V ^ /: % IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 1^ 1^ 112.0 [2.5 2.2 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation $< ^ // ^ g// :/i^ A f/> % 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 972-4503 ^-^^v <^ r<^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. n n n n n □ Coloured rovers/ Couverture de coulaur Covers damaged/ Couverture «ndommagd« Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou peiticulie Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plavas and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ ReliA avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along ir.terior margin/ La re liure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la diotorsion le lone de la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es lors dune restauration apparaissant dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont pas it6 filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentairas suppl^mentaires- L'lnstitut a microfilmd lo meilleur exemplaire qui! lui a et« possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtrt, uniquea du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exirer une modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage sont indiquis ci-dessous. Q Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculees Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolor^es, tacheties ou piquees □Pages detached/ Pages detachees 0Showthrough/ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Quality indgale de i'impression □ Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire □ Only edition available/ Seuie Edition disponible D Pages wholly or partially obscurad by errata slips, tissues etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure etc., cnt *t§ filmies i nouveau de facon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqu<» ct-dessous. JOX 14X 18X 22X 26.x SOX J 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X U 32X re details ea du modifier Br une 'ilmage iS (rrata to pelure n a 3 32X The copy filmad here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Seminary of Quebec Library The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the orlgiral copy and in keeping with the filming coitract specifications. Original copies in pr'nted paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —^>( meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 L'exemplaire fiimd fut rf «' 1485 " to 1603 '« Stuart " " " 1603 " to 1714 •• Brunswick or Hanover Line of Kings 1714 «« to present time. CHAPTER I. BRITONS OR CELTS. Early Inhabitants. The Country. Government. Civilization. Dress. Character. Religion. Early Inhabitants.— The first inhabitants of Britain concerning whom we really know anything were the Celts. That portion of the race which lived in The Celts. ^^^' is now called England were known as the Welsh or Britons. From remains, such as bones, tools, and weapons, it is known that a different people lived in England before the coming of the Celts; but we find nothing about them in his- tory. In the very earliest ages the Celts must have travelled westward from Asia, the great cradle of the human race. Their eastern origin is shown both BRITONS OR CELTS. 7 by their customs and their forms of worship. But until the Romans conquered them we have no history of their doings ; therefore, many of the stories told about them cannot be looked on as trustworthy It is a fact that the British Islands are referred The Briti 1, to by certain Greek writers four centuries Islands before the Christian era ; but nothing is °»«°tio°«d told of them beyond the mere mention of Sre^k"'^ their existence. Again, it is stated that the Writers. Phoenicians and Greeks who lived in very early times on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea visited the British Islands to buy tin, which they found in , real plenty in Cornwall and the Scilly Islands. The name Cassiterides or Tin Islands, mentioned by a Greek historian, and supposed to refer to the Scilly Islands, seems to confirm this opinion. ^^^^^^^ But all these things are mere conjecture ; History and the true history of England begins ^*t«»fro°i with what the Roman General Julius C^- {^S,^ sar tells us he found there on his invasion of the country. Let us see, then, the state of England and Its people just before this event took place The Country.-With the exception of a small por- tion in the south and south-east, the country was cov- ered by a thick forest, broken by downs and moors. iTveVbvlhr'rl''' T''' ""' ^''' ^-^^tionof lived by Lheir flocks and herds. In the the People south and south-east some attempt was J^'^^^'ore made at tilling the ground, without much vasioS; success; and as Gaul was so near, a large trade was earned on between the two countries. These things tended to make the people of the south and south- east more civilized than the other inhabitants Government.-The Britons were divided into many 8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. tribes, each tribe governed by its own prince or chief ; but when occasion, such as war, required it, the tribes united under a single leader, thus being able to bring into the field a powerful army. Civilization.— It has already been stated that the Britons of the south and south-east were more civil- Their Habi- ized than the others. They lived in tations. houses, built chiefiy of wood on a stone foundation and covered with a conical roof of straw; a hole in the top serving the double purpose of a window and a chimney. Their towns were com- monly situated in a wood ; and were protected by a ditch and embankment of clay and felled trees. The people farther north and west lived in caves and holes in the earth. Dress.— In the u^atter of dress the more civilized wore a large.cloak or mantle of woollen cloth of their own weaving. On their fingers, arms, neck, and head they wore ornaments made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron. The northern and western Britons wore dresses made of the skins of animals. They left their limbs bare; and painted on them patterns by means of a blue dye made from the juice of a plant called woad. Character.— These ancient Britons were a hardy, The Britons brave, and warlike people. Their arms a Warlike were a small shield, a spear, and a jave- lin. They fought on foot, or from char- People. lots drawn by well-trained horses and having short scythes fastened to the axles. The tribes were con- stantlv at war with one another, and distinction in arms was the chief object of their ambition. ReJiglon.— Deeply influencing their whole lives, so- ciallv and nolitir.-^llv v^q^^ \u^\^ ....i:~.:„„ ^ e ' , .- i..j. \.r(,, i.r^ir xuiigiun — a form of BRITONS OR CELTS. ido!atry called Druidism. The Britons had no tem- pies; but in the depths of the forest, under the spreading branches of an oak-tree ''^'"•^■ whTh"r',"f '" ^ '""' °' ''"8'^ stones/remains of which are to be seen at the present day, thev assem Dr^uids^har^r "•■ l''" P"ests, who^'werrcaTd Uruids, had unlimited power over the people Thev r^Zf Hr"'H "^'r " '™™ ""^ higher'cla'sses. l/l retired hfe, and subsisted on frugal fare. The^ were the instructors of the people as well as their jud/es and priests They settled ail disputes, private ^ as well as public; and whoever refused G"at submission to their decrees was treated as f^"?°' an outlaw. Some of the laws made by the ^""^' Druids were good; but we know little of their forms of worship except their veneration for the oik aL their sacrifices, in which were offered not only beastt the D... Ids were the poets and musicians of the time and san^r the dppHc r^f tu^ u « 'o v^i me iime, the country ' ^"°'' ^"" '^e history of undefRo'I ''"" '"""" ^""'"'- "°* 'h" passed ^ic we mdKe our first resting-place. lO HISTORY OF ENGLAND. CHAPTER II ROMAN RULE IN BRITAIN. Arrival of Julius Caesar. Hadrian : Roman Walls Caesar's Second Visit. Saxon Incursions. Caractacus. picts and Scots. Boadicea. Con yersion of the Britons. Julius Agricola : Roman Walls. Arrival of Julius Caesar.— Rome is interesting to Christians, because the head of the Church, our Holy Father the Pope, resides in that city as the central see of Catholic unity, the capita" of Christendom. But the Rome of the time of Julius C^sar was pagan Rome, the capital of the pagan Roman Empire. This empire included nearly all the world then known ; that is, all the countries around the Medi- terranean Sea. And the greatest man in the empire was Julius Caesar. He filled the oflSce of consul, a position which gave him almost supreme power; and he had command of the greater part of the Roman army. As a soldier and a ruler hardly any man has ever been greater. He was very ambitious, always The Roman looking for new worlds to conquer, that he under" "!'S^^ '^""g them under Roman domina- JuUus tion. He was mascer of the whole of Cm&T. Gaul, and as he sailed along its northern coasts he saw in the distance the white cliffs of Brit- ain. He had heard something of the country, of its people, of their strength and bravery; and had per- haps felt this bravery in the support given by them to their kinsmen the Gauls in the wars of the latter with Caesar Wishing to have the glory of conquer- ROMAN RULE IN BRITAIN. II ing these Britons, and of making their c()untry a Roman province, he sailed across the English Chan t"owrotT1' 55 B.C., landed in Britain^here the town of Deal now stands, defeated the southeastern tribes, and forced them to rfm visit give nostages; but this was a conquest 56 B a' rather in name than in reality. As most of his ships had been destroyed by a storm, and as it was late fn the season, he returned to Gaul. In his absence the Bntams rorgot their allegiance to Rome, and the work of conquest required to be done over Lain Casar's Second Visit.-In the following ^yea; ,4 ,, B.C C^sar returned. Many battles were fough^the b1 Britons showing much bravery and skill in their pe! " cuhar mode of warfare. The tribes of the souu! east had united under a valiant prince, Cassi^e L t Cassivelaunus, whose stronghold was Ver- ulam, now St. Albans. But the trained Capture of and tried Roman soldiers overcame all re ^*' ^^^*°"- sistance and captured St. Albans. C^sar, satisfied l^vinrno^T''"' ""' '^^' ^° ^^"^^ «"^- — > power, no Roman soldiers to uphold it But through Cesar's coming Britain was brought more in contact with other countries of Europe; a^nd trade commerce, and civilization increased ac- J "L . cordingly. Better still, this conquest of f^:Sj^^r; Britain indirectly prepared the way for Cor "^^ ^ ^ the preaching of the Faith to its people, for ' ing brought into the fold of the Church In quence of the civil wars in Rome, the indiffer some emperors, and the feebleness of oth( nearly one hundred years no efforts were extend Roman power in Britain. 12 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 48 CaractaCUS.— In 43 a.d. tha Roman emperor Clau- ^■^ dius sent over to Britain one of his generals, Plautus, with twenty-four thousand men. Claudius himself followed, and the south and southeast became a A force of Roman province. The tribes of the cen- 24,000 tre and north held out under their brave l^ven, leader, Caradoc, called by the Romans 48 A.d! Caractacus. He was chief of the Silures, a tribe occupying the south of Wales and the adjoin- ing portion of Britain. But after a time all the tribes south of the Tyne, except those in Wales, whither Caractacus retreated, submitted to the Romans. Caractacus maintained his independence for several years; but was in the end defeated and brought as prisoner to Rome, where his noble bearing gained him honorable treatment. Boadicea.— Another stronghold of the Britons and chief seat of Druidism was the island of Mona or /d Anglesea. The Roman governor, Suetonius Pauli- nus, went thither, defeated the Britons, T>e Drmds ^^^ dispersed the Druids, burning many diBpersed. ^^ ^^^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^^ which they had pre- pared for the Romans. In the absence of Suetonius, Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, a tribe occupying what is now Norfolk and Suffolk, revolted against the Romans, who had despoiled her of her posses- sions and otherwise insulted and oppressed her and EevoU of l^er people. This revolt was, for a time, Boadicea. successful. Boadicea destroyed many of the towns; and as the Romans lived in towns chiefly, large numbers of them were thus put to death. But on the return of the Roman general from Anglesea g, this warlike queen was totally defeated near London, A.D. and put an end to her life by poison, mperor Clau- jrals, Plautus, udius himself ist became a ;s of the cen- er their brave the Romans if the Silures, [id the adjoin- e all the tribes Vales, whither the Romans, ce for several id brought as earing gained le Britons and d of Mona or itonius Pauli- [ the Britons, Durning many they had pre- 2 of Suetonius, be occupying volted against of her posses- essed her and as, for a time, oyed many of I towns chiefly, to death. But from Anglesea 1 near London, t I F s h li S b h si tl w ai n( t\ tl bi te U( th th th H, th lin no or no tor ale ROMAN RULE IN BRITAIN. Julius Agncola: Roman Walls.-Juiius Agricola was made governor of the island in 78 a.d., and was the first who really reduced the whole of England to the condition of a Roman ''* ^•^• province. He was a good man as well as a brave soldier, and while keeping the people in subjection ,, he did all he could to civilize them. He built two a i hnes of forts or castles across the island-one between Solway Frith and the mouth of the Tyne, the other between the Friths of Clyde and Forth ; and these he garrisoned with soldiers. Though this showed that he had no desire to conquer ^^T^r^ the whole island, he passed the northern Agricola. wall and defeated the Caledonians under Galgacus at the foot of the Grampians. His fleet cruising northwards sailed round the island and discovered the Orkneys. For seven years he ruled Britain, to the great advantage of the people. Towns were built, roads made, useful arts taught, land more ex- tensively cultivated-a state of affairs which contin- ued during the whole of the Roman period. Hadrian: Roman Walls.— About the year 120 a.d. the Emperor Hadrian visited Britain. He was called thither by the frequent incursions from the north. In the following year he, too, had a wall built. Hadrian's wall extended from the north of the Tyne to the Solway Frith, nearlv in a line with the first chain of forts buUt by Agricola. This shows that either he did not attach much importance to the country beyond or he was unable to keep it. The wall, however, did not prevent the inroads of the Caledonians ; and An- toninus Pius, a later Roman emperor, built another along the most northern of Agricola's forts. Still Walls bmlt by Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Severus. 14 HISTORY OF EiNGLAND. Il ! I HI later the Emperor Severus, after driving back the Caledonians, built a stone wall along the line of Hadrian's wall, which may be regarded henceforth as the true northern boundary of Roman England. He died at York in the following year— 209 a.u. Saxon Incursions.— During the latter years of Roman sway very few events of importance occurred. The most noteworthy was the descent of Saxon pi- rates on the eastern coast, a circumstance which 286 brought about the appointment of a special officer for its defence. He was called the " Count of the Saxon Shore." This fact is interesting in the light of future events connected with these Saxons and their settlement in England. Picts and Scots.— Shortly after the accession in 306 A.D. of Constantine the Great, who is said to have 3Q3 been of British descent through his mother, the coun- A.D. try was again disturbed, this time by northern tribes who were known as the Picts and Scots. The Picts were a tribe of Caledonians, and the Scots were dc- The Country scendants of the Irish or Scoti who emi- ravaged. grated from Ireland, then called Scotia. These tribes united, and ravaged the country for years. From time to time Roman armies were sent TheKomans against them, always defeating them; but forsake Brit- as soon as these armies were withdrawn ""» the Picts and Scots oppressed the people still more. The Romans took their final leave in 418 A.D., and the Britons were given to understand 418 that they should not expect further help from the Roman legions. The latter were fully occupied in re- pelling the incursions of the barbarians who had pene- trated almost into the heart of the empire. The Romans had taught the Britons everything but the use of arms, A.D. 449.] ROMAN RULE IN BRITAIN. 15 any of the latter people who were skilled warriors were sent to join the legions in other parts cf the empire. Once, indeed, the Britons made a stand against their enemies. Led by St. Germain of Auxerre in France, who happened to be in Britain at the time on matters connected with the Church, they gave battle to the Picts and Scots at St. Albans in 449 a.d. and defeated them. This battle is known as the Hallelu- Brltomde- jah Victory from the war-cry of the Britons. '*** ^*"*» But this victory was a fruitless one, and as 449 1"d"' an appeal to Rome brought no help from that quarter the Britons had 10 take one of two courses— to drive out the Picts and Scots, or to call for help from some other nation. To do the former they were not able; they were, therefore, obliged to choose the latter.' The date of this important event is 449 a.d. Conversion of the Britons.— And as this occurred four centuries after our blessed Saviour had estab- lished the Church on earth to be the teacher of all nations, we shall inquire whether the Britons, prior to the grave event we are about to relate, had received the Christian faith. The Gospel had alrer dy been preached m almost every part of the Roman Empire; and as Britain was in close relation with Rome it is very likely that missionaries had reached Tm?'"^ Britain at an early date. It is stated that Gospel. St. Peter preached in Britain. It is stated, also, that St. Paul brought the tidings of faith to the island. An- other account tells us that about fifty years after the Ascension 01 Our Lord, St. Philip went to preach to the Franks, and that while in Gaul he sent twelve of his disciples, one of whom was St. Joseph of Arimathea, to preach to the Britons.* Be these things as they n^- *See Life of King Lucius in " Lives of ihc Saints," by ' Alban Butler, Dec. 3d. ' 16 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. lA.D. 314. the people could easily have learned somethtntr of the new religion through Romans who came from Rome to Britain, and through Britons who visited Rome and Spreadof '"^^urned. In this way the Faith spread; the Faith. ^"d before the close of the second century the words of eternal life had been heard by even the unsubdued tribes of the north. Frequently young men were sent to Rome to study for the priest- hood, and on being ordained there came bark to convert their countrymen. Before the close of the third century a hierarchy was established. The flour- ishing condition of the Church is shown by the fact that British bishops took part in one of the earliest of the Westerp Councils, that of Aries in Gaul, in 314 a d Shortly before this time the persecution then ravaging Rome under Diocletian was extended to Britain, St St. Alban. '^^^^" gaining the crown of martyrdom in 304 A.D. The memory of the event and of the Saint is preserved to the present day in the name of the town— St. Albans. Constantine the Great al- ready mentioned, who was the first Christian em- peror of Rome, made the Christian religion the re- ligion of the empire. And the Hallelujah Victory in 429 A.D. was as much a victory over the followers of Pelagius the heretic, as it was over the Picts and Scots. Here we make our second resting-place. AD. 449.J THE SAXONS. i; Home of the Saxons. Saxons in England. Heptarchy. Bretwalda. CHAPTER III. THE SAXONS. 449 A.D. to 1017 A.D. United England : Egbert. The Danes. Saxon Kings. In the last chapter it was mentioned that the Saxon P.rates gave great trouble to the people on „ . / " the eas ern shore of Britain. Their fre- ^'a^'" queiit descents upon the coast, their seizure. , a massacres, made it, as has been seen a specTaTwn^ these Saxons were, and where they came fr„,^ " fr;:"' '- ^' -' - "- -r;b:r;.em tHe?e",tel i^h'if r;iiL''';ibr vts^rr^ saxons. They were a liardy and warlike ror. i- ■ as much on sea as on land, perhaps be use ^ „ «^ te ;"bren'"Th"" ^'"^ '"' ^"■^" ^^ -°^"- ,„ 11 ;u "^ "'^'■^ " 5°"''«^« of terror "ke Bace. them ^rt^'Cicfs '" '"^ '^"^^ ""^ """"• P^y SMons in Englan(l.-In 449 a.d., Vortige™, a Bri,. ish prince. upphlA t^ --> Scots, called in the aid '-■ luoiai LIIC attacks of the Picts and of the Jutes under He n gist i8 V '■ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [A.D. 449. il ml and Horsa. He had not to go far to find them. The Jutes ^^^Y w^'"^ hovering off the eastern coast. The Jutes united with the Britons, defeated the Picts and Scots, and received from Vortigern a portion of Kent on which to settle. But they, seeing the weak condition of the Britons, resolved to take possession of the whole island. They invited their kinsmen to come over. The Angles and the Saxonr, attracted by the glowing accounts of the beauty and fertility of the new settlement, were very willing to come. In a century and a half we und the strangers in possession of the greater part of the country, hav- The Britons ing driven into Wales, Cornwall, and the driven into north the few Britons that remained after Cornwall, ^^^ bloody and merciless warfare carried and the on against them. Arthur and his Knights North. Qf j-j^g Round Table, so famous in song and story, are said to have lived at this period, and to have led the Britons ?.gainst the invaders. Heptarchy. — The new settlers formed seven king- doms, known as the Saxon Heptarchy : the last of the seven was founded about 585 a.d. Though there Anglo- were originally three tribes of settlers, Saxons. Jutes, Angles, and Saxons, the name Anglo- Saxons — that is, the Saxons of England — was given to the whole people, and the country was named after the Angles — Angle-land or England. Bretwalda. — Among the Saxon kingdoms there was Quarrels constant quarrelling. Sometimes one had Saxoif ^ ^^^ upper hand, sometimes another. Kingdoms. Sometimes one king was so powerful that he gained control over the others : he was then called Bretwalda (unelder or ruler of the Britons). The petty kings were always striving for this dignity. [A.D. 449. find them, stern coast, ns, defeated l^ortigern a :hey, seeing -•ed to take ivited their the Saxonf, beauty and ^ willing to le strangers untry, hav- lil, and the lained alter are carried lis Knights in song and iod, and to even king- e last of the )ugli there )f settlers, ame Anglo- -vvas given amed after s there was les one had » another, verful tiiat then called )ns). The ignity. :^' ««5*-| ■*ffy:mi 'Y Jm i A.D. 697.] THE SAXONS. 19 Preaching of St. Aiigustlne.-From the founding of the seventh kingdom to the time when all wer! joined to make one, the only important event is the formal preaching of the Faith by St. Augustine and his monks. They landed on the ^.ores of England in The Saxons were still heathen, worshipping heathen gods-Woden, the god of war ; Thor, the t 1 god of thunder ; and many othe;s-some of fa^r whose names are preserved in the names of the days of the week. One cause of the hatred which the Saxons felt towards the Britons was, that the latter FaTh h "if p"'-- .