History Paper 2 - War and Society

• vikings

  pagans from denmark, norway and sweden
• why were anglo saxons vulnerable to viking raids?

  - wealthy churches were unguarded

  - vikings had more warriors
• physical impact

  - vikings stole jewellry

  - people physically enslaved/taken back to scandinavia

  - damage to economy

  - death to anglo saxons

  - england ruled as one
• psychological impact

  - shock; vikings called 'northmen'

  - influenced anglo saxons to unite against vikings
• how did alfred of wessex resist the vikings?

  army: reorganised so half of men were home, half on service

  burhs: set up chains of burhs across southern england

  navy: ordered a new boat that could do battle with viking longships

  money: alfred used efficient administration of wessex to collect taxes to fund this

  guerilla warfare
• how was this successful

  - defended wessex and mercia

  - aethelflaed allied wessex to mercia by marrying ethelfred of mercia

  - aethelflaed became strong ruler + captured derby + defeated viking forces at leicester

  - alfreds son edward continued work in wessex
• reasons for success

  - government: helped resist viking raids by collecting taxes, advising the king in the witan, nobles had to be responsible for finding 100 soldiers

  - identity + culture: alfred inspired anglo saxons to fight, proud of their leader

  - compromise: alfred got to know vikings, stopped seeing them as enemies
• norman conquest

  1066
• why was William duke of Normandy able to conquer england?

  - better army: knights well equipped (bow n arrow) + loyal

  - more experience: william has been fighting for his position since young

  - leadership skills: william stayed near the coast once invaded to rest his troops, harold godwinson sent all troops from north to south so they became more tired
• williams control

  - violence: william hurt anglo saxon + harrying of the north 1069, rebellion against william in which he drove off rebel forces, starved people and salted the earth.

  - castles: william began building castles in 1066 to defend land + to intimidate peasants

  - loyalty and land: william trades land he stole from english for loyalty. he relies on his liutenants and barons
• domesday book


  book that was created by William the Conqueror to record the taxes of the people in order to make money + defend england from invasions
• impact of norman conquest

  removes english nobility:

  - wantss to reward french barons with land and castles

  - by 1086 only 4 english lords remained

  - 200 barons ruling england, loyal to william

  changes to english church

  - replacing culture of anglo saxon religion

  - william replaces english bishops with normal bishops

  -changes to saints

  - builds cathedral in norman style

  peasants:

  - rents for land increased

  - made freemen to villeins (tenants with restricted rights)

  - serfs increased (people owned by their lord)

  - latin and french replaced english

  - it was a heavy burden on peasants - 'norman yoke
• the anarchy

  1135-1154, period of disorder as no recognised authority
• feudal system

  King (offers land + castles) Earls/barons (offer loyalty + service, sometimes land) Nobles/knights (offer small land + military) Peasants/villagers (offer work)
• succession crisis

  between matilda (henrys daughter) + stephen (matildas cousin) after henrys death

  stephen n matilda fought for control over key castles + recruiting barons

  battle of lincoln 1141: matilda beat stephen however stephens supporters fought and defeated matilda at winchester

  from 1143-46, stalemate until barons forced stephen and matilda to reach a deal. matilda left england and stephen ruled
• why did the feudal system fail during the anarchy?

  - failure of monarchy: stephen went too far on winning loyalty of barons (giving out 30 titles of earls) + relaxed many of henrys restrictions

  - barons: some local lords took advantage of lack of authority to build personal power
• feudalism decline


  barons were ambitious for more power

  - made their own agreements with other rival barons/lords

  - built up their own power, seized lands, strengthened their castles without consent from king
• kings


  stephen - henry ii (seized 40 castles from barons + taxed them on lands) - richard the lionheart- john
• johns problems (cause of barons war)

  -richards expensive wars: still ongoing + caused financial problems

  - war failure: lost normandy in 1204 to king philip

  - taxes: john raised taxes, falling out with church and barons (who help run)

  - barons: john had little support from barons + were unwilling to risk their soldiers

  - his character: john was suspicious, treacherous, cruel in victory (richard was generous)
• barons war


  1215: rebel barons decided to go against king john, barons controlled key cities (london, rochester)

  king john caves in and signs great charter
• magna carta


  1215: agreement signed by king john that takes power away from him/gives barons more rights

  - 63 diff rules

  - someone accused of crime cant be imprisoned without fair trial

  - king couldnt raise taxes without barons support

  - council of 25 barons made
• edwards wars

  john dies - henry iii - edward

  changes to warfare:

  - chivalry ( knights behaving with honour + loyalty)

  - proffesional warfare ( organised fights with scotland, wales, france)
• how did he conquer wales?

