Normandy was conquered by Vikings led by Rollo in 911. William the Conqueror, a descendant of Rollo, conquered England in 1066 and became the first Norman king. To strengthen his rule, he established a baronial system where barons were granted land and power over serfs in exchange for military service. This began the feudal system in England with Normans dominating.

2.  Normandy was a province of France.
 In 911, a group of Scandinavian pirates called
Viking attacked and defeated the French ruler
Charles III under their leader Rollo and
captured Normandy.
 William-I was the descendant of Rollo, and
cousin of Edward the Confessor, who
conquered England by defeating Harold in
1066 and ascended to English throne and
became the first Norman king to rule over
England.

3.  To strengthen his rule over England, he created
baronial system, the system of military lord, who
owed allegiance to the king and as a reward of it,
exercised full power over the common people
called the serfs living in their territories.
 Most of them were Normans who had come along
with the William-I and English people were
reduced to the position of serfs.
 This was feudal system. In return, these barons
were bound to provide military service, when the
king needed it. This common interest of baron
and king assured the unity of England.

4.  William-I separated the function of state and
church.
 King remained the head of state and church.
 Feudal system worked well until Henry-I’s reign,
and there was no serious conflict between
barons, king and church.
 After the death of Henry-I, Stephen ascended to
throne (1135-54) and ruined the administration,
by coming into conflict with the church.
 Some barons also revolted and created anarchy.

5.  Henry-II (1154-89) of` Plantagenet dynasty succeeded
Stephen.
 Under him, the power of crown was considerably restored,
though some barons retained their independence which
they had gained during the anarchy in the reign of
Stephen.
 Henry-II also tried to retain the supremacy of the crown
over the church but the opposition of arch-bishop of
Canterbury, Thomas Beckett stood in the way.
 Thomas Beckett was murdered by the men of the king,
produced a reaction which gave the pope, a direct
influence over the administration of ecclesiastical justice in
England and secured for the clergies, immunities from
being tried in the courts set up by king.

6.  Henry-II was a great king who established the
administration of justice, first to introduce
jury system, he belongs to a family which was
opposed by Norman dukes/barons, a number
of barons rose in revolt against him.
 King crushed the rebellion, but, it created a
distress and confusion in the country and for
the king.

7.  Richard I, the Lion Hearted (1189-99),
succeeded his father, Henry-II.
 He was most interested in fighting crusades
against Muslims for the capture of Jerusalem;
the birth place of Jesus Christ, .
 He used the rule as a resource of money
needed for his military expenditures.
 England even then was well established and
strong under his rule.

8.  John the Lack land(1199-1216) followed
Richard-I, his father as a king and he had to face
the revolt of barons and also opposition of
people because of his strict policy of taxation,
which had to be introduced on the account of the
expensive military adventures of his predecessor.
 During his reign, Normandy was conquered by
Philips II Augustus; king of France in 1204 .
 John came into conflict, with the pope on the
question of the appointment of the arch-bishop
of Canterbury.

9.  The Pope excommunicated John and
instigated the French king to invade England.
 John the Lack land, at last submitted
unconditionally to the Pope and recognized
him the overlord and promised to pay an
annual tribute to him.
 This weakened policy of John turned the
barons as well as the people against him and
he was forced to sign the Magna-Carta (the
greatest charter), which is first charter of
liberty to the English people.

10.  Under it, the power of the king was reduced
and the barons got the right to be consulted
in the important matters like imposing new
taxes.
 Magna-Carta becomes the symbol of
independence (1215) for barons and the
people alike.

11.  Henry III (1216-72) who succeeded John also
faced the opposition of barons.
 In 1258, a party of barons was formed in the
opposition of king.
 This party called the Great council or Parliament
refused to give sanction to the king to raise taxes
until a plan of reforms was agreed upon.
 The parliament which first met at Oxford drew
up provisions arranging for the government of
the country by baronial council.

