OUTLINES OF ENGLISH HISTORY
Curtis's Approved Educational Works.
HISTORY.
1.--A Class Book of English History.
From B.C. 55 to A.D. 1890. Cr. 8vo. 3/-
Part I, B.C. 55 to A.D. 1485 1/3
Part II, A.D. 1485 to 1890 1/9
"Brightly written; there is not a dull or unnecessary line from
beginning to end. The amount of information is surprising, and it is
sure to be popular."--_Catholic Educator._
"This careful summary of English History is intended for pupils in the
middle forms of public and private schools; it is well adapted for
this purpose."--_Educational Times._
"Mr. Curtis is successful in presenting the facts of English History,
clearly and concisely."--_Literary World._
2.--School and College History of England. Containing Chapters on
Religion, Government, Trade, &c. =28,000 sold.= Cr. 8vo. 5/6
"It is a pleasure to meet with a history that is correct in its facts.
It is greatly in advance of its predecessors, and may be recommended
with confidence."--_Papers for the Schoolmaster._
"A vast amount of interesting matter, not often included in a school
book, is supplied."--_Educational Times._
"We can most conscientiously recommend Mr. Curtis's 'School and
College History of England' for general use, and we particularly
commend it to candidates preparing for Civil Service
examinations."--_Civil Service Gazette._
3.--Chronological and Genealogical Tables. Illustrative of English
History. =13,000 sold.= 2/-
"We regard these tables not only as an excellent supplement to his
excellent history, but also as an invaluable companion to any history
of England."--_English Journal of Education._
"Very accurate and well arranged."--_Educational Times._
4.--Outlines of the History of England. From B.C. 55 to A.D. 1890.
=352,000 sold.= Fcp. -/6
"As an introduction to English History, we know of none equal to
it."--_Quarterly Journal of Education._
"The 'Outlines of English History' are surprising instances of
compression, considering that no events of importance are left
out."--_Nottingham Review._
"For the elementary facts of English History, there is no book so
useful as Curtis's 'Outlines.'"--_Educational Times._
"We do not see a fault in the book."--_School Board Chronicle._
5.--Short Manual of English History. With Genealogical Tables, &c. =16,000
sold.= Fcp. -/6
"One of the best summaries of English History which has yet been
published."--_Educational Times._
"Comprehensive and well arranged."--_Educational Record._
"The amount of information it condenses is well-nigh
wonderful."--_School Magazine._
6.--Outlines of Scripture History. =45,000 sold.= Fcp. -/6
"They lend to the sacred story a connected historic form in the mind
of the reader, and by explaining the direct relations of events and
characters in these priceless narratives, they assist the
understanding as well as the memory."--_School Board Chronicle._
"Concise, comprehensive, and well arranged, and argue a masterly
knowledge of the history of the Old and New Testaments."--_Church and
School Gazette._
"Small in size, but great in value. We recommend the work not only to
private Christians, but also to teachers and preachers."--_Christian
World._
GRAMMAR.
7.--An English Grammar for Schools. With copious Exercises, Examples of
Parsing, Analysis, &c. =23,000 sold.= Fcp. -/6
"Will be found one of the best books for teaching grammar to
elementary classes. The examples have a merit that we believe is
peculiar to the work. Mr Curtis gives full directions for parsing
every class of word in each of the eight divisions. His explanation of
the rules of syntax is very valuable and interesting."--_National
Schoolmaster._
8.--Outlines of English Grammar. With Copious Exercises. =250,000 sold.=
Fcp. -/6
"Remarkably clear in its definitions, copious in its facts, and rich
in the examples it gives for exercise."--_Freeman._
"An admirable example of placing in a clear light the essentials of a
subject."--_Carlisle Examiner._
"The arrangement is admirable, and the exercises especially are so
well devised as greatly to assist the student and lighten the labours
of the teacher."--_Brighton Gazette._
"An admirable introduction to the mysteries of English
grammar."--_Norfolk News._
[Continued at end]
OUTLINES OF ENGLISH HISTORY
_FROM B.C. 55 TO A.D. 1895._
Arranged in Chronological Order.
BY JOHN CHARLES CURTIS, B.A.,
LATE PRINCIPAL OF THE TRAINING COLLEGE, BOROUGH ROAD, LONDON, AND
EXAMINER IN HISTORY IN THE COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS.
_FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SECOND THOUSAND._
LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., LD.
1896.
[Illustration: SAXON ENGLAND]
CHRONOLOGICAL OUTLINES OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
THE ROMAN PERIOD.
B.C. 55 TO A.D. 410.
B.C.
55. =JULIUS CÆSAR, A ROMAN GENERAL, INVADED BRITAIN.=
54. Cæsar invaded Britain a second time, defeated Cassivelaunus, the most
able of the British chiefs, and imposed a tribute on the inhabitants.
A.D.
43. After an interval of nearly a hundred years, another attempt was made
to conquer the country; =Aulus Plautius sent as general to Britain by the
emperor Claudius=.
51. Ostorius Scapula, who had succeeded Plautius, defeated Caractacus at
CAER CARADOC, in Shropshire. Caractacus afterwards betrayed by his
stepmother, and sent as a prisoner to Rome.
61. Suetonius captured Anglesea. =He gained a decisive victory over
Boadicea, queen of the Iceni=, who poisoned herself after the battle.
78. =Julius Agricola became governor.= He subdued and then conciliated the
natives.
84. Agricola vanquished a Caledonian chief, named Galgacus, at the foot of
the Grampians.
121. The emperor =Hadrian= drove back the northern barbarians, and =built
a wall between the Solway Firth and the mouth of the Tyne=, for the
purpose of preventing their incursions.
139. Lollius Urbicus constructed a rampart between the Firths of Forth and
Clyde, called the wall of Antoninus.
209. The emperor Severus invaded Caledonia (Scotland) to chastise the
people for their ravages in South Britain.
