E&M booklet 1

• Division of Britain into areas of Saxon and Viking control in the late 9th century:

  • Danes in the Danelaw
  • Saxons in the kingdom of Wessex
• Saxons of Wessex began to take back control of land from the Vikings in the 10th century
• After the death of Edgar the Peaceful in 975, Saxon control collapsed
• Aethelred, younger son of King Edgar the Peaceful, became king after his older brother was assassinated
• Events in Aethelred's reign that led to his nickname 'the Unready':

  • Battle of Maldon in 991
  • A huge Viking army led by Sven Forkbeard and Olaf Tryggvason defeated the English army
  • Danegeld: money used to bribe Vikings to leave, which angered the Saxons
  • Diplomacy with the Normans: Aethelred made a deal with the Duke of Normandy and married Emma of Normandy
  • St Brice's Day Massacre in 1002
• Cnut became King after defeating King Edmund at the Battle of Assundun in October 1016
• Cnut's early rule:

  • Executed some Saxons and gave land to loyal Danish nobles
• Cnut's marriage brought stability to England and improved relations with the Normans
• Benefits of Cnut's rule in England:

  • Peace and freedom
  • Balanced local leadership
  • Good relationship with the Church
  • Flourishing trade
  • Increased protection and power
• Race for the crown after King Edward's death in 1066:

  • William Duke of Normandy claimed the throne
  • Harald Hardrada, Viking ruler, felt he had a right to the throne
  • Harold Godwinson, the most powerful man in England, was elected king by the Witan
  • Harold was defeated by William at the Battle of Hastings on 14th October 1066
• William of Normandy was crowned as the first Norman King of England on Christmas Day, 1066
• Norman rule in England:

  • Replaced Saxon landowners with Norman ones
  • Introduction of the feudal system
  • Norman French became the main language
  • Norman castles were built for protection and administration
• Death of Henry I and civil war:

  • Stephen claimed the throne after Henry I's death
  • Matilda and Stephen fought for 19 years until an agreement was reached
• Henry II expanded the Angevin Empire by marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine and acquiring Brittany
• Events in Ireland during Henry II's reign:

  • English rule began in parts of Ireland
  • Henry strengthened fortifications and built castles
• King John succeeded Richard I and faced opposition from powerful lords in Brittany and Anjou
• Arthur, John's young nephew, died in 1203 under mysterious circumstances
• King Phillip of France continued his campaign against John and invaded Anjou and Normandy
• In 1204, John’s army was beaten in Brittany
• John lost Normandy, Anjou, Maine, and other key areas
• John's military reputation reached a low point, leading to him being nicknamed 'John Softsword'
• John attempted to raise an army to invade France and take back the land, but this required raising taxes, making him unpopular
• The English barons rebelled against John, putting together their own army and marching towards London
• The barons gave John a choice: change his ways or fight the approaching army
• John agreed to the barons' demands and signed the Magna Carta, promising to respect the rights of the Church and the barons, stop unfair taxes, and ensure fair and quick trials
• By the end of John’s reign in 1217, the Angevin Empire had fallen into ruin, with future English kings holding little land in France by 1300, except for Gascony
• Causes of the Hundred Years War:

  • England controlled Gascony, a wine-producing area, which was threatened by the French
  • England's wool trade with areas like Flanders was at risk of French takeover
  • In 1337, King Edward III declared himself king of both England and France, leading to conflict
• Edward III won battles at Crecy and Poitiers, gaining control of territories like Gascony and Calais
• Henry V led the English to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, conquering Normandy and tightening England's grip on France
• After Henry V's death, the French regained most of the lost land, inspired by Joan of Arc
• Consequences of the Hundred Years War:

  • Henry V married the French princess, making him heir to the French throne
  • England conquered Norman France, particularly Normandy
  • Thousands of French soldiers and knights were killed in battle
  • The war ended in a French military victory, with England losing most land in France except Calais
• Reasons for English victory at the Battle of Agincourt 1415:

  • English archers used longbows that could fire rapidly and kill from a distance
  • Advanced weapons that were quick to load
  • French were slowed down by mud and heavy armor
  • Wooden spikes set up by the English further slowed the French
• Impact of the Hundred Years War:

  • Areas in France were destroyed, soldiers killed, and animals stolen
  • Huge cost in life and money for both sides
  • England and France had to pay higher taxes
  • English identity shifted, focusing less on Europe and more on being 'English'
• English laws and medieval immigrants:

  • Distinction between English subjects and 'aliens' in loyalty and rights
  • Denizens enjoyed rights like property ownership and representation in courts, unlike 'aliens'
  • Denization process allowed immigrants to become subjects of the monarch
  • Denization was exclusively for wealthy 'aliens' and involved swearing allegiance to the monarch
• Prosperous migrants in medieval times made an impact on their new homeland, such as Alice Josip, a Flemish hatmaker in Ipswich