^''^""^ '^"^ ^^^" converted to the Faith by St. Patrick ; and with the zeal which distin- fZl'l^Z "^;^f-"^T' '" '^'''' ^^y' ^PO^tles from that Island of Saints" went over as far as Gaul and FaT.r"TK r"" '^'^ ^"'^^ '^'' ^'''' ^^^^Jved t.e a^ho,; . T"' '"^"'"^ '^^ *'Sht ; but it was for a short time only. There was a king of Kent named Ethelbert, the third Bretwalda, whose wife Bertha was daughter of one of the Frankish monarchs in Gaul. ^1 She professed the true faith, and was very Bertha, pious and holy. She brought in hertrain to England a bishop for whom a small church was erected Gregory became Pope In 590 a.d. According to the tory told by the Venerable Bede, Gregory, previous to this event, became interested in the Englfsh f om seemg some poor Saxon boys standing for fale in the market-place in Rome. He wished to go to England but could not be spared from Rome. In Arrfvaf..' 597 A.D., remembering his former d respecting the convers he esire ion of the Saxo St. Aug tine, 597 na- ns, A.D. sent St. Augustine with forty monks to England 20 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [AD. 697. i'f ^ Ethelbert, through the advice of his wife, and perliaps led by a feeling of iidmiration for a religion the prac- tice of which she so faithfully carried out, received them kindly. His conversion and that of many of his Ethelbert subjects soon followed. He gave up his and other palace at Canterbury to the monks; and andThfir"^' Hie Pope made St. Augustine the first Subjects Archbishop of Canterbury. Other kings converted. witli their sui)jects were converted, so that in a short time all the southern part of England was restored to the Church. Bishoprics were founded^ churches were built, and the words of St. Gregory came true — that Alleluia would be sung in that portion of the earth. The poor Britons were better treated after this. The fierce Saxon nation became softened, and the English people soon ranked among the most religious in the world. The Calendar of Saints contains many Anglo-Saxon names — names of kings, queens, and subjects. Rome, the chief seat and centre of Christianity then as now, was loved and obeyed. Civilization received new life, and the con- dition of the people was improved in every way. From the Church the State learned the best laws and the best forms of government ; from the Church influence for good spread over all classes. United England: Egbert.— Jealousies and quar- rels continued among the petty kingdoms ; and, as we might expect, the weaker ones soon became subject to the stronger. Accordingly at the close of the eighth century we find the number of independ- Northum- ent kingdoms reduced to three — Northum- Meroia,'and ^erland, which may be put down roughly Wessex. as occupying the land north of the Hum- ber; Mercia, the country between the Humber %'l A.D. 827.] THE SAXONS. 21 and the Thames ; and Wessex, tlie country south of the Ihames, excluding Wales, Devon, and Cornwall winch were still occupied by the liritons. Very soon Northumberland became subject to Mercia, thus leav- injr but two independent kingdoms, Mercia and VVessex. J he kings of Mercia were so powerful that Its supremacy over all the others seemer! to be the natural course of events. But matters turned out otherwise. In 802 a.d. Egbert became king of Wessex. He had spent his youth ^^'"'*- at the Court of Charlemagne, the famous Emperor of the West— a good school in which to learn the art of government. In 827 a.d. he had brought all the English kingdoms more or less under hi:, power He subdued the Welsh also, so he really deserves *to be called king of England, although the title " King of the English" or of England was first used by Edward the Elder, a later king. Egbert made Winchester his capital. The Danes— Egbert had no sooner established his power over all England than he had to defend the c(juntry against the invasions of the Danes The Danes were of the same race as the Saxons, charact«rof of similar character and habits, but treach- the DaJes erous and cruel. Their home was Denmark and Norway. They were pirates ; and being pagans, they added to their national love of plunder, hatred of the baxons on account of the conversion of the latter to Christianity. Their leaders called themselves rihu^s or sea-kings, a name showing what they thought of their own power. During almost the whole of what IS called the Anglo-Saxon period of English history they gave more or less trouble, until at last we find Danish kings on the throne. Avoiding a generaren- 22 V '1 msl'nUV Ol'" KNCI.ANI). lA.D. 887. H'. f^MijiMnriil, thry scatlcrcd tlu'insrlves iti small parlips ovcv \\\v coMiitfv, (l('str(»yitJij towtis and villavrcs, rhnirlics and tnoiiasljMics, hiirninir or caiTyitij^ ol'f to their ships cvci'yt hiiii;- that came in their way. Thus they kept the whole kinj^ihjin in a stale of continual alarm. Egbert: a.d. S.'7. in I'lvrlxMt's reiii;n the Danes des("ended on the sonth coast. Thev ravaijed the counliy, hut were del'eated at 1 lenjjjston Hill in (.'oinwall, in S^^q v.i). 'This was the last important exploit ol" l'',]L;heit. lie died in tlu* foi!owinL»' yeai*. Ethelwulf. Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred i., ^^7 a.d. io S71 A.I). Dnrini; ilie sln)rt rei^iis of these kiiiijs the ituMjrsitms ol t lu» I )anes are almost the only events Farther In- ^*^ ''*' rei'orded. In the reii>n of ICtlwd- cursionsof wnlf they sailed up the Thames, burned theDanoB. London ami Canterbury, and took posses- sion oi the islands of Shepjiey ami Thaiu't. Mllud- bert [00k the unwise course of tryiiii>to buy them off. Kthelred, aft(M- tii»htiniv ns many as nine pitched bat- tles against them, in whicdi his youni^or brother Alfred ti)()k a leadinu: part, was at last mortally wouiuled at Merton in Surrey. Hy the advice of the Wise Men (see paufe 37) the crown was cciven to Alfred, thus passiuiv over the sons of luhelred on account of their St Ed- vouth and inexperience. In the reig-n of mund. Kthelred, lulnunul. Prince of Kast AiiirJia, was cruelly put to death by the Danes because he refused to ^[ive up the I'^uth. Hury St. Kdmunds in Suffolk, with the ruins of its great abbey, is th<^ j>l<'U'e of his burial. His name is enrolled in the calendar of Saints as St. Edmund. Alfred, H71 a.d. — Alfred, called to the throne at a time of great trouble and disturbance, devoted all AD. 87) 'IIIK SAXOIVS. 23 !iis cnrrtrirs to driviii^r out d,,. i);,,i,.s. His first efforts were tinsijccc'ssful. HciiiK fh^scrlcd by the ijrcatcr |)iirt of liis followers, .nid Alfrerl'g fe.uinir t,, f;,|| i„(,, I),,, hands (,f his cne^ KWortu to n.ies, he retir.-d t.. .1 hiding place, wh.-re ihoDanw. for SIX months he remained in concealmcnf , leaving the Danes masters of his kinj;(|(»m. iJnt his friends did not forv^et him. fir kept np commnniea- Lion with the faiihfnl ones, and the time so,,n came when he Ihonjrht it fitting to strike; a Mow for his country. Hefore he risk«'d so mncli In. resolved to !.ee for himself the strength of the Danes. Dis^ni.sed as a wanderinjr minstrel he visit" the use of arms, and a fleet was raised AlfreT*^*"" ^^^ ^^^^ proLcCtion of the coast. The arts ' of peace, likewise, received Alfred's foster- Hlig care. He restored the monasteries, restored and founded schools, and in every way encouraged learn- ing, arts and sciences, commerce and manufactures. He compiled a good system of laws, and saw that they were properly administered, frequently punishing even with death unjust magistrates. He laid the foundation of many of those institutions under which England from that time flourished. In the midst of his useful and peaceful labors, he was once more called on to meet the Danes, who had landed on the coast of Kent in 893 a.d. He defeated them with great slaughter. Quiet was again restored, and was not interrupted during the rest of the reign. Alfred spent his closing years in carrying out the noble and patriotic schemes he had begun. Worthily surnamed " the Great," he died in 901 a.d. We have seen that the kings before Alfred were weak, and unable to prevent the Danes from gaining a foothold in England. The nine kings following Alfred were, with very few exceptions, like his predecessors; and the story of these reigns ^the^Sax- ^s chiefly a continuation of the story of on Kings. warfare against the foe. We shall find the Saxon kings growing weaker and the Danes growing stronger, until at last a Saxon king is forced to make a div'ision of the kingdom — giving one part to a Danisa sovereign, who by the death of his col- league becomes sole ruler. A.D. 901 J THE SAXONS. 25 Edward the Elder, 9°' a.d.— Although not free from conflicts, the reign of Edward, surnamed the FJder, was, on the wliolc, not much disturbed by the Danes. They had not recovered from the severe de- • feats inflicted on them by Alfred. Edward was troubled by the attempts of his cousin, the son of Ethelred 1., to gain possession of the throne, but these attempts were not successful. The defeat and death of his cousin relieved Edward from further an- noyance from that quarter. Athelstan, 925 a.d.— Athelstan was a vigorous king He defeated the combined armies of the Danes and Danes and Scots at Brunnanburgh, the Scots de- exact position of which is unknown. It is Br*uJn** supposed to have been somewhere in York- bi?gh.*°" shire. The Scotch king and five Danish vikings fell in this battle. Athelstan exacted homage from succeed- ing Scotch kings. He encouraged commerce by raising successful merchants to the dignity of thane or noble man. He was one of the greatest as well as one of the best of the Saxon kings. He was pious and charitable. He built many churches, endowed vari- ous institutions, and labored to secure justice for all his subjects. Edmund I., 940 a.d.— Edmund I. quelled a rising of the Danes. He enlisted the services of Malcolm King of Scotland, against them, by giving him Cumbria, now Cumberland. Edmund was stabbed in his din- ing-hail by an outlawed robber. Edred, 946 a.d.— The sons of the late king were too young to rule in such troubled times. Consequently Edred, his brother, was chosen by the Wise gj ^^^ Men. Now began the influence of the stan.'*"" great Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury, whose name we 26 HISTORY or ENGLAND. [A.D. 946. il ij ; find in the calendar of Saints as St. Dunstan. During this and the two following reigns he was the chief aaviser of the king and the chief support of the king- dom. The Danes were still troublesome, but they were defeated by Ed red. Edwy, 955 A.D. — Edwy, son of Edmund, succeeded. He was a wicked man, who spent most of his time with bad companions. He disregarded the mild and good advice of St. Dunstan, who saw with pain and anxiety the king's neglect of the duties he owed to his people and his kingdom. The scandals of Edwy's misgovernment caused his subjects to rise against him. His reign was without glory and his death without consolation. One of his worst acts was the banishment of Dunstan, whose virtues and talents had already done so much for the kingdom. Dun- stan was, undoubtedly, the most able man in Eng- land of that day, the upholder of the liberties of the people as well as the defender of the rights of the Church. He had all the virtues which become a Christian prelate, with those intellectual qualities which befit the statesman. To his sanctity and zeal were due all the progress and prosperity, all the good with which the kingdom was blessed during the reigns of Edred, Edwy, and Edgar. Edgar, 959 a.d. — Edgar, surnamed the ** Peaceable," kept up a standing army and an efficient fleet, thus preventing all disturbance from within and from without. His reign was peaceful and prosperous; his people contented — a state of affairs due to St. Dunstan, whom he recalled. The laws were still further improved, and in after years the people when oppressed often cried out for ** Edgar's laws." Slavery disappeared gradually before the efforts of the Church. A.D. 976.] THE SAXONS. V Edward the Martyr, 975 a.d.- Edward the Martyr, son of Edgar by his first wife, was the next king! After a reign of four uneventful years he was put to death by the treachery of his stepmother, who wisiied to see her own son on the throne. Ethelred II., 979 a.d.— Ethelred, surnamed the "Unready," half-brother of the late king, succeeded. Soon after this, St. Dunstan, who hnd been the wise adviser of the three preceding kings, died, and thus Ethelred was left to himself. He was a weak king, and, unable to fight the Danes, he established a di- rect tax on his people for the purpose of The Dane buying off their enemies. The tax was gelt, called the Danegelt. As might be expected, this did not make the Danes less troublesome. Ethelred next tried a general massacre, which was carried out on the night of November 13, 1002 a.d. Oc- curring as it did on the festival of St. Jf ^sTe' **' Brice, the event is known in history as andSwey'n's the massacre of St. Brice. Large numbers ^«^«°8e. of the Danes were put to death, and among those who fell was the sister of Sweyn, King of Denmark Sweyn came to England with a large armv and took a terrible revenge-killing, burning, destroying all before him. Ethelred fled to Normandy, leaving his people to their fate. One man alone in this unhappy time was found to lead the English in defence of their tamihes, their homes, and their property. This was Elfheah, Archbishop of Canterbury. But in vain Swevn seized the throne, although he was not ac- ceptable to the people, who were still loyal to their true king, weak and worthless though he was. Sweyn died after a few weeks. The Danes made Canute or Cnut their k'ng. The English recalled Ethelred, who ^^ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [A.D. 1016. soon died, leaving his share of the government to his son Edmund. Edmund II., 1016 a.l— Edmund II., surnamed " Iron- side," succeeded. He was a very able prince, but he could not save his sinking country. He had to con- tend not alone against the Danes, but against the Canute be- treachery of his own subjects. In order to SJ ^°^* Prevent further bloodshed he consented to divide his kingdom with Canute (Cnut). Edmund died soon after, leaving Canute sole ruler of England. Thus was a Danish king placed on the throne of Alfred. CHAPTER IV. DANISH KINGS. 1017 A.^. to 1041 A.D. Canute, 1017 a.d.— The spirit of Sweyn seems to have lived in his son Canute, who now reigned over all England, together with Denmark and Norway. BroJhTrsof ^'^ """'^ "^^^ ^^ ^'"'^ ^^^^h, and many of Edmund ^he nobles were put to death. Two infant Ironside. sons and several brothers were left by Ed- mund Ironside. Canute sent the sons to Sweden. Some historians say that he intended them to be put to death by the Swedish king, or at least shut up in prison. However, from Sweien they were sent to Hungary, where Stephen, king of that country, treated them with the greatest kindness. Their uncles fled to Normandy. Canute ruled England in peace. His next step was to marry Emma, the widow of Ethel- red, an event which tended to bring about a better A.D. 1018.] DANISH KINGS. 29 Canute as a Christian. feeling between the two races. Saxons and Danes a though the marriage in itself was not Canute pleasing to them. He agreed that the "carries the children of this marriage should be the ZhZt heirs to the English crown. He then appointed two Englishmen, x^eofric and Godwin, governors of prov- tv.*;T't ^f ''^^" baptized when young; and now that he had rest from warfare, the good, which had not altogether died out of his heart, revived. Under the influence of Christianity he became a changed man. He made amends for all his former cruelty ; confirmed all the good laws of Alfred and made new ones ; encouraged learned men to come to England ; encouraged edu- cation-the education of the poor, and particularly the education of a priesthood who would look after the spiritual wants of his English subjects „,. p» and preach the Gospel in his kingdoms of gr "mage to Denmark and Norwav. He went on a pil- »<»°e- grimage to Rome, distributing gifts to the churches on his way At Rome he did homage to the Sovereign Pon tiff,and wrote to the bishops and people of England a letter breathing a spirit of deep and true contrition for all his faults, and showing what good might be ex- pected from him in the future. He lived for three years after his return to England, during which time he defeated the Scots. He left three sons-Sweyn to whom he gave Norway ; Harold, who seized England ; and Hardicanute, who had to be content with Denmark, although as son of Emma he should have received England. ♦V, \u"~' r .^" "'"^^■'^' '^^ "as oeen saiu, seized the throne of England ; and, as might be expected. Ji i 30 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [A D. 1036. 1 the King- dom. that river. many were very much dissatisfied. Godwin, now one of tlie most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon nobles, was among the number. They thought that Hardi- canute had the best right to tlie throne ; and, con- sequently, the horrors of war seemed once more to threaten the people. But the Wise Men interposed; Division of ^"^ ^ division of the kingdom was made — Harold receiving the country north of the Thames; Hardicanute, the part south of The latter did not seem to care much for his English possessions. He spent most of his time in Denmark, leaving the government in England to his mother and Godwin. It has been mentioned tliat when Canute came to the throne the brothers of Edmund Ironside fled to Normandy. They were sons of Emma of Normandy and Ethelred. Two of these returned to England: one, Edward — afterwards king — lived happily there ; the other was cruelly put to death by Harold's soldiers. Harold's early death left Hardicanute sole ruler. Hardicanute, 1040 a.d. — Hardicanute came over from Denmark and began a reign in England marked throughout by cruelty. He caused the body of his brother to be dug up, beheaded, and thrown His Cruelty. . ^ u u *• ^ *i r% i. mto a marsh. He continued the Danegelt, but for the purpose of keeping up a Danish fleet instead of opposing one. He was much given to intemperate habits, and dropped dead at a marriage feast of one of his thanes. With him ended the Danish line of kings. To the great joy of the English, The Saxon ^^^^ Saxon line was restored in the person Line re- of Ethelred's son, Edward, whom we men- stored, tioned in the last reign as having returned to England. He is known in history and in the Church as Edward the Confessor. [A D. 1036. odwin, now ixon nobles, that Hardi- ; and, con- ice more to interposed; was made — lorth of the irt south of re much for of his time England to ute came to side f?ed to Normandy igland: one, there ; the I's soldiers, e ruler. came over ind marked body of his and thrown e Danegelt, )anish fleet h given to a marriage ended the he English, the person •m we men- ig returned and in the A D. 1041. J SAXON LINE RESTORED. 31 CHAPTER V SAXON LINE RESTORED. 1041 A.D. to 1066 A.D. Edward the Confessor, 1041 ad.— The crown be- longed by right to the son of Edmund Ironside, who, as we may remember, was in Hungary. But Edward' his uncle, being older and having lived long enough in England to win the esteem and A Wise and love of the English people, was chosen ^''^^ Mar- king. Edward was a wise and holy man, whose life of sorrow and suffering had taught him many good lessons. The kingdom was threatened by invasion from Norway ; but this was prevented by the King of Denmark. Edward's great trouble came from the fierce nobles who ruled the petty kingdoms and provinces under him. They were jealous of one another, and perhaps of the king himself, whose gentle rule was not appre- ciated by them as it should have been. They, however, helped him to repel an in- JJ^on^ '^" vasion of the Danes which came about in repelled, this way. Denmark was threatened by an invasion from Norway. The King of Denmark applied to Edward for assistance, which was refused. This led to an invasion of England by the Danes. In the peace which followed, Edward had an opportunity to make or compile ^^^ I"**^" 0' these good laws which were ever after ~' ^~ spoken of with reverence, and to which the oppressed I 32 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [AD. 1011. people of later reigns often appealed. The laws of good King Edward passed into a proverb. Ho abol- ished the Uant'gelt. The only part of Edward's conduct which caused his subjects to complain was the great favor he Edward's showed to the Normans who came to Eng- Noman land. Eil ward's long residence at the Leanings. c^,^,,.^ ^f Normandy brought about his strong liking for them, their customs, and language. We find, therefore, many of the highest positions in the Church and in the state given to the strangers. However, we must not conclude from this that Edward favored none but the Normans, though perhaps it would have been well if Norman manners and customs had beert extended more than they were. In the long wars with the Danes the English lost much of their refinement, and they had grown careless in matters of religion. Everything done by Edward was with Edward not ^ ^'^^. ^^ remedy so undesirable a state understood of affairs. The English people were not pJoS! wise enough to see this, and they ex- pressed their dislike in many ways. God- win, whose daughter was married to Edward, did not help to bring about a better understanding. A quar- rel between his people and those of a Norman count who was on a visit to England embittered the English still more. William of Normandy came to England and proceeded in state through the kingdom. All these things tended to add to the general unrest. Godwin died soon after, leaving his possessions, his power, and his ambition to his son Harold, who thus became the greatest man in the kingdom. Edward was a peaceful ruler, and we find his whole caj given to the internal management of his ki ng- AD. 1041.1 SAXON LINE RESTORED. 33 dom. Hverythin.ir that was for the good of his sub- jects received his best attention. 1-cw ap ., wars disturbed his n-i.^m. An expedition Eu!eT against the Welsh, and another against Macbeth, who lK.d usurped the crown of Scotland, were the onlv ones. Ihe latter resulted in MacbethV, death and Malcolm s accession to the Scottish throne Kdward now proposed to go on a pilgrimage to Kome; but as the Wise Men were opposed to.it, he gave it up; and as he had no ^bXuL Jieir, they dreaded the troubles of a dis- Succession, puted succession. Harold looked forward to nos session of the kingdom. Edward, son of Edmund ronsKle, was still in Hungary. Invited to England he died soon after },is arrival there, leaving two chil-' dren, Ed.