An elementary history of England, with illustrations, tables, maps, and plans

Front matter

OF

'tsl II u^ f:tl

UUi'-gui

Preface

The present work is not meant absolutely for beginners. The writers are convinced that the best way of kindling the first interest in history in young children is by the oral narration of picturesque stories and biographies. For this stage no text-book seems necessary or even desirable. But as children grow a little older there is a, danger in relying altogether on detached incidents and episodes. It is almost equally hazardous to trust exclusively to oral teaching without book. In many cases both these methods tend to^vards leaving little save a passing impression on the pupil's mind. They are too often destitute of any permanent or tangible result. At first permanent impressions of detail do not much matter, but after a time they are necessary. An elementary text-book may attain the ends desired in two ways. One method is simply to write out at length the same sort of historical details that the teacher has hitherto given viva voce. But to follow this plan for the whole of English History needs a volume of considerable dimensions. The writers have therefore deliberately rejected the method of attempting to tell a large number of familiar stories at length. They have preferred to adopt the second possible way. This is to put together a fairly continuous narrative, even at the risk of some parts of it being less attractive than they might have been made by the fuller mode of proceeding. The writers are, however, convinced that the living voice of

VI

Preface the teacher, necessary enough at all stages of historical teaching, is still vitally important for pupils at the stage of those for whom this work is intended. The text-book should supplement, not supersede, the teacher, and the authors have aimed primarily at making the present work a series of pegs, on which the experienced teacher can hansf such illustrative matter as seems to him most fitted for his purpose. At the same time, they have aimed at sufficient completeness to enable the teacher who cannot give much time to the subject to use the work without any such amplification. The authors believe that even in the earlier stages of instruction some effort should be made to put before young minds the ideas of continuity and growth which lie at the root of all history. They are sure that this end can only be attained by some form of consecutive narrative. Moreover, a work so designed may, it is believed, be helpful to the teacher by supplying the hard kernel of facts, names, and dates, which young minds readily assimilate, and without which they may be interested, but hardly taught. It is hoped that by careful attention to simplicity and proportion, and by the remorseless omission of much that is commonly found even in the shortest primers of English History, these objects may be in some measure attained without any material sacrifice of picturesque interest.

Of recent years there has been a growing interest in the institutional, social, and industrial life of the people. It has been felt by historians, and rightly, that such matters are of more importance than petty anecdotes in the lives of kings and queens. In answer to the growing demand for such topics, the authors have felt called upon to devote a larger proportion of the text to insti-

Preface vii

tutional, social, and industrial conditions than is usual in most text-books of this nature.

There has been a tendency of late on the part of our text-book writers, especially the more scholarly of tliera, to fill their books, even for the elementary schools, with bibliographies of books of such a difficult nature as to be read only by grown people. It has been the object of the authors of this book to put under the head of " Topics " at the end of each chapter a list of easy fiction. This will be the only kind of reading the pupils can do, if they have any time to do reading at all. Even some of this fiction will prove difficult for the average pupil, but it is put in with tlie hope of training a few to read some of the best historical fiction.

It is not to our purpose to enter into a defence of this kind of material for reading. We know that a great deal of it is poor and deserves the title of " unhistorical fiction," but it is better to have children read even this than to read nothing at all.

It is impossible for a pupil of twelve to do anything more than struggle through such books as the " Epochs " and " Twelve English Statesmen " series. Even when such reading is done it is of very doubtful value. Accordingly, such books have been set down under the heading of " Books for Teachers."

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

Teachers would do well to have at their disposal in the class-room the following books : —

Acland and Ransome, A Handbook of English Political History.

Cheyney, E. P., Industrial and Social History of England.

Colby, C. W., Selections from the Sources of English History.

Feilden, H., A Short Constitutional History of England.

Gardiner, S. R., A Student's History of England.

Gee and Hardy, Documents Ulustratice of English Church History.

Hill, Mabel, Liberty Documents.

