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LmWAKY D li 1 1 I O {j\ii, j<) -i QL i: NATIONALE HISTORY NOTES, FOR JUNIOR PUPILS. By GEORGE MOIR, PRINCIPAL ST. MARYS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. \,>^SlK)vy ST. IVIARYS: Printed at the Argns Steam Printing Office. 1880. PREFACE. Many of our School Histories are, certainly, emin .tly adapted for advanced scholars, but I kno„- of Le a ' uuab le for the junior classes ; hence the idea which Id tot ' a numbe. of the best works on the subject, and the le-^rlin.r liistoncal facts only referred to ,h^ „i,- , leading Dres-nt thp «i j '^'erreci to, the object being simply to p.es nt the land marks," which in after years may serve as guules m a more extended study of the subject. St. Marys, 1880. GEO. MOIR. HISTORY NOTES. INTRODUCTORY. 1. The Three Estates of the British Realm are the Sovereign, the Lords and the Common3. 2. The liEGi.sLATURE, in Canada, also consists of three branches : The Governor-General (who represents the Sovereign), the Senate, and the House of Commons. Tliesc three branches must i?ive their consent to every Bill before it can become law. 3. The Goveknor-General is the chief executive cff cer. He assembles,prorogues and dissolves Parliament, and assents to all Bills not reserved for Her Majesty's pleasure. 4. The Senate corresponds to the House of Lords in England. It may originate Bills not relating to the revenue, and may reject any Bill passed by the Commons. 5. The House of Commons consists of representatives chosen by the electors in counties, cities and towns. It controls the revenue and expenditure of the nation. The Executive of the Dominion consists of the Governor-General and a Cabinet or Ministry of thirteen members. H 7. A Cabinet oh Ministry is a collective body of statesmen selected by the Prime Minister, who,with him, direct the government of the nation. By constitutional iiRa^o tl)c niombors of a Rritish or Canadian Cabinet must luivc seats in l»arlianicnt, and their opinions on the leading: questions of the times must aj^rree in the mam with the opinions of tlie majority of the House of Commons. The Ministers are answerable to Parliament for all their acts. This is what is termed llesponsible Government. 8. The Premier or Prime Minister is the principal Minister of State. He is chosen by the Soverei^'n (or representative) and is the head of the Cabinet or Ministry. 9. A Parliament is the le«i;islative assembly of the Honse of Lords, or the Senate and the House of Com- mons. 10. The Speaker is the individual chosen by the Commons to preside over their actions while in session. 11. A Session is the part of the year during which Parliament deliberates over the affairs of the nation and frames laws. ^ 12. A Bill is a statement of a proposed law, 13. An Act of Parliament is a Bill that has been passed or agreed to by both Houses, and to which the signature of the Sovereign, or the Governor, has been attached. 14. To Adjourn Parliament is to grant the members a recess for a certain time, at the end of which they meet and resume any unfinished business, as if there had been no adjournment. 15. To Prorogue Parliament is to stop its work for the session. 15 16. To Dissolve Parliament is to dismiss the members finally, after which a new election must take place. 17. Journals of the House are the books in which the minutes or records of the debates and doings of each day are kept. 18. The Privy Council of Canada consists of the Gov- ernor-General and his Cabinet. 19. An Order in Council is a regulation made by the Ministry, independent of Parliament, having the etlect of law. 20. The Civil List is the money required for the maintenance of the Sovereign's household. 21. A Parliamentary Opposition is the collective body of members who oppose the Ministry or the measures of the Government, and whose leaders usually succeed to power on the dissolution of the existing Cabinet. When a Ministry is defeated on any important Bill it resigns. The usual eourse then is for the SovereiKU (or representative) to send for the Leader of the Opposition, and to intrust him with the formation of a new Government or Cabinet. 22. Politics is the science of civil government. 23. Political Economy is the science which explains the principles of National Wealth. 24. Trial by Jury is the trial of alleged criminals by a body of individuals impartially chosen from the com- munity. The duty of the Jury consists in determining whether the <:;harges against the prisoner are proven. It is an Anglo-Saxon institution, and forms an important safeguard against arbitrary power. Hi ll 16 25. An AnsoLrrr: Mohaiuhy is that form uf govern- ment by which the supreme power is lodsjjod in the hands of a single person, as in Ilussia. 20. A Limited Monakchy is that form of government in which the will of the Sovereign ia limiterl by a consti- tution, as in Britain. 27. A Republh' is a State in which the exercise of the supreme power is vested in representatives elected by the people, as in the United States. 28. In the British House of Commons there are 058 members, distributed as follows : England and Wales 493 members. Scotland 00 i. Ireland 105 ,, Total......! 058 20. In the Canadian House of Commons there are 204 members, distributed as follows ; Ontario 86 members . Quebec 05 ti New Brunswick 10 « Nova Scotia 21 ,, Manitoba 4 n British Columbia „ Prince Edward Island u Total 204 ENGLISH HISTORY. TDE ROMAN PERIOD. I UOM 55 B U. TO 410 A. D. 1. Britain was invaded by the Romans, under Julius C^SAR, B. C. 55, and partial! / Bubdutd. At that time the Celts, or inhabitants of Britain, were uhcivilized , their religion was a form of idolatry called Diiuidism, 2. Julius Agricola, who was appointed gjovernor of Britain A. D. 78, was its true conqueror. He taught the arte of peace to the conquered race, built towns, made roads and kept order throughout the land. 3. The Romans built several walls across Britain, to secure their conquests from the attacks of the Picts, or Caledonians, as the people who dwelt in the north were called. The principal of these was the Wall of Hadrian, built A. D. 120, from the Tyne to the Solway Frith. 