210. =Severus constructed a wall near that of Hadrian.=
211. Severus died at York.
286. =Carausius, admiral of the Roman fleet, threw off his allegiance, and
became sovereign of Britain.=
294. Carausius slain by his minister, Allectus, who mounted the throne.
296. Allectus slain, and the country re-annexed to the Roman empire.
304. =St. Alban put to death for refusing to renounce Christianity.=
306. The emperor Constantius died at York.
368. Theodosius restored the discipline of the Roman troops in Britain,
and drove back the Picts and Scots.
383. Maximus, a Roman general, proclaimed emperor in Britain.
388. Maximus defeated and slain in Italy.
410. The emperor Honorius informed the Britons that they must in future
provide for their own defence.
=END OF THE ROMAN DOMINION IN BRITAIN.=
Britain under the Romans was divided into five provinces:--1.
Britannia Prima, the country south of the Thames and the Bristol
Channel. 2. Britannia Secunda, almost the same as the Principality of
Wales. 3. Flavia Cæsariensis, the country north of the Thames, east of
the Severn, and south of the Mersey and Humber. 4. Maxima Cæsariensis,
the territory northward to the wall of Severus. 5. Valentia, the
district between the wall of Severus and that of Antoninus.
THE SAXON PERIOD.
A.D. 449 TO 1066.
449. HENGIST AND HORSA, TWO JUTISH LEADERS, LANDED IN BRITAIN, at the
request of Vortigern, a British chief, and drove back the Picts and Scots.
467. =Hengist founded the Kingdom of Kent.=
490. =Ella founded Sussex= (Sussex and a part of Surrey).
519. =Cerdic founded Wessex= (Western counties south of the Thames and
Severn).
520. Battle of MOUNT BADON, in which Arthur defeated the Saxons.
527. =Erkenwin founded Essex= (Essex, Middlesex, part of Herts).
542. Arthur, the most heroic of the opponents of the Saxons, murdered by
his nephew.
547. =Ida founded Bernicia= (Eastern side of Britain, from the Forth to
the Tyne).
560. =Ella founded Deira= (Eastern side of Britain, from the Humber to the
Tees).
571. =Uffa founded East Anglia= (Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge).
586. =Crida founded Mercia= (Central England).
597. Augustine, who was sent to Britain by Pope Gregory to spread
Christianity among the Saxons, arrived in Kent.
600. About this time _Ethelbert, king of Kent, published the earliest code
of Saxon laws extant_.
617. =Bernicia and Deira formed into one kingdom under Edwin, and called
Northumbria.=
627. Edwin of Northumbria adopted the Christian faith.
633. Battle of HEATHFIELD, between Edwin and Penda, king of Mercia: Edwin
defeated and slain.
655. Battle of WINWIDFIELD, between Oswy, king of Northumbria, and Penda:
Penda defeated and slain.
709. About this time _Ina, king of Wessex, promulgated an important code
of laws_.
787. THE DANES, OR NORTHMEN, BEGAN THEIR RAVAGES IN ENGLAND.
800. =Egbert became king of Wessex.=
823. Battle of WILTON: Kent and Essex annexed to Wessex.
827. Egbert conquered Mercia. =Supremacy of Wessex established.=
Some writers incorrectly state that Egbert was the first king of
England.
835. Egbert defeated the Cornish Britons and Danes at HENGSTON HILL.
836. Death of Egbert. Accession of his son Ethelwulf.
851. Ethelwulf defeated the Danes at OCKLEY, in Surrey.
856. Death of Ethelwulf. Accession of his son Ethelbald.
860. Death of Ethelbald. Accession of his brother Ethelbert.
866. Death of Ethelbert. Accession of his brother Ethelred.
870. Edmund, king of East Anglia, put to death by the Danes, for refusing
to renounce Christianity.
871. Battles fought with the Danes at READING, ASHDOWN, BASING, and
MERTON; death of Ethelred.
=ACCESSION OF HIS BROTHER ALFRED.= The Danes defeated Alfred at WILTON.
875. Alfred equipped a small fleet: =First English navy=.
878. The Danes took Chippenham. Alfred, unable to cope with the enemy,
retired to the Isle of Athelney, in Somersetshire. He suddenly
re-appeared, and defeated them at Ethandune. ~Treaty of Wedmore~, between
Alfred and Gothrun, the Danish leader.
Alfred ceded to him East Anglia and portions of Essex and Mercia.
893. Hastings, a Danish leader, invaded England.
894. Alfred defeated the Danes at FARNHAM, in Surrey.
897. Hastings, unable to establish himself in England, retired to France.
901. Death of Alfred. Accession of his son Edward the Elder.
920. Death of Edward's sister, Ethelfleda, who for several years had
governed Mercia.
924. Death of Edward. Accession of his son Athelstan.
926. =Athelstan annexed Northumbria=, on the death of Sihtric, who, the
year before, had married his sister.
937. Anlaf, son of Sihtric, and Constantine, king of the Scots, invaded
England. They were defeated, with immense loss, by Athelstan, at
BRUNANBURH.
"To Athelstan belongs the glory of having established what has ever
since been called the kingdom of England."
941. Death of Athelstan. Accession of his brother Edmund. The
Northumbrians chose Anlaf as their king.
944. Anlaf died, and Northumbria was re-annexed.
946. Death of Edmund. Accession of his brother Edred.
948. The Northumbrians chose Eric, a Dane, for their king.
954. The Northumbrians submitted to Edred; and _their territory became an
earldom_.
955. Death of Edred. Accession of his nephew Edwin, son of Edmund.
956. Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury, banished.
959. Death of Edwin. Accession of his brother Edgar.
960. =Dunstan became archbishop of Canterbury=: he exercised great
influence in Church and State.
973. Edgar crowned at Bath. Eight kings did homage to him at Chester, and
rowed him down the Dee.
