30. Hundred’s Years War and the War of Roses. Reasons and consequences

The Hundred Years' War was fought between France and England during the late Middle Ages. It lasted for 116 years from 1337 to 1453.

The war started because Charles IV of France died in 1328 without an immediate male heir. Edward III of England then believed he had the right to become the new king of France through his mother.The French did not want a foreign king, so Philip VI of France said he ought to be king because by the Salic law women could not rule or transmit the right to rule to their sons. The two countries went to war because of this disagreement. The war ended in 1453 with a crushing victory of the French over the English at the battle of Castillon.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England: the House of Lancaster (Red Rose) and the House of York (White Rose).

The reason of War started were displeasures of most part of the English society about failures made in the Hundred Year war and in politics conducted by the wife of Henry VI- queen Margarita and her favorites.

The Lancastrian Henry Tudor staked his claim to the crown. He met Richard on the battlefield. After fighting valiantly, Richard III was killed. Henry was declared King Henry VII. After his official coronation, Henry married Elizabeth of York to reconcile the long-feuding Lancaster and York houses. This union ended the Wars of the Roses and gave rise to the Tudor Dynasty.

31. Henry VIII. The Beginnings of the Church of England

King Henry VIII created the church of England in 1536 as a result of a dispute with the pope, who would not permit Henry to get a divorce from his wife and marry his long time mistress. Henry's marital history started under a cloud of suspicion, as his marriage to Catherine of Aragon meant he was forming a union with his brother's widow. His wife couldn't give him a male heir, so he divorced.

When Henry VIII started the Church of England, Roman Catholicism was already roiling under the effects of Reformation, which started in 1517. He did not want to change anything from Catholic religion, he did not sympathize with the Protestants.

32. The Act of Succession. Sir Thomas Moore

1534- The Act made Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn, the true successor to the Crown by declaring Princess Mary a bastard.The Act was later altered by the Second Succession Act, which made Elizabeth illegitimate, and the Third Succession Act, which returned both sisters to the line of succession.

Because of the pop's refusing Henry VIII to get a divorce from Catherine, it was decided that England would break away from the Pope and Rome and the King would become the head of his new church. Some people agreed with this change , but for others this idea was difficult to live with. Thomas Moore did not accept it too.

English lawyer, philosopher, humanist writer. In 1516 he wrote the book Utopia, in which he showed his understanding of the best system of social structure using the example of a fictional island state.

he was voting for free speech for every member of parliament

He was a king's friend and he helped him in the running of the country. Thomas More refused to recognize him as a Supreme Head of the church and was beheaded.

33. Destruction and closure of the monasteries.

Monasteries were an important part of Tudor society. They were a local centers of education, helped the poor and the sick, travelers could stay there and they prayed for people who paid.

Henry VIII decided to close the monasteries because the monks were not following the rules and took all the wealth to defend the country, but these charges may not have been true, because the inspectors were employed by Cromwell who wanted to please Henry VIII.

Vast amounts of monastic land, gold and silver plate were transferred to the Crown. However, a great deal of the wealth Henry acquired thought the Dissolution was spent on his wars with France and Scotland. One of the saddest legacies of the Dissolution was the loss and destruction of monastic libraries and their precious illuminated manuscripts.

34. Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary was born just a week before her father King James V died. Mary was sent to France in 1548 to marry the Dauphin, the young French prince , in order to secure a Catholic alliance against England. In 1561 , after he died still in his teens, Mary returned to Scotland. At this time Scotland was in the throes of the Reformation and a widening Protestant -Catholic split. A Protestant husband for Mary seemed the best chance for stability. Mary married her cousin Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, but it was not a success. Darnley became jealous of Mary's secretary and favourite, David Riccio. He, together with others, murdered Riccio in front of Mary. She was six month pregnant at the time. Her son, the future King James VI, was baptised into the Catholic faith at Stirling Castle. This caused alarm amongst the Protestants. Darnley later died in mysterious circumstances. Mary sought comfort in James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell , and rumours abounded that she was pregnant by him. Mary and Bothwell married. The Lords of Congregation did not approve of Mary’s liaison with Bothwell and she was imprisoned in Leven Castle. Mary eventually escaped from Leven Castle, then fled to England.

In Protestant England, Catholic Mary's arrival provoked a political crisis for Queen Elizabeth I. After 19 years of imprisonment in various castles throughout England, Mary was found guilty of treason for plotting against Elizabeth and was beheaded at Fotheringhay.

35. The Age of discoveries. Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake effectively ended Spanish dominance over the seas and the New World, allowing England to become a global empire.

Sir Francis Drake’s adventurous life was filled with many accomplishments. He played a major role in the destruction and defeat of the mighty Spanish Armada. This helped England to create a great empire in the New World. He also became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. During his world voyage, he explored much of the northwestern part of the modern United States. His strong dislike for the Spanish motivated him to destroy and loot as many Spanish vessels as possible. Some would call Sir Francis Drake a pirate, others would call him a privateer. But to the English, most saw him a hero.

In 1577 he was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass

around South America through the Strait of Magellan and to explore the coast that lay beyond. The expedition was backed by the queen herself.

36. Economic conditions in Britain in 17th century

During 16th and 17th century many fundamental economic changes occurred, these resulted in rising incomes and paved the way to the industrialisation.

After 1600, the North Sea region took over the role of the leading economic centre of Europe from the Mediterranean, which prior to this date, particularly in northern Italy, had been the most highly developed part of Europe. Great Britain, together with the Low Countries, profited more in the long run from the expansion of trade in the Atlantic and Asia than the pioneers of this trade, Spain and Portugal, fundamentally because of the success of the mainly privately owned enterprises in these two Northern countries. In the 17th century the food supply improved. England had no food crises from 1650 to 1725, a period when France was unusually vulnerable to famines. Historians point out that oat and barley prices in England did not always increase following a failure of the wheat crop, but did do in France. About one-third of the population lived in poverty. Tudor law was harsh on the able-bodied poor i.e., those unable to find work. Those who left their parishes in order to locate work were termed vagabonds and could be subjected to punishments, including whipping and putting at the stocks.