4. HoNORius, the Roman Emperor, requiring all his soldiers to defend Rome, withdrew all his legions from Britain, 410 A. D. i8 THE ENGLISH CONQUEST. Il 1. Shortly after the departure of the Romans, the Picta and Scots again inv.ided South Britain. The Britons, finding that they were unable to repe^ these attacks, asked the assistance of certain Germanic tribes who dwelt on the coast of the North Sea, by the mouths of the Weser and the Elbe. These were the Jutes, Angles and Saxons, who, gladly complying with the invitation, drove back the Picts and Scots, then quarrelled with the Britons and took possession of the country 449 A. D. 2. By-and-by other tribes of the same race settled in different parts of Britain, each founding a distinct state. At one time there existed as many as seven small king- doms. These kingdoms were generally at war with one another. The weaker became gradually absorbed into the stronflfer till at last Wessex, (under King Egbert) swallowed up the territory of all the others 827 A. D. Egbert was consequently the first king of all England. 3. These Germanic settlers were the founders of the English Nation. Although composed of several tribes they all called themselves and their language English, and the general name they gave to the country was England. 4. When the English settled in Britain they were heathens in religion and little better than savages in life and manners. They learned nothing about Christianity from the Britons, whom they despised. In 597 A. D. , however, Pope Gregory I. sent a company of Monks, headed by Saint Augustine, to preaph the Cross in Eng- land. The Christian faith rapidly spread throughout the 19 whole country, carrying civilization and refinement in its train. 5. No sooner was the power of Egbert established in the knd than new enemies be^an to attack it from abroad. These were the Daises or Norsemen, the people who inhabited Denmark and the southern parts of Norway and Sweden. The Danes were clo^iely related to the Enflclivh in origin and lr>nguage. 6. Alfred the Great was the most important of the early English Kings. He reigned from 871 to 901. He subdued the Danes. He encouraged learning by establishing schools and employing learned men to teach his people. He founded the University of Oxford. He kept up a fleet and did all he could to foster the seafaring spirit of his subjects. To his wisdom we can trace many of the principles of modem British law. Athelstan, 925 A. D., is remarkable for the great encouragement he gave to commerce by granting the title , Thane to every merchant who made three voyages in his own ships. Ethelred the Unready was a weak monarch, la his reign the Danes returned again to attack the English. Ethelred tried to buy off the invaders , the money levied for the purpose being called Daneoeld. The effect of this was to bring the pirates back in larger numbers to demand larger bribes. He then ordered a general massacre of all the Danes living in England. Burning to reveng« this cruel act Sweyn, the Danish king, landed in England with a large army, 1013 A. D. , and Ethelred fled to Nor- mandy. 20 THE DANISH PERIOD. FROM 1017 TO 1042. 1. After a fierce struggle the Danes succeeded in wrest- tins: the crown of England from the English, 1017. and they held it for twenty-five years. 2. Three Danish Kings, (Cnut, Harold and Harth. acnut) filled in succession the Endish throne. Cnut was a great king. He made good laws and enforced them. 3. When the last Danish king; died, Edward the Con- fessor, (son of Ethelred,) was called to the throne, 1042, and thus the trueENOLisH line was restored Ed ward was educated in Normandy, and when he came to England he surrounded himself with Norman friends. French man- ners and inHuenco were thus introduced into England before the Norrv>an Conquest. 4. When Edward'the Confessor died, the nearest heir to the throne was a boy named Edc^ar Athelino, but being too young to wield the sceptre in times so stormy, the Witan, or Great Council, chose as king, Harold, who was at that time the most powerful noble in England. William Duke of Normandy, however, declared that Edward had bequeathed the crown to him, and that Harold himself had sworn a solemn oath not to oppose his claims. He, therefore, came over with a powerful army and claimed the throne. Harold hastened to meet him. On Senlac heights, near Hastings, the two armies met and a terrible battle was fought (October 14, 106G. ) Th'Hisands of brave men were slain on both sides. In the evening Harold fell, and his army fled. Thus William gained the victory and was called The Conqueror. i '!ii: 21 NORMAN PERIOD. FROM 1066 TO 1154-88 YEARS-4 KINGS. I WILLIAM I. began to reign lo66. WILLIAM n. •' '• 1087. HENRY L ** _*^, iioo. STEPHEN ^* ** 1135101154. WILLIAM L— The Conqueror. Reigned from 10C6 A. D. to 1087 A. D.— 21 years. 1. The Conqueror, after the battle of Senlac, or Hast- ings, marched to London, and was crowned King of Eng- land on Christmas Day, 1066. 2. The chief acts of his reign were the compilation of the Domesday Book, the institution of the Curfew Bellf and the laying oat of the Keio Forest. The Domesday Book contained an account of every estate in England with the name of its owner, and an account of the cultivated land as well as of the forests, rivers, and other details. The Clrf^.w was a bell which he ordered to be rung every night at eight o'clock in every parish as a signal for the people to put out all their lights and fires. The New Forest was an immense bunting ground comprising the whole of Hampshire, from W^inchester to the sea. The king drove all the inhabitants from this district, and destroyed, it is said, some sixty villages. :ii; mi 22 3. The Feudal System, or the custom of serving in war instead of paying rent, was introduced into England by William the Conqueror. By it all the land was owned by the king. He gave large districts to his nobles. They subdivided it among the gentry. These sub-let it to their vassals. In every case a tenant instead of paying his rent in money, corn or cattle, gave only a small portion of these, and for the rest was obliged to fight under his master's banner without any pay when called to arms. WILLIAM II— RuFus. Reigned from 1087 A. D. to 1100 A. D.— 13 years. 1. William II. was called Rufus because he had a ruddy complexion. He was a strong and energetic ruler though false and cruel. The Crusades began in this reign. 2. The Crusades, or Wars of the Cross, were religious military expeditions, the object of which was to free Jerusalem from the rule of the Saracens or Turks. The first Crusade was preached by Peter the Hermit. It started for Jerusalem 109G A. D. HENRY L Reigned from 1103 A. D. to 1135—35 years. 1. Henry I. was the youngest son of the Conqueror. To reconcile all to his accession he gave the people a Charter in which he promised to give back to his sub- jects their old laws, and to reform all the abuses which had crept in during Rufus' reign. We should remember 23 this charter because it states very clearly, for the first time, the rights of the people, and puts bounds to the power of the king by saying that the freedom of the people cannot lawfully be interfered with. 2. Henry married Maud, daughter of Malcolm III. of Scotland, and niece of Ec^gar Atheling. By this marriage the Norman and the English Royal lines were united. STEPHEN (Earl of Blois.) Reigned from 1135 A. D. to 1151 A. D.