^ar (surnamed Atheling) and Margaret lu igar was weak in body and in mind, and was alto^ ge her unfit to take the throne in such a stormy time William of Normandy was another claimant, and a circumstance occurred which gave him an immense advantage over Harold. Harold wmTam'of was shipwrecked on the coast of Nor- Normandy, mandy taken prisoner, and handed over to William who released him only after he had made a solemn oath to support his captor's claims to the throne of iingland. The closing days of Edward's life were disturbed by th.s difficulty. He loved his people, and ^' was troubled by the thought of contest be- DaTo? tween the rival claimants for his throne Edward. His one desire was to see his great church at West- minster consecrated before he died. He lived long enough for this; but he was too ill to be present af the ceremony. ^ 34 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. [AD. 1066. |i ^ m !ii ! li It is said that he recommended the Wise Men to Edward's choose Harold for their king. He died on Death, Jan. 5, 1066. January 5, 1066 a.d., and was buried in his own new cliurch on the next day, the Feast of the Epiphany. Miracles were soon wrought at his grave; and about on? hundred years after, he was canonized '^dint— St. Edward the Confessor. No king of L ...id was, perhaps, more happy in the affections 01 his people than this holy king. While giving them an example of sanctity, he la- bored for their material and spiritual good. He sought to promote peace, as well at home as abroad. He was content with his own possessions, and neither coveted those of others nor sought by unjust enact- ments to obtain money from his own people. He was, in fine, a model Catholic king, of a type often given us in the ages of faith. The axiom *' A king can do no wrong" was applied to him by the grate- ful hearts of his subjects. Harold II., 1066 a.d. — Harold, although he was not of royal blood, caused himself to be proclaimed king, and was accepted by the Wise Men and by the peo- ple. He had scarcely been seated on the throne when Harold's William of Normandy began preparations Brother, to establish his claim to the kingdom. In Tostig. i-he mean time Harold's brother, Tostig, supported by Harold Hardrada, King of Norway, landed in England to take possession of Northum- berland, which he had lost by his tyranny. He would have obtained the earldom, but he made other de- mands which Harold could not grant. This led to a battle, which was fought at Stamford Bridge in York- shire September 25, 1066 a.d. Tostig and the King A.D. 1066.J POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITION. 35 of Norway were killed, and their army routed with great slaughter. Immediately after this victory, news of the landing of William of Normandy was brought to Harold, who, contrary to advice, marched landing of southward to meet him. The two armies William of met at Hastings. Harold's was greatly ^SbS diminished in number, and the long march ofHaetings. had almost exhausted his men But he would not wait; and on October 14 he gave battle to William. The fight rageJ all day. Towards evening Harold fell. The English, having lost their eader, fled, leaving the victory with William, and thus making him king of England. To commemo- rate the battle, William founded Battle Abbey the ruins of which still mark the spot where Harold's the monks offered up prayers and masses for the re- pose of the souls of those who fell on that event- CHAPTER VI. POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE ANGLO SAXONS. A^ULO- Government. Classes of Society. Witan or Great Council. Land Tenure. Political Divisions. Courts of Justice. Houses. Food. Dress. Occupation. Before taking a final leave of this period and en- tenng on the history of the country under a new ifne of kmgs, ,t wll be well to survey, briefly, the political and social condition of the Anglo-Saxons 36 i I HISTORY OK ENGLAND. [AD 1066. Government.- -The form of government was an elective monarchy, which was generally retained in one family, but not necessarily descending from father to son. On the death of a king the nearest heir was often set aside when another member of the family appeared to be better fitted to rule. Two in- stances of this are mentioned in the preceding pages. Classes of Society.— There were two general classes of society— the earls or nobles, and the ceorls. The sons and kindred of the king were called Athelings, that is, nobles, {,!///<•/, noble). Then came the ealdor- men (aldermen — elder men) or earls. They were originally the chief nobles, and were usually govern- ! ors of shires. Their duty was to lead to EaJirand ^^'!"'*'' ^^^°^^ residing in their territory, and, Thanes. with the bishop, to preside in the county court. Next came the thanes, of whom there were two classes— the king's thanes and the common thanes, the former acting as magistrates. The rank of thane could be held only by those who possessed five hides of land — about six hundred acres. The rest, of the freemen were called ceorls (churls). Then there were the serfs or slaves, chiefly of the conquered Celtic race. Besides those born to slavery, all captives in war, and persons arrested for debt or crime, became slaves. The sale and purchase Slavee °^ these unhappy people was carried on in open market during the whole of the An- glo-Saxon period, the price of a slave being four times that of an ox. The Church alone raised a voice against this unholy traffic, which was abolished chiefly by the zeal of Wulstan, Bishop of Worcester, who preached a veritable crusade against it. lA.D. 1066. ■ ^D 1066.1 mUTTCAI. AND SOCIAL CONDITION, mont was an ly retained In :en(ling from {T the nearest neniher of the ule. Two in- he preceding general classes ceorls. The ed Athelings, ne the ealdor- They were ually govern- as to lead to territory, and, n the county les, of wiiom anes and the magistrates. 3y those who six hundred called ceorls slaves, chiefly hose born to ; arrested for and purchase carried on in e of the An- i being four one raised a /as abolished if Worcester, ;t it. 37 The Witena-ge-mote or Witan, or Great Council - There was a national council called the Wi,""^^^^^^^^^ nu> e, the assembly of Witans (wit) or Wise Me (g . mote, hat is /,../ together). The members of this conned were bishops, abbots, ealdormen, and kinal anes. It thus resembled the present Likethl^ House of Lords. Its assent was necessary F"""* iM^fore the king could enact any law UrdT' Ihree regu ar meetings were held each yea'-at Chr..s mas, Easter, and Whitsuntide ; but meeting vc.e held more frequently if occasion required t '-m Hcs.des regulating the succession and exercising i Kcnera control over all matters of goverr" the Apj;::;: "'"' ^^^^'^ supreme Courf of Justice'and Land Tenure. -The land was divided between the State (folc-land), and individuals who 1 dd their property as freeholders [boc-land, from the 1 ook ^..) or charter by which the title was conveyed! 1 he latter was granted by the king with the consent of theWitan. Landholders were^expect ed to " ^ m the mdma, though it does not seem' that such ser! vice was obiigatory. Political Divisions.-The country was divided into s ..res or counties. This arose from the smaller kne c« m port,o„ed ont the estates among^heir k^i!^^"™'".' other tenants, who were bound f„„-^ ""'' the latter was to the k n„ T, ""="• ™l«rior as were called a/ Lor £./' „ P°^s«sions so held was the FeudaU Serrwl^h h d^St" T"'^ t-e on the continent, and whic^'wTrw °n7i ^ duced ,„to England by the Conq ,e or but w.th a very important change. I,rthe' sys em as .t exis.ed on the continen the h.gl,er vassals alone swore allegiance to he' oatht M • ''' '"'"-'°' ---^^ '^"ing an freemen to swear ailegijn'crto him T:ir:c If' Salo, e^' rTet^T'l'r '"^ -"J-tlon'of ^he n^uted totee^threJ^rtt't::"!!:::;,: ^^d^ ^'^- provisions; the thanes were reduceX^h f' '" of simple tenants, called bv the Mn "'«/°'«'i'i°" almost a state of serv tude"^ Evfn ^7^^'? "" £-.,, were held on the sa^nerrmnltlS 1.?=::;:;- tti::: ^x "t^ t-' '-' "''-"- -' -'' '-- - ^Vor^'t'hL'rssL-sir The Con- tinental Feudal Sys- tem modi- fled by William. 45 AD. 1072 1 WILLIAM I. (CONQUEROR). In doing homage, the vassal, ungirding his sword and uncovering his head, knelt before his lord, between whose hands he placed his ^«"^*1 own, and solemnly declared that he would ^®''*'"°°'®'- from that time forward be his lord's man Uiomme whence homage), and serve him " with life and limb' and earthly regard." The kiss of the lord invested him' with the land or fief, to descend to his heirs forever The whole country was divided into 60,125 parts called /^///[ir/,/^'/'?^^, each part containing from 300 to 400 acres, on which was kept an armed soldier with a suitable horse ready for active service whenever re- quired. By this means the king could gather round the royal standard, on the shortest notice and free of expense, an army of sixty thousand men, mounted on good horses, and commanded by their own chiefs. But there was danger here to the crown itself. The nobles, who rarely had occasion to take the field under their sovereign, were constant- ly surrounded by their retainers or vassals ^*°&er to who feasted in their halls, shared their undfrX" sports, and lived under their protection, feudal Their castles were for the most part ®^'**"'- strongly fortified; and they kept their retainers ex- ercised in frequent petty wars among themselves 1 heir growing desire for hereditary military and ju- dicial power in their own manors, independent of the king, was the difficulty now confronting William. He met it by availing himself of the old legal con- stitution of the country to hold the ad- ministration of justice firmly in his own The Diffl- the hundred and the shire, where every free- man had a place, while he subjected all to the juris- Wm It I 46 HISTOKV OF ENGLAND. [a.„. ,0,8 ttt ; :; ":;;t.";e°L^r:r , '"^^--^ --- - chapter. ^ explained in a succeeding Domesday Book, 1086 a.d. -Under certain • stances, which wi„ be mentioned Ler ~; M.n.ri.. ''"d to pay special dues to the king To frch hT r?"" '^'"■'™ appointed, in oath, prepared and" et'to 'Tt'"'""'' ^"'' "" extent and nature of each estate ^ """"^ °" "^^ and condition of its Inh k-? '• "'""es, number, after the Conques J". ,^ ""' ' ™'"' ''"''"' '"^ crown. These particnt '""' ""' ''""" '" '° '^e called the Do^^'^g^^^^-j^-ded in a book Leads of families, from which ba is th^e" " ,''^'°°° supposed to have been a million The'^h "1"'°" '^ served in the British i«usru R °^ " P''^" .a. an .ormorfuL-f^-h::: t'itr" --- ^ asIe^a^VltVT'™- - as fond of hunting many royal forests h. u. ^'^ ""'^'^ '^^'"^^^y / j'ai lorests, he wished to havf- ctni i hunting-grounds. For this r. ! " ^'"'^^'' fh. ^ or this purpose he laid waste the country from Winchester to the sea- about twenty thousand acres in extern hnro.^ ^^ ^ ^^^" churches were Durned, and many thousanHc r.f were made homeless Th; if ^'".""^-'"^^ ^f peasants the New For^sfln. u"?"^-^'*°""^^^^«'Jed sorest, a name which has come down to A Large Tract of Country laid waste. A.D. 1078.] WILLIAM L (CONQUKKOk). 47 the present day. He made very strict laws respect- ing game— the killing of a deer was punished by the loss of the offender's eyes. The Curfew Bell.— Another law enforced by Wil- liam was that which obliged the people to extinguish fires and lights every evening at the ringing of the curfew bell. This law was looked upon by the English as an additional badge of An Addi- servitude, though the custom had long *ional been in use among the Normans as a pre- ^rtft^ude caution against fire. It had nothing to do with the ancient practice of ringing the church-bell for evening prayers. William and the Barons.— William had three great struggles before he made his power in England really strong. The first was with the native English ; the second, with the Norman William's barons; the third, with his sons. In Jt^uggler* speaking of the feudal system, it has been mentioned that the barons had a growing desire for greater independence in their own manors. This desire led to plots for the dethronement of William. The most important was one made by two of the great Norman nobles, into which they tried to draw Waltheof, Earl of Northampton, the last of the English earls. He was married to William's niece. Regretting his part in the plot, he told the secret to his wife, who at once carried the news to the king. Making known the danger to V/illiam did not save Waltheof. He was beheaded as a traitor. Other risings were speedily quelled. William and his Sons.— William's last days were embittered by the conduct of his sons, especially his eldest son Robert. William had named Robert i:jJ •1! i I I 48 mSTORV OK ENGLAND. [a.b. 1078. as his successor !n the Rover„n,ent of Nonna.uly Bobert f "'"^". offended because his father would «b.U. not allow l,i,„ ,„ ,„,, ^, "W given to him by the French kin«r /„ , '"'.''^''«" fore the walls of the cas e f-^', '" " j""'""''' "e- Land to hand. The sound of w ,'," '"'' '"" '°"K'" ;us Closed he,n,et savedTis slTr^frfu^ c^T Wilham, the second son, destined to h..!f ■ England after his fathe'r, v" of so bru ^l"! r""^ "' tion that the people dreariL >. a disposi- throne. dreaded his coming to the Deln! °rf ' ^'"*'''' ^"^ Welsh.-Canute, King of Denmark, determined to claim the crown of fn^ land as successor to his name.nk-. ul ^' The Church.-William's rei^n was fnll r.f . u, even to the end p f ^ ^^ trouble en CO tne end. Before we speak of the events; nf the closing days of his rule, we shall sav^l th.ng of his relations with the Churc "^e Tvt seen how he treated the barons and the EngUshZ btho;^:n^fci;~^"^^- ^^--^-^ -Ux- caJe"lelsTnd"slot^f1 'Z'l ^'^ ^^^^'^ ^ad become careless and slothful, and had fallen away from the WILLIAM L (CONQUI-ROR). ^ practice of religion. The Norman clergy and monks whom the Conqueror established in Eng- land were men of learning and piety- ia„frano men who by precept and example gave appointed great aid to the native bishops and clergy ^/^^^'"^^P in stirring up the people to a more spirit- Sury"*"" ual and religious life. The archbishopric of Canterbury being vacant, William appointed Lanfranc, an Ita .an monk, to the see. L^franc had for some time been living in Normandy. He was the greatest scholar of his day, and was as hum- ble as he was learned and pious. The result showed the wisdom of William's choice. It was to be ex pected that, as a foreigner, Lanfranc would meet with opposition; but his sanctity ^" and wisdom, his prudent conduct towards W.S' clergy and people, brought all to admire a°d ' and love him. His zeal in spiritual macters ^''^'^«°<=«- gav^e new life to religion in England. New orders of ere b^r h" ''' ^ "^°"-^-'- -^ churches Here built. He was always the good adviser of the king and often saved him from committing acts of cruelty. For, although it was sometimes impossfbl o move WUham if his ambition and avarice stood in the way, he was, on the whole, an obedient son of the Church. He always showed a P"*"^ ^'^ strong attachment to religion and a respect KnL tor its institutions. The abbey which he ^^'^"^• erected on the hill of Senlac was an instance of this But now began that system of royal interference in Church matters which produced many evils, and which n later times led to the separation of England from the unity of the Catholic faith. William was guiltT of unjust and scandalous invasion of ecclesiastical I. 50 HISTORY OF KNOLAND. #' Pi, ! i ill rights. Homage was exacted by him frcm bishop as Royal In. f''*'" baron. No excommunication could terferenoo issue without the king's license No de in^Church crees of national or provincial synods could be carried into effect without his permis- sion. No letters from Rome were delivered until he Had inspected them. These restrictive laws were cal- culated to be of great injury to the Church. History often points this lesson, that in proportion as a king is tyrannical to his subjects, he is rebellious to the Church, the mother of Christian people William's Death.-Towards the dose of his reign William was engaged in a dispute with Philip, King of France, who allowed some of his barons to invade Nor- Normandy "''^"^y- I" consequence of a stupid jest invaded. made by Philip, William entered his do- minions, destroying and burning all before him. He reduced the town of Mantes to ashes As he was riding among the ruins of the city, his horse trod on some hot embers, and, starting, threw the king forward against the pommel of the saddle An internal injury, which soon after proved fatal, was the result. William was conveyed to the monastery of William's ^.'- ^^'""^^ '" ^^"e"' where he lingered for Last Hours. ^'^ weeks. Here he made his will, giving Normandy to Robert, England to William and a sum of money to Henry. And here, in the quietness of a sick-room, and with the near approach of deah, remorse for his harshness and for his other sins filled his soul. The terrible massacre of the north seems to have been his greatest torment. He did what he could to make amends. He ordered the hberation of all prisoners ; he gave large sums of money to restore the churches and monasteries he WILLIAM I. (CON(^UEKOR). Jf had hurned, and to provide for the poor. He wrote a IclttM- to Lanfranc, tellinir his vvisiies about the gov- " ^'^"^^"'^ was killed, Tyrelf, n= too fell. An arrow, shot by a French Arrow. gentleman named Walter Tyrell, glanced from a tree full into th^ king' breast caus.ng h,s death, Tyrell fled to France. The kh,g's' body was found by peasants and carried to wfn ti::^r:;ji'rt::;^~-^-"-^ HENRY I. 57 CHAPTER Ili. HENRY I. 1100 A.:D. to 1135 A.D. Henry's Accession and Early Acts. Robert returns to Normandy and claims England. Henry takes Normandy from Robert. Henry and the Church. Bising in Normandy against Henry. Henry's only Son Drowned. The Succession. Henry's Character and Death. Henry's Accession. — Henry, youngest son of the Conqueror, was hunting in the New Forest at the time of his brother's death. Robert was in Italy on his homeward journey from Palestine, idling away his time, and quite unconscious that his inheritance was passing into the hands of another. Henry hurried to Winchester, the capital, where he seized the royal treasures. He then had himself pro- claimed King of England, although opposed by the barons, who were still anxious that Normandy and England should be under one ruler. Thus deserted by the nobles as William Rufus was, Henry followed the late king's example by making great concessions to the people, whose support he ^oSsions was anxious to gain. He promised that to the there would be no more interference with ^^°P^®- the revenues of the Church, no more selling positions there, no more unjust taxes, no more oppressions by the under-lords ; the laws of Edward the Confessor were to be restored ; Anselm was recalled ; and to win still more the hearts of his English subjects, he married Matilda or Maud, daughter of Malcolm of Scotland by Margaret, sister of Edgar Atheling. I 58 nrsTORv OF England. 1101 AD. iNormandy, lesiimed the Kov^TiinuMit of th-.t N;~,y ,;: u! with a Ia4 .,„ y I ; bv H, " r" •" '''"'— ^'' war was avc-rle k , f ■"ed.ali,,,, „f An.seim mark „ "2 .'^'r.^' '"f-" '"•- -Lousand held i„ Nonti^d^^rt ,::::L" "i "■' "^ "■•"""=■• Henry takes Normandy.-But Henry i„t k ca,n;"tr ., t ^r'c-'zr li" ""-f "-»- brought about the h>ss of hi penMo, " "f*''^"« Coseu to .a., hi. hhe,.ty. He.^:;Z;:'t X^het t.k.. S"bjects a pretext for sendiug a,, army Priwnor. into Normandy. A baftl.. ,.,.,..■, *^ Uveeu the brothers at T if .°"«'" ''"■ 1106 Robert was defeated md.'V ^•'"'"''^'^<- '" which AD. fortunate prince V I P'""'"^'- ^be un- ' P-e„t day was in force in' thltn'ag cant, or whe , a „e ''r*-'"' 'T" ^ ^^'^ '^^^-'^ ^a! the ;rovh,ce o. cou^trr ""' '°™'=''' ""-■ "^'^''"P^ "f after dre "'.f """.v, sometmies with the „Xns due ,.ons,deration recommended to the Pope HENRY I. 59 one or two or three persons whom they deemed worthy to fill the office. When the Pope made a I hoice the new Hishop was consecrated by the Arch- hishop; and was invested by him with a rinjr and pastoral staff — symbols of his beinjaj set apart to ^f)v- cin in God's Church, and of his spiritual power over his diocese. Under the feudal system, as we have seen, the iom he owed all his possessio s „ EnLnd^' '" Stepson . l--ed at the gates of Lo'don^The chi' ceived with 2ens received him with a^^i . '^'' Acclama. don declared hLi^ "'^''°"- ^on- *"°' for . ^^^^""^^^ . ^^"1 king without waitine- And as Lontn't „rd":r" „1 u'""!, °' "-'«- riom. Stephen soon drevv th "• ^ ^ """^'' "■= "='"?• to his side-the latter h .^''i'" ^""^ "'^ ^shops brother, who was ffishon oT w-''\'"""'="« ^^ ^" was a brave soldier hsm» ^^""'^'''"- Stephen arable, and this had'^adeTir^orulr'^""^ ^"' STEPHEN. 63 he strong now re- ?id sworn ^ed ; and )ath, for- king, to land, ap- The citi- !• Lon- Waiting ^relates, le king- bishops J of his 'tephen us and The barons accepted Steplien, but each made ar- laiigements to be independent in his own manor. Strong castles wei built; and and ^*^°" these became centres of tyranny, riot, and Stephen. phinder. Law and order fled the land. Stephen took no care to remedy the evil. The Church alone stood against it, thereby earning the v nmity of the usurper. He seized on Henry's treasures, bo-ight up the old barons, made new ones, hired foreign sol- diers to tight for him, and made many promises of good government,— promises which, it is needless to say, he did not keep. Again the people sa.v that war with all its horrors was about to sweep over the land. David of Scotland supports Mati'da— The King of S( )tland, who had sworn to support Matilda, now en- tered Engi. nd, ravaging and laying waste the coun- try. Stephen met him at Durham, and peace was made between them, Henry, David's son, receiving Carlisle, Huntingdon, and Doncaster. But David again invad d England. Thurstan, the „_ aged Archbishop of York, gathered the efthf^ northern barons to Oi>pose him. Every Standard." nag chieftain pledged himself "to conqt er or to die;" '^•^• after which, kneeling on the groun(i all received absolution from the hands of The Cob- Thurstan, the soldiery vvith one voice re- paitT °' peating ' men. They rushed fo battle with the security which faith 1.. those days had power to give, and gained a great victory. The en- gagement took place at Northalleron, and is known as the " Battle of the Standard," from the huge cross, with the Bless'd Sacraaient attached to it in a silver pix, which was carried at the head of the army. In i4- 64 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. acc^emed^s!" f "'"'''"''•-A^ *« ^ave seen, the barons accepted Steplien ; but his weakness and prodicalitv soon drove them into revolt, Even his bro^hlr tl^^ B.shop of Winchester, deserted him on account of hi! d,sobed,ence to the Church. Th.s discontent opened ,139 the way for Matilda's landing in Enciand '^h^^ A.». cupied Arunde, Castie, her hfif-brotht Robert Elr," Civil w.r. °'. y'oucester, being her chief support Civil war now really began— the west sun' port.ng Matilda .• London and t'he east Stephe^ Through the chivalry of Stephen, who aised the U« oarf °l''r"."'^^' Castle, Matilda was allowed to de! "» at Lin ^T f"'""^"'"^"''' In a battle fought e te^ d Lo^do"' ; ""' "'^" ^"'°""- ^'-"'■la entered London, and was received as " Lady" of Nor n^andyand England. But her haughtin/ss turned taxes whir"^ "' "«''"" ^''- ^"^ "■- h-avy taxes wh.ch she imposed on the people of London raised up a strong opposition to her there. Robert of Gloucester was soon taken prisoner, and to ob- tain his release Matilda had to consent to the lib- eration of Stephen. During the war, which now began again, Robert died. Matilda, thus losing her best help, lost all hope of success, and fled to Nor- mandy. •i.m^l""-^'^ ^S" """'y- '''"a' Settlement of the ttenhe '"'•"; ".' '"'°"'"- ^"^ """ '' Powerful a! cause Thi, I' "'' "°" •° '^'^'= "P '^^'"''a's cause. This was her son Henry, who, though but eighteen years of age, was master of some of the fairest provinces in France. He landed in England and once more raised her standard. Theobald' igain made SCOTLAND AND IRELAND. g. Archbishop of Canterbury, knowing that the country Mediation J";'' '"""^ ""l '^''' ''''^^ ^"^^ bloodshed, r.