975. Death of Edgar. Accession of his son Edward II.
978. Edward slain at Corfe Castle by order of his stepmother. Accession of
his brother Ethelred II.
991. Ravages of the Danes. =£10,000 paid in order to buy off their
hostility.=
1002. All the Danes, who were in that part of England under Ethelred's
authority, put to death by his order. One of the victims was Gunhilda,
sister of Sweyn, king of Denmark.
1008. An assessment, _said to be the origin of ship-money_, levied for the
equipment of a large fleet.
1012. The English paid the Danes £48,000 as tribute.
1013. =Sweyn, of Denmark, conquered the country.= King Ethelred fled to
Normandy.
1014. Death of Sweyn. His son, Canute, chosen by the Danes. Ethelred
returned, and the Saxons promised to obey him, if he would govern them
better than before.
1016. Death of Ethelred. Accession of his son Edmund Ironside. After
several battles between the Saxons and Danes, it was agreed that the
country should be divided. Canute had Northumbria and Mercia; Edmund the
rest of England. Death of Edmund. Canute became king of the whole country.
1017. Canute married Emma, the widow of Ethelred.
1028. Canute conquered Norway.
1031. Canute invaded Scotland, and compelled Malcolm II. to do homage.
1035. Death of Canute. Accession of his son Harold.
1040. Death of Harold. Accession of his brother Hardicanute.
1041. Hardicanute caused all Worcestershire to be ravaged, because two of
his officers, employed in collecting the Danegelt, were killed at
Worcester.
1042. Death of Hardicanute. Accession of Edward the Confessor, son of
Ethelred.
1044. Edward married Editha, daughter of Godwin, earl of Kent, the most
powerful nobleman in the country.
1051. Eustace, count of Boulogne, the king's brother-in-law, had a
conflict with the people of Dover. Godwin refused to punish them, and was
soon after banished. William, duke of Normandy, visited England.
1052. Godwin returned, and recovered his power.
1053. Death of Godwin. His son Harold succeeded to his possessions and
authority.
1054. Siward, earl of Northumbria, invaded Scotland in behalf of his
nephew Malcolm, and defeated the usurper Macbeth.
1066. Death of Edward the Confessor. Harold mounted the throne. His
brother Tostig, who had shortly before been expelled from his earldom of
Northumbria (granted to him on the death of Siward), allied himself with
Harold Hardrada, king of Norway; and the allies invaded England. They were
defeated at STAMFORD BRIDGE, near York (Sept. 25). William, Duke of
Normandy, claimed the crown, on the pretext that Edward had bequeathed it
to him, and landed with an army at Pevensey to assert his claim.
=HAROLD DEFEATED AND SLAIN AT HASTINGS= (Oct. 14).
The battle of Hastings was one of the "few battles of which a contrary
event would have essentially varied the drama of the world in all its
subsequent scenes."
THE NORMAN LINE.
WILLIAM I., surnamed THE CONQUEROR.
=D.= He was the son of Robert, duke of Normandy. =B.= at Falaise, 1027.
=M.= Matilda, daughter of Baldwin V., count of Flanders. =Dd.= at Rouen,
Sept. 9, 1087. =R.= 21 years (1066 to 1087).[1]
[1] =D.=, descent; =B.=, born; =M.=, married; =Dd.=, died; =R.=
reigned.
1067. William visited Normandy, and during his absence the tyranny of his
regents goaded some of the people into insurrection.
1068. The king marched to Exeter, and captured it after a short siege.
Later in the year he carried his arms to York.
1069. An armament, commanded by Harold and Canute, sons of Sweyn, king of
Denmark, arrived in the Humber. The invaders were joined by Edgar Atheling
(the grandson of Edmund Ironside, and heir to the throne on the death of
Edward the Confessor), Waltheof (the son of Siward), and other Saxon
nobles. William is said to have bought off the hostility of the Danes. He
captured York, which had fallen into the hands of the insurgents, and
ordered the whole district, from the Humber to the Tees, to be laid
waste,--an order most effectually and cruelly carried out.
1070. Waltheof was made earl of Huntingdon, and received the hand of
William's niece, Judith, in marriage.
1071. The Saxons, who, under Hereward, had been holding out against the
king for some time in the Isle of Ely, surrendered. CONQUEST OF ENGLAND
COMPLETED.
1072. William invaded Scotland, and compelled Malcolm to acknowledge
himself a vassal of the English crown.
1074. The earls of Hereford and Norfolk, and Waltheof, conspired against
the king. Waltheof revealed the plot, and sought the king's pardon, but
was executed the next year at Winchester.
1079. The king besieged the castle of GERBEROI, held by his son Robert,
who had rebelled against him. Robert, not recognizing his father, wounded
and unhorsed him.
About this time the New Forest was formed.
1085. _FEUDAL SYSTEM ESTABLISHED IN ENGLAND._
It is generally believed that the system of feudal tenures was legally
established in England at the Council of Salisbury, held either in
1085 or 1086. The great characteristic of the feudal system was that
the obligation of military or knight's service was annexed to the
tenure of land held of the sovereign. The estates, or fiefs of the
tenants-in-chief, consisted of one or more knight's fees; and for
every fee the king might claim the military service of an armed knight
for forty days a year. The holders of these estates, on taking
possession, were required to do homage, and to swear fealty to the
king; and on particular and specified occasions other services were
exacted. The holders of large estates often granted portions of their
land to under-vassals, from whom they received services similar to
those which they themselves rendered to their sovereign. The number of
knight's fees in England was 60,215.
About this time _the ecclesiastical was separated from the civil
jurisdiction_; all causes of the Church were to be tried before clerical
tribunals.
1086. =Domesday Book completed.=
This invaluable record, the result of a survey begun about the year
1080, consists of two volumes, and contains an account of the extent
and value of the landed property of the country, together with many
other important particulars.