— 19 years. 1. When Henry I. died, Maud, his daughter, should have succeeded him. The barons, however, were unwil- ling to have a woman for their ruler, so they took Stephen, a son of Henry's sister, Adela, for their King. War soon broke out between Stephen and Maud. First one side met with success, then the other. At last Stephen was defeated at Lincoln and taken prisoner. 2. Maud now became queen, but her haughty spirit Hoon displeased the nation and she was forced to fiee. Stephen was once more called to the throne. 3. Mtud had a son named Henry, now almost grown up. In 1153 he invaded England to claim the throne. But Stephen agreed that at his death Henry should have the crown, and so the dispute ended. Stephen died the following year, 1154. 24 PLANTAGENET PERIOD. FROM 1151 TO 1399-215 YEARS-3 KINGS. HENRY IT. began to reign 1154 EDWARD I. began to reign 1272 RICHARD I. " " 1189 EDWARD II. " *' 1307 JOHN HENRY III 1199 121G EDWARD HI. RICHARD II. 1327 1377-1399 HENRY II. Reigned from 1154 to 1189—35 years. 1. Henry 11. was tiie son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and Maud, daughter of Henry I. He was an energetic and strong-willed kinej. Under his firm rule the distinction between Norman md Englishman rapidly faded away. 2. He lessened the power of the barons by destroying many of their castles, and desiring to rule the clergy he made his intimate friend, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket, when he had got this great power, did not do as Henry wished, and soon they became most bitter enemies. One day while in France, the king let fall some hasty words of vengeance, and taking them as a hint to get rid of Becket, four knights proceeded at once to Canterbury, and dashed the Archbishop's brains out on the pavement of his own cathedral, 1170. 3. The chief event of Henry's reign was the Conquest OF Ireland, 1172. 4v In the provisions of one of Henry's courts for the suppression of crime, we find the origin of Trial by Jury, so often attributed to earlier times. TweWe lawful men I, 111! 25 from each neighborhood, and four from each township, were sworn to present those who were known or reputed as criminals, within their district, before the king's jus- tices for trial. These jurors were at first witnesses more than anything else. It was soon found, however, that they, often, knew^ very little about the matter in question, so they were allowed to call eyewitnesses who had seen the thing themselves, to help them. Thus, in time, the jurors came to fill the positions which they do now, of deciding as to the truth of the matter from all that wit- nesses can tell about it. RICHARD I. Rp:igned from 1189 A. D. to 1199 A. D.— 10 years. 1. Richard I. was nothing but a soldier, whose one desire was to win glory on the Plains of Palestine. Though king for ten years he spent only six months in England. He took part in the Third Crusade with the King of France. 2. The social effects of the Crusades began to be felt about this time. They excited a somewhat kindlier feel- ing among the nations leagued in a common cause. They opened up the east to r.ommerco and poured its riches into England. They drained the country of those restless spirits whose broils convulsed society unceasingly, and they elevated the standing of the middle classes by weakening the power of the barons whose estates began to pass into the hands of the more wealthy commoners. I 26 JOHN. Retoned prom 1199 A. D. to 1216 A. D.— 17 years. 1. John was the youngest son of Henry II. and brother of the late king. Of him we know nothing good. Hia reign was nothing but disaster and tyranny. 2. Early in John's reign Philip II., King of France, got possession of Normandy, almost without a strugt^le, as the Normans themselves were quite willing for the change. The loss of Normandy did much to unite the English people, as it cut off the English b irons from Normandy, thus making them thorough Englishmen. The king, too, had to find his home only in England. He stood face to face with his people and had no other power to fall back upon. They knew his strength and then learned to know their own too, and to feel in time that they could resist him if he went too far. 3. The barons of England had been taxed heavily all through John's reign. At last, roused by the dishonor and loss which the tyrant had heaped upon them, they swore to suffer no longer. They drew up a list of things they wanted to have set right and put them in the form of a charter such as Henry I, had given The barons, clergy and people were united, and John was obliged to submit. He signed the Great Charter at Runnymade, 1215. 4. The Magna Charta, or Great Charter, as this document was called, laid down that the church should be free. The king was not to raise money except by the consent of the Greit Council. Justice was to be properly administered, and no freeman was to be punished or dispossessed of his land except by judgment of his peers. 27 HENRY III. Reigned from 1216 A. D. to 1272— 5G yeaks. 1. Henry III. was <^nly nine years old when his father died, BO, the Earl of Pembroke, a wise and good states- man, was made the young king's guardian. 2. When Henry grew up he preferred forei^^ners to his own countrymen, and this gave constant offence. At length a great rebellion broke out, called the Baron's War, headed by Simon ue Montfort, Earl of Leicester. A battle was fought at Lewes, where the king's army w««i defeated and he and his son Edward were taken prison- ers, 12G4. 3. During their imprisonment Montfort called together a Parliament^ to which he summoned not only the Barons and Knights of the shire as before, but also representatives from cities and town'. This was the first outline of par- liament as we now have it, 1265. 4. Edward soon escaped from confinement, and rapidly collecting a large army, marched to meet Montfort. The two armies met at Evesham where Montfort was defeated and slain. Henry III. died 1272, having reigned longer than any English monarch, before or since, except George III. EDWARD I. Reigned from 1272 A. D. to 1307 A. D.— 35 years. 1. Edward I. was one of the greatest of England's kings. He did his best to improve the laws, to strengthen the 28 r 1 government, anrl, above all, to make Parliament more fit to share in |j[overning. 