12.  The Model parliament, which met in 1256,
was attended not only by the barons but the
representatives of the people also attended it
and thus it proved to be basis for the future
“House of Common”.
 Simon de Mont Fort, one of the leading
barons of England, was the originator of all
this and is rightly called, the founder of the
English Parliament.

13.  Edward-I (1272-1307) son of the Henry-II, ascended
to the throne and was a remarkable figure.
 He was prepared to refer all matters to his
parliament.
 In the Model parliament he called the barons as well
as the representatives of the towns.
 Edward was a great soldier. He conquered Wales and
attempted to conquer Scotland which proved
unsuccessful.
 For these expeditions, he needed more and money,
but, parliament refused to sanction it, resulted into
incessant quarrel between the king and the
parliament, overall, reign of Edward-I was prosperous
and progressing.

14.  Edward-II (1307-27) son of Edward-I was, in
every respect, contrast to his father.
 He was a non- serious and foolish person.
 He discontinued his father’s efforts to conquer
Scotland, dismissed all his father’s old ministers
and appointed “Piers Gavestone”, a companion of
his boyhood, and a vain baron as his chief
counselor.
 Gaveston encouraged king in his follies and
frivolities. This provoked the barons of realm
who forced the king to banish Gravestone, and
submit himself to their conditions, by which he
was made merely a puppet in their hands.

15.  His defeat by Bruce, the leader of Scotland at the
battle of Bannockburn, (1314), secured
independence of Scotland and placed Edward at
the mercy of Baronial opposition in England.
 He tried to regain the power by the help of some
barons, but his own queen, Isabella, supported
by Lord Mortimer, rebelled against him.
 Most of the barons sided her. Edward had to
abdicate in favor of his fourteen years old son,
Edward –III.

16.  Edward-III (1327-77) was more a military
adventurer than an administrator.
 On account of his chivalry and Knightly virtues,
not only England but, all Western Europe looked
upon him as the greatest, king of his generation.
 He first, conquered Scotland.
 Then he laid his claim to the French throne and
invaded France in 1339, thus starting war
between England and France, which lasted for
hundreds years and is called the hundred years
war (1339-1439).
 He defeated French twice at the battle of Crecy
and Poitiers.

17.  It was during the reign of Edward-III that a
terrible plague called “the Black Death”
ravaged English, swept away 3/4th of the
population of London.
 As laborers became scarce, a “statute of
Laborers” was passed in 1351 under which
laborers were forced to work.

18.  Richard-II (1377-99) who succeeded Edward-
III was a weak king; during his reign Peasant’s
revolt took place under Watt Taylor.
 Scots also invaded England in 1385.
 He was deposed by his cousin, the Duke of
Bolingbroke, who ascended to the throne in
1399 as Henry-IV.

19.  Henry –IV (1399-1413) defeated Scots and
brought the country out of chaos.

20.  Henry-V (1413-22) restarted war against
France and defeated France at the battle of
Aginocourt (1415).
 He became the regent/governor of part of
France which England had captured.

21.  Henry-VI (1422-61) continued the war
against France, because, the French under the
leadership of Joan of Arc, made their last,
attempt to drive the English out of their soil.
 Joan of arc was burnt (1413), but, the English
army had to leave France and thus the “100
years war” between England and France
ended.

22.  “War of Roses” started in 1455 between two
rival royal houses__ York and Lancaster,
which laid claim to the English throne.
 It ended in 1485 (1455-85). Henry-VI died in
1461.

23.  Edward IV - followed him (1462-83).
 Edward-V succeeded Edward-IV but his reign
lasted only for two months.

24.  Richard-III becomes the next king. He was a
cruel and reckless ruler.
 The barons revolted against him and he was
killed at the battle of Bosworth (1485).
 The death of Richard-III marked the end of
civil wars and self-destruction of feudalism.
 It made possible, a new growth of English
national Sentiment under the popular Tudors.