1087. William engaged in war with Philip I. of France. He was seriously
hurt at Mantes, and the injury terminated fatally.
In this reign the mode of _trial by combat_ began to be employed. The
curfew-bell was tolled every night at eight o'clock, at which time all
fires were to be put out.
WILLIAM II., surnamed RUFUS.
=D.= He was the son of William I. =B.= about 1060. =Killed= in the New
Forest, Aug. 2, 1100, =R.= 13 years (1087 to 1100).
1088. Several of the principal Norman nobles conspired against the king.
The insurrection suppressed by the aid of the Saxons.
1090. William intrigued against his elder brother Robert, duke of
Normandy, in the hope of acquiring the duchy.
1091. William invaded Normandy. A treaty concluded between the brothers,
by which the king obtained several towns in the duchy. Malcolm III., king
of Scotland, invaded England, but was repulsed.
1093. Malcolm invaded England, and was slain at ALNWICK.
1095. =Urban II. preached the first Crusade at Clermont in Auvergne=, and
induced several of the princes of Europe to take part in the enterprise.
The object of the Crusades was to recover Jerusalem and the Holy Land
from the Turks, who treated the Christian pilgrims with great
harshness and cruelty. These wars lasted about 174 years, and
exercised great political influence on the Continent. The only Crusade
in which the English played an important part was that undertaken by
Richard I.
1096. Robert mortgaged his duchy to William, in order that he might join
the Crusade.
1097. William built a wall round the Tower, a bridge over the Thames, and
a great hall at Westminster.
1098. Magnus, king of Norway, made a descent on the Isle of Anglesea, but
was repulsed. =This was the last attempt made by the Northmen upon
England.=
1099. Jerusalem taken by the Crusaders.
1100. It is said that the Goodwin Sands were formed this year by an
inundation of the sea, which overflowed 4,000 acres of land, off the coast
of Kent, which had formerly belonged to earl Godwin.
HENRY I., surnamed BEAUCLERK.
=D.= He was the brother of William II. =B.= at Selby, in Yorkshire, 1070.
=M.= (1) Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III. of Scotland, and of Margaret,
sister of Edgar Atheling; (2) Adelicia, daughter of the duke of Louvaine,
and niece to Pope Calixtus. =Dd.= at Rouen, Dec. 1, 1135. =R.= 35 years
(1100 to 1135).
1101. Robert, who had returned from the Crusade, landed in England to
assert his claim to the crown. He renounced his pretensions on condition
of receiving 3,000 marks a year.
1106. Henry invaded Normandy, defeated Robert at TENCHEBRAI (Sept. 28),
and took him prisoner. =He annexed the duchy to the kingdom.=
1117. William, son of Robert, aided by Louis VI. of France, and the earls
of Flanders and Anjou, tried to recover Normandy.
1118. Establishment of the Order of Knights Templars.
1119. Henry defeated Louis at BRENVILLE, near Noyon.
1120. Henry's only son, William, drowned at sea.
1128. William, son of Robert, mortally wounded at ALOST, in Flanders.
1135. Robert died in Cardiff Castle, after an imprisonment of more than
twenty-eight years.
STEPHEN of BLOIS.
=D.= He was the son of Stephen, earl of Blois, and of Adela, daughter of
William the Conqueror. =B.= about 1096. =M.= Matilda, daughter of the
count of Boulogne, and of Mary of Scotland, sister to Henry I.'s wife
Matilda. =Dd.= at Canterbury, Oct. 25, 1154. =R.= 19 years (1135 to 1154).
1135. The crown, which was left by the late king to his daughter Matilda
(widow of Henry V., emperor of Germany, and wife of Geoffrey Plantagenet,
earl of Anjou), usurped by Stephen.
1138. David I. of Scotland invaded England to support the cause of his
niece Matilda. He was defeated at NORTHALLERTON (Aug. 22). This battle
generally called the Battle of the Standard.
1139. Peace concluded with Scotland. Matilda, accompanied by her natural
brother, Robert of Gloucester, invaded England. =Civil war, which lasted
for several years, and enabled the nobles to plunder and oppress the
people.=
1141. Stephen defeated near LINCOLN, and taken prisoner (Feb. 2). Robert,
in retreating from Winchester, captured, and afterwards exchanged for
Stephen.
1147. Death of Robert of Gloucester. Matilda retired to Normandy.
1152. Matilda's son Henry married Eleanor, the divorced wife of Louis
VII., and thus acquired Poitou and Aquitaine.
1153. ~Treaty of Winchester~, which provided for the succession of Henry
on the death of Stephen.
THE PLANTAGENET LINE.
HENRY II.
=D.= He was the son of Matilda and of Geoffrey Plantagenet, and grandson
of Henry I. =B.= at Mans, 1133. =M.= Eleanor of Poitou. =Dd.= at Chinon,
July 6, 1189. =R.= 34-1/2 years (1154 to 1189).
1157. Henry invaded Wales: his army surprised and nearly cut off.
1162. =Thomas a Becket appointed archbishop of Canterbury.= Differences
soon arose between him and the king.
1164. _Constitutions of Clarendon drawn up._ Becket fled to France.
The constitutions were sixteen in number. The most important
were,--that clergymen charged with crimes should be tried in the civil
courts;--that all causes not strictly ecclesiastical should be tried
in the same courts;--that no clergyman of high rank should leave the
country without the king's consent;--that no appeals should be made to
Rome without his consent;--that no tenant-in-chief, or officer of his
household, should be excommunicated without his consent;--that the
king should enjoy the revenues of vacant sees;--and that no prelate
should be elected without his assent.
1165. Henry invaded Wales a second time, and defeated the Welsh on the
banks of the CIEROC, in Denbighshire.
1169. Richard Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, and other knights, aided Dermot
in his attempt to recover the kingdom of Leinster, from which he had been
driven.