\'°'v*^'' "''"*^^'^^- The death of Stephen's son oYcant'er"^ f ^^'"^^ happening about this time, made bury. '\y^ easy to bring about a peaceful settlement of the claims to the throne In the treaty of Wallingford it was agreed that Stephen should reign unmolested, and that he should 1"' be succeeded by Henry, Matilda's son. Stephen died vv.Unn a year after this treaty, thus leaving th throne of England to Henry the Angevin. CHAPTER V. SCOTLAND AND IRELAND. Scottish kings and their interference in English affa.rs have been spoken of occasionally in the pre cedmg chapters. The relations between the two countries will in the succeeding reign be such a Tn need frequent reference to Scotfand. The * lelations between England and Ireland also f^^^^^ will soon claim our attention. It may be iS' '"' well, therefore, to give at this stage a few ^"^^^y particulars of Scotch and Irish history, bringing the story of events in these countries up to the time now reached in English history. • o cne time now Looking back to the period of Roman occupation t^eTp'T ".' ^" troublesome to the B^r^n were the Picts and Scots, and how difficult a task it was for the Romans to keep these northern tribes ou o England. The Scots, descendants of Irish colo- nists, who came over ahonf ^v^- ' - • - . uvcx duouc tiic ucginning ot the II-' w, 66 I iji HISTORY OF ENGLAND. J.I I sixth century, occupied the west coast. The Picts (or Caledonians), who were divided into two distinct The Picts '"^f ' ^^P^'-ated by tiie Grampians, occu- absorbed by f'^^ ^"^ ^^^^' After many years of war- the Scots, tare the Picts were absorbed by the Scots 843 neth M.. a?"-"^ """^a u'"^"^"'" '^'''^ ^^'^^^ under^Ken' A.D. "eth MacAlpin. About the middle of the tenth cen- tury the country was called Scotland-a name which as we have seen, was first applied to Ireland. .h u u^"' "" ^'''''^ ^'"""^^^ to the English all through the Saxon period, were troublesome to the Scotch a so. The history of Scotland during this period IS hke that of England-the history of a Lug! gle against the invaders. 'i ^irug Up to the time of the Norman conquest, the Scot- o htr? '"T "^T' '" i^-f^'^ting the government ot their kingdom and enlarging its boundaries The district which now forms Cumberland and Westmore- land was given by the English king to the Scottish monarch. In the reign of Edward the Confessor an English army was sent into Scotland to punish Mac- 1,5, beth vyho had murdered the Scotch king, Dunran VD. and held possession of the throne. A battle was fought at Dunsinane in Perthshire, in which Macbeth was Malcolm III. defeated and slain, and Duncan'^ son Mai- colm placed on the throne. It was this kmg, known as Malcolm III., or Canmore, who mar! ned Margaret, sister of Edgar Atheling. We have spoken of his opposition to William the Conqu. -or Ins daughter married Henry I. of England The reigns of the five succeeding kings do not David. present matters of interest to English M , , ^"!'"'' '^^^" ^'-^th in succession from Malcolm was David, his youngest son. He had spen^ SCOTLAND AND IRELAND. 67 h.s early days at the court of his sister, and we can thus account for his oath to support the succession of his niece Matilda to the throne of England We have already spoken of his two invasions of England and of his defeat in the Battle of the Standard After peace had been restored between the two kingdoms, David spent the rest of his reign in promoting the prosperity of his country and the welfare of his subjects. He built churches and monasteries— the most cele- brated being Melrose, Jedburgh, and Holy- rood. He encouraged trade, agriculture, and manu- factures. His reign of thirty-six years is one of the brightest in Scotch history. The Good accom- plirrhed dur- ing David's Beign. As far as its relatio there is little or until we IRELAND. ns with England are concerned, nothing to be, said about Ireland come to speak of the reign of the next Ei lish king, Henry H The four provinces into which Ireland 'g- divided— Ulster, Leinster. M IS now u correspond in a measure with th nster, and Connaught — bearing these names. Th Meath. e ancient kingc^oms ere was, however, a fifth. The Irish chief w was generally selected fro Meath. onarch or Ard-riagh (high king) m among the kings of The history of the century preceding the invasion of Ireland by the English is, unhappily, but a chronicle of quarrels among the na- J'^®/'"^ tive princes. This made the country an ChakoV easy prey for any invader. And when Der- bondage, mot, King of Leinster, fled to Henry II. of England 'i HI 68 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. or assistance, there was made the first Unt • .u ha:n by which Ireland was bound to t n"'.!^ ""^ fo c minions to the British do- CHAPTER YL SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE NORMANS castles of the barons Th." '^ ^ """^'^ ^^''^'^^^ , vv,!^/ puur. 1 ne iloors were rov^r^H „.uu Food and Dress.-The Normans were .parinc i„ the use of food. They did not eat or dri,^k to ,1 e excess practised by the Anglo-Saxons. The dress of ' the Normans, particlariy of the Norman ladts^al Amusement.— Feudalism naturally made sham fighting a very welcome sport for kni.^hts .l^^d peopfe' TheTourna- . f^am-fia^ht was called the four^;a;,Li. ment. i" a large open space, around which were galleries to accommodate the fhrr.n,vo r spectators, knights on horseback exhibited their co«°r. i SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE NORMANS. 69 age and skill in arms. A lady, elected to preside over the sports, and called the " gueen of Beauty," gave a [uize to the winner when the encounter was over Ivnights often travelled through the country challeng- ing all-comers. This system of chivalry, as it was (ailed, very frequently bordered on extravagance; but It had many worthy representatives on the fields <;f Palestine. Occupations.— Agriculture, neglected during the Anglo-Saxon period owing to the incursions of the Danes, was specially attended to during the Norman period. The country was carefully tilled. Trades- men carried on their trades in the feudal towns-iron- workers and armorers being the most numerous, as they had the most employment. ■I p *'" I I I. HOWSE OF ANGEVIN OR PLANTAGEN 1184 A.D. to 1899 A.D. Henry II. (grandson of ET, Henry I ). Richard I. (son.) nSg John (brother) ngj Henry III. (son) 1216 Edward I. (son) jgy^ Edward II. (son) 1307 Edward III. (son) 1327 Richard II. (grandson), ^377 to i39{> CHAPTER I Henry's Power. Henry reforms Abuses. Thomas a Becket. Constitutions of Clarendon Henry and the Church. Murder of Becket. HENRY ir. 1164 to 1180 A.D. Invasion of Ireland. Henry's Oath. Henry's Troubles : His Sons r Scotland. Henry does Penance. Henry's Death. ■mother, and those ob a nld b?,! " "' """ Elpnnn.-.^fr- • ^L-Ldiuea Dy his marnag-e with 70 GENET. 1272 1307 • .. 1327 ison), 77 to i39{> lis Sons; posses- owerful er and e with France, e most s need- abuses y side, saintly T set ibuses. ]* 1 'U- i-WmSKSSBflH I HENRY II. 71 He disbanded and drove out of the country the foreign soldiers whom Stephen had employed ; he crushed the power of the barons by destroying many of their castles, and by bringing all under obedience to the law; he renewed the Great Charter of Henry I., thus confirming the rights and privileges granted to towns and cities. Thomas a Becket.— Age and infirmity, however, warned Archbishop Theobald to retire from the posi- tion of Chancellor of the kingdom, and his power fell into the younger and more vigorous hands of Thomas i\ Becket, who had long become acted as his confidential adviser. Thomas, Chancellor, who now became Chancellor, won the per- IrchMshop sonal favor of the king, and was loaded ofCanter- wifh riches and honors. On the death of ^^^y- Theobald, Henry offered the Archbishopric to Thomas, who did everything to escape the honor. But the king persisted, and Becket, after a period ng, of fasting and prayer, accepted it a.D Immediately he changed his manner of life. In- stead of the gay and magnificent Chancellor, we now find the humble priest. Instead of the attendant knights and squires and pages, we find a few holy and simple monks. To the king he gave up the great seal of the Chancellor, saying he could hold the oflSce no longer. Every one was astonished at this change, wai; more than astonished : he was afraid, designs on the Church— designs to bring back the worst oppressions o^ the reigns Henry's De- of William I. and William II., oppressions ch^X*^" which Lanfranc and Anselm fought so hard to remove. He hinted at these when Thomas k The king He had I 12 I II i J 'I t* 1 ■1 "i HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Churd, ? «^"'"'""" "=> he "as of the interests of the re'ret""'"?,;/,, C^arendon.-Henr, desired to unavailing, he wa/lh ^ i™.' ""'' ""'^ ^'^>"cumly, nu as expresse/inTdot '.": t ':, eTt,;: •■ C "'"^'^ '^''' A.D, of Clarendon/' These cln!mr ^°"'"'""""^ Bishops and Abbots should be "0^^'=^""'^'' "" and hold th';: ;;Tt t°o rh "f'TT, '°^ "'^ '^"'"• king. No excomn^J, ca °on ,ou d t"'"V' '"^ out the king's consent Nn R ,, ■""^<' "'"'■ realm without the Wn.'s 1 '• ""^^' ^'^"^ ">« court was to decWe al cfses'forrrK """^ '"''"«'' the courts of the Church ^ '™"S'>' before ASt^oTr:,^::^ and^^^^C^ro. But the wrote to the Pope asking for T , °"^' ''"^ «-'[jc disKing tor absolution Th,^ r> r"""""seftL'=raf;:^a:;:-^f-"--- Summoned rj , aenance. This so en la-pH before the Henry that he summoned Becket to f. fX flees :T['^^^^^ 'r '' ^-^^-Pton to ans^e'; to France. '^^ ""J^st charge of mismanagement o the royal revenues when he w^^Chl^ u In fear for his safety and even for hi , . u"''^^'^''- bishop fled to France. ' ^'^'' '^^ ^'"^h- Henry stooped to acts of the meane^f r. in driving the Archbishop's .ins^rfrL'^Xd: i IIENRV II. 73 a;Kl in confis.alint; he lands of the monks of P( t.gny until t»-y should -fuse the fugitive a home. Murder of Bed Archbishop broan. six years, Henry and the econciled.and the lat- ter returned to Englana. He brought with mtn. to hun fron he Pope letters of excommuni- England, cati.n fc. some of the Bishops who had disobeyed nm, particularly for the Archbishop of York, who had crowned young Henry, the king's son, in Becket's absence. The excommunication he put in force as soon as he reached s see. Henry on hearing this burst into a passion, .aying, " Is there no one will rid me of this troublesome pnest?" JoSf ' Four knights thereupon proc eded to Murder. Canterbury and on the steps of the high altar of the im cathedral they brutally murdered the Archbishop A.D All Christendom was horrified when the murder becanie known. Henry sent ambassadors to Rome to give h.s pledge to the Pope that he would publicly swear his innocence of all intentional connection with n'.r' • J^' ^°P" ^^^^P^^^ h'^ protestations tor the time being. Invasion of Ireland.-It happened, fortunately for Henry, that at this time he was called upon to inter- fere in Irish affairs. It is stated that in 1155, through representations made to Pope Adrian-himself L Englishman-setting forth a low state of religion and morality in Ireland, Henry obtained permission, by Papal Bull, to assume the government of the country for the sake of its improvement. Owin^ however to the researches of Cardinal Moran and the late Father Burke, the great Dominican, it is now generally believed that no such Bull was ever issued. Dermot McMorrough, King of Leinster, on account II ■r.: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 12.8 ,50 ■™™ IL25 i 1.4 25 1.6 v^ ^> ents, his soul'pl^sld'rway """^' '"^ '-' «— NORMAN LAWS. It was not until the reip-n of u Norman kings became rTleg sU oT^ d"'' '"^ reign belong mosf nf ,u f ^'^^^^^'^s; and to this -?iyascrib*ed toJhecltVtrr^" "'''''' — ■ The legislative power was vested i„ ,k i • gether with the Great Counc 1 of the p ' '""^' "" Court, afterwards called th"e Pa , L^nt Th" ''°^^' cd was composed of the Archbishrprkh?;:^^:: HENRY II. 77 lesser cipal Abbots, and the greater barons. T barons were summoned occasionally ; but representatives from count 'es or boroughs The Great had no place in the Council until the SeKeilm reign of Henry III. The functions of this council were to grant money to the king and assist him in making the laws. Justice was administered by the king in his select council— the king's court. Branches of this court for special cases made the bee-in- I^® ^^°»'* • /. o Court ning of our present courts of law— the Exchequer Court, Court of Common Pleas, etc., etc. The occasional circuits made by the judges, as begun soon after the Conquest, were re- stored by Henry; and at the Council of J>* . Northampton he rendered the institution ''" permanent and regular by dividing the kingdom into six circuits, to each of which he assigned three judges. The circuits thus defined nearly correspond with those of the present day. Appeals from these courts might be made to the king's court. The old Saxon Courts of the County and the Hun- dred were retained; and as in them all freeholders were bound to assist the ®'^®'' sheriff, they formed a great check on the ^*"^*'" courts of the barons. The trial by ordeal was abolished by a Council of the Church, and the trial by jury was made more effective. The Norman kings derived a fixed and indepen- dent revenue from their vast crown lands ; but they also levied taxes on all who lived P® ^'""^'^ within their demesne. There was also the ^^*°''®'- esciiage or scutage, a composition paid by the barons Jt 78 nrSTOKY OF ENGLAND. ;.-ea.i of^, per::: t;,i,'j ■r„7-- ^y 7"7. k."g master of resources which en M Hm ^'^ •"" ^::rrfu'^re?:t^*="-'°''''-"™-^^^^ ^xVe'::ro.r'" °' "-^^^ '^«' M^Hsu'iron^'^"^"" we e other sources of revenue arising out of rin.. „d '"= /<="y pnnishin.vr Inm. i^ s sa.d. for retusi...ir i,, do some work on the fortifica- tions ol AscaloM, in the Holy Land. This was not forirotten. Richard's Imprisonment.-Fears for his safety hd K.chard to proceed to Hn.^•land in disunise. On his way across the Continer.i of Kurope he was detected 1192 near \ lenna, and fell into the hands of the Archduke A-D. Leopold. The Archduke sohl him to the Ln^p;..-'' of (xermany, who p ' the captive in prison Meantime matters were in a very had state in iui^r. Affairs in I"""'!' 'V'" '''^""''^^ I^on,i.champ. had to lly England. ^o ^''<-* Continent ; and lolm, supported in everythin.ir by the Kin.i. of France, sei.ed the regency. ndeed he acted as if Richard were dead. 1 hrough a letter sent by the I-niperor of Ger- many to the King of France, it was made known that K.chard was in prison. Longchamp was the first to discover tlie place of iiis master's confinement The exiled chancellor demanded that Richard should eet a hearing before the German princes in council, and KFCHAKI) I. 83 tenipost, )iU! their iittciiipt >air, had »ri i'-njr- 1 to 11 y rted in seized 1 vveie >f Ger- •ti that irst to The Id get il, and an opportunity of repelling the foolish and unjust aicusations made against his conduct in the Holy I.and. Richard defended himself so successfully, thai the emperor agreed to release him, hut only on payment of a ransom of one hundred and fifty thou- sand marks, a very large sum. The English people, although previous taxation had left them very little] wen; so anxious to see their brave king once more,' tlial they made up the ransom, and Rich- ard was released. A message was con- r^nwrntd vcyed to John from the King of France, by hi« ll w.is as follows : "Take care of yourself, ^^^ple. for the devil is loose." And well might John and the King of France take care. Traitor to his brother as to his father, John deserved little mercy. He and the King of France did all in their power to induce the ICmperor of (Termany to keep Richard in prison. Richard in England.— Richard landed in [England 1^1* after an absence of four years. He pardoned John ' " at the intercession of his mother, but confiscated his estates. His next wish was to punish the King of France. Ricliard in France: His Deatii— The remaining part of his reign was occupied with wars in France, sometimes against Philip, sometimes against a baron or holder of a small castle. These wars are of little or no interest. One of Richard's vassals found a treasure on his estate. According to the feudal law one half of this belonged to Richard, who received his share. But he wanted all, as he was in constant need of money. The vassal refused to give up his portion, and was therefore be- ScWs sieged in his castle of Chaluz by Richard. Death. An arrow shot from the walls gave the king a mortal 84 niSTORV OF EN(;LANn. wound in the shoulder. He sent for a priest, and received the last sacraments with sentiments of deer> compunction, after which he expired Rlchard'8 Character.-Richard, Caur de Lion or the Lion-hearted, was a brave and chivalrous prince- but the miseries of his kingdom, ground down as it was by heavy taxes and oppression in his absence, bore fnut in the next reign. During a reign of ten years he spent about four months in England CHAPTER HI. JOHN. 1199 A.D. to 1216 A.D. John not the Heir : His Acces- John's Quarrel with the Pope: ^'l^ii^^^'^-'^'-- Ta^f^I^'r^--- -e He- The English People. John's Death John not the Heir: His Accesslon.-The rightful heir to the throne was Arthur, son of John's elder brother G.offry. But the custom or law by which the succession lies with the elder branch of the roval family was not yet of full ef=fect in England John was m Normandy at the time of Richard's death He took possession of the provinces in France at the same time assuming the title King of England A national council held at Northampton admitted his claim to the throne. He hurried over to England and was crowned king. ' Philip tal■■ o' ^Tll '"'""■ ^""'"K 'hat he did mit.to.1,, ^° «"'h the consent of the barons, he P.,.. swore fealty to the Pope as his l,eg; or th, H , / "' ''"■''' ^""^ g'-'""«d to " God to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to Pope Inno«nt But t must be remembered that the Pope was looked up to by a//, not alone as the f"""^' '°'-d of Christendom, but as the /.»/.«/ lord also; and this power of the Of tyra„nyT„Tulri:^-C ^l^^?: '"oVrb'^^-'-^ in those ruled Th«. ''.^"^O'^cing of obeaience l^e^Holy K^er,?;, ^ ;r wht^'ca^^e^^^H^r h Tc t: SteT" '""'' ™^^^'^«^' --- War in France.— The French arm.r ;^, ^ ^ . to us approach. Philip, in consequence rXa^ed h^ country up to the verj walls of Ghent' ToTn i .n h,s stubborn disobedience to fhe^Pope' d' p^! chased theallianceoftheEarlof Flande came to the help of his ally. Five hund ed was accompt^j- :r :rr;;" '^t r ""''■ . „ !,cf. drm> ulong- the coast, John and his Allies JOHN. 89 through It he did rons, he hege or Sod, to nnocent md and ope, as of Eng- ondem- saction. le Pope as the as the of the raining :dience :h and 3 Eng. ■e seen -, was 1 owes :d for on its jected id the , who pur- iders, id red viiich :oast, and totally destroyed it. John himself landed in Poitou, another ally obtained under circumstances similar to the last. The Emperor of Germany in- vaded France from the north. John's allies gave battle to Philip at Bouvines between Lille and Tour- i^L* nay. On the fortunes of Philip hung the fortunes of English freedom. The allies were overthrown. John heard this in the midst of his triumphs in the south. He returned baffled and humiliated to his island kingdom. Magna Charta. — From the moment of his landing in England, Archbishop Langton had assumed the old constitutional position of the Primate — that of champion of the old English cus- ^a°firtoo as ... , ° , Primate. toms and law agamst the personal despot- ism of the king. As Anselm withstood William Rufus, and Theobald rescued England from the lawlessness of Stephen, so Langton prepared to withstand, and •-escue his country from the tyranny of John. The few months that followed John's return to England showed him that he stood alone in the land; and that the demands of the barons, so „. « The Be- often made and as often refused, must be manda of granted at last. They asked for the ob- *^® Barons, servance of the charter of Henry I., and the laws of Edvv^ard the Confessor. These precious documents had been found by the Primate, and by him placed in the hands of the barons. At Easter they gathered in arms and renewed their demands. " Why do they not ask for my kingdom?" cried John in a burst of passion. On his refusal to comply, the whole coun- try rose as one man. He summoned mercenaries and appealed to the Pope; but all was of no avail. He then called the barons to a conference. On one bank < 90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Of the Thames between Staines and Windsor thekine encamped; the barons covered the marshy flat on thf 1215 "%Z ^?'' ''''' '"«^" ^^ Runnymede. ^ J, The delegates met on the island between. The John forced ^^^^ Charter was discussed, agreed to ^0 sign the and signed-all in a single day. It was Ch"ner. "^°^,^' ^^ ^^ that of Henry I., but went down tl... . '^""- ^^^ ^''''' '""^^' ^i^^'-Iy laid down, that no freeman was to be taken and in any way punished save by the judgment of his peers or provi'rons ' "" ""' '"""^ many important Broken Oaths: John's Death.-John was bound by solemn oaths to keep the Charter; but oaths had no binding power ovei- him. The barons heard that he Had raised an army of mercenaries and was layings waste the counties of the north. His ravages arf compared to those of his ancestor, the Conqueror Last Strug. '" ^^^ ^^"^^ part of the kingdom. The glebetween barons called on Louis, now kin^ of th?B«ons. f'T"' '° "^'"^ '° '^^'' assistance. He ifnll .""f' r^ ^"' '" crossing the marshes of Lincoln, he lost, by n sudden rising of the tide, the carnages containing his baggage, treasures, and royal robes. He took this loss so much to heart, that he was seized by a fever, which soon showed fatal symp- . n IT . ^f brought to Newark, where, having AD. ^^^« his will, he sent for his confessor; and die! three days arterwards, bequeathing his throne to his son Henry, a boy of nine years of age. 1216 the king it on the n. The reed to, It was nt went irly laid in any )eers or portant 'und by had no that he laying ?es are queror, . The ing of e. He south- ihes of ie, the i royal hat he symp- laving I died to his HENRY III. CHAPTER IV. HENRY III. 91 1216 A.D. to 1272 AD Pembroke Begent. Louis holds London. Great Charter ratified : The Besult. Battle of Lincoln : Departure of Louis. De Burgh and Das Boches. Discontent of the Barons : Barons* "War. Provisions of Oxford: Mad Parliament: Arbitration of the French King. Battle of Lewes- Origin of Parliament. Battle of Evesham : Death of de Montfort. Death and Character of Henry. Pembroke Regent.— On account of the youth of the new king, the Earl of Pembroke, a wise and good man, was chosen "Protector" of the king and king- dom. Louis holds London.— Louis of France, who, it will be remembered, came over on the invitation of the barons to help them against the tyranny of John, still remained in England, and acted as one who had come to stay. Very probably he wished for a share, if not the whole, of the kingdom for his trouble. He held London, and many of the barons were on his side. Great Charter Ratified: The Result.