Life and Government in England

• Describe two features of life in the towns in the years 1189-1216 (4)

  - In the 12th century, towns allowed women and children to work. For example, children could be apprenticed from, age 14 which meant that they could earn an income and therefore, improve their quality of life (buy more food)

  - However, towns were often dirty and overcrowded. For example, the Sunday markets meant that there were hundreds of people in one small area which meant that disease spread quickly
• Describe two features of knight service between 1189 and 1216 (4)

  - Knights had to perform up to 40 day's of service in the Kings army. For example, this included guarding the lord's castle

  - Furthermore, Knights had to put money forward. For example, kidnapped knights, barons or even Kings where held for a ransom and the Knights had to pay for this
• Describe two features of labour service between 1189 and 1216 (4)


  - Cottars would work 1 day a week for the Lord's Land. For example, this was because Cottars had their own land and house so were able to work on that for the other 6 days. However, another villein was a freeman would not work on the Lord's land but would instead pay rent for the land that they had
• Describe two features of the role of sheriffs in the years 1189-1216 (4)

  - One duty of the Sherrif was to collect owed money. For example, if the money owed wasn't paid, they could seize possessions

  Furthermore, Sherrif's could uphold justice. For example, they could preside over courts and also arrest and hang criminals
• Describe two features of peasant life in the years 1189-1216 (4)

  - Peasants lives in small houses with thatched roofs known as cruck houses. For example, the walls were made of wooden strips that were woven together. This meant that one family had to live in one small room which lead to overcrowding which would have decreased quality of life due to the unsanitary conditions

  - Furthermore, peasants worked from dawn to dusk, which was very hard work. This meant that the peasants would become extremely exhausted and also malnourished. As well as this, the work was often for the Lord which meant that the peasants couldn't keep the crops that they prepared/sowed
• Describe two features of the role of the Church in the years 1189-1216 (4)

  - One feature of the Church was that it owned 20% of England's land. For example, this meant that they had control over anyone who lived in this land and were able to carry out baptisms and marriages

  - Another feature is that the Church influenced people's life. For example, on Sunday's people would go to Church for around 3 hours and would pray to God and make sure they committed no sins in order to go to Heaven
• Describe two features of agricultural life between 1189 and 1216 (4)

  - One feature of agricultural life is that ordinary people faced a constant struggle. For example, most spent their time working hard on the land and rarely left the feature. This meant that famine/plague spread quite quickly and life expectancy was only around 40 years

  - Another feature is that villeins worked two or three days a week. This meant that the other days could be spent working on their own land and therefore, making sure that they could feed themselves and that their crops would grow
• Describe two features of the role of the priest between 1189 and 1216 (4)

  - The priest was one of the most people in the village. For example, they would teach children to read and write and help the elderly which meant that they were respected by the village

  - As well as this, priests helped people live good lives. For example, this meant that the priest helped people go to Heaven and one of the ways they did this was by hosting mass and Church services
• Describe two features of the coronation ceremony for a medieval monarch (4)

  - A coronation ceremony for a medieval monarch was highly religious. For example, the ceremony was largely based around God, this meant that the ceremony involved blessings to the King.

  - Furthermore, the ceremony's were extremely lavish. For example, King Richard's coronation, in 1189, involved him dressed in pure Gold. This showed the wealth and power that the monarch held
• Describe two features of anti-Jewish pogroms (4)

  - Anti-Jewish pogroms were often caused by insignificant events that had been interpreted incorrectly. For example, at Richard's coronation, Jews gave Richard a gift which the Christians thought was them mocking the King.

  - Furthermore, Anti-Jewish pogroms were caused by a rise in antisemitism. For example, money lending (most Jews were employed through this) was seen as unchristian and therefore the Christians had a strong feeling against the Jews because they thought that the Jews were disrespecting their religion. This, therefore, lead to anti-Jewish pogroms because the Christian's because they didn't want the Jews disrespecting their religion.
• Describe two features of the system of feudal hierarchy (4)

  - At the top of the feudal hierarchy, there was the King. This meant that the King was the most powerful person and he therefore, demanded obedience. Furthermore, he gave land and tax concessions to the tenants. This meant that the King was able to pay for soldiers, horses and weapons to form an army

  - However, at the bottom of the feudal hierarchy, there were the peasants. Those who fit into this category would often not own their own land (unless a Cottar or Freeman) and would instead work for the Knights and their form of 'rent' was harvesting crops and providing food for the Knights
• Describe two features of the government of England 1194-1199 (4)

  - From 1194-1199, King Richard was on the throne. Firstly, Richard appointed Hubert Walter (the Archbishop of Canterbury) as justicier. This meant that Walter was able to up-hold the law which meant that Walter could administer justice which meant that he was a judge

  - Furthermore, Richard also established and efficient system of justice. He did this by selecting 4 Knights in each hundred (a section of a shire). This meant that the Knights would take charge of justice in their area
• Describe two features of the tax system used in the years 1189-1216 (4)

  - One form of tax from 1189-1216 was tallage. This tax was compulsory that was paid by tenants of those living in towns. However, tallage, suggests that the tax system was unorganised because there was no fixed sums and the tax could be demanded at any time. This meant that the tenants in the town could be harshly affected.

  - Another form of tax was the forest fines. This tax affected those who lived or worked on the forest land. This was because the workers/tenants had to pay a tax to use the land and this tax was increased by King John which might have meant some people were forced to move/punished harshly due to this increase. As well as this, the increase caused many Northern Barons to suffer.
• Define: "forfeiture"


  Where property (land in this context) would be reverted and seized by the government and other assets derived from the tenant if they were convicted of any crime or criminal activity
• Describe two things that were given in return for land

  - Homage; Where a tenant-in-chief would declare loyalty to the king in return for land which created a bond

  - Military service; tenant-in-chief provided knights when a king raised an army. Some barons were allowed to pay money to the king instead of providing knights. (scutage)
• Define: "scutage"


  Where barons were allowed to pay money to the king instead of providing knights
• What was the feudal system centred on?

  Landholding
• Who owned all the land in England?

  The king
• How much land did the lords (nobles and knights) own?

  50%~

  Knights and lesser nobles owned about 5%
• How much land did the Church own?

  25%~

  Church lands were expected to have knights for the king. To provide money to pay for these knights the Church also rented its land to free men or lesser nobles
• What was the Royal Demesne

  20%~ of land kept by the king. Paid managers ran the land on the king's behalf and rented much of it out to free men. This gave the king a regular income with which to pay soldiers if he needed to. Some of the royal demesne was kept for royal hunting
• Why was life expectancy so low?

  It's estimated that 20-30% of children died before the age of 7; they were particularly vulnerable to starvation and diseases such as smallpox, whooping cough, measles, tuberculosis, influenza and stomach infections
• Why was the king important to people living in the countryside?

  The way the king governed affected the lives of everyone in the countryside- even the peasant . King have responsibility to provide peace and stability. A king who failed to control the country could cause problems - civil war and rebellion often meant that lives were disrupted as crops could be destroyed and food taken to provide for soldiers. Wars and rebellions also brought violence, chaos and disorder to people's lives. A king could cause hardship to free tenants by raising taxes. If the king expected more money from his barons and sheriffs they expected more money from the people who worked the land.