1170. Henry and Becket were reconciled. =Becket= returned to England, and
=was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral= (Dec. 29).
1171. =Henry invaded Ireland, and was acknowledged lord of the country.=
In the second year of his reign (1155) he had obtained a bull from
Pope Adrian IV. (Nicholas Breakspear, the only Englishman who ever sat
on the papal throne), authorizing him to subject the people of that
country, but hitherto other affairs had prevented him from undertaking
the enterprise.
1173. Three of Henry's sons rebelled against him, and were aided by the
kings of France and Scotland.
1174. William, king of Scotland, invaded the country, and was defeated and
taken prisoner at ALNWICK (July 12). Henry did penance at the tomb of
Becket. William released on agreeing to a treaty by which Scotland was
declared a vassal dependency of England.
1176. England divided into six circuits, and _ITINERANT JUSTICES APPOINTED
TO TRY CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CAUSES IN EACH COUNTY_.
1183. Civil war between Henry's children.
1187. Richard revolted against his father, and joined Philip II. of
France. =Saladin captured Jerusalem.=
1189. Peace concluded between Henry and Philip at Tours; the terms
unfavourable to Henry.
In this reign _the common law of England probably originated_.
RICHARD I., surnamed COEUR DE LION.
=D.= He was the eldest surviving son of Henry II. =B.= at Oxford, 1157.
=M.= Berengaria, daughter of Sancho, king of Navarre. =Mortally wounded=
while besieging the castle of Chaluz; he died April 6, 1199. =R.= 9-1/2
years (1189 to 1199).
1189. Massacre of the Jews in London, and the next year at Lincoln,
Norwich, York, and other towns.
1190. The king set out for Palestine to take part in the third Crusade for
the recovery of Jerusalem. He joined Philip at Messina.
1191. Richard arrived at ACRE and captured the town, which had been
besieged for nearly two years. Philip returned to France. Battle of
ARSOOF, in which Richard defeated Saladin.
1192. Richard concluded a truce with Saladin, and left Palestine. He was
taken prisoner in passing through Austria.
1194. Richard released on paying a heavy ransom. He engaged in war with
Philip, who had encouraged his (Richard's) brother John in his designs on
the English crown.
1196. An insurrection broke out in London under William FitsOsbert.
1198. Richard defeated Philip of France at GISORS.
In this reign lived the famous outlaw Robin Hood, sometimes called
earl of Huntingdon.
JOHN, surnamed LACKLAND.
=D.= He was the brother of Richard. =B.= at Oxford, 1166. =M.= (1)
Hadwisa, heiress of the earl of Gloucester, from whom he was divorced; (2)
Isabella, daughter of the count of Angoulême. =Dd.= at Newark, Oct. 19,
1216. =R.= 17-1/2 years (1199 to 1216).
1199. Arthur, son of John's elder and deceased brother Geoffrey,
recognized as Richard's successor in Anjou, Maine, and Touraine.
1202. Arthur besieged his grandmother, Queen Eleanor, in the castle of
MIRABEAU. John raised the siege, and captured his nephew, whom he is
supposed to have murdered.
1203. John, being summoned by Philip II. of France, his lord superior, to
answer for the death of Arthur, refused to attend his court, and was
declared to have forfeited all his lands in France.
1204. =Philip II. conquered Normandy.= Before the close of the next year,
all the English possessions except Aquitaine fell into the hands of the
French.
1205. Death of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury.
1206. John invaded France, and after some successes consented to a two
years' truce.
1207. =Stephen Langton appointed archbishop of Canterbury by the pope.=
This led to a serious quarrel between the king and pope, as the former
refused to recognize the archbishop.
1208. The king granted the citizens of London liberty to appoint a mayor
every year. The pope laid England under an interdict.
The object of the interdict was to induce John to acknowledge the
archbishop. When a country was laid under an interdict the churches
were closed, no bells tolled, and all public ecclesiastical functions
ceased, except confession, the baptism of infants, and the sacrament
of the dying. The bodies of the dead lay unburied, or were interred in
unconsecrated ground without any prayer or service of the priest.
1209. John excommunicated by the pope.
1210. He invaded Ireland, and 20 chieftains repaired to his court, and did
homage. The next year he invaded Wales, and dictated terms of submission
to Llewellyn, the Welsh chief.
1212. The pope deposed John, and offered the crown to Philip II., who
began to make active preparations for an invasion.
1213. The English crossed the channel, captured some French ships, and
burnt Dieppe. John surrendered the kingdom to the pope, and received it
back as his vassal.
1214. Philip defeated an allied English, German, and Flemish army at
BOUVINES, in Flanders (July 27).
1215. The English barons, unable to bear any longer the arbitrary and
tyrannical government of the king, took up arms against him, and compelled
him to grant a charter, known as _MAGNA CHARTA_. The pope annulled the
charter; and the king, refusing to abide by it, collected foreign
mercenaries, and ravaged the lands of the barons.
Magna Charta (or the Great Charter), is justly recognized as the
keystone of English liberty. It contained 63 clauses, among the most
important of which were that no freeman should be dispossessed of his
property, imprisoned, or outlawed contrary to law;--that justice
should not be sold, delayed, or refused to any one;--that no one
should be fined except by his peers, and in proportion to his
fault;--that no taxes save certain therein specified should be granted
except by parliament;--that justices should go through each county
four times a year to try causes;--that weights and measures should be
justly fixed;--and that merchants should have liberty to enter and
leave the country, except in time of war.
WITH THE GRANT OF MAGNA CHARTA COMMENCES THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH
NATION.
1216. The confederated barons offered the crown to Louis (son of Philip
II., and husband of John's niece). He accepted their offer, and landed in
England.
HENRY III., of WINCHESTER.
=D.= He was the eldest son of John. =B.= at Winchester, 1207. =M.=
Eleanor, daughter of Raymond Berenger, count of Provence. =Dd.= at
Westminster, Nov. 16, 1272. =R.= 56 years (1216 to 1272).