Powell, F. Y., and Tout, T. F., History of England.

Tout, T. F., Sho7't Analysis of English History.

Ample information for further reading by the teacher may be found in the bibliographies of the above books and in the following : —

Bourne, H. E., The Teaching of History and Civics. Committee of the New England History Teachers' Association, Historical Sources in Schools.

Gardiner and Mullinger, Introduction to English History. Gross, C, The Sources and Literature of English History.

Under " Topics " the list of suggestive questions does not pretend to be exhaustive. The teacher may work out others along the same line. It was not thought necessary by the authors to put down such questions as : "Who was Caesar," etc., but rather only such questions as would lead the pupil to use his reason.

Contents

PAGE

Preface v

Table of Contents ix

PART I. EARLY ENGLAND. To 10G6 DATE

Down to 410. Chapter I. The Britons and the Romans down to 410 1-8

1. The Britisli Islands in the earliest times .... 1

2. The Britons 2

3. The Picts and Scots 3

4. Julius Cffisar and the Romans 4

5. The Roman Conquest of Britain 5

6. Roman rule in South Britain 7

410. 7. The end of Roman rule in Britain 7

410-597. Chapter II. How the English came to

Britain 9-i8

1. Tlie Brilons driven into the West 9

2. Who the Welsh are 9

449. 3. The comino- of the p:nolish 9

4. The chief divisions among the English — The

Jutes, the Saxons 10

5. And the Angles 11

6. The figliting between the English kingdoms . . 12

7. The four chief English Kingdoms 13

597-664. Chapter III. How the English became

Christians is-is

1. The religion of the old English 15

2. Pope Gregory and the English heathens ... 15 597. 3. Mission of Augustine to Kent 16

4. Paulinus sent to Northumbria 16

626. 5. The fight between the Christians and the heathens 17

6. Aidan and the conversion of the North .... 17

X Contents

PAGE

664-899. Chapter IV. The Union of England and

the Comings of the Danes 19-24

1. How England became united under one church

and one king 19

3. The Danisli invasions .... 871. 4. The Danes attack Wessex . . 5. Alfred and the Danes .... 878. 6. The Treaty of Chipi)enham : the Dane law d. 899. 7. How Alfred became the chief king in England