2. Edward had a great desire to conquer Wales and Scotland, and thus bring the whole island under his own Bway. When ho was crowned, Llewellyn, the ruler of the Welsh people refused to do him homage. This resulted in a quarrel which ended in the Conquest of Wales, 1282. The title Pkince of Wales borne by the eldest son of the British sovereign, was first conferred upon Edward's eldest son, who was born in the Welsh castle of Ciernarvon. 3. Edward now turned his attention to Scotland. Just at this time the death of Margaret the *' Maid of Nor- way," obscured the Scottish succession and there were thirteen claimants for the throne. Edward claimed the right to decide who should reign, and adjudged the crown to John Baliol. The new king, however, being repeated- ly called to L(mdon to answer for his conduct, found his vasaalage so irksome that he rose in arms. But his feeble resistance was soon subdued, and he was dethroned. War soon broke out apain. Sir William Wallace won a great victory near Stirling, but was shortly afterwarda surprised, taken prisoner and executed. A few years afterwards Robert Bruce drove Edward's armies out of the country and was crowned king. 4. In 1295 Edward, greatly pressed for money, called to^^ether a Parliament which represented all the classes or estates of the realm. This was a mcdel Parliament and founded on the same ideas as our Parliament of the present day. In calling it together Edward I. laid down the great principle on which Parliament now rests, that nore fit lea and is own r of the esultod ^Vales, eldest I upon kstle of Just Nor- ) were the crown 3ated- d his 'eeble War 7on a varda years ut of ailed 3S or and the own that 39 '* what touches all should be approved by all." In his reign it was enacted for the first time that no tax should be raised by the king without the consent of Parliament. EDWARD II. Reignilo from 1307 A. D. to 1327 A. D.-20 years. 1. Edward II. had nore of the great qualities of his father. Like Henry III. he forfeited the esteem of hia people by his partiality for worthless foreigners. Piers Gaveston, a vicious companion of his boyhood, whom Edward 1. had banished, was recalled. The splend'^r of Gaveston so excited the jealousy of the nobles that he was seized and put to death, 1312. 2. In Scotland, Bruce had been gaining ground. He had won most of the strongholds in the land, and was besieging Stirling. Edward II. roused to try and prevent its fall, led a large army to its relief. Bruce chose hii giound well, and the English were entirely defeated at the battle of Bannockburn, 1314. Scottish independ- ence was henceforth established. 3. Edward's Queen, Isabella, was a very wicked woman. Having openly quarrelled with the king she fled to France, raised an army and returned. The barons declared in her favor and Edward was forced to flee. He was soon soon captured and the revolution was ended by Parlia- ment declaring that Edward II. was incapable of govern- ing. His young son was hailed as king. Eight months afterwards the deposed monarch was murdered in Berke- ley Castle, 1327. ^;i0 EDWARD III. Rbioned from 1327 A. D. to 1377—50 years. 1. To rule over France as well as England was tho ^reat effort of Edward's life, and as there was at that time a dispute about the crown of that country he collected all the men and money he could and went over to try for it himself. This was the commencement of the *' Hundred Years' War," so called because, thouj1483 RICHARD III. " " U83toU85. EDWARD IV. Reigned from llGl A. D. to 1183-22 years. 1. ThouLjh young EI ward had obtained the crown he was not allowed to hold it in peace. The Earl of Warwick, called Thr King-Maker, having quarrelled with E Iward, resolved to try to deprive him of his throne. Joining Margaret, Henry VI. 's Queen, in exile, they sailed to England and raised so large an army that E iward was forced to flee, and Htary was restored. 2. Edward, however, soon returned, and at the terrible battle of Barnet, 1471 , defeated and slew the King- maker. While at Tewkesbury, soon after, Margaret was defeated and her son, Edward, slain. In a short time afterwards, King Henry was murdered, a prisoner in the Tower. 3. The Art of Printing was introduced into England by William Caxton, 1473. The first book ever printed on English ground was called " The Game and Playe of Chesse." EDWARD V. Reigned from April, 1183, to June, 1183-2 months. 1. Edward V. was only twelve years of age when his father died. His uncle, Richard of Gloucester, was made Protector. He wanted to be king himself so he had the young Edward and his little brother, the Duke of York, placed in the To\ver,pretending that it was for their safety. 2. Soon after some nobles, whose favor he had gained, offered him the crown. With pretended unwillingness the Protector consented and was proclaimed king. RICHARD ill. was rribl e !t was time the his Reigned from 1183 to 1185—2 years. 1. Richard's young nephews disappeared in the Tower, murdered, it is said, by hired assassins. A strong party against him existed in the nation, and it was proposed that Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who was the represen- tative of the House of Lancaster, should have the crown. 2. The people longed for peace, and it was agreed that Henry should marry Elizibeth, daughter of Edward IV., the representative of the House of York, and so unite the parties which had so long striven against one another. 3. Henry landed in England, and the rival armies met at Bosworth Field, and a desperate battle ensued, 1485 — the last of the Roses. Henry was victorious. Richard was slain. 4. The Wars of the Roses destroyed nearly all the great English barons, and with them ended the Feudal System, together with Villenage, or slavery, which had been common in England for many centuries. H 36 TUDOR PERIOD. FROM 1485 A. D. TO 1603 A.D.-118 YEARS -5 SOVEREIGNS. HENRY VII. began to reign 1185 HENRY Vlll. *' '* 1509 EDWARD VI. '* " 1517 MARY " " 1553 ELIZABETH " " 1558 to 1603. HENRY VII. Reigxed from 1185 A. D. to 1500 A. D.— 21 years. 1. Henry VII. claimed the throne by right of inheri- tance and of conquest. His enemies set up pretenders whose schemes forced him to be very cautious. The first of these pretenders was Lambert Simnel, who said he was the son of the Duke of Clarence, and heir to the throne. His followers, however, were soon dispersed by the king's army. 2. Shortly after this a young man named Perkin War- beck said he was the Duke of York, who was said to have been murdered in the Tower by Richard III. His stand- ard was joined by many of the highest noblemen in the land. For some time he gave the king alarm, but at last his followers abandoned him and he was taken prir^oner and executed. Columbus discovered the Bahama Islands, 1492. Cabot, sent by Henry VII., discovered Labrador, 1497, and sailed along the eastern coast of North America as far as Mary- land. In the same year, 1497, Vasco di Gama doubled the Cape of Good Hope, thus opening a watery pathway to India. 