| 750 Years Ago |
- Henry 4th circa 1400, was the first English King whose native language was English since the arrival of the Norman’s.
- 100 years war with France.
- Magna Carta, the Kings loose their outright dictatorial rule.
- First steps to a democratic parliament.
- The end of over 1000 years of rule by “Foreigners” ?
750 Years ago (1215) the Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede a tiny island in the Thames a few miles down stream from the Windsor castle. Some say the Magna Carta or Barons Charter as it was initially known was a key milestone in taking away the ultimate dictatorial powers of the Kings plus the first bill of human rights. The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Langton brokered the deal between King John 1199-1215, and his Barons such that certain decisions could not be taken with out the agreement of the Barons.
The Barons had generally been appointed by a king anyway as massive owners of land given to them by the king in return for collecting taxes and supplying knights for the army. The Magna Carta also guaranteed the freedom of the church plus it stated that no freeman can be arrested without a trial. (Nothing was said about Serfs, that is workers virtually slaves to the Barons.)
Universities
750 years ago saw the founding of the first Universities in England. Oxford was the first initially established around the church of St Mary the Virgin with three colleges University, Balliol and Merton. Note the first university in Europe was started in Bologna, Italy some 200 years earlier. (1088) Prior to this, Circa 600 AD, centres of teaching in England were organised by the Catholic Church most notably following the evangelical work in Ireland by Roman Britain St Patrick and his disciples work in Scotland and England. (Yes Patrick was born in England but was Sainted by the Irish)
Teaching at this time would be largely reading, writing and languages on the backs of the arduous task of translating and copying religious books (into books made of dried sheep skin!)
Wales conquered; The English Jews, the financial pundits of the time were expelled.
750 years ago England finally conquered Wales under King Edward 1st (1284). Interesting to note that England ruled Ireland for longer than it has ruled Wales. Edward was said to be a model king of the time but he drummed up some fervent nationalism which culminated in the exiling of all Jews.
Some years later:
- Henry 3rd came to the throne (1327- 1377)
Henry 3rd reign can be divided into two, triumph and then disaster. The English were under attack from the Scots in the north and the French wanted their land back in Aquitane (Bordeaux area) Henry saw off both these aggressors and the English people loved him for it.
When Henry was 34 and had been King for 19 years disaster struck, The Black Death. This plague started in China and was carried to England, indeed the whole of Europe, by fleas on rats in trading ships. Henry saw 30% to 50% of his English subjects die. Perhaps this finished him, for the rest of his reign he was as useless as previously he had been brilliant.
Chaucer was born in 1342 during the periods of the Plague and lived for 58 years. He was the first English writer/poet to use the English language. Up to this time poets would have used Latin or French.
100 years war with France (1337 - 1453)
Not surprisingly the French wanted their land back that had been acquired by England with the amalgamation of the land ruled by the Norman’s in France and their conquests in England. In the end the French retook the lot over a period when England was ruled by 5 different Kings. During the early stages England did well notably at the battle of Agincourt, just south of Calais. The English army was supreme, aided by well trained (farmer) soldiers who were devastating with the English Long Bow against the French high born knights. At the end the combination of weak English Kings and the legendary French female military leader of men, Joan of Ark won the day for the French.
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