8. What Alfred did for the English army and navy

9. Why Alfred was called Alfred the Great . .

899-1066. Chapter V. From Alfred to Edward the

Confessor 26-30

899-959. 1. How Alfred's successors became Kings of the

English and Emperors of Britain 26

959-975. 2. The reign of King Edgar 26

3. Archbishop Dimstan 27

975-1016. 4. The reigns of Edward the Martyr and Ethelred

tlie Unready 27

5. The Danes again invade England 27

6. Danegeld 28

7. The Danes conquer England 28

1017-1035. 8. Cnut King of England and Denmark .... 28

1042-1066. 9. The reign of Edward the Confessor 29

To 1066. Chapter VI. Institutions of Early Eng^-

1. The king 31

2. The Witan or Council 31

3. Justice, (a) Methods of Trial 32

Compurgation 32

Ordeal 33

(b) Courts 33

4. Religion 33

5 Classes of the people 35

6. Towns 36

7. Gilds 36

Part II. The Norman Kings. 1066-1154

1066. Chapter VII. The Norman Conquest • . 38-45

1. Emma of Normandy 38

2. Normandy and the Normans ....... 38

3. How the Normans became like Frenchmen . . 39

4. Edward the Confessor brings Normans into

5. Earl Harold drives away the Normans ... 41

Contents xi

PAGE

1066. 6. Harold becomes King of the English .... 42

" 7. Duke William lands in England 42

" 8. Harold beats the Norwegians and marches

against the Normans 42

*' 9. The Battle of Hastings — William becomes King

of the English 43-.5

1066-1154. Chapter VIII. The Norman Kings • • • 46-51

1. How William the Conqueror dealt witli the

Normans and English 46

2. Norman castles 46

3. The revolts of the Norman barons 47

4. The English support William against the barons 47

5. How William became a strong king 47

6. The Domesday Book 47

7. The sons of William the Conqueror 48

1087-1100. 8. The reign of William Eufus 48

9. llufus and Archbishop Anselm 48

1100. 10. Rufus's death in the New Forest 49

1135-1154. 12. The reign of Stephen .50

13. The Avar between Stephen and Matilda .... 50

14. The miseries of Stephen's reign 51

1066-1154. Chapter IX. Norman England .... 52-58

1 . Changes by the Normans 52

2. The king 52

3. The Great Council 52

4. The Privy Council 53

5. Justice 53

6. The Church 53

7. Classes of society 54

8. The feudal .system 54

9. Chivalry 56

10. Towns 56

11. The manor 58

PART III. THE ANGf:VIN KINGS. 1154-1399

1. How the House of An jou began 59

2. Henry II. 's great dominions 61

3. Character of Henry II 61

4. Henry II. 's new law.s. Assizes and trial by

jury 61

5. English and Normans become one people ... 62

6. Thomas Becket 62

7. Quarrel of Henry II. and Thomas 63

8. The quarrel is patched up and breaks out again 63

1189-1199.

3. 4. .5.

1199-1216.

xii Contents

PAGE

1170. 9. Mnrdcr of Thomas at Canterbury 63

10. Tliomas is made a saint 64

11. Henry's troul)k's and pilgrimage to Thomas's

tomi) 65

12. Henry II. 's last years and death 65

1189-1216. Chapter XI The Sons of Henry II. • . 67-72

IJichard I., the Lion Heart 67

The Crusades 67

The 'Jliird Crusade 68

Kichard taken prisoner in Germany 69

Kic'hard's last years and death 69

King John .' 69

7. The loss of Normandy and Anjou 69

8. Quarrel of John and Innocent III 70

9. John becomes the Pope's vassal 70

10. The barons oppose John 71

1215. 11. Magna Carta 71

1216. 12. John overthrows the Charter — His death . . 72

1216-1272 Chapter XII. Henry III 73-79

1217. 1. Defeat of Louis of France 73

2. The rule of Stephen Langtou and William

iVlarshall 73

3. Character of Henry III 74

4. Henry's weak rule 74

5. The beginnings of parliament 75

1258. 6. The Provisions of Oxford 75

7. Ilenrv and the barons renew their quarrel. . . 75

1264. 8. Battle of Lewes 76

1265. 9. Karl Simon's Parliament of 1265 76

" 10. The Battle of Evesham 78

1265-1272. 11. The restoration and death of Henry in. ... 78

1272-1307. Chapter XIII. Edward I. 80-85

1. Character of Edward 1 80

1282. 2. The Concpiest of Wales 80

3. Edward makes John Balliol King of Scots . . 81 1293. 4. Edward quarrels with Balliol and conquers

Scotland 82

5. Rising of Wallace and Edward's second conquest

of Scotland 82

1306. 6. Robert Bruce becomes King of Scots .... 84

7. Edward the creator of modern parliament . . 84

1297. 8. The Confirmation of the Charters ..... 85

1307-1327. Chapter XIV. Edward II. 86-88

1. Edward II. and Gaveston 86

1314. 2. The Battle of Bannockburu 86

3. Robert Bruce recognized as King of Scots . . 87

1327. 4. The deposition of Edward II 88

Contents xiii

PAGE

1327-1377. Chapter XV. Edward III. 89-95

1. Edward III. and the Hundred Years' War . . 89

2. Causes of the war 89

1328. . 3. Edward III. claims the French throne .... 90

4. Beginning of the war 90

1346. 5. Battle of Crecy 90

1356. 6. Battle of Foiiiers 91

1360. 7. The Treaty of Bretigny 92

8. The war renewed and France lost 92

9. Englishmen become proud of their country and

language 92

1349. 10. The Black Death 94

1376-1377. 11. The Good Parliament and the death of Edward III 94

1377-1399. Chapter XVI. Richard II. 96-ioi

1. The minority of Kichard II 96

1381. 2. The Feasants' Revolt 96

3. Richard puts down the Peasants' Revolt ... 97

4. The state of the Church 97

5. John Wycliffe 97

6. Wvcliffe tries to reform the Church 98

7. Ge'offrey Chaucer 99

8. liichard tries to make himself a despot ... 99 1399. 9. Henry of Lancaster deposes Richard II. . . . 99

