Midieval England to 1688

Medieval England to 1688

I . Introduction

The history of England begins with the Anglo-Saxons , who invaded Great Britain about ad 449 . They displaced the Celtic occupants of the south-eastern part of the island , forcing them back into Wales and the south-western peninsula . The land they settled , they called Angle-land or England . Previously , England , like Europe , had been home for a succession of peoples dating from the beginnings of the Old Stone Age

Medieval Britain is a term designating the period roughly from 1066 to 1485 , during which Britain participated in the

Middle Ages . It was a period of gradual but profound change , in all institutions and at all levels of society , which ultimately resulted in the foundation of the modern British nation-state

This intent to investigate the events happened in England during the medieval period

II . Discussion

A . Tudor and Stuart England

Henry VII possessed only his ability and the ancient name and audacity of his Welsh ancestors . His grandfather had married the widow of Henry V , and his father had married Margaret Beaufort , who was descended illegitimately from Edward III . Henry 's only claim to the throne was his victory at Bosworth Field and his subsequent success . The pragmatic Tudor dynasty gave England the government it wanted with the exception of Mary I , they seldom tried to lead where their subjects were not ready to follow

Henry got rid of his Yorkist rivals , including some impostors . He married Elizabeth , Edward IV 's daughter . He gained recognition abroad from Spain in 1489 by the Treaty of Medina del Campo , and then from France , the Netherlands , and Scotland . He restored strong , efficient central government , such as England had once enjoyed but lacked for many years . He promoted English trade , which he could tax , avoided foreign wars , and saved money (see Bolton , J . L . The Medieval English Economy 1150-1500 . Dent , 19990 . He became rich and powerful , commanding England 's respect if not its love

A .1 Henry VIII

Ambitious and bold , Henry VIII (ruled 1509-1547 ) was a vivid contrast to his careful , workaday father . Humanist scholars praised him one of them , Thomas More , served in his government . In 1513 Henry won the Battle of the Spurs in France and beat the Scots at Flodden (see Flodden Field . He exhausted his inherited wealth , but won fame and discovered the talents of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey , who as chancellor and archbishop of York dominated the years 1514 to 1529 . The blight on Henry 's reign was his desire for a male heir . Although his wife , Catherine of Aragun bore him six children , only one - later Mary I - survived infancy Wanting a son , and smitten by Anne Boleyn , Henry appealed to the pope for a divorce . When the all-capable Wolsey could not obtain it , Henry dismissed him and summoned the Reformation Parliament . The result was the formation of the Church of England , with Henry as supreme head separate from Rome but otherwise Catholic

A .2 Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn , whom Henry was now free to...