In this topic
What to be able to answer
- Know the main medieval dates from Magna Carta to Bosworth Field.
- Separate Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France war facts.
- Match legal, language, culture and Wars of the Roses facts to the right names.
Learn
Wars, plague, Magna Carta and the birth of Parliament
Middle Ages by learning lane
Use lanes rather than one long timeline: land wars, social shock, law, culture and the Tudor ending.
Land and war
- 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan annexed Wales to the Crown.
- 1314 Bannockburn kept Scotland unconquered.
- By 1200 the English ruled the Pale around Dublin.
- Hundred Years War included Agincourt in 1415.
Society and plague
- Feudalism tied serfs to their lord's land.
- The Black Death arrived in 1348.
- About one third of the population died.
- Labour shortages helped new social classes appear.
Law and Parliament
- Magna Carta in 1215 limited King John.
- England developed Lords and Commons.
- Scotland had three Estates.
- England used common law; Scotland codified law.
Language and culture
- Norman French and Anglo-Saxon combined into English.
- By 1400 official documents were written in English.
- Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales.
- Caxton was the first English printer.
Trade and buildings
- English wool became a major export.
- Windsor and Edinburgh castles are still in use.
- Lincoln Cathedral and York Minster are named examples.
Wars of the Roses
- Lancaster used the red rose; York used the white rose.
- Bosworth Field in 1485 killed Richard III.
- Henry Tudor became Henry VII and founded the Tudor line.
The Middle Ages (or medieval period) covers the time after the Norman Conquest. It was a period of almost constant war. The English kings fought with the Welsh, Scottish and Irish noblemen for control of their lands.
Middle Ages dates
1215
Magna Carta
King John accepted limits on royal power.
1284
Wales annexed
Edward I introduced the Statute of Rhuddlan.
1314
Bannockburn
Robert the Bruce defeated the English.
1348
Black Death
About one third of the population died.
1415
Agincourt
Henry V defeated the French.
Law and Parliament split
England
Parliament developed into the House of Lords and House of Commons.
Common law developed through precedent and tradition.
Scotland
Parliament had three Estates: lords, commons and clergy.
Laws were codified, meaning written down.
After the Norman Conquest, the king and his noblemen had spoken Norman French and the peasants continued to speak Anglo-Saxon. Gradually these two languages combined to become one English language. By 1400, official documents were being written in English, and English had become the preferred language of the royal court and Parliament.
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a series of poems about a group of pilgrims travelling to Canterbury. It was one of the first books to be printed by William Caxton, the first person in England to print books using a printing press.
In Scotland, the poet John Barbour wrote The Bruce about the Battle of Bannockburn.
Castles were built across Britain and Ireland, partly for defence. Some, such as Windsor and Edinburgh, are still in use today. Great cathedrals were also built — for example, Lincoln Cathedral. Several cathedrals had windows of stained glass; the glass in York Minster is a famous example.
During this period, England was an important trading nation. English wool became a very important export. People came to England from abroad to trade and work, including weavers from France, engineers from Germany, glass manufacturers from Italy and canal builders from Holland.
Wars of the Roses, 1455–1485
Two rival houses; the Tudor marriage ends the conflict.
House of Lancaster
- Supporters fought for the English crown
- Red rose emblem
House of York
- Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field
- White rose emblem
Tudor Resolution
- Henry VII (Tudor) married Elizabeth of York
- Joined the roses → Tudor rose (red + white)
- Wars ended 1485 at Battle of Bosworth Field
Bosworth Field ends the wars in 1485 and starts Tudor rule.
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