of the war, the English initially gain the upper hand, but was eventually defeated by the French. The defeat diminished the glory and prestige of the English arms which would cause resentment among the nobles. This resentment would, in turn, erupt into a bloody civil war, challenging the unity of the nation. But as challenges increases, England further develops into a more powerful nation to regain its lost prestige, not by conquering France, but by dominating the seas.

In the end, the English would not be remembered for their defeat instead they would be immortalized for their loyalty to king and country by fighting in the Hundred Years’ War.

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses was a series of dynastic civil wars that blossomed upon the rivalry of two royal houses: the Lancaster and the York. Both houses claimed the throne through descent from the sons of Edward III. The wars were named after the emblem of the two sides: the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster.

The house of Lancaster occupied the throne since the usurpation of Henry IV in 1399. On the other hand, the house of York claimed to have greater right to the throne than the Lancastrians. Another factor that led to the war is the deterioration of English prestige following its defeat in the Hundred Years’ War. Moreover, the Lancastrian king Henry VI proved to be subject to frequent bouts of madness, allowing his unpopular French queen Margaret of Anjou to dominate English politics. This caused resentment among some of the nobles, including Richard, Duke of York.

The Cousins’ War, as it was called, begins with the first Battle of St. Albans in which the Duke of York defeated the supporters of the house of Lancaster. More Yorkist victories allowed the Duke of York to gain the right to succeed upon the death of Henry VI, thus disinheriting Henry’s son. However, York would never become king as he was killed at the battle of Wakefield.

In six years of civil war, power had shifted backwards and forwards between Yorkists and Lancastrians. But still the Yorkists successfully proclaimed Edward, son of Richard, Duke of York, as King Edward IV. However, Henry VI was briefly restored until the crushing defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury. After that, England enjoyed a period of peace that would eventually end with the death of Edward IV.

The young son of the late king is set to be crowned as Edward V with the boy’s uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as lord protector or regent. Instead, the Duke of Gloucester took the throne as Richard III by declaring his nephews (dubbed as Princes in the Tower) as bastards. This alienated many Yorkists, who then turned to the last hope of the Lancastrians, Henry Tudor. With their help, Henry Tudor was able to defeat and kill Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He then honored his promise to marry Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. Thus, uniting the once warring roses into one - the Tudor rose.

The Wars of the Roses enabled England to develop a strong government under the new Tudor dynasty. The power of the nobles had diminished, thus increasing royal authority which the Tudor rulers would utilize to shape the nation’s culture and religion. As a result, the war initiated the England’s quest for national identity.

Source: BBC History