HISTORY OF ENGLAND (to 1066-1400)

Black Death

1348 BCE

The Black Death, an incurable disease in Medieval times, largely contributed to tthe social changes in England. When it struck in 1348, it decimated the population and especially the peasant, who were essential for working the land, but were underpaid and exploited. Economic and socio-polical chaos blew up in 1381, when villagers started the Peasants' Revolt to demand greater rights-

Magna Carta

1215 BCE

John is "Bad King" because he lost territories of France and he collected highter taxes to equal less income coming from the loss of a great mass of French land. In 1215 the barons refuse to pay the scutage, conspired to resist the king, occupied London and John agreed to sign ah important document: Magna Carta. The Magna Carta promised freedroms to all people, protected the rights of ordinary people, promised to have good laws and prevented any freeman from being punished without a process.

A war of succession

1067 BCE

William I had three sons: Robert, William and Henry:
-Robert was the Duke of Normandy;
-William II ruled from 1087-1100;
-Henry I ruled from 1100-1135.
Henry is remembered as a great reformer, a foaunder of English common law and a creator of sound administration and justice. Henry II wanted to reduce the power of the Church then he maked Thomas Becket his chancellor. But once Archbishop of Cantebury, Becket became an opponent of the king and he's been killed in the Cantebury Cathedral.

The Norman invasion

1066 BCE

Edward the Confessor is dead childless in January of 1066. His successor has been his brother-in-law, Harold Godwineson.
William, the Duke of Normandy invaded the England but Harold marched his army hoping to destroy the Normans.
The meeting of the two armies at Hastings on 14 October is one of the most famous moment in British history.The battle raged for hours before the more mobile Normans eventually managed to make inroads against the English shield wall. In this battle, Harold was killed.

Feudal system

1066 BCE

The feudal system was introduced by the Normans whan they conquered England in 1066. At the time the country was dividedinto small agricultural villages and peasants lived in simple cottages around the landlord's stone manor house. Society was highly hierarchised into classes; the poorest serfs amd cottages were essentially the property of the landlord.