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Growth of Royal Power in England
FEUDAL MONARCHS
Monarchs were the figureheads of society. This means…
The kings needed to regain power because…
They used different strategies to centralize their power:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
THE NORMAN CONQUEST
The Norman Conquest is a battle in 1066 over the English Throne.
King Edward died without an heir
The nobles chose:
William was:
William gained the right or legitimacy to rule from:
He defeated Harold on ___________________ when he and his men sailed
_______________________________ and he became the King of England. This battle was called
_________________________________
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
The Duke of Normandy, he forced himself into the English throne during the Norman Conquest.
He impacted British culture by…
He adjusted the feudal government to give himself more power. He did this by…
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Produced the Domesday Book which is…
HENRY II
Henry was highly educated but had a bad temper. He was highly involved in the affairs of the
Catholic church but wanted to regain power.
He made a major impact on English law by creating


He also broadened the system of royal justice by saying…
Part of his claims meant that he could try the clergy, which is
_________________________________________, in his own courts.
The reaction to this was….
Thomas Becket was…
Explain the conflict between Henry II and Thomas Becket:
How did this affect Henry’s rule?
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KING JOHN & THE MAGNA CARTA
King John was…
The conflict between King John and Pope Innocent III was…
Because of this conflict, the people of England needed a stable government. So the nobles forced
King John to sign a document called the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta is…
It means:
It says that the law:
PARLIAMENT
Parliament is…
It is designed to limit the power of the king by…
Established a “Model Parliament” with two houses:


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Reflection Questions
1. Why would people want to limit the power of the government?
2. What made King John a weak ruler?
3. What is parliament and what was their role?
4/5. Compare this system to the United States government today. How is it similar?
Different?