— Pembroke first ratified the Great Charter. Heading the list of distinguished men who advised the king to agree to this was the Papal Legate. Pembroke and the king acted wisely, for the barons who had op- posed John had now no reason to quarrel with his son, since they had gained all they wanted. Partly through this, and partly on account of the insolence ar r' rapacity Oi the i-rench army, a large nunibcr gath- ered round the young king. The Barons gather round the young King Henry. ■H ' 92 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1217 ,, Ba**'e Of Lincoln: Departure of Louis -In a b^t A.1,. tie fought at Lincoln, the' French army w;s defeased and next year the Frenrh fl^ * aeieated; disaster T ^ • ^^^^"^'1 fleet met with a similar uisaster. Louis, now oesipo-f»H ;« t j '""ur .0 accep^e^s o. pea::;-;; e^S::;nefi^ successor, Hubert de Burgh, who Tor elj ^ ^ managed the affairs of the k nrdr™ -^^^ 7^'"'' and vigor. His able and impanlal J "'""""' ana at this ti. sLht^ of;?.::!.:. -^ ijoil^e^ ..ch .our ^Pfer'.: =rJeT/octf to-HTg^ f ^uTdTo^ btotr ii?3^ -t ^::: :r r the barons, and drove them fo the ver J oT" rnr;rove":rroreXs^"B;: f-"-^^^^^^^^ dom were given to strangers, could befr it no ionler" They resolved to unite for the correction ^f °bufe ' War and to this war is due the next great step made by the people towards self.govern,„ent - the establishment of The great ',edrrt'4"r:-'"'^^ "r'"™^"'' cms moveiiicnc was the king's Another Great Step towards Self-govern- ment. iilli HENRV III. 93 fn a bat- lefeated; I similar vas glad 1 return of Pem- worthy It years ruderice lent did t'as dis- Poitou, pointed urse of which caused 3 Eng. ch the nee to f open Roches e with buses. — The king- Dnger. buses, arons' next fcVards It of ment. :ing's brother-in-law, Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, one well fitted to take the foremost place in such a struggle. Provisions of Oxford : Mad Parliament : Arbitra- tion of tiie French King.— The new determination on the part of the barons first showed itself at a council held in London, which they attended fully armed. The king, seeing that matters looked serious, sum- moned a great council to meet at Oxford to hear the demands of the barons. Here they appeared in arms 1268 once more. This 'assembly, styled by the friends of ^•^- the king the "Mad Parliament," made demands known as the Provisions of Oxford. The first pro- vision was the appointment of a council of twenty-four — one half chosen by the king, ®^* ?'.'^« the other half chosen by the barons— to ^'^°^'"°"*' reform the government. The Justiciary, the Chan- cellor, and the guardians of the king's castles swore to act only with the advice and assent of this council. The first two great officers, with the Treasurer, were to give to it an account of their proceedings at the end of the year. Sheriffs were to be appointed annually; and no fees were to be exacted for the administration of justice in their courts. These Par- liaments were to assemble in every year, whether summoned by the king or not. The " Commonalty" was to " elect twelve honest men who shall come to the Parliaments and other times when occasion shall be, when the king or his council shall send for them, to treat of the wants of the king and of his kingdom; and the commonalty shall hold as established what these twelve men shall do." A royal proclamation in the English tongue— the first in that tongue, which has reached, us— ordered 94 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. li'' Observance of the Fro- viiioni ordered by Eoyal Proc- lamation. the observance of these provisions. Henrv did this very re.uctantiy. Gradually the counr drew to ,tself the whole royal power; and further provisions made the following year showed a new danger which threatened the l.berfes of the people-the establishment of a governing aristocracy. Between iMp king on the one hand, and the barons on he other the nghts of the people were in danger of beln^ «; s.ghtof. In vain Simon used every effn«!lf about true reform in the goverXent in v l^ support he received from ^he Zgs 's EX-ar/ Henry soon showed that he disreg^arded the "pro visions, and a war between himself and the barons seemed imminent. A com promise was agreed on, that the question should be referred to the King of France. He decided m favor of Henry, thus annul- ISM ■ -^ * provisions. This decision i„ ^ ZT T, '"" ^'"^ ''"'■"^ - decisiL) of Am en Battle of Lewes.-Although de Montfort was not favorable to all the provisions, he saw enoughTn De Mont- ,. '.° ""^" ^'^ approval; and he there- tot, fore joined the barons in the civil war now begun. He, however, led an indeDendem party made up largely of the people. At the batt e of Lewes m Sussex, Henry was defeated and taken m. ::irzx: ^T°''- ^'"^^^ — ndered r-; *■»■ th head offhe s^:::'T7T' '^ '""""'" ^' , . ^^^^^- ^y a scheme dev sed in the lltlTe s" "' ^"^"^^^-^^^y ^<^^^owed the bat le o Lewes the supreme power was vested in the kin^ assisted by a council. ^' Origin of Parliament=-In December a new Parlia- The Provi- sions disre- garded by the King, and finally annulled. HENKY III. y did this e council »wer; and 'ving year tened the )lishment ween the he other, •eing lost to bring vain the Edward, le " Pro- self and A com- question France, s annul- sion is Amiens, vas not )ugh in : there- 'ar now )endent 2 battle 1 taken :d hini- fort at in the ittle of e king, Parlia- ment was summoned to Westminster; but the weak- ness of the patriotic party among the barons was shown by the fact that they numbered J^Jr^Jn't^. but twenty-three in a House of one hun- tive Assem- dred and forty-three. It was probably the ^^y- sense of his weakness that forced de Montfort to call representatives from the cities and boroughs to take their places in Parliament with the knights of the shire, the barons, and the bishops. Accordingly in January, 1265, there came together the first assembly iges which represented all classes of the English people. ' A.D Battle of Evesham : Death of de Montfort.— Shortly after this Parliament brought its sittings to a close, Simon's power began to decay. Some of the barons deserted him. Edward escaped from prison, and the royalists flocked to his standard. A battle between the forces of Simon and those of Edward was fought at Evesham, in which Simon'siarmy was overthrown, 1266 and Simon and his son slain. The barons who sup- ^•^^ ported de Montfort still hekl out; but being defeated in several engagements with the king, they soon laid down their arms and accepted what terms Edward felt inclined to give them. Thus End of the ended the Barons' War of the reign of ^^r"' Henry III.; and, to all appearance, with the loss of every principle for which they so long and so bravely contended. Death of Henry.— Peace being restored to the na- tion, and Henry III. firmly fixed on his throne, Edward proceeded to the Holy Land to take up the cause of the Cross. Very soon after his departure the king died, worn out by the troubles of a reign exceeded in a J? length only by that of George III. Henry's Character.— Henry was gentle, religious. I '1 96 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. and kind-hearted; but he was too weak to rule in such stormy days. Thus led to give up much of his government to others, he suffered by the evils which so often follow such weakness. SJ^l! 1276 CHAPTER V. EDWARD I. 1272 AD to 1307 A.D. Edward takes Possession of Baliol asserts m« t-^a the Throne. dence Indepen- Intemal Affairs. Wallace and Bruce SZI^IV^ ^^?^'- »«**h of the^ng WaSln^^aTcr"^- ''^"^^ Constitutional H^ory. Edward takes Possession of the Throne.-Edward was in Palestine when his father died. His conduct in England up to the time of the battle of Eveshan- was not such as deserved the good-will of the people" Edward's ^"^ with the victory of Evesham, his in- ciSef T^ "''^'''^^ °^ character manifested itself. ^ • Severing himself from the brutal triumph of the royalist party, he secured fair terms for the conquered. These were his last acts before going to the Holy Land. ; and the remembrance of them secured for him, though absent, the recognition of his right to the throne. Henry died in November, 1272- Edward returned to England in 1274, having heard o^ his father s death only when he had reached Sicily on nis way home. ^ Internal Affairs.— Internal affairs first claimed Ed- ward's attention. In a Parliament held at Westmin- A.D. ster he took measures for the due administration of EDWARD I. 97 justice, and for the suppression of robbery and pecu- lation. The statute of Gloucester made provision for protecting the royal demesne ?*.*T„*g- and revenue. Tlie statute of mortmain for- bade the making over of lands and tenements to religious bodies without the consent of the king. In the same year Edward went to France, was confirmed in possession of Guienne, and relinquished all claim to Normandy. Conquest of Wales.— it will be remembered that at the time of the Saxon Conquest the larger part of the conquered Britons settled in Wales. Many kings of England had tried to subdue the country, and pre- vent the constant incursions made by the Welsh on the English frontier; but they, retiring to their moun- tain fastnesses, set the invaders at defiance. The Welsh princes had, however, come to recognize the English king as their feudal lord, and on such terms Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, had ^^ '^' received pardon for his adherence to de Montfort. But he proved faithless to his promises. Edward at- tacked Wales on the south, east, and north, and forced the Welsh prince to surrender. Llewellyn came to London, did homage to Edward, and was married to a daughter of de Montfort. David, Llewellyn's brother, was not satisfied with this peace, and encouraged by the prophecy of Merlin, the Welsh sage, raised the standard of opposition to England. In the war which followed, Llewellyn was i282 slain, and David taken prisoner. The execution of A D. David completed the conquest of Wales. Edward took great paius to settle the government of the country wisely and quietly. His eldest son was born in Carnarvon Castle, and received the title !l 98 inSTOkV OK KN(;i,ANI). I Prince of Wales, a title sull borne by the eldest son of the reigning sovereign. Scottish Succession : Baliol.-Edward's atf-ntion was next called to Scotland. The throne of , a" ountry became vacant by the death of Alexandc III. n,s Kranddaughter, Margaret, daughter of the Iv...g of Norway, was the next heir, b.,t she died on the voyage fron, Norway to Knglan.l. Thirteen com V John Babol and Robert Hruce, were superior, al ol was grandson of the eldest daughter of David ta.l of HuntM,g,|on, brother of Willtam the Lion •' ruce was the son of the second daughter. The I arhament of Scotland was unable to' decide the question, and it; was referred to Hdward The grounds on which he claimed the right to .nterfere are as follows : We have learned hat Wilbam the I.ion acknowledged the kingdom a fief and himself a vassal of the bnghsh King Henry 11., and that Richard old lus ove-r-lordship to the .Scottish king for n oney to l.t out l„s expedition to the Holy Land Notw th- aud.ug tins the Scotch kings repeatedly did hom ,ge " the Lngbsh kings, but with a distinct protest that ■was only for lands in fief within the realm of k!,;:. land. The Eughsh kings accepted the homage but w,th the counter-protest that it was rendered tfuhem as over-lords of Scotland. Without discussing ti.es" c oms, u may be said that every one in Scotland and out of a recogn,.ed Edward as having at least some of the powers o an over-lor.l, and w-e find that even before Margaret's death appeals had been made to li.m on the subject of the succession. Edward ac cord.ngly took po..,-.,s,on >t Scotland ; its casri.. Grounds of Edward's alleged Right to Interfere. m- ■-=^-^ >t^ EDWARD I. 99 were given over to him ; its bishops and nobles swore homacjt; to him. He decid d in favor of lialiol, and gave him the Crown, ^^ij„ whici), however, was to be held by him as PoMesiion vassal of ICngland. For a time there was ®' ^oo"*"***' peace in Scotland. Wars in France, - A quarrel between a number of French ana English sailors led to a war with France. In a naval engagement, the result of a challenge 1293 sent b) the Knglisli to the French fieet, the latter ^ ^■ was totally defeated, and the whole of the vessels were taken to England as prizes. The King of France summoned Edward, as vassal for the Uuchy of Guienne, to answer for the conduct of the English sailors. Edward refused to obey the summons, and, 1894 in consequence, Guienne was declared for- ^, felted to France. Edward at once prepared declared to take biick (ruienne and punish the forfeited to French king. But his means of raising '*'*oe- money gave great dissatisfaction to the people. The Jews once more came in for a large share of per- secution. Before Edward had completed his arrangement for the expedition, he had to attend to important matters at home. First, Wales rose in revolt ; but this was soon quelled. Baliol Asserts His Independence.— Since the days of \Vi"iam the Lion, no appeal from a Scottish king's court to that of his over-lord had been allowed, and the judicial Independence of Scotlan'd had been ex- pressly acknowledged by treaty. The right of appeal Edward determined to enforce, and Baliol at first gave way. The resentment of his barons and his people forced him to change his policy; and though 100 »i HISTORY OF ENGLAND. he appeared at Westminster, he refused to answer an appeal save by the advice of his Parliament. To add Increasing l"" ^he difficulty, France and Scotland were FriendlineBs t)ecoming more and more friendly towards rScTand rclh'r ^^^--^-"^^ on some of the Scotland. ^, "°"^ ^"^ ^'"^ ^'"^ '" his war with i- ranee. This they refused. Matters at lasf crushLT.n ' ""' ""'' "^"^^^^^ '"to Scotland, cist in^n "PP?.^'^'""- B'^l'ol surrendered, and was cast into an Enghsh prison. Scotland became a de pendency of England, Warenne, Earl of Surrey beine appointed governor. Acts of oppression by he E g^ IT a^^^^^ '^^P possession so el A.D. raged the Sc.ott.sh people, that their feelings were Sir William f^''^^^ "P '^pn^t the strangers. A daring Wallace. leader was found in Sir William Wallace English arnT'"' T 'I" ^'"'' ^' ^^'^^'"•^' ^^^^^^^ed the kinldo ' r^ " '"' '"""'^ ^^^"^ out of the kingdom. Wallace was proclaimed "Guardian" of veTsL n I H ^'"''^' "' ^''^'^ ^^^^'^^ thousand 1.1. Scotland was once more at the mercy of he Enghsh king. AVallace wandered about for some t.me as an outlaw, but was finally captured and was hanged, drawn, and quartered The standard of independence was once more raised by Robert Bruce, grandson of Bahol s rival. He put to death the only representative of the house of Baliol and had himself crowned at Scone. ' Robert Bruco. n^^xi. .* XI ueaiii or tne King.— Edward s anger was aroused; EDWARD II. lOI and marching an army as far as Carlisle, he sent part of it into Scotland. This defeated Bruce in Perth- shire. The king was now seized by a mortal illness, but, pressing onward, he reached Burgh-on-the-Sands, ^^^ about five miles from Carlisle. Here he j^^ajjij, died, bequeathing to his son the task of Dying conquering Scotland. His last commands Commands, were that his body should be carried at the head of the army on its march through that country, and that it should not be interred until the conquest was com- plete. This command was not obeyed ; he was buried at Westminster soon after. Constitutional History.— The most important of the constitutional changes of this reign is that article added to the Great Charter, " prohibiting the king from raising taxes save by the general consent of the realm." A great share of the constitutional reforms is due to Archbishop Winchelsea, who opposed the exaggerated pretensions of the king and protected the cause of the people. CHAPTER VI. EDWARD II. A.D. 1307 to A.D. 1327. Edward, King : Abandons the Bruce in Ireland. The Spensera. Queen Isabella : Edward De- throned : His Death. His Character Scottish War. Gaveston's Rule. The Ordaiuers. Battle of Bannockburn. Independence of Scotland. Edward, King: Abandons the Scotcli War.— Ed- ward, son of tiic last sovereign, was pjroclaimed King at Carlisle. He made a show of advancing into Scot- r - — r ^l^^l HJ P?| i^ HI 102 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. land ; but he had not his father's warlike spirit, and disregarding that father's dying commands, he gave up the war and returned to England. Gaveston's Rule.-Attached to Ed ward's household whilehe was Prince of Wales was a young man named Piers Gaveston, son of a Gascon knight. The in- Gaveston'8 Auence which he exercised over the young ChiLter ^"^""^"^ "^^^ '^^^'^ ^'^^^ '' ^^^ to his banish- ■ ment by Edward's father, who at the same time exacted a promise from his son that the evil companion would never be recalled. But no sooner had the prince taken possession of the throne than he brought the favorite back, loaded Inm with honors and made him Earl of Cornwall. When the KinJ^ vyent to France to marry Isabella, daughter of Philip the Fair, king of that counirv, Gaveston was ap- pomted regent of England. Misconduct during this time, his insolence, his taunts and defiances, drove he barons to fury. On the king's return to England they demanded the banishment of Gaveston--a re- Gaveston ^^'^^t which Edward could not refuse But the exile of the favorite was not an unhappy one. His friend and patron, the king, made a comfortable settlement for him. Accordingly we find the banished earl appointed lieutenant-governor of Ireland The barons, to show their feelings on this occasion, re- used a grant of supply until redress had been made for the grievances of which the Commons complained Ihe great principle on which the whole En^ish constitution rests-that the redress of grievances should precede the grant of aid to the Crown-was im established by Edward's reluctant assent to the de • • mands of the Parliament. But the barons, on their banished, but ap- pointed Lieutenant- Governor of Ireland. EDWARD II. 103 Side, yielded so far as to consent to Gaveston's return. The Ordainers.— He came back unchanged. He was the Gaveston of old ; and in a few A Return of wiw....... ...^ o Gaveston. standing committee made up of bishops, earls, and barons, called " The Ordainers," was ap- pointed for the government of the realm during the coming year. Parliament was to be called at least once *ayear. The king^vas obliged to accept certain "ordi- nances of reform," among the rest the "observance of charters," and the " banishment of evil counsellors." Gaveston was again banished, but only to be again ^312 recalled. The barons once more took up arms under the Earl of Lancaster, first cousin of the ^, . , ^ . J u I ,1 J Gaveston king. They seized Gaveston and beheaded |,eheaded. him on Black-low hill near Warwick Castle. They then proceeded to Westminster Hall, where, through a pretended submission, they received the king's pardon. Battle of Bannockburn, etc.— A final effort to con quer Scotland was made by Edward ; but the defeat of the English at Bannockburn, J°^®P®JJ- near Stirling, by the Scotch under Bruce, Scotland. established the independence of Scotland. This was the most signal overthrow inflicted on the English since the days of the Norman Conquest. Bruce in Ireland.— The success of Bruce led him to help his kinsmen of the Celtic race— the Irish— in their struggles against English oppression, Accord- ingly he sent his brother, Edward Bruce, to Ireland with six thousand of the veterans of Bannockburn. Ulster and Connaught were soon brought under his sway and he was proclaimed king. He marched 1314 A.D. '^ 1 , »» J lO^ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. » • I Diasensions among the Irish, and Death of Bruce. "-^"^»' "•"« count, V. lh,s was easier for him than a .he^''f!,t!''o?t'r7.'':'r'''"''' ""' '="=« --niut, bv ■»»0 choosing^L er %h"'""%/°'' "^ "°>^ «"" 'nm *•" Spenser^ Be f,tl[ r" '"T ""■^'' '^ "-'P-^nser or friends of tire k ' ' '"' '"" '^^^■"^ "'e close and in Pirli.l ^' " """'^ ""= •^'"'"ns interfered au.un *^arhament assembled ordered tli "at of manj of his adherents. The Parliament .,t War be- tween Ed- ward and the Barons. Lancaster executed. EDWARD II. lOS York annulled the proceedings against the Spensers, and repealed the greater part of the " ordinances," ihus placing control in the king's hands once more. Queen Isabella: Edward Dethroned: His Death.— But a new danger threatened the king. The Queen had gone to France to bring about a treaty between the two countries now on the verge of war. Repre- senting to Edward that the presence of their son in France would help matters very much, she gained the king's consent to the proposed visit, congpiraoy Isabella then joined the secret conspiracies against of the barons against the king. Edward Edward, repeatedly asked her and his son to return, but the excuse she usually made was that she could not come to England until the Spensers were banished. She did come, however, before long, and joined the king's enemies, foremost among whom were his brothers, the earls of Kent and Norfolk. Edward, deserted on every hand, fled. He attempted to reach T* *1 two ril Ireland, but was driven by bad weather to ^^g^ ^^^ j^ the coast of Wales, where he was seized by captured the new Earl of Lancaster, who held him and impris- oned. prisoner until Parliament would decide his fate. That decision was an act passed for his deposi- tion, an act which he was compelled to sign. His son was proclaimed king as Edward III. The unfortunate Edward II. was carried from castle to castle, and at last in Berkely Castle he was cruelly put to death. His Character. — He paid dearly for the mistakes of his reign — the favoritism which so much offended the barons, the neglect of his duty as king. He was not cruel or tyrannical, and we feel inclined to pity him, for his whole reign of twenty years was a very unhappy one. 1327 AD. 1327 AD. fe .:. T06 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. M it Edward's Minority. Scotch War. Mortimer. Edward Rules. Internal Affairs, Scotland: Edward Baliol. Edward's Claims to the French Throne. War with France. Battle of Cressy. CHAPTER VII. EDWARD III. 1327 A.D. to 1377 A.D. Scotland: Battle of Neville's Cross. Seige of Calais. Plague : Statute of Laborers Battle of Poitiers: Treaty of Bretigny. Spain: Death of the Black Prince. Death of the King. Constitutional History. Edwards MincrJty.-Edward III. was but fifteen years of age when he ascended the throne. The Par liament which met immediately after his coronation appointed a council of regency with Lancaster at its head ; but the real rulers were Isabella and h..T friend and favonte, Mortimer ; or, rather, the real ruler was Mortimer. 1327 snfr?t"f*n^ ^U^^^T^"^^^'"^ '^°'''^ ^^'^y '^'^' ^^rlike ^j, sP^nt for which he was afterwards distinguished Not withstanding the truce which had been made between Scotland and England, a Scotch army crossed the bor- der Edward marched against them, but his search for them was long and weary. When he did come up No Battle '^'^^' *'^^'^' ^^ ^^""^ them entrenched in fought. a" unassailable position. No battle was H u • u ^°"f ll'- '^^'^^ ^"'^^^'^ ""'""y ^tole away one dark night, and Edward was left to return to England By the advice of Mortimer, he made an inglorious ms peace with Scotland, resigning all claim to the lord ^^ ship set up .by Edward I., acknowledging the inT pendence of Scotland, and restoring th^ regalia To EDWARD III. 107 confirm the treaty (sometimes called the treaty of Northampton) a marriage was arranged between Jane, sister of Edward III., and David II. of Scotland. Mortimer— On Mortimer was placed all the blame for this most distasteful treaty, and it prepared the way for his overthrow. He had taken the title Earl of March, and put on all the state of a king. The first attempts against his power were unsuccessful. The Earl of Lancaster, who had risen in revolt, was forced into submission ; and the king's uncle, the Earl of Kent, was put to death. Edward Rules.