1154-1399. Chapter XVII. The Angevin Period • • 102-108

1. Changes 102

2. The king 102

4. Powers of parliament 104

5. Taxation 104

6. Justice 105

7. Towns and trade 106

8. Manufactures 107

9. Markets and fairs 108

Part IV. The Lancastrian And Yorkist Kings. 1399-1485

1399-1461. Chapter XVIII. The Lancastrian Kings 109-117

1399. 1. Why Henry IV. was made king 109

2. Henry IV. puts down the Lollards 110

3. Revolts against Henrv IV 110

1413. 4. Death of Henrv IV^ "^ 110

1413-1423. .5. Character of lienrv V Ill

1416. 6. The Battle of Agincourt Ill

7. The Treaty of Troyes 112 xiv Contents

PAGE

1422. 8. Bedford upholds Henry VI.'s throne .... 113

9. The mission of Joan of Arc 113

10. Joan relieves Orleans and takes Charles VII. to

Reims 113

11. The death of Joan 11.5

1453. 12. The fall of the English power in France ... 115

13. Henry VI.'s weak rule 116

14. Richard Duke of York 116

1461. 15. The deposition of Henry VI 116

1461-1485. Chapter XIX. The Yorkist Kings • • . 118-121

1. The Wars of the Roses 118

1461. 2. Edward IV.'s claim to the throne 118

3. Edward quarrels with Warwick 118

1471-1483. 5. Edward IV. wins back the throne 119

1399-1485. Chapter XX. Lancastrian and Yorkist

1. Changes 122

4. Education 123

5. Printing 123

PART V. THE TUDOR KINGS. 1485-1603 1485-1509. Chapter XXI. Henry VII. 125-128

1485. 1. The union of York and Lancaster 125

1497. 2. The imposture of Perkin Warbeck 125

3. The marriages of Henry's Children 126

4. How Henry VII. increased the royal power . . 127

5. Maritime enterprise 127

1509-1547. Chapter XXII. Henry VIII. 129-139

1. Character of Henry VIII 129

2. Cardinal Wolsey 129

3. Wolsey restores the English power abroad . . 131

4. The divorce of Catharine of Aragon .... 132 1529. 5. The fall of Wolsey 133

6. The Reformation 133

1534. 7. Henry VIII. abolishes the Pope's power in

1535. 8. Execution of Sir Thomas More 135

1536-1539. 9. The suppression of the monasteries 135

10. The Engli.sh Bible 137

11. Anne of Cleves and the fall of Cromwell . . . 137 1547. 12. The end of Henry VIII.'s reign 138

13. Henry VIII.'s children 138

Contents xv

PAGE

1547-1549. 1. Somerset ami the Englisli Prayer-book . . . 140

1549-1553. 2. Northumherlaiul drives Somerset from power . 140 1553. 3. The death of Edward VI. and the attempt to

make Lady Jane Grey queen 141

" 4. Mary Tudor becomes queen 142

5. The Spanish marriage 142

6. Mary and tlie Protestants 143

1558. 7. Mary's hist years 144

1558-1603. Chapter XXIV. Elizabeth 14.0-157

1. Elizabetli, her ministers and favorites .... 14.5

2. Tlie Churc-Ii finally reformed 145

0, Elizaljeth and the Puritans 146

4. Elizal)eth and the l^oman Catholics 146

5. Mary Stuart and the Reformation in Scotland . 146

6. Mary Stuart in Scotland 148

d, 1587. 7. Mary Stuart in England 148

8. England and Scotland become more friendly . . 149

9. Elizabeth and Philip of Spain ' . . 149

10. The discovery of America 150

11. Quarrels of English and Spanish seamen ... 150 1577-1580. 12. Drake's voyage round the world 151

1588. 13. Tlie Invincible Armada defeated 151

14. Elizai)eth's victories over Spain 152

15. The Tudor conquest of Ireland 153

16. The glories of the end of Elizabeth's reign . . 156

1485-1603.