4. Margar<»t, Henry's eldest daughter, married Janiea IV. of Scotland, 1503, and bo prepared the way for the union ot En(](land and Scotland under one king just one hundred years afterwards. . HENRY VIII. Reigned from 1509 A. D. to 1547 A. D.- 38 years. 1. Henry VIII. in the first year of his reign married his brother's widow, Katharine, daughter of the King of Spain, desiring, by this means, to make the al! '^nce which his father had made with that country more certair* He shortly afterwards invaded France but the results were unimportant. • While Henry was in France James IV. of Scotland invaded England, hut was defeated and slain, together with the flower of the nation, at Flodden, 1513. 2. Thomas Wolsey was Henry VIII. 's chief adviser during the first twenty years of his reign. Wolsey was a man of wonderful talents and succeeded in making Eng- land re&pected in Europe more than she had been since the days of Henry V. He raised himself to the highest pitch of favor. He was made Archbishop of York, Chan* cellor. Cardinal, Papal Legate, and he expected to be Pope Failing, however, to obtain a divorce for Henry as soon as wished, he was disgraced and arrested for high treason, but died before any farther steps could be taken against him. 3. During the early part of Henry's reign, England and Spain remained friendly. But circumstances so changed that Henry thought it better to ally himself with 38 j;ii 11 France. His wife was entirely devoted to Spain. She was several years older than he. He had fallen in love with a beautiful young lady of the court, Anne Boleyn. So that for reasons political and personal he wished to divorce Katharine and marry Anne. 4. Henry applied for a divorce to Pope Clement VII., who, equally unwilling to offend Henry or Katharine's nephew the Emperor Charles, at that time also a power- ful monarch, did not know what to do. After the matter bad dragged on for some years Henry took it in his own hands, defied the Pope, and Thomas Cranmer, the newly appointed legate having pronounced the marrioge with Katherine null and void, the king privately married Anne Boleyn. This led by degrees to the great changes in the English Church which took place in this reign, called the Reformation. 5. The English Reformation was brought about by a feeling, which had been growing for many years, that the Pop3 interfered too much in English affairs. Men thought, too, especially the followers of John Wycliffe» that many of the doctrines of the clergy were not in ac- cordance with the scriptures. Moreover, Martin Luther was at this time opposing the doctrines of the Church of Rome, in Germany, and many people followed his opin- ions. So that when Henry quarrelled with the Pope and desired to make himself head of the English Church the greater part of the people of England agreed to it. Thus the long, long quarrel which had been going on at inter- vals since the days of William the Conqueror, was settled at last, and England and her king were free. 0. Henry was married six times and left three children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. With all hia faults and inconsistencies, it ought to be remembered that com- pared with other countries ot Europe, he guided England through a most dangerous and exciting crisis prudently and successfully. In Germany and Holland the Refor- mation had caused long and terrible wars before it was established. In France and Spain it was crushed out altogether. In England, it was established almost peace- ably, and soon, though not all at once, took firm root in the hearts of the people. EDWARD VI. Reigned from 1547 A. D. to 1553—6 years. 1. Edward VI. was only in his tenth year when hia father died. The Duke of Somerset was made Protector. He attacked the Scots that he might compel them to give their young Queen, Mary, in marriage to Eiward VI. The Scots were defeated at Pinkie, 1547, but this only mado them draw closer to France, whither Mary was sent, and was soon married to the heir to the French throne. 2. The great event of this reign was the completion of the English Reformation. The Church of England began to assume her present form — a work in which Archbishop Cranmer took the largeat share. 3. Somerset becoming unpopular resigned his office, and the Duke of Northumberland succeeded him. Ed- ward was a weakly boy and not likely to live long. Nor- thumberland persuaded him that he had power to settle who should succeed him. Accordingly Edward drew up a will by which his sistt rs were set aside and the throne left to his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, whom Northumber- land had married to his son, Guilford Dudley. > MARY. Reigned from 1553 to 1558—5 yeaus. 1. Wken Edward VI died Lady Jane Grey was pro- olaimed Queen by order oi Northumberland. But men did not like to see the old custom a set aside in this way, and would have none but their lawful queen, Mary, to reign over them. Accordingly she was everywhere hailed as the first Queen of England. 2. Mary was a zealous Catholic and was anxious to brinfi^ back into England the old religion. She set up again tlie headship of the Pope over the English Church. She married Philip, heir to the Spanish throne. This marriage was not liked as the people feared that England would become a province of Spain. Lady Jane Grey and her husband were put to death. Mary thought it her duty to compel men to give up Protestantism. Persecu- tion was begun and many of the leading Protestants were burned ac the stake. ^ 3. In 1558 the French took Calais and the last of all the English possesaions in France was lost. Mary died shortly afterwards. ELIZABETH. Reigned from 1558 A. D. to 1603 A. D.— 45 years. 1. Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn, succeeded to the throne. Being a Protestant she at once decided to do away with the Pope's supremacy. The Act of Uniformity which ordered that no other ■eryices should be used than those laid down in the Prayer Book, was passed and strictly enforced. So that \ 41 persecution again became common in England, though now it had more of a political than a religious meaning, Elizabeth believing that England must be kept in one religion if it were to be kept an independent state. 