— Edward saw that it was time to interfere and assert his kingly right. Seizing Mor- timer in Nottingham Castle, he had him beheaded at '^^ Tvburn. Isabella was imprisoned for life. 'Snternal Affairs— Edward's first care was to restore good government throughout the country ; and, to free his hands for another war with Scotland, he made peace with France. War with Scotland : Edward Baliol .— Many Eng- lish and Scotch nobles held estates in both countries, and the settlement of their claims caused much dis- satisfaction among them. The discontent of English nobles soon brought Edward Baliol on the scene. He was the son of John Baliol mentioned in the reign of Edward I. With a few of the discontented English 1333 nobles, he landed an army on the coast of Fife.defeated A.D. the Scotch who attempted to oppose his ^^_^^ progress, and was crowned king at Scone. ^^*4°ned David fled to France. Edward, King of King. England, had given no aid to this expedi- ^^^ ^^^^^ tion ; but he took advantage of it by de- to France. manding and obtaining from. Baliol an acknowledgment of the vassalage of Sc i 1 ; and to the * f io8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Bruce returns. mshelp of his vassal; Ind mee'ine ^1 T^" ''" A.B. under Douglas at Halidon HM^ 1"°"^'' ""'"'>' cawara s Claim to the Throne of Franr« a ^ now bee-an the war x.^wk c rrance. — And va.i„/. . :r-x^:--re;„tt^edi:^. Beginmng .7 „,t"^"'^' ^"^ ^^ sometimes called the of the Hundred Years' War." The h^ln • "Hundred by the Fren-^h f^ .u o ^ ^ ^'^^" Years' ,/ ^"^ l^ren.h to the Scotch in the late War." war gave Edward an excuse for urging hs Philip vr.atsr:sirofcr^^^^^^^^^^ that claim will be best shownt:hl\li?;i:g"t"able1 Philip III, Philip IV. Louis X. Philip V. Charles IV. Jane 4 daughters 2 daughters Charles, King of Navarre. Charles of Valois ^ I Philip VI. Isabella ^ I Edward III. (England) EDWARD TTT. 109 founded, It will be seen that if the succession were to descend through males alone, Philip VI. was the rightful heir after the death of Charles IV. The Salic , . , , , J r 1 c ti Nature of law, which excluded females from the ^j^^ claim. throne, had for a long time prevailed in France, and had shut out Jane, daughter of Louis X., who was succeeded by his brother, Philip V. Then the question arose whether a female, though herself not eligible for the throne, might not transmit her right to a male heir. Were even this granted, there was a better claim than Edward's, that of Charles, King of Navarre. We must therefore conclude that Edward's claim to the throne of France had not a ^^^^^^,3 shadow of right. Besides, he had already claim not acknowledged Philip's sovereignty by do- well ing him homage for the possession of Guienne. The only reason, therefore, that can be assigned for this war on France is that Edward desired to punish the French nation, or wished for conquest pure and simple. War with France. — Edward crossed over to Flan ders, a country friendly to England ; and next year ^j^^ he invaded France, but only to retire. In the year following he again crossed over. Philip • Frtiitl68S attempted to prevent his landing, but in a campaigns. naval battle in the harbor of Sluys, on the coast of Flanders, the French fleet was defeated. 1340 The campaign which followed was as fruitless as the A.D. former one, although aid from a large party in Flan- ders was given to Edward; and he was glad to make a two years* truce with Philip. Battle of CreSSy- — Edward had now to fall back on the resources of England ; but the Parliament, dissatisfied with his former methods of raising sup- 133» ^ ^.JL^ rw ^mimm t I no HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ['( I plies, before grantin.^ him any further help, estab- lished the all-important principle of the responsibility to Itself of the great officers of state. The two years- truce had expired, and a disputed succession in Brit- tany gave Edward an opportunity for renewing the wan One of the claimants for the duchy did iiomage to Pnihp, the other to Edward, .o the latter went to Edward \»^e aid of his vassal. With a force of thirty lands at La ^'lo^'^and men he landed at La Hogue; and, Hoguewith ravaging the country, proceeded north-' Thou7and ^'^"^^ '"^^'^'"^^ Flanders. He crossed the Men. rivers Seine and Somme, escaping the ne- cessity of giving battle to the immense t rench army which was pursuing him. Having estab- lished communication with his friends in the north he halted at the little village of Cressv, and there wai'ted the coming of the French. Here, with a force of thirty thousand men, but intrenched in a magnificent 1346 P«^'^^""' !^^ ga^^ battle to the French army, which AD. numbered one hundred and twenty thousand men The battle went steadily against the French ; at last The French f '^'^'^ ^""'^"^^ «^^ ^^""^ ^^^ field ; the de- routed. ^^'^^ became a rout ; twelve hundred French knights and thirty thousand footmen a number equal to the whole English army, lay dead on the field. In this battle, Edward, Prince of Wales commonly called the Black Prince, from the color of his armor, then only sixteen years of age, greatly dis- tinguished himself. - The lesson which England had The Lesson learned at Bannockburn, she taught the &v '* r'^'* ""^ ^"^''y- ^^'^ ^h°'^ sociarand po- ^ «y- htical fabric of the Middle Ages rested on a military base, and i^s base was s .daenly withdrawn. The churl had struck down the noble ; the bondsmen EDWARD III. Ill proved more than a matcli, in sheer hard fighting, for the knight. From the day of Cressy, feudalism tot- tered slowly but surely to its grave." Scotland : Battle of Neville's Cross.— Edward's glory, thus begun, continued with undiminished lustre. A few months after the battle of Cressy, a Scotch army under David invaded England. Phi- lippa, Edward's queen, put herself at the ^ p'rjJo^er"* head of an English army, which met the Scotch at Neville's Cross, near Durham, completely 1346 routed them, and carried David prisoner to London. ^■^• Siege of Calais. — Edward's great aim was to save litiglish commerce in the Channel from the ravages of the pirates. Calais was the great headquarters of these sea-robbers ; and when within a week of the victory at Cressy Edward laid siege to ^^^ Calais, he had a double purpose — to root out the pirates, and to have some place on the Eu- ropean coast as a base of operations against France. After a year's siege, and on the failure of Philip to relieve the garrison, they were starved into surrender. ^3^^ The native population was banished ; an English A.D. colony and garrison were planted there ; and for upwards of two centuries Calais c^jony^Q^ remained in possession of England, its Garrison trade and commerce making it an im- planted in portant phice. A truce of eight years, " forced on both countries by sheer exhaustion," was agreed to. The defeat of a Spanish pirate fleet made England mistress of the Channel. The Plague: Statute of Laborers.— in 1348-9 a fearful plague called the " Black Death" swept over Europe, and carried off more than half the inhabitants ot England. Laborers became scarce and wages 112 niSTOKY OF KNGLAND. ^9 rose. The celebrated ''Statute of Laborers" was AD. passed by Parliament, Hxin,;, the rate of hire at the old figure, and forbidding laborers to move from one county to another. Battle of Poitiers: Treaty of Bretigny.-^War with 1355 Prance was resumed. Several reasorTsVe assigned ^<'. tins; but both countries were so anxious for a renewal of hostilities, a very slight pretext was all. sufficient. I he hero of this war is the Black Prince • The Black '''\V'"' ^"''"^'"^■t and motives are not cred- Prince. '^^ble to lum. Love of plunder for himself and his followers marked the campaign • 1386 '' r' "" """ expedition of this nature that he was 1%^ met at Poit.ers by the French army under John, 1 e Z and successor of Philip VI. The victory of Grassy was repeated; many noble prisoners were taken by the En^ hsh among the rest, John, who was carried in triumph o London. A two-years' truce was agreed to, but there was no peace for France. The defeated soldiers No Peace ^"""^"^ '"^^ ^^"^^ ^^ '"obbers ; the regency for France. ^PPO'^^ed m the absenceof John was unable ^ to save the country; and the people of Pans rose against the Crown. Edward again invaded t ranee, but both nations were at last worn out Bv the 1360 treaty of Bretign>, called the ''Great Peace '' Fr'ince A-D- agreed that John should pay three millions ^f crownl Terms of l""' ^'^ 'T'"''^- ^^^''""^ ^''^^^ "P ^^^ claim the Treaty, ^o the throne of France, but kept posses- sion of Calais and his duchy of Aquitaine which included Gascony, Guienne, Poitou, and Sain tonge John was allowed to return to his kiuLnlom IT 11'' P-Pose of raising the ransom, but, failing to do so, he, for the sake of honor, came back to Eng land, where he died. ^ EDWARD III. 113 "4:^ 1869 AD. Spain: Death of the Black Prince.— The BiacK Prince ruled in Aquitaine ; and from a mistaken 1867 sense of honor he undertook an expedition to Spain ^" • to replace on the throne of Castile Pedro IV., his hrother-in-law, a fierce and cruel monarch. Pedro was unable or unwilling to pay the Black Prince the cost of this expedition ; the latter, therefore, returned to France heavily burdened by debt, and with the seeds of a lingering and mortal disease. Contrary to wise counsels, he levied a " hearth-tax" on ^ „ jjg^rth his French subjects. This turned them Tax" against him, and caused thern to look ^®^^«'^- towards their own king, whom they would now gladly acknowledge as their sovereign. War broke out again. But the old spirit of the Black Prince was gone, and his last exploit was to order a massacre of the French garrison of Limoges, which he had retaken. 1 Last After this cruel deed he returned to Eng- Deed of the land, where he lived long enough to see the Black • Prince total loss of all the English possessions in France except Calais, Bordeaux, and Bayonne, and to see his father ask for peace. He died in 1376 a.d., one year before his father. Richard, son of the Black Prince, who was now in his eleventh year, was recog- nized as heir to the throne. Death of the King.— Edward was now alone, the good Queen Philippa having died some time before. His end was saddest of all. While lying gadEndof on his death-bed his servants carried away King all they could lay their hands on. A good Edward, priest coming to see the king found him quite deserted. He held up the crucifix before the eyes of the dying Edward, who had just power enough to kiss the em- blem of salvation before those eyes closed forever. 1870 A.B. NiJ ■ .^iiill 114 HISTORY OF ENGI.AND. WIK Ml H' Constitutional History.— Tlie reign of Edward III. marks another advance in the power of Parliament. Farther ^^^ ^°"^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ °^ ^^^ ^^"^ (.rders of Advance in which it was composed — bishops, barons, FaSfament ^"^^'^^^ °^ ^^^ ^^"'"^' ^"^ burgesses— met separately. It is easy to see that in any great crisis the jealousies of these orders might neu- tralize the Parliament's power for good. At first the tendency of the knights of the shire was to join the barons. This would have given control to the aris- tocracy. But in this reign we find the knights of ilie shire drifting from their old connection ;vith the barons into a union with the representatives of the towns, of the commercial classes ; and here we have clearly defined the Lords and the Commons, who in this reign began to meet in separate '' Houses." The Parliament of 1376, called the "Good Parlia- The "Good ™^"^" set about the task of reforming Parlia- abuses, and for the first time exerci:,ed the ment." j-ight of impeaching the king's ministers. The same Parliament presented one hundred and sixty petitions setting forth the grievances of the kingdom. The Black Prince was the leader of this n ovement for reform ; but his death threw all the power into the hands of his brother, John of Ghent or Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the leader of the opposite party. Thus ended one of the most remarkable reigns in the history of the English nation. RICHARD II. IT5 CHAPTER YIII. RICHARD II. 1377 A.D. to 1399. AD Hichard's Minority, "War with Prance. Taxes : Insurrection : Peasants' War. Richard's Government. Hichard's Peace with France : Scotch Wars. The Richard's Second Marriage. Richard's Fall. The Church. Literature, Commerce, etc. Richard's Minority.— Richard II. ascended the throne at the age of "eleven years. A council of regency was appointed to govern the kingdom during his minority ; but the real power was in the hands of his uncles, the Dukes of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester, of whom Lancaster was the most powerful. War Witll France.— The war with France went on, but without any settled plan, and without any events of importance. It only served to exhaust the finances of England, and to lead to that oppressive tax which drove the peasants into rebellion. Taxes : Insurrection : Tlie Peasants' War.~To defray the cost of this war, the Parliament granted a fresh subsidy, which was to be raised by means of a "poll-tax" levied upon every person in the kingdom who was over fifteen years of age. This was unjust to the poor, who were thus called on to pay as much as the rich, and the harshness used in collecting added to the injustice. The peasants rose in re- bellion, which soon spread all over England. It was a rising of the poor against the rich. On BiackheaLli, i3gj near London, one hundred thousand men gathered AD. liii p Il6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. around Wat Tyler, a soldier who had served in the Insurgents French war, and to whom, as the head of gather on ^j^g rebellion, ail now looked. Here they Blackheath , , , , , . , under Wat were addressed by a wandering preacher Tyler. named John Ball, who laid down- the doctrine that all men are equal, preaching from the text, ''When Adam delved and Eve span, Where was then the gentleman ?" The king, from a boat in the river, addressed the insurgents ; but the refusal of his council to permit him to land so enraged the peasants that they marched to London, where they burned houses, and put many person^ to death, among whom was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The king met them at Mile-End, arid beard their demands. These were : the D d of abolition of servitude orvillenage, a fixed the Inaur- rent on land instead of compulsory service, gents. freedom of buying and selling at fairs and markets, and a pardon for all. " I grant it," replied Richard. He then bade them go home, pledging himself to issue at once charters of freedom and pardon. Wat Tyler with thirty thousand men remained in London to see that the royal pledge was carried out. Next morning, by mere chance, the king met this army at Smithfield. Hot words passed between the king's train and Wat Tyler. The latter, laying his hand upon his dagger, was struck to the ground by Walworth, Mayor of London, and, as he lay there, was killed by one of Richard's attendants. "Kill! kill!" shouted the insurgents; " they have killed our captain." The king galloped forward, exclaiming, *' What ! my liege men, will you Wat Tyler killed. RICHARD II. 117 kill your king ? You have lost your captain ; follow me, and I will be your leader." Whatever may have been Richard's desire to grant concessions to the peasants, it was ren- dered fruitless by the action of his Parlia- Joncewtons ment. The king's grants and letters of rendered freedom and pardon were, as the Parlia- p^j"][^J^t^ ment answered with perfect truth, legally null and void ; their serfs were their goods, and the king could take their goods from them only by their own consent. "And this consent," they ended, "we have never given and never will give, were we all to die in one day." Over fifteen hundred of the rebels were afterwards seized and put to death as traitors. Richard's Government.— From the spirit shown by Richard on this trying occasion, it was expected that his future administration of affairs would be such as to bring oeace and prosperity to the kingdom. TTi'i J ^ -^ ii.uii'4- Richard's He had a grand opportunity; but he let it opportunity. pass, disappointing the hopes of those who wished for better government. He gave himself up to worthless favorites. This brought about an es- trangement between him and his uncles, one of whom, Gloucester, seeing the bad effect Richard's conduct was sure to produce, overthrew the favorites, and obtained from Parliament, which was called both "Wonderful " and "Merciless," the appointment of jjg,^ another council of regency, with himself at the head. A.D. In the following year Richard declared his intention of taking the government into his own hands. He obtained from the judges an opinion that the council of regency was illegal. Gloucester, still powerful, seized tlse ^ud"'eR .nnd had them condemned to death. One of them was executed; the others were banished. 111 ? 'i ii8 HISTORV OF ENGLAND. Richard's Peace with France : Scotch Wars.— For nine years Richard reigned with wisdom and success. During that time the Duke of Lancaster returned to England after a fruitless attempt to obtain the throne of Castile. A truce with France w^as concluded. The 1388 yvar with Scotland had become a mere border fray. AD One of its incidents was the battle of Otterbourne, Battle of between the Douglases and the Percys. It " Chevy Chase." is better known as the battle of " Chevy Chase" (from Cheviot), and is celebrated in one of the finest of the old English ballads. The Percys were defeated, although Douglas was slain. Richard's Second l\^arriage: Results.— Richard's first wife, the "Good Queen Anne," died; and two years later he married Isabella, daughter of the King of France. In this he was actuated by a desire to bring about a lasting peace between the two coun- tries. The marriage was, however, very unpopular; and Richard, taking advantage of the opposition of his uncle Gloucester, had liim seized and conveyed 1397 to Calais, there to be privately murdered. , From this torvvard Richard ruled as a tyrant. He was freed from parliamentary control by the grant made to him of a tax on wool (one of the most productive articles of com- merce), for the term of his life. His next step was to get rid of Parliament itself. A committee of twelve peers and six commoners was appointed, who at once assumed all the powers of Parliameiu. Forced loans, sale of charters of pardon, outlawry of seventeen counties on the plea that they had helped his enemies, interference with tiie course of justice and with the independence of the judges, all tended to bring about AO. Richard a Tyrant. RICHARD II. 119 a disconteat which threatened the very existence of the Crown itself. Richard's Fall.— But the end was near. A quarrel arose between the Duke of Hereford (son of John, Duke of Lancaster) and the Duke of Norfolk. Each party bandied charges of treason against the other. It was agreed to decide the matter by ^^^^ ^^ combat; but on the very field of battle jjorfoikand Richard stopped the fight, and banished Duke of both-Norfolk for life, and Hereford for f^^^^H ten years. John of Gaunt did not long survive his son's exile, and his estates, which should have passed to Hereford, were seized by the king. Having done this injustice to Hereford, Richard crossed over to Ireland to quell an insurrection there. In his absence Hereford landed on the coast of York- shire with but sixty men. He was soon joined by large numbers of the nobles, and by his uncle, the Duke of York, who had been appointed regent of the kingdom by Richard. The king returned ^.^^^^^^ ^^ from Ireland but to find his kingdom lost, poged and His misgovernment had borne fruit. He Hereford was brought to London, deposed in full g^g*^"^®* Parliament, which had been called by himself; and Hereford, now Duke of Lancaster, was 1399 proclaimed king under the title of Henry IV. A.D. By the strict rule of hereditary descent, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March (see genealogical tree), grandson of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of lidward III., was the rightful heir to the throne. But he was a child of six years old; and this rule had never received any formal recognition, the Parliament choosing the successor from, am.ong the members of the royal house. 120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Richard was conveyed to Pontefract Castle, in Yorkshire. His fate is not known with Richard. certainty. Some say he was put to death; others, that he escaped to Scotland, where he lived in obscurity for many years. The Church. — The Parliament of the -: ;• '-ear of Edward III. declared null and void Joha'L .age to c* * * * ^^^ Pope; and in the i6th of Richard II. BtfttUtO of 11^ Prsemunire. ^^^ passed the Statute of Praemunire, 1393 outlawing all persons who should intro- ^•D- duce into the realm any Papal Bull or other instru- ment affecting the king. John Wycliffe, a rebellious preacher, who, it Is evi- dent, was the victim of pride and arro- gance, began an attack upon the Church. Disappointed ambition— he had expected to be made Bishop of Worcester — urged him on to impugn the most sacred truths of faith. Instead of being a St. Charles Borromeo to remedy such abuses as from time to time creep into the human portion of the Church of God, Wycliffe put himself in the position of a Luther, seeking to undermine its very foundations. Seeds of disrespect and disloyalty to the Church and its services were sown in England by Wycliffe. The full harvest was reaped in the time of Henry VIII., when that unhappy country was torn from the unity of Christendom. Literature, Commerce, etc.— During these years of unceasing warfare abroad and trouble at home, the people had not time or inclination for learning. In the monasteries alone was the sacred treasure of knowl- edge guarded with affectionate care. Were it not for the patient and learned monks, the world would have John WycliflTe attacks the Church. RICHARD II. 121 returned to barbarism. The latter part of the 14th century was a bright epoch in English literature. Then flourished Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the "Canterbury Tales." He is styled the "Father of English Poetry." Sir John Mandeville, who wrote an account of his travels, was the first classic prose writer in what is called " Middle English." He may justly be named the "Father of English Prose." Wycliffe also wrote vigorous English in his pamphlets and tracts. The credit of being the first translator of the Bible into English is usually claimed for him ; but from the days of Alfred, such portions as were useful to the people were translated into the spoken language. Edward HI. has justly been styled the founder of English commerce. Wool was the chief export; cloth the chief import. But Edward brought over weavers from Flanders, and thus laid the foundation of the English woollen manufactures. The population of England at this time was about two millions; only nine towns had a population of over three thousand. House of Lancaster. Henry IV.. 1399 A.D. to 1413 A.D. Henry V. . .1413 A.D. to 1422 A.D. Henry VI .1422 A.D. to 1461 A.D. (deposed). CHAPTER I. HENRY IV. 1399 A.D. to 1413 A.D. Henry's Title to the Throne. Conspiracy of the .Cobles, The Welsh : Glendower The Percys. Percy: Douglas: Glendower. Northumberland : Scrope. James, Prince of Scotland. The Prince of Wales. Death of the King. The Church. Constitutional History. Henry's Title to the Throne.— Mention has already been made of the rightful heir, Roger, Earl of March. Henry was an elected \\n^^ and the nations of Europe regarded him as a usurper. Conspiracy of the Nobles.