  1276: edward sent 1000 knights + 1500 soldiers to conquer wales

  1282: many rebels fought against edward but he recruited a large amount of soldiers to defeat this rebellion

  1294: another rebellion due to edward punishing welsh with high taxes (which he crushed)
• why did edward invade scotland?

  - wanted his son to marry scottish princess, but she died, so had to find another way

  - scotland allied w france and invaded england, so he got tax grant approved to invade scotland
• summons

  feudal: king recruiting knights to war

  general: volunteers willing to fight (money, loyalty)
• edwards soldiers

  - infantry: soldiers were paid to fight which meant they were reliable (20k soldiers)

  - specialists: woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, engineers, miners helped edward to build siege equipment
• how did edward conquer scotland?


  - cavalry and infantry which helped capture places

  - raised taxes after his victory for scots and gave land to those who supported, but he faced many rebellions
• hundred years war

  1337-1453: english monarchs attempting to take french throne (french victory)
• hyw warfare

  - nobles pay scutage instead of military service

  - soldiers/men at arms employed with contracts

  - less feudal knights, more paid

  - more use of cheaper archers, new firemans, artillery
• decline of feudal system


  - knights became less important

  - english kings relied more on cheaper archers and foot soldiers
• robert knolles


  invested loot and payments for fighting in property and loaning money

  bought extensive property + played a part in defating peasants revolt
• national identity


  - increased as foreigners were taxed as 'alien'

  - 'us against them' attitude

  - french stopped being spoken

  appetite for war reduced
• how did the decline of feudalism affect wars in the medieval period?

  anarchy:

  - no royal authority + fs failure caused anarchy as barons took advantage of power vacuum

  barons war:

  - barons rejecting fs

  - caused signing of magna carta

  edwards war:

  - beginning of stopping feudal service

  hundred years war:

  - paid contracts

  - fs stopped
• reformation

  1517: catholic church faced criticisms from christians who believed it was corrupt.

  german monk martin luther inspired protestans to protest

  1534 - henry viii removes catholicism and makes protestant church as pope refused to grant him divorce

  1547 - edward vi turns england protestant

  1553 - mary i turns england catholic

  1558- elizabeth succeeds (middle way, protestantism with catholic elements)
• elizabeths reign

  10 yrs of peace

  1569 onwards - rebellions from catholics plotting to kill her + faced threats from spain and france (catholic neighbours)

  1580- harsher punishments for those not obeying religious rules
• act of uniformity

  enforces religious settlement/middle way by showing what religious service has to be followed in england

  - protestant book of prayer had to be used

  - bible/church services in english

  - all clergy wear vestments

  - ornaments still allowed

  - everyone must attend church on holy days (may be fined if not)
• why was elizabeth keen to avoid war?

  - limited power/resources/money

  - war was unpopular - deaths + higher taxes

  - her role as a woman

  - threat of catholic neighbouring countries
• EARLY MODERN war with netherlands

  - netherlands colonised by spain (catholic)

  - unofficial war/ act of war as spain kept robbing

  - elizabeth helped protestant rebellion but tried to avoid being officially drawn into it
• privateers

  private ships hired by a country to attack enemy shipping.

  benefitted elizabeth as english attacks increased, she was able to pretend she wasnt involved + pocketed £265000 (due to francis drake)

  increased tension for elizabeth as spanish could retaliate + had big empire
• Treaty of Nonsuch


  1585 - An agreement between England and the Netherlands. elizabeth sends troops to netherlands to help protestants