1216. The king being only nine years old, the earl of Pembroke was
appointed regent.
1217. Louis' army defeated at LINCOLN (May 20). Hubert vanquished and
nearly destroyed a fleet sent to assist Louis, who now finding his cause
hopeless, returned to France.
1219. Death of Pembroke. His authority shared between Hubert de Burgh and
Peter des Roches: the latter retired from office in 1224.
1225. The Great Charter confirmed and ratified in the form it has ever
since retained.
The chapters relative to forests and warrens had been withdrawn from
the charter a few years before, and, with certain modifications,
formed into a separate charter, called the Charter of Forests, which
was now confirmed.
1232. Hubert de Burgh removed from office, and succeeded by his old rival,
Peter des Roches.
1242. Henry invaded France, and was defeated by Louis IX. at TAILLEBOURG
in Saintonge.
1258. The king's misgovernment, which had lasted through a series of
years, led the nobility, headed by Simon de Montfort (earl of Leicester,
and brother-in-law of the king), to endeavour to check his arbitrary
power; and at a parliament held at Oxford, unjustly called THE MAD
PARLIAMENT, =they drew up some ordinances for the reformation of the
Government, known as= THE PROVISIONS OF OXFORD.
Two of the most important provisions were, that four knights should be
chosen by the freeholders of each county to ascertain and lay before
parliament all wrongs committed by the royal officers, and that
parliaments should meet thrice in the year.
1259. Henry formally renounced all claim to the English possessions in
France lost in John's reign, and Louis IX. ceded to him Limousin, Querci,
and Perigord.
1261. Henry refused to abide by the Provisions of Oxford, and tried,
though without success, to recover his authority by forcible means.
1264. THE BARONS' WAR. The barons, led by Simon de Montfort, resorted to
arms, and defeated Henry at LEWES (May 14). He and his brother Richard
taken prisoners.
The next day a treaty, called the ~Mise of Lewes~, was concluded, by
which it was agreed that Prince Edward and his cousin Henry should be
kept as hostages for their fathers, and that all matters that could
not be amicably settled in the next parliament should be referred to
arbitration. Simon de Montfort, in the king's name, summoned a
parliament to meet early in the following year.
1265. _ORIGIN Of POPULAR REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT._ The first
parliament, to which representatives for cities and boroughs were
summoned, met at Westminster. The royalists, under Prince Edward, who had
escaped from his keepers, overthrew the barons at EVESHAM (Aug. 4). Simon
de Montfort fell in the battle.
1270. The country being restored to tranquillity, Prince Edward took the
cross, and set sail for the Holy Land.
EDWARD I., surnamed LONGSHANKS.
=D.= He was the eldest son of Henry III. =B.= at Westminster, 1239. =M.=
(1) Eleanor, daughter of Ferdinand III., king of Castile; (2) Margaret,
daughter of Philip III. of France. =Dd.= at Burgh-on-the-Sands, near
Carlisle, July 7, 1307. =R.= 34-1/2 years (1272 to 1307).
1274. Edward returned to England.
1277. He invaded Wales, and compelled Llewellyn to submit to very
humiliating terms.
1279. _Statute of Mortmain_ passed; all lands granted to the church
without the king's licence were to be forfeited.
1282. Insurrection in Wales. Llewellyn surprised and slain in the valley
of the Wye, near BUILTH (Dec. 11).
=CONQUEST OF WALES.=
1283. David, brother of Llewellyn, executed for high treason.
1284. Wales formally annexed to England by the Statute of Wales, enacted
at Rhuddlan. Prince Edward born at CAERNARVON. He was afterwards declared
prince of Wales.
1290. The Jews, 15,000 in number, expelled from the kingdom.
1291. Edward, having been called in to decide the claims of several
competitors for the Scottish crown, required the nobles and competitors to
acknowledge him feudal lord of Scotland.
1292. He conferred the crown on John Baliol, who had indisputably the best
claim.--Death of Roger Bacon, a Franciscan friar, a famous experimental
philosopher, and the inventor of the magnifying glass.
1294. Quarrel with France. Philip by an artifice obtained possession of
Guienne. The duchy was restored in 1303.
1296. =WAR WITH SCOTLAND.= Baliol revolted against Edward. The latter
invaded Scotland, and captured Berwick. The earl of Surrey gained a great
victory over the Scots at DUNBAR (April 27). Baliol made his submission,
and was sent to the Tower.
1297. The clergy, who had been very heavily taxed in this reign, on
refusing a new demand, were outlawed by the king, and their property was
seized for his benefit. To recover it, they were compelled to make a large
payment. The Scots, under Sir William Wallace, utterly routed the English
at CAMBUSKENNETH, near Stirling (Sept. 10). A statute called _Confirmatio
Chartarum_ enacted, by which the Great Charter, and the Charter of
Forests, were solemnly confirmed.
These charters were to be read in cathedral churches twice a year;
excommunication was pronounced against the breakers of the charters;
and no new taxes were to be levied except by consent of parliament.
1298. Edward invaded Scotland, and completely defeated Wallace at FALKIRK
(July 22).
1303. Battle of ROSLIN (Feb. 24), in which the advantage lay with the
Scots.
1304. Surrender of Stirling Castle. =Conquest of Scotland completed.=
1305. Wallace captured, and executed as a traitor.
1306. Robert Bruce, grandson of one of the competitors for the Scottish
crown, assumed the title of king. He was defeated at METHVEN (June 19),
and escaped to the Western Isles.
1307. Bruce emerged from his retreat at Rathlin, and defeated the English
at LOUDON HILL (May 10). Edward determined to punish the Scots, and
marched northward, but his intention was frustrated by death.
EDWARD II., of CAERNARVON.