— His reign, therefore, was marked by conspiracies, insurrections, and civil war. The first conspiracy was formed by some of the nobles; but was betrayed by the king's cousin, the Earl of Rutland. It was easily crushed; the rebel nobles were put to death. The Welsh: Glendower.— The Welsh and Scotch took advantage of the unsettled state of England. Owen Glendower, claiming to be descended from the ancient Welsh princes, strove to make his country free. He ravaged the English border counties; and in one of his expeditions he captured Lord Grey and Sir Ed- 122 HENRY IV. 123 mund Mortimer, uncle to the Earl of March. Henry, who had the Earl of March in his own hands, was not sorry to be rid of Mortimer, and he even refused permission to Percy, Earl of Northumberland, a kins- man of Mortiiner, to effect his release, although he per- mitted the release of Grey. This gave offence to Percy. The Percys. — The Scotch under Earl Douglas in- ^^^ vaded England, but were defeated by the Percys in a.D. the battle of Homildon Hill, where Doug- , ,1 ^1 • The Scotch las and manv nobles were taken prisoners. ^Q^gy Henry gave additional offence to Nor- Douglas de- thumberland by forbidding him to accept a !t*^*pgrLa ransom for the release of Douglas and the other nobles, although this was Percy's right. Henry wished to have Douglas in his ov^^n power, so that through him he could dictate terms to Scotland. , There were thus three parties ready at any time to take the field against Henry — the discontented Eng- lish nobles, the Scotch, and the Welsh. Percy: Douglas: Glendower.— Northumberland, urged on by his brother, the Earl of Worcester, and by his son, Hotspur, so called from his fiery temper, made an alliance with Douglas and Glen- dower, and raised the standard of rebellion. Hotspur. An army was soon placed in the field; the command was given to Hotspur, his father being un- able or unwilling to go. Percy marched southwards to join his forces with the Welsh. So little did Henry know the real feelings of the Percys towards him, he was actually on his way to ask their aid in an expedi- tion against Scotland when he learned their intentions. With a fev/ chosen troops he f^**^®?'^ met Hotspurat Shrewsbury before his junc- tion with Glendower. A bloody battle was fought. 1403 A.D. I 124 I H HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Hotspur was slain on the field; Worcesfer w«c n(. wards beheaded; Northu.beHaL placinraU^ blan.e on his dead son, escaped with a fine '" ''' Northumberland: Archbishop Scrope.-Two years later the rebel ion was renewed unde7 NorZmber! The land as one of the leaders. Henry's gov- • rt^eT r.T' .'""'' ^'"^^ ^'^^^"^-^ ^'--^h- out the kingdom, especially in the nr)rfh. and the people were loud in the.V demands ol t t R X H %"''"'"'T- They found an able advocate in htLTb ?o7;;;etya''for ' ^"^' r^o- P-e-ing father of hic , \ "^' pointed out, like a true "05 bronahf h.f 7-! vvas seized, carried to London, and ^•°- reS to ha" "^'^'^J"^^'- Gascoigne, who n'obly reUised to have anything to do with the trial. But Scrope ',;' "°^ '^''^ ^^^ Archbishop. He was beheaded. afterwards beheaded, some say, by the Kings command, and without a trini ^ r ri Jd t ^th '^'b^f '".^^°^^^- ^^-^--"-!a~: carried on the rebellion for some rime longer but fell in a skirmish at Bramham in Yorkshire Glendowerstill maintained his independence The war against him was conducted by'the Prfnce o Wales, who seemed to inherit the warlike spirit o his ancestor Edward HI But r^r.tu' ''^.^ spiiit ot resultpH frnm ^^. ^-.^"^"othing of importance resulted trom these expeditions James Prisice of Scotland.-Scotland and France disturbed at home, gaye little trouble to EnglandTn Dissensions I . ""^'S"- The dissensions in the rovil 'iilS;if S adya'^t'l"' ^'^^ .^"^'^"^ ^" — Scotland ^^""^^^ advantage oyer that country. On Rob^,t FiT""k °^ 1^' \'^^"'^^^ ^^ '^'^ Scotch king, KOD^rt 111., his brother, the Duke ' ■ »uke of Al oany, held ^tfiiV r HENRY IV. 125 the reins of government. He, probably with the view of bringing about the great object of his ambi- tion, — his succession to the throne, — had Robert's eldest son starved to death. Robert, to save his younger son, James, from a similar fate, sent him to France. But the ship in which the young prince sailed was taken by the English, and he was brought to London, where he remained in honorable captivity for many years. The Prince of Wales.— The conduct of Henry, Prince of Wales, was a source of grief to the king. Endowed with many good and noble qualities, which showed themselves after he came to the p . throne, the prince nevertheless allowed Henry's himself in his youth to be led away by Conduct, bad companions. He thus took an active part in all the wild freaks of the time. Death of the King. — The king's health was gradu- ally declining. Suffering of mind and body had worn out the once robust frame. It is said that re- morse for the manner in which he came to the throne and for his harshness towards *^®-Ki"K" AemorBe. Archbishop Scrope was so great, that he meditated going on a crusade; but death prevented him. He died, in the forty-seventh year of his age 1418. and the fourteenth of his reign, while praying in ^•^• the chapel of St. Edward at Westminster. The Church.— The Lollards, as the followers of Wycliffe were called, gave great trouble in this reign, not alone by their strange religious or irreligious doctrines and their blasphemous abuse of everything the Church holds sacred, but by the ideas which they held regarding prop- erty. Their creed was Communism in its worst The Lollards. fM" m III 126 niSTOKY OF ENGLAND. Their Creed. While the property of the Church alone was thre.t eneny conflict with it " HENRY V. 127 CHAPTER II. IIENllY V, A.D. 1413 to 1432. Honry's Early Acts. The Lollards. French War : Agincourt. Siege of Rouen. Treaty of Troyes. The Dauphin's Suooesses. Second Rising of the Lollards. Henry Resumes War in France. His Death and Character. English Navy. Henry's Early Acts.— The greatest of the English kings now ascended the throne. The day of his father's death he spent in seclusion and prayer; and when evening came he was found on his knees befora his confessor. Next morning he received Holy Com- munion, and his after-conduct showed the «. , . ^ , Henry's sincerity of his repentance. lie dismissed Changed all his wicked companions and gathered Conduct, around him the wisest and best of the advisers of his late father. He liberated the Earl of March, restored the estates of the Percys to the son of Hotspur, and thus did all in his power to atone for his father's errors and for his own. The Lollards. — The Lollards still continued to an- noy the country. In the last rqign we saw their real aims; in this reign they went even farther — they conspired against the Crown and tion under State. They found a leader in Sir John Sir John Oldcastle, sometimes called Lord Cobham. Oldcastle. He, at the head of twenty thousand men, raised the standard of revolt, declaring his object to be the es- tablishment of a Commonwealth and the confisca- tion of all Church property. The insurrection was quelled for the time: Oldcastle escaped to Wales. French Wars : Agincourt.— France was now in a very disturbed state. The king, Charles VL, was 128 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. H ! J ■ If I h I subject to fits of insanity; and the kingdom was torn by dissensions between the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy ; the former, brother, the latter, uncle, to Henry's ^^^ '^*"^" '^^^ opportunity was a good Claim to one for Henry to revive the claims of his ?hr^T''^ house to the throne of France. If the claim of Edward III. was groundless, the claim of Henry V. was absurd. But he did not look at the matter in this light. After fitting out an expedition in England for the conquest of France, he v/as delayed for some time by a conspiracy to placr; the Earl of March on the throne. The leader in this scheme was Henry's cousin, Richard, Earl of Cambridge, son of the Duke of York. The revolt amounted to nothing, ar.d Henry soon restored peace. Landing in Harfleur in France, he laid siege to that city. For five weeks it successfully resisted all his efforts, but at last the garrison and citizens were Siege of starved into surrender. Henry's army, too, Harfleur. suffered during this trying time. Worn out by hunger and hardship, reduced to one half of their original number, the English troops were led by Henry towards Calais, where he intended to embark for England to recruit his shattered forces. Coming to the usual place for crossing the Somme, he found it guarded by the French. Not desiring to risk a battle, he marched up the left bank, and crossed the river. But the French were waiting for him, and he was forced into an engagement. The victory of Battle of ^^^ssy w^s repeated. He defeated the Agincourt French with great slaughter. This event is called the Battle of Agincourt. Henry now proceeded to Calais unmolested, and sailed for HENRY V. 129 England, where he was received joyfully with marks 1415 of the utmost honor and welcome. ^^' Siege of Rouen. — The war was resumed two years after, Henry took several fortresses in Normandy, among the rest the important one of Rouen. The 1417 murder of the Duke of Burgundy by the Orleanists^-^- or Armagnacs threw the whole power of the Burgun- dians on the side of Henry, who was soon able to dictate terms to the King of France. Treaty of Troyes.— Entering Troyes, where the French king kept his court, Henry, by the terms of 1420 the famous treaty of Troyes, received the hand of the^-^- king's daughter Catherine in marriage, was declared regent of the kingdom during the J^^^ °^. life of Charles, and successor to the throne on his death. At Troyes, Henry and Catherine were married; and next year they went to Paris, where they were actually enthroned as king and queen of France. They then passed over to England. The Dauphin's Successes.— But the Dauphin, as the eldest son of the king of France was called, did not agree to this settlement of the succession to the throne; and with the aid of the Scotch, who were naturally alarmed at the union of France and Eng- land under one monarch, he kept the field against Henry. He defeated the English at the battle of 1421 Beauje, Henry's brothe.', the Duke of Clarence, being A.D. slain. Second Rising of the Lollards.— In the meantime Oldcastle endeavored to raise a second insurrection with the help of the Scotch. He was taken prisoner, brought to London for trial, con- Oldcastle demned and executed tor treason and heresy. I30 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Henry Resumes the War with France —Henry, on hearing of the French victory at Beauje, returned to France, bringing in his train James of Scotland and several Scotch nobles. He drove the Dauphin south of the Loire and laid siege to Orleans, the only place north of the river held by the Dauphin's supporters. Scarcity of provisions compeUed him to return to 1421 P'^'*'S' where he kept Christmas. Here he heard of A.D. the birth of a son and heir at Windsor. Next year he took the field once more ; but an ill- ness which the medical skill of the time was unable to cure brought his life to an untimely end. When told that he had but two hours to live, he sent for his Henry's confessor and spent the remainder of his Last time in preparing for death. The Peni- Moments. tential Psalms were recited around his bed, and at the words " Thou shalt build up the wails of Jerusalem," the dying king said in a faint voice that he had always meant to strike a blow for the de- liverance of the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of 1422^^^ Saracens. He died in the thirty-fifth year of his A.D. age, after a short reign of nine years. His Death and Character.—'' This was the end of Henry V ^^^ ^^^^ "^ ^^^ really great English kings, the last ^^^ shall read of many famous men, and Great King of many noble deeds that were done after- nf rath nil o wards, but Henry V. was the last great king of Catholic England. . . . The people had reason to mourn for their great and wise king, for sad days were at hand in England." English Navy.— in this reign was laid the founda- tion of the English navy. Heretofore the king was supplied with ships from the maritime towns or from of Catholic England HENRY VI. 131 his subjects, or hired them from foreigners. By order of the Icing a large ship called the "Great Harry" was built at Bayonne. CHAPTER III. HENRY VI. A.D. 1422 to A.D. Henry, King of England and France. The Regency. Bedford in France. Bedford's Diflaculties : Siege of Orleans. Joan d'Arc. English Driven from Orleans. Coronation of Charles : Death of Joan. Fall of Gloucester. 1461 (Dethroned). Fall of Suffolk. Bichard, Duke of York. Cade's Rebellion. York as Regent, York's Claim to the Throne Examined. Wars of the Roses. Parliament Makes a Compro- rftise. The Parliament : Education : The Franchise. Henry, King of England and France.— By the death of Henry V., his son, a child nine months old, became king under the title, Henry VI.; and on the death of Charles V. of France, two months later, the same child became King of France in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Troyes. The Regency. — The Parliament, setting aside the wishes of the late king, appointed his Appoint, brother, the Duke of Bedford, " Protector ment by of the Realm and Church of England," Parliament, and Regent of France. But Bedford was needed in France; and in his absence from England his au- thority was vested in his brother Humphrey, the "good" Duke of Gloucester. The care of the king's person was entrusted to Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, and Richard Beauchauip, Earl of War- wick. •1 i ij I S' I w i" I I * 1 li. . ^'i' '' ilii; M ■ H E ■; M 1 i_ ^■^ k.J V ''li ' - W^m- i|#S H* '^ -•■^' 1 '^''^ ' 'irl y ■l U 1 1 1 1 li 132 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. si on of the French. Bedford's Efforts to hold his Ground. Bedford in France.~The French were not inclined to submit quietly to the English occupation of their Insubmis- country. The Duke of Bedford, able com- mander though he was, found the love of national independence so strong among them that he had to put forth all his efforts to hold his ground. The people south of the Loire received the Dauphin as their rightful sovereign; and in their struggles against the English they had assistance from Lombardy and Scotland, the latter country sending four thousand men under the Earl of Douglas. Bedford first secured his position on the north of the riven He defeated the French in the battles of Crevant and Verneuil; strengthened his alliance with the dukes of Burgundy and Brittany by giving his sisters in marriage J*23to these princes; endeavored to detach the Scotch A.D. ^^^^ ^^^^^ alliance with the French by liberating Prince James, who had been a captive in England for nineteen years, and by bringing about a marriage be- tween him and the daughter of the Earl of Somerset. Bedford's Difficulties: Siege of Orleans.— Rut through his brother, Gloucester, Bedford lost the Defection of Powerful alliance of the Duke of Bur- theDukeof gundy. Gloucester married Jacqueline, Burgundy. Countess of Holland and Hainault, for the sake of her possessions, which were very large. She had already been married to, but was now separated from, the Duke of Brabant, whose heir was the Duke of Burgundy. The latter resented this action of Gloucester and withdrew from the alliance with Bed- ford. The Duke of Brittany followed his example. Bedford saw that his only safety lay in immediate action. He determined to cross the Loire, which HENRY VI. 133 Character- istics of " the Maid of Orleans." separated the English from the French possessions, and to carry the war into the province which ac- knowledged the Dauphin Charles. Orleans, an im- portant stronghold on the north of the river, was still held by the French. Bedford, knowing that the con- quest of all the southern part of the country would follow the capture of Orleans, re- QriSiw solved to lay siege to the city before enter- ing on his intended campaign. Accordingly, the 1428 city was invested by ten thousand men and Charles A.D. was powerless to relieve it. But help was at hand. Joan d'ArC. — In Domremi, a little village in the neighborhood of Vaucouleurs, on the borders of Lor- raine and Champagne, lived a peasant girl named Joan d'Arc. She was a " good girl, simple and pleasant in her ways," spinning and sewing by her mother's side, tender to the poor and sick, fervent in the practice of religion, and especially devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mother of God. She saw the un- happy state to which her country and countrymen were reduced by the wars. Her whole nature summed itself up in one intense passion — she had '* pity on the fair realm of France." English Driven from Orleans.— While she was thus daily absorbed in thought and prayer for her country, St. Michael, as the legend relates, appeared to her and told her she was to be its de- liverer. She was to go at once to the Dau- phin Charles, and make known to him the mission which Heaven had given to her. She obeyed the command of the archangel, proceeded to Chinon, where she found Charles, and told him everything as she was instructed to do. She told him that the de- Vision of St. Michael. i ] It" 134 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Hverance of her country was near, and that in a Joand'Aro ^'^^ ^'"'^ ^^ "^""''^ ^'^ crowned king at at the Head of the French Army. Joan d'Aro taken Frii- oner and burned as a Witch. Rheims. Charles received her as a heaven sent messenger, and next day on a white charger she placed herself at the head of the French army. Her presence on the scene dispirited the English, while it gave courage 1429 to the French troops. The English were driven from A »• the walls of Orleans. This circumstance has given to Joan the name " Maid of Orleans." Charles Crowned : Joan's Death— At the head of the French troops she escorted Charles to Rheims, where he was crowned. Joan now felt that her mission was ended and begged leave to return home. But the king would not let her go. Next year, while leading the French troops in an engage- ment with the English, she was taken pris- oner by the latter and brought to Rouen. Here, to the lasting disgrace of the English, her captors, and of the French, her countrymen,' who made no effort to save her, she, after a long imprison- 1431 ment, was publicly burned as a witch and heretic. '•° Soon after this terrible event the young King Henry was brought over to Paris, where he was crowned king of France—for him an empty title. Success after success attended the French army; the death of Bedford gave the finishing blow to English Death of rule in France; and in fifteen years more Bedford. not ^ f^^t ^f French territory, except Calais, remained in possession of England. Henry's Marriage : Fall of Gloucester— Meanwhile Disturbance ^^'^? "^f disturbance at home owing to the ai Home. " ' "" '^" "^"^ iJUKt oi vrloucesier and Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, afterwards Cardinal P-aufort, who was a descendant HENRY VI. 135 of John of Gaunt. Gloucester was in favor of continu- ing the war with France, Beaufort, in favor of peace; and each wished to have full control over the king and kingdom. The king was weak mentally and physically, and was not tit to deal vigorously with the troubles and dangers which threatened his throne and state. He was gentle and ^j^^ j. timid, seeking retirement rather than the cares of sovereignty, more fitted for the cloister than the court. His marriage with Margaret of Anjou, a 1446 princess of great strength of mind, daughter of Rene, ^•^* titular king of Sicily, Naples, and Jerusalem, was brought about by Beaufort, whose party henceforth received all her support. The wife of Gloucester was ^44^ accused of witchcraft; Gloucester himself was accused A.D. of trccson, which led to his imprisonment and death. He was much regretted by the pg^th people; his murder — for such it really was — stirred them up still more against the Crown. Beaufort lived only two months after his rival's death. Fall of Suffolk. — The troubles of England were in- creasing. The Duke of Suffolk, who became first favor- ite and minister after the death of Beaufort, increasintr was much disliked by the people. They Troubles of looked upon him as partly responsible for I!°gland. the death of Gloucester, and wholly responsible for the loss of certain French provinces by the marriage set- tlements of Henry and Margaret. He was impeached ' by the House of Commons and sentenced to five years' banishment. On his way across the English Channel he was seized by some of his enemies, who were determined that he should not escape what they 1450 considered to be his just punishment. He was taken ^ ^• into a boat and beheaded. .1: 136 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Richard, Duke of York.-The growing dissatisfac- tion of nobles and people, together with the weakness Growing °^ "^"''^ ^""^ '''' advisers, made them turn Discontent, towards Richard, Duke of York, as one more fitted to hold the reins of Govern- ment. To Richard himself, as we shall see further on, this movement was a welcome one. Cade's Rebellion— A popular rising under Jack M50 Cade added to the confusion. Twenty thousand men gathered to his standard on Blackheath; and from this Gathering encampment he sent to the government heafh*'^' ^ ''^^ ""^ grievances to be redressed. His demands being unheeded, he entered Lon- don, which for some days was at the mercy of his fol- lowers. At last the citizens drove him outside the walls, and his army broke up and dispersed. Many believed that this rising was instigated by the Duke of York. The Duke of Somerset succeeded Suffolk as prime minister. This displeased the Duke of York, who was The Duke of """^ °" ^°'''^ ^^''"'^ "^'^^ Somerset. York Somerset. turned over from Ireland, of which country he was then governor; and endeavored to have Somerset removed from office, but without suc- cess. Thus another element of trouble- and discord was introduced. York as Regent.— The king's health was failing, • and his illness now took the form of insanity. Dur- 1454 ing his retirement, the Duke of York acted as regent; A-D. and when Henry on his recovery wished to resume the government, York was unwilling to give it up. He and his friends now boldly declared Jh?Th— ' ^''^^ ^'^ ^'^^^ ^^ ^^^ throne was better th.an Henry's ; and soon the kingdom was plunged into all the horrors of civil war HENKV VT. 137 York's Claim Examined.— It may be well to exam- ine here Richard's claim to the throne. Referring to the genealogical tree it will be seen that, as the descendant of Edmund of Langley, Richard stood next in succession to Henry if the latter died without direct heirs. The birth of a son to Henry voided this claim. But, as the descendant of Lionel, the elder brother of John of Gaunt, Henry's ancestor, Richard stood, in strict hereditary right, before the House of Lancaster. The claim of Lionel had passed to the House of Mortimer (see genealogical tree); and through Anne, the heiress of the Mortimers, who had wedded Richard's father, they passed to Richard. There was, however, no constitutional ground for limiting the right of Parliament to set aside an elder branch in favor of a younger one; and Parliament had already acted thus in giving the throne to the House of Lancaster. Possession, too, told _ „, . against the Yorkist claims. To modern not well minds, the best reply to theircontention lay foimded. in the words used at a later time by Henry himself: *' My father was king, his father also was king, I myself have worn the crown forty years from my cradle; you have all sworn fealty to me as your sovereign; and your fathers have done the like to mine. How, then, can my right be disputed ?" Long and undisturbed possession, as well as a distinctly legal title by the free vote of Parliament, was in favor of the House of Lan- caster. Wars of the Roses.