2. Many of the extreme Protestants in the roign of Eliza- bethbitterlyobjected to certain forms in the worship of the Church of England, and desiring to establish what they termed a ^Mrcr form of worship, were nick-named Puri- tans. 3 Mary Queen of Scots became Queen of France in 1559, and claimed the title of Queen of England also, she being the granddaughter of Henry VIII. 's eldest sister, Margaret. Meanwhile Scotland had taken up the Refor- mation still more vigorously than England had done. Left a widow in 1561, Mary returned to her native land, but being a zealous Catholic she did not suit the Protestants among her people. Accused ot assisting to murder her second husband she was made prisoner and forced to resign her crown to her infant son, James VI. Escaping, she fled to England and implored the pity of Elizabeth. Con- trary to expectation she was thrown into prison, and after nineteen years confinement, was tried for sharing in a conspiracy against Elizabeth's life, condemned and exe- cuted, 1587. 4. The greatest event in Elizabeth's reign was the defeat of the *' Invincible Armada," an immense fleet fitted out by Philip II. , of Spain, for the purpose of crushinff the English power, 1588. This great victory did much for England. It taught her how strong she was, and the great danger through which the country had gone united the people. Catholic and Protestant alike had gathered to- w^ 42 getherto fight for their country's freedom; they forgot their divisions and only remembered that they were Englishmen. 5. The statesman by whose advice Elizabeth was guided in all the leading transactions of her reign was William Cecil, afterwards Lord Burleif(h. The first English set- tlement in America was made by Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584, and was called Virginia, after the virgin queen. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest of English writ- ers, and Francis Bacon, the great philosopher, flourished in this and the next reign. The power of the Crown during tho Tudor period may be said to have been absolute. It is true that Parliaments existed, but they w^ere meek and submissive and did whatever the king or queen told them. TABLE CONNECTING THE TUDORS AND THE STUARTS. (The double line marks the descent.) Hexry VII. Arthur, Hexry VIII. Margaret, (died yonng) MARY,marricd— married James IV. 1. liOUis XII. of Scotland. 2. Ch. Brandon, il D. of Suffolk il I Edward VI. Mary. Elizabeth. James V. Marc ii.ok Dorset ;i I Mary Queen of Scots. Lady Jane Grey. II James VI. of Scotland, and I. of England. 43 STUART PERIOD. FROM 1G03 A. D. TO 171i A.D.-lll YEARS -G SOVEREIGNS. JAMES I. began to reign 1603 CHARLES I. " " 1625 The Commonwealth (Cromwell Protector) 16i9 CHARLES II. began to reign 1660 JAMES n. " " 1685 William III. and Mary II. " 1689 ANNE " ]702tol7U. JAMES I. Reigned from 1603 A. D. to 1625 A. D.— 22 years. 1. James I. of England had been for several years King of Scotland when he ascended the English throne. He was son of Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of James Y. of Scotland, who was the son of Margaret eldest daughter of Henry VII. of England. Scotland and England were thus brought under the rule of one King, though each country still kept its own Parliament. 2. James determine i to rule absolutely, but Parliament began to assert the rights which it exercised before the Wars of the Roses, and thus besjan the famous struggle which caused one Stuart Sovereign to be executed and another to be dethroned, but which ended in establishing once and forever the principle that the Sovereign of Great Britain reigns only for the good of the people, and is bound by the laws just as much as the poorest of his subjects. 3. James soon became closely attached to the Episco- palian form of worship and strictly enforced the Act of Uniformity, which was passed in Elizabeth's reign. This n i li p i 44 Act greatly oppressed the Puritans and the Catholics. Not allowed to meet quietly for worship, even in private houses, many of the Puritans thought of leaving England altogether. In 1620 a small band of resolute men and women sailed away over the Atlantic in a little vessel called the May-Flower, and landed, about the end of December, on the then wild, rough, desolate coast of North America, seeking, to them, the most precious of all privileges, ** freedom to worship God." They called their adopted country ** New England." These brave men.the ** Pilgrim Fathers," as we call them, were the founders of the great American Nation. 4. The discontent of some of the Catholic leaders took a more terrible shape. They resolved to blow up the Kinfij, Lords and Commons by gunpowder, 1605. A cellar under the Parliament House was hired and the powder secretly placed therein. Robert Catesby and Everard Digby were the chief conspirator?. Guy Fawkes was employed to light the fatal train. The plot was discovered, however, and the ringleaders executed. 5. The great Walter Raleigh was imprisoned early in this reign on a supposed charge of treason, and after twelve years confinement was put to death to please the king of Spain. CHARLES L Reigned prom 1625 A. D. to 1649 A. D.— 24 years. 1. Charles I. like his father, the late king, wished to be absolute. He dissolved two Parliaments within a year, and began to raise money on his own authority. A war Ix r-.; kv^ 45 with France bo increaBod his difficultieB that he was forced to Bummon a third Parliament. Before granting any money, however, the Commons drew up the famous * 'Pe- tition OF Rights," and compelled the king to sign it. 2. The Petition of Rights provided (1) That the king should not raise money without the consent ot Parliament; (2) That soldiers should not be billeted in private houses ; (3) That no person should be detained in prison without cause. The importance of this charter is second only to the Magna Charta. 3. Charles did not long regard the solemn promise he had made, and went on raising money as before. Parlia ment then declared that whoever paid the taxes imposei by the kin^ was an enemy of the liberties of England. Charles at once dissolved the House and put nine of the members in prison, where one — Sir John Eliot — died. For eleven years (1629 to 1640) no parliament was called. Sir Thomas Wentworth, afterwards made Earl of Stafford, and Archbishop Laud, were the king's chief advisers dur- ing these years. 