United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – 2016
• Consists of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland o The rest of Ireland is an
independent state
• The UK used to be a unitary kingdom (all power was centred in the capital – London) o Now
each part has some of its own independent parliaments/powers (England, Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland)
Ireland ca. 1500
• Ireland becomes an issue because the English have been trying to conquer Ireland since the 12th
century o Henry II tried to conquer Ireland in the 12th C – sent over an army – Ireland at the time
was tribally organized into clans, with no central governments – there are four main regions in
Ireland – Henry II has trouble because the Irish resist them, and this resistance continues into the
16th C
• By 1500, the English really only control the area around Dublin (the Pale) even though the
English Kings have a “claim” to it (Lord of Ireland)
England and Wales ca. 1500
• Largely the same as today as far as borders go, but there is no demarcation of borders because the
English Kings conquered Wales o Edward I Conquest of 1284 –
complete and permanent o English Kings proclaim their eldest sons
as the “Prince of Wales”
• It is in the 16th C, under Henry VIII, that Wales is officially annexed and incorporated into the
English State
Scotland ca. 1500
• Largely the same as today as far as borders go
• English Kings attempted to conquer Scotland – Edward I went to war with the Scots and defeated
them, but the Scots rebelled and by the mid 14th C they had regained their independence
• By 1500, Scotland is entirely independent and governed by its own King
In summation:
• England and Wales are one unit controlled by the English King
• Ireland was claimed by the English King, but only a small part is actually controlled
• Scotland was completely independent
What is an English King?
• Modern Royalty
o Queen Elizabeth II – when she dies, Charles (the Prince of Wales, the eldest son) will
succeed her – this is the established law of succession (based on traditions) – this law was
first settled in 1686 with the Bill of Rights
o Changed the law in 2015 so the succession is determined by birth and not by gender – the
eldest child will rule next, not the eldest son
o Queen Elizabeth II is a figurehead for the country – she has a purely ceremonial role –
the only constitutional role she possesses is to sign off on laws
• 16th C Royalty o Kings are a medieval invention
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Kings were not just ceremonial – they held immense power and influence o How to
become King
� Might is Right – you literally fight for your position – the King is the best,
strongest warrior in the land
� Medieval feudalism – the King was the most powerful warlord and owned the
territory that he governed
Kings viewed the kingdom that he ruled as his property, and could distribute it to
whomever he wished – therefore, he could bequeath it – followed old Germanic custom
of partible inheritance (dividing his property for his sons)
� Recipe for disaster – splits up the country and can cause sibling rivalry/conflict –
leads to civil war
However, there were no laws about succession – in reality, the crown was open for
anyone to use military strength to capture and hold it
� Ie. William the Conquerer o Also, theoretically, there is no barrier to a woman
being a monarch
� However, there is the cautionary tale of Matilda – in 1135, King Henry I of
England named his daughter Matilda as his successor – Europe was a highly
patriarchal society, and did not think women were strong or competent enough to
rule – Matilda is immediately challenged by her cousin Stephen, who brings an
army to fight for the crown – there was civil war – Matilda never was crowned
Queen, but Stephen was crowned King – however, Matilda did make a
compromise with Stephen so her son would become King when he died
Succession was not always orderly
� Ie. Edward III succession – what if a king is incompetent and terribly unpopular,
as King Edward II was? – the nobility do not like Edward II, but cannot rebel
unless they have a replacement – they plan to replace Edward II with his own
13year-old son, Edward III, who leads the rebellion with Edward II’s wife/his
mother – they gather a French army and successfully defeat Edward II and force
him to abdicate, and is sent to prison where he dies mysteriously
Only in the later medieval period did Northern European Kings adopt the principle of
primogeniture (succession by the eldest son – different that splitting up the kingdom
between all sons) – but it was not always successful
� Ie. King Henry IV succession – when Edward III died, the throne went to his
grandson, Richard II, who was only a child – therefore a council of regents ruled
for him until he became an adult – when he was old enough to rule, he was
incompetent – Henry IV (Richard’s cousin) gathers supporters and a French army
and defeats Richard II, who is then imprisoned and starved to death
Often rival families, each with some claim to royal blood, compete for the throne
� Ie. War of the Roses (1455-85) –Lancaster vs. York – won by Henry VII (Red)
Causes of the Wars of the Roses
• Controlling the Crown o Monarch possesses large amounts of patronage (land, titles, offices,
profitable marriages to heiresses who were royal wards) – so no great noble families wanted the
monarch to be controlled by their enemies
• Powerful Noble Families
Great noble families were rich and powerful – they essentially had their own private
armies and ruled in their localities – they often carried out bloody feuds with rival noble
families – important to get the king on their side (or rebel against a king that wasn’t)
Weak Monarch
o Medieval monarchy required strong kings to keep the powerful nobility in line – Henry
VI came to the throne as a child, and even when an adult was weak and eventually went
insane – whereas a strong king like Edward IV could create relative peace
Dynastic Struggle o Most candidates to replace a weak king had some kind of blood connection
to the royal family
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