Medieval Britain 1066–1509, Year 11: Magna Carta, the first parliaments and the Peasants' Revolt (Power and the people option)

The Battle of Bouvines

HintJohn's allies, not John himself, were the ones beaten.

The whyJohn had planned the campaign for years, and it failed. Barons who had lost estates in France were already angry about the heavy taxes that paid for his wars, and in 1215 they turned on him.

15

HintAround the middle of the month.

The whyThe meeting was in a meadow between Windsor and Staines. John sealed because the rebel barons held London and he had little choice but to give way.

The common counsel of the kingdom

HintHe could not simply decide alone.

The whyJohn had imposed new and heavier taxes to pay for his wars, and the barons wanted a say. The clause is remembered as an early statement that special taxes should need agreement, and the charter is seen as an early step towards parliament. It did not last: the 1215 version was annulled within months.

39

HintIts neighbour promises that justice will not be sold or delayed.

The whyThis clause and the next, which promises that justice will not be sold, denied or delayed, are the best-known parts of the charter. The charter focused mainly on free men, above all the barons themselves.

Declared it null and void

HintJohn had asked him to take his side.

The whyJohn appealed for papal support once he found the limits on his power unbearable. Civil war broke out by September 1215, and the First Barons' War lasted until 1217.

15

HintMore than ten, fewer than twenty.

The whyThe council also supervised the king's ministers and the royal castles, and parliament was to meet regularly, three times a year. Henry accepted all this when the barons agreed to help with his debts only if he accepted reform.

The throne of Sicily

HintThe pope had the gift of this crown.

The whyParliament refused to raise the money, and the pope threatened to excommunicate Henry if it was not paid. In 1258 Henry asked his barons for help, and they agreed only if he accepted major reform.

The Battle of Lewes

HintIt was fought on the Sussex Downs.

The whyPrince Edward, the king's son, was captured too. Montfort became the unofficial ruler of England, and in January 1265 he called the parliament that summoned both knights and townsmen.

Burgesses

HintThey spoke for boroughs, not counties.

The whyKnights and burgesses had been called to parliament before, but Montfort needed wide support for his new government and made sure they attended. Later kings kept summoning them, and they became the House of Commons.

He was killed

HintThe royal side won the day.

The whyThe royal army was led by Prince Edward, the future Edward I. As king he called parliaments often, and knights and burgesses were summoned to more and more of them.

3

HintFewer than five, more than two.

The whyEveryone over fifteen apart from beggars was liable, at a time when the government was short of money. Collecting it in the summer of 1381 sparked the revolt.

The Black Death had killed so many workers that labour was scarce

HintThink of the epidemic of 1348.

The whyWages rose, and the government tried to hold them down by law. Anger at these limits on pay helped fuel the revolt.

Wat Tyler

HintHe came from Kent.

The whyRichard was only 14. He rode out and promised to lead the crowd himself, and the rebels dispersed. The king's courage won admiration, though his promises to the rebels were not kept.

John Ball

HintOften named alongside Wat Tyler as the revolt's other leading figure.

The whyHe was a radical, and the rebels' demands included an end to serfdom. They said they were loyal to King Richard and the true Commons.

They were hunted down and executed

HintThe young king's mercy lasted only as long as the danger.

The whyThe king rescinded the grants he had made to the rebels. Estimates of the toll differ: one account has about 150 rebels hanged, another at least 1,500 rebels killed by November. Historians now doubt how much the revolt changed.