4. In former times, before the nation had a regular fleet, and when there was danger of invasion, the Govern- ment sometimes called on the counties and large towns on the seacoast to provide ships to defend the country. If they had no ships ready or to spare, the king would take money from them and fit out the ships himself. Now, under the name of Ship-Money, Charles laid this tax on the whole land. It was a war tax in time of peace, and the whole country was alarmed and indignant. J ohn Hamp- den, a gentleman who lived in Buckinghamshire, a long way from the sea, had the courage to refuse to pay. Th© uM 46 tax was only a few shillings, and Hampden was rich, but a great principle — the liberty of England — was at stake. The case was tried, and a majority of the judges, who were at that time mere iooh of the king, gave judgment against Hampden. 5. Charles determined to enforce Episcopacy upon the people of Scotland, and they rebelled in consequence. A Scottish army invaded England in 1640, and Charles was forced to summon Parliament again. This Parliament is known as the ** Long Parliament," from the length of time which it lasted. John Hampden was one of its leaders. Stafford and Laud were impeached, and both were executed. During the session of 1642 the Commons drew up the Grand Remonstrance, which was a state- ment of all the misgovernment of Charles I. since he came to the throne. Charles accused Hampden and four other members of high treason and came down to the house with soldiers to take them prisoners. Timely warned, the accused had withdrawn, and the attempt failed. The citizens of London protected the five mem- bers. In a few days Parliament recalled them, and they returned to their seats in triumph, accompanied by immense crowds. The king lef^ London and Parlia- ment asked to appoint the officers of the Militia. Charles refused, and Civil War begun. 6 The Great English Rebellion began in 1642^ caused, as we have seen, by the tyranny of Charles I. The followers of the king were called Cavaliers, the followers nf the Parliament, Roundheads, from the Puritan fashion of wearing the hair densely cropped. The first battle was at Edgbhill, whicL decided nothing. The second was at 47 Marston Moor, where the king's army was defeated. The third and last was at Naseby, 1645, where the king was again defeated, and his cause hopelessly lost. Charles some time afterwards surrendered himself to the Scottish army, and was bj it subsequently delivered up to the English Parliament. Finding that some of the members were inclined to come to teims with Charles, Colonel Pride matched to the House of Commons with a regiment of soldiers and kept over one hundred of those members out. The remainder of the Parliament appointed a Com- mission to try the king. He was sentenced to death and publicly executed in front of Whitehall Palace, January 30th, 1649. 8. Oliver Cromwell was the most extraordinary man of this period. He had been elected a member of the Long Parliament, and when the Civil War \)egan, his iron will and true genius for command, soon put him at the head of everything. To his skill the triumph of the army of the Parliament is owing, and however difficult it may be to justify some of his acts, it can hardly be denied but that he saved England at this time from despotism and ruin. THE COMMONWEALTH. From 1649 A. D. to 1660-11 years. 1. The execution of Charles L was not what a majority of the English people wanted. They desired only thai his power should be limited. There was a party, how- ever, called Independents, with Cromwell at their head, who wished to set up a new form of Government, and having ^jot the upper hand by means of the army, they did away with the monarchy and established a Oommon- weaUh, which lasted eleven years. 48 I i I: .: :1 ' Vi ! ■«» 1 { It S i 11 t » 2. Aa might be expected, this sweeping chansje was not everywhere accepted. The Royalists in Ireland sent for Prince Charles, eldest son of the late king, to come amongst them. While he was on his way, Cromwell went to Ireland with an army and subdued it in a few months. Charles in the meantime changed his mind, and landed in Scotland, and was proclaimed king. Cromwell went to Scotland immediately, and won a great victory over the Scottish army at Dunbar, 1650. In the following year, 1651, he defeated Charles at Worcester. From this battle- field Charles flad in disguise to France. 3. As the members of the Lonj? Parliament would not dissolve, Cromwell marched to the House with a company of soldiers, turned them out, locked the door and put the key in his pocket. He then summoned various persons by name to serve in Parliament. This Assembly surren- dered all its powers to Cromwell, who took the title Pro- tector, 1653. While Cromwell lived, Enejland was re- spected by foreign powers. He defeated the Dutch, who were at that time England's commercial rivals. 4. Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and his son, Richard, was made Protector, but he was not a soldier, and the army, feeling no attachment to him, gre.w mutinous, and he resigned. All but the army wished to have a king back again. The army, since Oliver's strong hand was jj^one, began to fall to pieces, and to quarrel within itself. General Monk, who was commander of the soldiers in Scotland, was greatly opposed to the doings of the soldieig ill England. He marched to London, and declared him- self in favor of a free Parliament. The old members of the Long Parliament, whom Colonel Pride had turned out 49 in 1648 were asked to take their seats. After issuing writs for a general election they agreed to ic>f i own dis- solution. The new Parliament invited Charles to come back as king of England. Charles gladly complied with the invitation, and was proclaimed king amid general rejoicings, 1660. This event is called The Restoration. CHARLES XL Reigned from 1660 A. D. to 1685 A. D.— 25 years. 1. Charles II. began his reign with everything in his favor. He wore his crown by the double title of free elec- tion and hereditary right. His subjects had not been con- quered into submission, and their return to loyalty,there- fore, was hearty and spontaneous. Wearied of insurrec- tion they were ready to believe everything good of their sovereign, and to look to Lim for the relief of all their sufferings. Unfortunately, the king possessed few quali- ties which merited the love bestowed upon him. He was mean spirited and treacherous, the pursuit of pleasure being the main object of his life. 2. A great plague visited London in 1665, killing, it is said, more than 100,000 of the inhabitants. In the follow- ing year, 1666, a great fire burnt nearly two- thirds ot the city. Old St. Pauls being among the buildings that per- ished, was replaced by the present church, the work of the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren. 3. James, Duke of York, the king's brother and pre- sumptive heir to the throne, had openly professed his belief in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic religion, and there was a general suspicion that the king himself was, hi 50 at hearfc, an adherent of the same faith. Just at this time the excited feelings of the nation led an impostor, Titus Gates to come forward and tell an untrue story of a "Popish Plot" for the assassination of the king, and the massacre of all Protestants. The story was believed and many innocent persons put to death. 