Questions on Medieval Government
Pages 280 - 287
1- Define the word monarchy. (check glossary)
A government headed by a king or queen.
England
2- Which family formed the first great monarchial dynasty in England?
From whom were they descended?
Plantagenets/ William the Conqueror
3- Describe the function on the juries?
Under William the Conqueror, group of men in each village had to
swear a solemn oath about the value of their property to the royal
envoys.
4- In 1086, what was recorded in the Doomsday Book? How was this
information used?
Every person, farm animal, piece of property/ to determine the
amount of taxes people owed
5- Describe the changes and measures taken by Henry I to increase his
power.
-Paid or hired people for offices instead of hereditary office holders in
hopes of gaining office holders loyalty
-kept accurate records
-allowed landowners to make money payments instead of owing
military service (increased king’s cash flow)
-gathered all money in a central treasury called the exchequer,
therefore, the king had easy access to large sums of money to finance
big projects like wars
6- Describe the rebellion in 1215 against Prince John and explain the
nature of the Magna Carta.
-Nobles called barons were unhappy with expanding royal power
-They had also been heavily tax by John who was fighting an
unsuccessful war with France
-John fought with the Pope too
-Barons drew up a document called the Magna Carta or Great
Charter and forced the king to sign it in 1215
-The Magna Carta listed the rights of the nobles and the king’s
responsibilities and privileges in governing. It mostly importantly, the
king now had to obey the law and his power was therefore limited.
Parliament (in England)
7- Why did William the Conqueror start the Great Council? Who made
up the council? How did the Magna Carta change that function?
-to advise him on governing
-high church officials and nobles he trusted
-actually participating in government rather than just advising/king no
longer sole authority
8- Define the word Parliament in the 13th century?
-meetings of the Great Council which included lesser knights and
representatives of the towns
9- What was the “Model Parliament”?
-the meeting of 1295 because it represented most citizens and formed the
basis of later parliaments
10- Define the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
-two divisions of Parliament who met separately
-House of Lords = high nobles and bishops
-House of Commons = lesser knights, clergymen and townspeople
France
11- Who founded a dynasty that would rule France for three hundred
years despite powerful feudal lords?
- Hugh Capet
12- How did the Capetians (Hugh Capet and his descendents) add to their
rather small landholdings?
- diplomacy, marriage, war
13- Describe Philip Augustus’s efficient royal bureaucracy (a group of
individuals who governed departments) which strengthened royal
power and weakened that of feudal lords.
-educated clergy, lesser knights and townspeople were appointed to
administer various districts
-all royal officials selected for their ability and paid a salary
-supported growth of towns
The Estates General (in France)
14- What was the Estates General and who formed it?
- the French equivalent of the English Parliament
-formed by Philip IV (in 1302)
15- What 3 social classes made up the Estates General?
-clergy, nobles and townspeople
16-Why was the Estates General not as powerful as the English
Parliament?
-did not have control over taxes or money
-king only consulted it when it suited his purposes
-never provided a check on royal power
The Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
17-Why was it difficult to unite the 5 great duchies of medieval
Germany?
-dukes had such great power and made it very difficult for a king to unite
them
18-Which king succeeded in uniting the duchies in 936?
- Otto I or Otto the Great
19-Why did power struggles result between the emperor and pope?
-each sought to increase his authority
-emperors attempted to take control of northern Italy and appoint high
church officials
-pope limited outside interference, sometimes by excommunication
(banishing someone, for example, an emperor from the church)
Questions on Medieval Government
Pages 280 - 287
1- Define the word monarchy. (check glossary)
England
2- Which family formed the first great monarchial dynasty in England?
From whom were they descended?
3- Describe the function on the juries?
4- In 1086, what was recorded in the Doomsday Book? How was this
information used?
5- Describe the changes and measures taken by Henry I to increase his
power.
6- Describe the rebellion in 1215 against Prince John and explain the
nature of the Magna Carta.
Parliament (in England)
7- Why did William the Conqueror start the Great Council? Who made
up the council? How did the Magna Carta change that function?
8- Define the word Parliament in the 13th century?
9- What was the “Model Parliament”?
10Define the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
France
11Who founded a dynasty that would rule France for three
hundred years despite powerful feudal lords?
12How did the Capetians (Hugh Capet and his descendents) add
to their rather small landholdings?
13Describe Philip Augustus’s efficient royal bureaucracy (a
group of individuals who governed departments) which strengthened
royal power and weakened that of feudal lords.
The Estates General (in France)
14What was the Estates General and who formed it?
15What 3 social classes made up the Estates General?
16Why was the Estates General not as powerful as the English
Parliament?
The Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
17Why was it difficult to unite the 5 great duchies of medieval
Germany?
18Which king succeeded in uniting the duchies in 936?
19Why did power struggles result between the emperor and pope?