=D.= He was the son of Edward I. =B.= at Caernarvon, 1284. =M.= Isabella,
daughter of Philip IV. of France. Deposed, Jan. 20, 1327. =Murdered= in
Berkeley Castle, Sept., 1327. =R.= 19-1/2 years (1307 to 1327).
1308. The nobles compelled the king to banish his favourite, Piers
Gaveston.
1309. Having succeeded in mitigating the hostility of the barons, he
recalled his favourite, who had been governor of Ireland during his
absence from England.
1310. A parliament, assembled at Westminster, obtained the king's
reluctant consent to the appointment of a committee of peers called
_ordainers_, who were to draw up ordinances for the reformation of the
state, and the regulation of the king's household.
1311. The ordinances were drawn up and accepted by the king.
Among the ordinances were the following:--that Gaveston should be
banished for ever;--that the new taxes on wool, cloth, and wine should
be abolished;--that the king should not leave the kingdom, nor
undertake war, without the consent of the _baronage_ in
Parliament;--that all the great officers of the crown should be chosen
with their assent;--and that parliaments should be held once a year,
or twice if need be.
1312. Gaveston, who had retired to Flanders, returned. He was seized and
executed on Blacklow Hill, near Warwick. Suppression of the order of
Knights Templars.
1314. Edward invaded Scotland. =Bruce gained a splendid victory at=
BANNOCKBURN (June 24). INDEPENDENCE OF SCOTLAND RE-ESTABLISHED.
1322. The earl of Lancaster, a prince of the blood, who had risen against
the king and his second favourite, De Spenser, defeated at BOROUGHBRIDGE,
in Yorkshire (March 16), and executed at Pomfret.
1327. Edward deposed by the influence of the queen and her favourite,
Roger Mortimer.
In this reign the assumption prevailed that no important business could be
transacted without the sanction of parliament; and the House of Commons
began the practice of coupling the grant of supplies with the redress of
grievances.
EDWARD III., of WINDSOR.
=D.= He was the son of Edward II. =B.= at Windsor, 1312. =M.= Philippa,
daughter of William, count of Hainault. =Dd.= at Shene (Richmond), June
21, 1377. =R.= 50-1/2 years (1327 to 1377).
1327. Parliament appointed a council of regency, at the head of which was
Henry, earl of Lancaster; but all the real power was exercised by the
queen and Mortimer. The Scots, under Bruce, invaded England; and Edward,
in pursuing them, narrowly escaped capture.
1328. Peace concluded between the two countries, by which the
=independence of Scotland was completely recognized=.
1329. Death of Robert Bruce, and accession of his son, David II.
1330. Mortimer seized by the king, condemned, and executed. Isabella
confined to her castle at Risings.
1333. Edward supported Edward Baliol (son of John Baliol), in his attempt
to obtain the crown of Scotland, and gained an important victory at
HALIDON HILL (July 19). Berwick, which he had been besieging, surrendered
the next day.
1339. =WAR WITH FRANCE.= Edward invaded France.
This war arose mainly from two causes:--1, the aid that the French had
rendered to the Scots in the late war; 2, Edward's claim to the French
crown. Louis X., Philip V., and Charles IV. had died in succession
without male issue; and as females were excluded from the throne,
Philip of Valois was chosen king (1328), and Edward, though he had
claimed the crown, did homage to him for the duchy of Guienne as his
liege lord. Edward's claim, as son of Isabella, sister of these three
kings, was essentially defective, for he had to contend, that though
females were excluded, such exclusion did not apply to their children;
but, admitting that such children were eligible, Charles of Navarre,
grandson of Louis X. (born after Edward had put forth his first
pretension), had a better right than he. After the campaign of 1340 it
is probable that Edward would have totally abandoned the enterprise
had it not been for a revolution in Brittany, which furnished him with
another opportunity of taking up arms.
1340. Edward gained a great victory over the French fleet at SLUYS (June
24).
1345. Henry, earl of Derby, defeated the French at AUBEROCHE, in Perigord
(Oct. 23).
1346. =Edward gained a glorious victory over the French at= CRESSY: about
30,000 of the enemy slain (Aug. 26). David II. invaded England, and was
defeated and captured at NEVIL'S CROSS, near Durham (Oct. 17).
1347. Calais surrendered to Edward after a siege of 11 months. Truce with
France.
1349. England ravaged by a great pestilence called the Black Plague.
50,000 persons are said to have died in London alone. There was a second
plague of 1361, and a third in 1369. =Order of the Garter established.=
_Statute of Labourers_ passed: labourers ordered to work at the ordinary
wages for any one who required their services.
1351. _Second Statute of Labourers_ passed, fixing the wages of labourers
and artificers. _Statute of Treason_, defining the crime of high treason.
_Statute of Provisions_, forbidding the presentation of benefices by the
pope.
1355. =Renewal of the war with France.=
1356. Edward's eldest son, the Black Prince, defeated and captured King
John near POITIERS (Sept. 19).
1358. A terrible insurrection of the peasants against the nobles broke out
in France.
1360. ~Treaty of Bretigny~, between England and France (May 8).
Edward renounced his claim to the crown of France, and the ancient
possessions of his family, but he was to hold, in full sovereignty,
Calais, Guisnes, Ponthieu, Poitou, Guienne, and their dependencies.
1362. A statute passed, enacting that pleadings in law courts should be
conducted in English.
1367. The Black Prince aided Don Pedro of Castile, and gained the battle
of NAVARETTE, by which the tyrant was restored to his throne.
1370. The bishop and people of Limoges having admitted a French garrison,
the Black Prince invested and captured the town: 3,000 men, women, and
children were butchered in cold blood.
1374. The only possessions that the English retained in France were
Calais, Bordeaux, Bayonne, and a few places on the Dordogne.