4. The Habeas Corpus Act was passed in 1679. It provided that no sovereign could detain even the meanest of his subjects in prison beyond a certain time, without bringing him to a fair trial. 5. A Bill to exclude James from the throne was brought into Parliament. It passed the Commons but was thrown out by the Lords. During the tierce speeches that were made for and against this Bill, the nicknames ** Whig " and ** Tory " were used for the first time. Those who wished to set James aside were called Whigs, after the Whiggamores, a band of Presbyterian rebels in Scotland. Those in favor of James were called Tories, after a band of Catholic rebels in Ireland. 6. The Rye House Plot was the last remarkable event of this reign. This was a scheme proposed by a few of the more desperate Whigs, to shoot Charles and the Duke of York, and place the Duke of Monmouth, who was the king's illeflritimate son, on the throne. The plot was dis covered, and several executions followed. ^i ... JAMES II. Reigned from 1685 A. D. to 1688 A. D.— 3 years. 1. James II. was, from the first, very unpopular with the general public on account of the ill-favor in which his 51 religion was held. The Duke of Monmouth, who on the failure of the Rye Hou3e Plot had fled to Holland, now returned to claim the throne, and soon found himself at the head of a considerable army. He was defeated, how- ever, at Sedgemoor, 1685, and was shortly afterwards taken prisoner and executed. This was the last battle fought on English ground. 2. In 1688 James published a Declaration of Indul- G!";NCE suspending all penal laws against nonconformists, and dispensing with all religious tests. It should be re- membered here that whether the statutes he set aside were good or bad, it was the duty of an English king to govern according to the Constitution, so that in issuing the Declaration of Indulgence James committed an unconsti- tutional act. 3. James ordered all oflSciatina; ministers to read the Declaration of Indulgence during divine service in their churches for two Sundays. This the clergy would not do, and seven of the bishops presented a petition to the king, asking that the order might be withdrawn. For this they were arrested, imprisoned in the tower and tried for libel, as their petition had been printed and circulated through- out the country. Their trial ended with a verdict of ** Not Guilty," and at this result the national delight knew no bounds. 4. On the very day of the Bishop's acquittal, a letter, signed by some of the leading nobles and clergy in Eng- land, was sent to William Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of James, entreating him to come with an army and aid them in defending their freedom. William accepted the invitation and landed in England with a r } 52 small army towards th'=» end of 1688. James soon found himself deserted by all, even tho officers of his own army, and in despair fled to France. 5. William called a Parliament which declared that James had abdicated, and that the throne was vacant. The crown was offered to William and Mary jointly, and accepted. The Declaration of Rights was passed. It laid down the terms on which the Lords and Commons gave the crown away. The means by which the Stuarts tried to rule were declared unlawful. Parliaments were ; » called often, and the king was not to set aside laws OF to fail to put them in force without the consent of Fa^'liarnont. The Revolution which set William and Mary on the throne brought to an end the long struggle between the king and the Parliament. William realized that he was king by the will of the people, and not by '^Divine Right." Gradually Parliament became more and more powerful. The king's Ministers]became answerable to Parliament for what they did, and, by-and by, the Government became what it is now, Responsible. Ever since the Revolution the power of the Parliament has been greater than that of the Crown. WILLIAM III. AND MARY IL Reigned from 1689 A.D. to 1702 A.D.— 13 years. 1. The great object of William's life was to humble the power of Louis XIV. of France, and he valued his Eng- lish kingdom chiefly as a means to this end. 53 2. The exiled James, encouraged by Louis XIV., went over to Ireland in the spring of 1690, raised an army of 40,000 men, and besieged Londonderry. Failing in his attempt to reduce that city he was forced to retreat, and being met on the banks of the river Boyne by king Wil- liam, was signally defeated. James soon returned to France, and William was acknowledged king of Ireland. 3. From 1689 to 1697 England assisted Holland, Ger- many and Spain in a war against France. Neither Louis nor the allies gained any great victories, but the war was a very expensive one, and both parties desired peace. Accordingly the Treaty of Ryswick was signed 1697, by which Louis acknowledged William III. as king of Eng- land, and promised to give no further help to James 4. To carry on these expensive wars more money Wc-S required than the taxes brought in, so a number of per. sons subscribed a large sum, which they lent to the Gov- ernment, and on which they received interest. The prin- cipal was never paid. This was the origin of the National Debt which has since swelled to a sum so enormous. 5. During William's reign the power of the Commons was greatly increased. The Triennial Bill was passed, enacting that no Parliament should sit longer than three years. A certain fixed sum was given to the king to meet the expenses of the Civil List, and all the remaining rev- enue was at the disposal of Parliament. The Act of Settlement was passed in 1701. It provided that the Sovereigns of Great Britain should be Protestants ; that the Princess Sophia, of Hanover, should be heir to the throne, on the death of Anne ; and that the judges should hold office for life, or good conduct, at fixed salaries. Mary died in 1694, and William in 1702. t 54 ANNE. Reigned from 1702 A. D. to 1711 A. D.~12 years. 1. On the death of William, Anne, the second dau V H v X O \'l LOW A^^ITHK. K. II. SCOTT, ,/'/ v»<