Chapter XXV The Tudor Period . .

1. Changes

. 158-161

158 158

3 Ivino" anil parliament . . . . . .

7. Commerce

8 Education ... . .

IGO 160

9. Firearms

Part VI. The Stuart Kings. 1603-1714

1603. 1. James I. becomes Kiug of Great Britain ... 162

2. And Ireland 163

3. The new royal arms 164

4. Beginnings of the Colonial and trading Empire 164

5. The Stuarts quarrel with their parliaments . . 166

6. Character of James 1 166 xvi Contents

PAGE

1605. 7. The Gunpowder Plot 167

8. The Duke of Buckingham 167

9. James and the Spanish marriage 167

1625. 10. Failure of the marriage and death of James . . 169

1625-1649. Chapter XXVII. Charles I i7o-i80

1. Charles I. and Buckingham 170

2. War with France and Spain 170

1628. 3. The Petition of Right 171

4. Charles sends away his parliament 172

5. John Hampden resists ship-money 172

6. Laud and the Puritans 172

7. The Scots resist Charles 174

8. Weutworth and '* thorough " 174

1640. 9. Tlie Long Parliament meets 174

10. Fall of Strafford and Laud 175

11. Charles gets the Churcli party on his side . . 175 1642. 12. Beginning of the great C'ivil War 176

13. Cavaliers and Koundheads 176

14. Charles's early victories and failures .... 176 1645. 15. Cromwell and the New Model — Defeat of Charles 178

16. Quarrel of the army and parliament .... 178

1649. 17. The execution of Charles 1 179

1649-1660. Chapter XXVIII. The Commonwealth • isi-ise

1649-1653. 1. The Pule of the Kump 181

1649. 2. The Conquest of Ireland 181

1650. 3. The Conquest of Scotland 181

1653. 4. Cromwell made Lord Protector 182

1653-1658. 5. Cromwell's home government 182

" " 6. Cromwell and foreign powers 184

1659. 7. Fall of Richard Cromwell 184

1660. 8. Monk restores Charles II 184

1. Character of Charles I r 187

2. The results of the Restoration 187

3. The French alliance 188

4. Commerce and colonies 188

1665-1666. 5. The Plague, and Fire of London 188

1673. 6. The Test Act 189

1678. 7. The Popish Plot 190

1679. 8. The Haheas Corpus Act and the Exclusion Bill 190

9. Whigs and Tories 191

10. The Rve House Plot and fall of the Whigs . . 191

1685. 11. Early days of James II 192

" 12. Monmouth's rebellion 192

13. The suspending power 192

14. General opposition to Jameo 193

1688. 15. The Revolution of 1688 194

Contents xvii

PAGE

1689. 1. William and Mary made king and queen by

2. The Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act . . 196

3. Beginning of party government 197

4. The Revolution in Ireland 198

5. The Revolution in Scotland 199

6. The war against France 199

7. William III. and the Jacobites 199

1. Anne and Marlborough 201

1702-1713. 2. The War of the Spanish Succession 201

3. Marlborough's victories 201

1713. 4. The Tory ministry and the Treaty of Utrecht . 203

1707. 5. The union with Scotland 204

1713-1714. 6. The last years of Queen Anne 20.5

1603-1714. Chapter XXXII. Period of the Stuart

1. Power of the king 207

3. Justice 209

4. Church 209

6. Commerce 210

7. Manufactures 211