1376. Death of the Black Prince.
In this reign _justices of the peace were appointed_. _Growth of the power
of parliament._ Windsor Castle rebuilt and enlarged by William of Wykeham,
a famous architect, afterwards Bishop of Winchester.
RICHARD II., of BORDEAUX.
=D.= He was the son of Edward the Black Prince. =B.= at Bordeaux, 1368.
=M.= (1) to Anne of Bohemia, sister of the Emperor Wenceslaus; (2) to
Isabella, daughter of Charles VI. of France. Deposed, Sept. 29, 1399. Said
to have been murdered in Pontefract Castle, 1400. =R.= 22-1/4 years (1377
to 1399).
1379. A capitation tax, ranging from £6 13s. 4d. to 4d. per head, imposed
by parliament.
1380. A capitation tax voted, of twelvepence per head, on every person
above 15 years of age.
1381. WAT TYLER'S INSURRECTION: caused immediately by the capitation tax,
and its rigorous mode of collection. The insurrection broke out in Kent
under Tyler, and in Essex under Jack Straw. The rebels marched to London,
and committed great excesses. Richard met them at Smithfield, where Tyler
was struck down by the Lord Mayor, and slain. Several concessions were
granted to the insurgents, and afterwards revoked.
1384. Death of John Wycliffe, the 'Morning Star of the Reformation.'
This famous divine, born in 1324, held doctrines very similar to those
of the Reformers of the sixteenth century: and by his efforts and
those of his disciples they were extensively spread among the people.
His followers were called Wycliffites, or Lollards. His writings are
very numerous, but the most celebrated is his translation of the Bible
into English.
1385. The Scots having made incursions in the north of England, Richard
advanced against them, and burnt Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Perth, and
Dundee.
1386. The king's favourites, De Vere, duke of Ireland, and De la Pole,
earl of Suffolk, removed from office, and Suffolk impeached. Richard
compelled to entrust the government to a council of regency, with the duke
of Gloucester, one of his uncles, at the head.
1387. De Vere raised forces in the king's behalf, but was defeated at
RADCOT BRIDGE, in Oxfordshire.
1388. =The Wonderful Parliament= assembled: five of the king's counsellors
convicted of high treason, and two executed. De la Pole and De Vere
escaped out of the country. Henry Percy (Hotspur) defeated by the Scots in
the battle of Chevy Chase at OTTERBURN (Aug. 10).
1389. Richard recovered his authority.
1390. _Navigation Act_: merchandise to be exported in English vessels
only.
1392. _Statute of Præmunire_ passed.
Persons who purchased, in the court of Rome or elsewhere, bulls or
other papal instruments, were to be brought before the king and his
council to answer for their conduct, and were liable to outlawry and
loss of lands and goods.
1397. The duke of Gloucester arrested and conveyed to Calais, where it was
generally believed he was murdered.
1398. A Parliament at Shrewsbury reversed the acts of the Wonderful
Parliament. Richard banished the Duke of Hereford (Henry Bolingbroke) for
ten years, and the duke of Norfolk for life. =The king's power nearly
absolute.=
1399. Richard visited Ireland. During his absence Hereford, who, by his
father's death, had become duke of Lancaster, invaded England professedly
to recover his estates and honours. On Richard's return he obtained
possession of his person, and forced him to resign the crown. He then
claimed the vacant throne, which was bestowed on him.
In this reign peers were first created by patent. Westminster Hall was
rebuilt.
HOUSE OF LANCASTER.
HENRY IV., of BOLINGBROKE.
=D.= He was the son of John of Gaunt, and grandson of Edward III. =B.= at
Bolingbroke, 1366. =M.= (1) Mary, daughter of the earl of Hereford; (2)
Jane, daughter of the king of Navarre. =Dd.= at Westminster, March 20,
1413. =R.= 13-1/2 years (1399 to 1413).
1399. Knights of the Bath first created, at the king's coronation.
1401. _Statute passed for burning heretics._ A clergyman, named William
Sawtre, burnt for holding the doctrines of the Lollards--the first English
martyr.
1402. The Welsh defeated Sir Edmund Mortimer near KNYGHTON, in Radnorshire
(June 12). The Scots invaded England, and were vanquished at NESBIT MOOR
(June 22). They were again defeated by the Percies at HOMILDON HILL (Sept.
14).
1403. =Rebellion of the Percies.= The Percies conspired with Sir Edmund
Mortimer and Owen Glendower, the Welsh chief. Hotspur defeated and slain
at SHREWSBURY (July 21).
"One of the most obstinate and bloody battles recorded in English
history."
1405. James of Scotland, son of Robert III., captured as he was proceeding
to France. New conspiracy of Percy, earl of Northumberland, and his
friends. Scrope, archbishop of York, one of the conspirators,
executed--=the first instance in our annals of a prelate undergoing
capital punishment=.
1407. England visited by a terrible pestilence.
1408. The earl of Northumberland defeated and slain at BRAMHAM MOOR, near
Tadcaster (Feb. 18).
1410. John Badby, a Lollard, executed for heresy.
In this reign _the influence of parliament was considerably increased_.
The members indulged more freely in liberty of speech, and carried their
inquiries into every department of the government.
HENRY V., of MONMOUTH.
=D.= He was the son of Henry IV. =B.= at Monmouth, 1388. =M.= Catherine,
daughter of Charles VI. of France. =Dd.= at Vincennes, Aug. 31, 1422. =R.=
9-1/2 years (1413 to 1422).
1413. Sir John Oldcastle (commonly called Lord Cobham), one of the
Lollards, condemned as a heretic. He escaped into Wales, but was captured
and burnt in 1417.
1414. Henry demanded the crown of France; and that unreasonable claim
being disregarded, he claimed Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, Guienne,
and other districts, together with the hand of the Princess Catherine, and
a large dower.
1415. Negotiations continued. The French finally offered the duchy of
Aquitaine and the hand of Catherine, with 800,000 crowns; but these terms
were rejected.