— Richard now resolved to 1465 support his claim by force of arms; and thus began ^•^• the "Wars of the Roses," so called from the emblems •of the rival houses — that of the Lancastrians being a red rose, that of the Yorkists a white one. mj I ^fU 11 ' i' pi m' 138 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. H55 The hostile armies first met at St. Albans. Somer- The Royal ^et led tlie royal forces, which were de- I:I::L I^T^- ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^" ^"^ the king was taken prisoner. A hollow peace and an empty reconciliation fol- lowed and the king was liberated. But the discovery of a plot to destroy the Earl of Warwick and several A.D At Bloreheath in Staffordshire another battle vvas fought; the Lancastrians were once more defeated Parliament makes a Compromise.— The next en. Heogagement took place at Northampton, and ended in A.D. disaster for the Lancastrians. Henry was once more taken prisoner; the queen and her young son fled to Scotland. A meeting of Parliament was held at Westminster, and here Richard formally asserted his claim to the throne. But it was decided that Henry should be undisturbed until his death, and that Rich- ard should be his successor-an arrangement which did not please either party. 1460 Margaret, unwilling to see her son deprived of the A.J). right to succeed his father, collected an army in The York- Scotland, and, marching southwards, met ists defeated the Yorkists at Wakefield in Yorkshire Duke slain ,! ^"^ Lancastrians were victorious for • the first time. The Duke of York was slain, and his second son, the Duke of Rutland, was cruelly murdered by Lord Clifford. The cause of the white rose was now taken up by Edward, son of the late Duke of York. He succeeded 1461 to his father's title and claims upon the throne. In • • the battle of Mortimer's Cross he avenged the death of his father and brother by the defeat of the Lan- castrians. I ■ If: ■ |i HENRY VI. 139 Margaret was advancing on London, and, meeting the Yorkists under Warwick at St. Albans, fouglit the second battle of St. Albans. She was victorious, and recovered the person of the king. Her army lost time in pillage, while Edward struck boldly upon London, which he entered amid cries of "j^Qj^gHyfi "Long live King Edward!" Here, in an King assembly of prelates, peers, and citizens, Edward!" he was declared king, 3d March, 1461. Thus ended ^^^^ the reign, though not the life, of Henry VI. ^ p. Education : Parliament : The franchise. -Although the close of Henry's reign shows England in all the turmoil and disaster of a civil war, and shorn of all the possessions added to it by the victories of his father, "the gentler virtues of Henry bore other fruits of more lasting benefit than the crown of Bol- ingbroke and the laurels of Agincourt." Eton and King's College, Cambridge, were founded by Henry; Queen's College, Cambridge, es°tabuth«d. by Margaret. Many other colleges and schools were established ; churches and religious houses increased and flourished. Parliament gained additional power ; and in this reiffu, instead of \.\\& petition to the king, we find the bill introduced, and the act passed ^^^^^ ^f by the " King, Lords, and Commons" as it Parliament, is now. By an act passed in the early part of the reign, the right of voting in shires was restricted to freeholders who held land worth forty shillings a year— a sum equal to twenty pounds sterling of the present day. This was correctly called the " great disfranchising statute." It tuo'ii away from a large numi^er tiie right of voting ; and it was one of the grievances complained of by Cade and his followers. t I. ^' iM If i HOUSE OF YORK. A.D. 1461 to A.D. 1488. Edward IV.. Edward V . . Richard III.. ..A.D. 1461 to A.D. 1483 •AD. 1483 to A.D. 1483. •A.D. 1483 to A.D. 1485. Margaret's Last Attempt: Fate 01 Henry: Margaret and her Don. War with Prance: Treaty of Pecguigny. Clarence and Gloucester Edward's Death and Character Constitutional History: The New Monarchy. CHAPTER I. EDWARD IV. A.D. 1461 to A.D. 1483. Wars of the Roses Continued. Edward's Quarrel with War- wick: Results. The Duke of Clarence. Exile of Wnrwick and Clar- ence. ^ft^,''" of Warwick: Edward Dethroned : Henry, King Edward Regains the Throne. ,,^vv 1 Invention of Printing. Wars of the Roses Continued.- For ten years of th,s re,g„ Henry lived. Edward was nominaUy k ne but a large party still ad!,ered to Henry. The nor"h' Margaret's ^"^ met the Lancastrians at Towton in Yorkshire, where the bloodiest battle of the war was fought, ending in the utter rout of Margaret's army. I is saM th:t nearly forty thousand were slain. Henry Margaret, and their son fled to Scotland Hdward returned to London, where he was crowned 140 Army routed at Towton. Edward crowned King. EDWAI D TV. 141 kinpf. A parliament met, confirmed Edward's title lo the throne, and decreed confiscation and execution against the followers of Henry. Margaret looked to Scotland for help; but that coun- try, torn by factions owing to the king's minority, 1484 was unable to give her aid. She then passed over to^-^- France, where, by permission of the king, she raised an army and returned to Eng- yalswTan- land. In the battle of Hedgely Moor, and, other Army, a few days later, in the battle of Hexham, JjJ^ijJf"'^ she was again defeated. Giving up all hope of success, Henry and Margaret fled — the former to Wales, the latter to the court of her father. After a year's hiding, Henry fell into the hands of the York- ists, and was imprisoned in the tower of London. All hope for the red rose now seemed lost. Edward, secure in possession of the kingdom, might have held it in peace, were it not that he gave offence to the Earl of Warwick, and drove him into the ranks of the Lancastrians. Edward's Quarrel with Warwick : Results.— Nego- tiations for the king's marriage were in progress. The Earl of Warwick was sent to France by Edward to solicit for him the hand of a princess of Savoy. While the Earl was on this mission, Edward privately married Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Sir John Grey, who had fallen in the second battle of St. Albans. Warwick was deeply offended at this. He was still more offended when he saw that the highest honors and the most distinguished posi- tions in the state were given to the queen's "Warwick, relations. The ill-feeling between him and the king increased, and at last resulted in the re- bellion of the Earl. 142 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 111. i 11 iiii ^ The Duke of Clarence.—The Duke of Clarence 1469 ^^^ ^^^^ married a daughter of Warwick, joined his A.D. father-in-law. A battle was fought at Edgecote near Banbury, in which the royal forces were defeated and the queen's father and brother slain. Exile of Warwick and Clarence.— Next year War- wick and Clarence were obliged to leave England Meeting xMargaret at the court of Louis of France' they made common cause against Edward, and to cement this union, the young Edward, Margaret's son was married to Anne, daughter of the Earl. Return of Warwick: Results.— Warwick returned to England, where he was soon at the head of a large 1470 army. Edward was obliged to flee, and found refuge • • at the court of his brother-in-law, the Duke of Bur- Warwick a gundy. Henry VI. was released from the make?"" V''^^'' ^""^ ''"''^ """''^ ^^^^^^ °" ^^e throne. • These events gained for Warwick the title "King-maker." Edward Regains the Throne.-In six months Ed- ward landed in the north of England with a number of foreign troops, in part supplied by the Duke of Burgundy. Marching southward, he was joined by many deserters from Warwick, among the rest the fickle Duke of Clarence. He entered the capital in triumph, and Henry was once more driven from the throne. Returning on their march, Edward's forces those of Warwick on the fatal field of Barnet Heath, a little north of London. Here an- other desperate battle was fought, in which the King-maker and many of the nobles attached to his cause were slain. Henry was again taken prisoner and again committed to the Tow^r Margaret's Last Attempt.— On the very day of the battle of Barnet, Margaret landed in England, and 1471 A.D. met Death of Warwick. EDWARD IV. 143 The Lancas- trians meet with Dis- aster at Tewksbury. heard the sad news of the defeat and death of War- wick. She resolved to make one effort more ; but in ^^.^j an attempt to join her forces with those of one of her AD supporters, the Earl of Pembroke, who had raised an army in Wales, she was met at Tewksbury by the royal troops. Here the Lancastrians made their last stand. Mar- garet was defeated ; she and her son taken prisoners. The young prince, now eighteen years of age, was cruelly murdered in Edward's presence by the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester. Next day Henry was found dead in the Tower; and after a captivity of four years, Margaret was ransomed by the King of France. War with France: Treaty of Pecguigny— The Duke of Burgundy, brother-in-law to Edward, claim of the was at war with the King of France. He Plantage- invited Edward to revive the old claim of °«jj^«^^° ^^^ the Plantagenets to the throne of that coun- France try, promising his assistance. The English revived. Parliament approved of the scheme, and granted lib- eral supplies for the expedition. Besides this, Edward took other means to ** increase his hoard." He called before him the merchants of the city and requested from each a present, or a " benevolence," as he was pleased to call it. With a large army, he landed at Calais; but as the Duke of Burgundy did not meet him with the prom- ised help, he was much pleased to receive a message of peace and alliance from the King of France Treaty of Pecguigny was made, enacting that Edward should receive seventy-five t^e^reaty. thousand crowns at once, ritty thousan a for the ransom of Margaret, and fifty thousand annually: TheA.D. 1 . ! 144 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. and that the Dauphin should marry Elizabeth Ed ward s eldest daughter. This was characterisu'c of Edward. He taxed his subjects for the war; and taxed the King of France for the peace, thus making a large money gain, of which he was very fond Clarence and Gloucester—Edward never forgave Uarence for his alliance with Margaret and Warvvick Gloucester, who had married Anne, widow of the late Prince Edward and daughter of the Earl of Warwick was anxious to obtain the whole of the earl's estates^ A dependent of the Duke of Clarence having spoken disrespectfully of the king, was tried and executed Clarence openly expressed his indignation at the in^ Clarence justice of the sentence. This was construed Selth l"'"" '''^?" ^^^'"^^ th^ king. The unfor- • tunate Clarence was taken to the Tower where he was put to death : popular report says he was drowned in a butt of wine. Edward's Death and Character.-News of the marriage between the Dauphin of France and the rich heiress of Burgundy-a distinct breach of faith on the part of the King of France-reached Edward This Seized by a "^'^^ ^'"^ '"^"^ '"''^ ^ '^^''"^ ^^ P^^sion that, rever. while preparing an expedition to avenge 1433 after a few days terminated fatally, his constitution A.D. weakened by excesses, being unable to bear up against ?T.^'' ^^'' ^^y' ^" ^^^^^'^^s of piety, and commanded that restitution be made to all whom he had wronged. " As a mere boy Edward showed him- self the ablest and most pitiless among the warriors of the evil war. In the first flush of manhood he looked on with a cool ruthlessness while e-rav-h^irpH noDles were hurried to the block, or whUe his Lan^ EDWARD IV. 145 " More subtle in Treachery than War- wick him- self." castrian child-rival was stabbed at his feet. In his later race for power he had shown himself more subtle in treachery than even War- wick himself." When his final triumph came and he was firmly established on the throne, he gave himself up to every vicious indulgence. He was an able politician, and "laid the foundation of an absolute rule which Henry VH. did little more than develop and con- solidate." Constitutional History: New Monarchy.— in this reign, not only did all parliamentary progress towards greater freedom and power cease, but the legislative activity of Parliament itself mentary comes abruptly to an end. The reign of Progress Edward the Fourth is the first since that of °^«°^^«*- John in which not a single law that promoted freedom or remedied the abuses of power was even proposed to Parliament. With this reign begins what is called the "New Monarchy," the "all-absorbing, unre- strained despotism " of the kings. The fall of great houses in the Wars of the Roses, the confiscati(tn of land so that nearly a fifth of the kingdom was the personal property of the sovereign, Edwfird's immense profits from his own trade in tin, cloth, and wool, — all tended to make him independent of Parliament, and to enable him to deal a deadly blow at tht liberty of the people. Invention of Printing.— In 1474, Wiiiian Caxton, a London merchant, having learned the art of printing on the Continent, set up the first printing-press in England. It is easy to see what effect his had on the intellectual life of the country. Books heretofore published in manuscript Caxton. 146 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. were now printed; and, costing but one fifth of the old prices, they came within reach of all who desired to possess them. i 1 < ; CHAPTEE II. EDWARD V. A.D 1483. April 9 to June 26 (Dethroned). TT- T% . °* t^® young Kinjj. His Designs upon the Throne. Buckingham. H83 Gloucester Seizes Edward and his Brother.-On the death of his father. Prince Edward, who had been staying with his uncle, Ean Rivers, set out for Lon- don under the protection of the earl and other rela- tives and followers. They were met by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who had evidently come to the conclusion that it was an easy task to wrest the crown from a boy twelve years old. He seized Rivers an ready severed herself from the communion Bmuted"'"' °^ '^^ ^^"'■^h. Acts of Parliament had Head of the been passed making Henry the head of EnglaniV ^^^ ^^"'"^ '" England, and his subjects ParUament. ^^^^ called on, under the penalty attached to high treason, to acknowledge his su- premacy and the lawfulness of his late marriage. Inquisitorial power was given to the government to call on any one they pleased and oblige him to ex- press his convictions on these points. The cruel work began with the monasteries. Henry hated them for their refusal to acknowledge him as head HENRY VIII. 169 of the Church, and he coveted their revenues. His agents trumped up false charges against the monks and nuns. The Protestant historian Green says: <' The character of the visitors, the sweeping nature of their report, and the long debate which fallowed on its reception, leave little doubt that the charges were grossly exaggerated." The state of the country at this time is described by Green as follows: " From the enslavement of the clergy, from the gagging of the pulpits, from the suppression of the monasteries the bulk of the nation held aloof. It is only through the stray depositions of royal |1^*^ f* spies that we catch a glimpse of the v/rath England, and hate which lay seething under this silence of a whole people. For the silence was a silence of terror. Before Cromwell's rise and after his fall the reign of Henry VHI. witnessed no more than the common tyranny and bloodshed of the time. But the years of Cromwell's administration form the one period in our history which deserves the name given to the rule of Robespierre. It was the * Reign of Terror' in England." The order for the suppression of the monasteries led to the destruction of six hundred and Begtmction forty-five religious houses, one hundred ofllonai- and ten endowed hospitals, two thousand ^^^^> •^• three hundred and seventy-four chantries and chapels, and ninety colleges. The revenue which thus went to the king and his favorites, to whom he gave the hous« and lands, amounted to one hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling a year besides the value of the movable property. Cromwell himself received thirty abbeys as his share of the plunder. The destruction of the monasteries caused great i I70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. II discontent amung the people. The n,onks had been DlMontent g°°° landlords and hospitable entertain,r= •mong til. of all travellers- -jnri h=H k ^"'■^"'■^'""^ People. , . '^'^^' -""d had been accustomed thinsr, ,„ = r ^'"^ """^ '""■"• '■■""■ «"««'. and other things to all comers. Soon risings took place e.nf peared i^T «,.""' '""""=■ ^ ^^^' """i'-de ap- was dirm. "^'d' "a^^hi-gunder a banner whereon was displayed the crucifix, the chalice, and the Sacred Host while .„ their sleeves they wire badges of the F,ve Wounds, This they called the't^lfrf^ restored to the.r abbeys. Henry was so alarmed tZ Henry', he thought it advisable to treat with the tti. '"'"Agents, Deceived by his fair promises! the people returned to their homes But after a few months, finding that Henry fa Ld to keep h,s promises, they again took the field Tl e k.ng was prepared for them on this occasion, hav ng ou rv The P"^«^ga-i-ns over th; whol! country. The poor people were taken and hanged Toh '^•- T'T^ '"" prevailing for the time. ^ John Fisher •Cardinal Bishop of Rochester and Sir Thomas More* next fell victims to Henry's Vrannv Hen?;: X"'' '° • ''"''"' ''' -'ing's -premry. Henry s religious opinions were very strano-e Im ordered ': t: '"-"P"'"-" «' 'he'monirriesTe ordered a law to be passed, sometimes called from the persecufons which followed, the "Bloody St!" whodeSdtreTlp' "^""' P^"^"- °" «»o- the dead ceih . l^'^""^' Confession, Masses for Istic vows and J ? n" ""''^^' """'ga"""^ of "lon- asti^2^s^andJiolyCommi^ in both kinds HENRY VIII. 171 The last to suffer from Henry's tyranny was the Earl of Surrey; his father, the Duke of Norfolk^ escaped a similar fate by the death of Henry. Constitutional History.— This may be summed up very brieliy. Parliament assembled only to sanction acts of unscrupulous tyranny, or to build up g^|,ggj.. by its own statutes the great fabric of ab- viency of solute rule. All the constitutional safe- Parliament, guards of English freedom were swept away. Arbitrary taxation, arbitrary legislation, arbitrary imprisonment, were powers claimed without dispute and unsparingly used by the Crown. Henry's Character and Deatii.— Henry had six wives, of whom some he divorced, others he caused to be executed on charges brought against them. Three of these wives bore him children: Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon; Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn; and Edward, son of Jane Seymour. The character of Henry it is unnecessary to sketch in formal words. His acts, recorded in the preceding pages, tell but too plainly what he was. He died as he had lived. Historians tell of the dark cloud of despair that hung over his last '^^ -^^t*^! moments, his fearful cry of " Monks ! Moments, monks!" either because he saw the spec- tres of his stained and slaughtered victims round his couch, or because the remorse and terror which were gnawing his soul were crying out for repent- ance, for confession, ere it was too late. They tell how in the last moments, when, scorched with the burning thirst of death, he called for a cup of wine, and, turning to his attendants, uttered in accents of unspeakable terror the words, " All is lost!" and im- mediately expired. As his body, which was one mass of disease and corruption, was carried to Windsor, it 1/2 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Henry's Blood licked tip by a Dog. rested during the night amid the broken walls of Sion Abbey, one of those which had been desecrated by his sacrilegious hands. Here the coffin burst; and the blood of t'ie spoiler was licked up by a dog, fulfillinp V, u . u prophecy made by one of the friars who had been expelled from his monastery We have dwelt at some length on this reign; but the unhappy movement which led to the severance of England from the Rock of Peter is too grave in itse f and in Its consequences to permit our passing over It briefly. ° It has been claimed that the new faith gave to the He.nitof.n ^^°P^^ '" ^^'^ ''^^^"' ^"^ ^o'' the first time, Ee.^Uofan ^n '• open Bible." The open Bible in the Bible." sense in which it is here used has resulted in the confusion of sects into which the Protestant system has resolved itself. But, as has f !!! '^T,'?', ^"'"'^ '^^ "^^y' °^ ^^^'^^ ^^'■tain portions rII.!h Th ^^^^J'-^^^l^t^d for the use of the masses. Blessed Thomas More speaks of exact and f?ithful r productions of the sacred text in use in Enp-lnnd before the time of Wyclifife. It was only erroneous translations of the Bible, favoring heresy or schism which had been condemned by the Church. It must be remembered that in more primitive times most of those who could read at all could read the Latin Bible. A knowledge of Latin was much more widely TT.o-B-1,1 i ^^^"sed than at present, so that the Bible MeSiJval ^^^^"^^ to the wall in many of the paro- England. chial churches of mediaeval England gave a large number of people access to the Sacred Scriptures. Moreover, the study of Holy Writ was a part of the education given in the paro- chial and cathedral schools. CHAPTER III. I 31 I'! EDWARD VI. A.D. 1P47 to A.D. 1553. Edward's Accession : itegency. Proposed Marriage : Conse- quences. Protestantism Established. Discontent of the People. Fate of Somerset. Nortliumberland : the Succes- sion. Constitutional History. Edward's Character and Death. Edward's Accession: Regency.— Edward, only son of Henry, succeeded to the throne in the tenth year of his age. In accordance with the will of the late king, a council of sixteen was appointed to m.'jnage the affairs of government during Edward's minority. The president of this council was Edward's uncle (brother to Queen Jane Seymour), the TheCoundl The first act of the of Regency Earl of Hertford. council was to create new peerages and f°rich raise the rank of old ones. Hertford be- came Duke of Somerset; his brother, Baron Seymour. But as titles without revenues were of little value, the no es were enriched out of the church lands. Hav- ing made themselves comfortable, the council pro- ceeded to look after the nation. Somerset caused himself to be raised to the dignity of Protector of the kingdom, with power equal to that of a king. Proposed Marriage of Edward: Consequences.— As we saw in the last reign, Henry desired a marriage between Edward and Mary the young Queen of Scots. The Protector made another attempt to bring about this union; but the Scotch Parliament refused 173 '74 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I mrits sanction. This so displeased the Protector that Scotland ^^ invaded Scotland, and defeated the invaded. =>cotch army in the battle of Pinkie Marv fim. u "^^^ '^"^ ^"^ ^'''^"'"' ^^^''^^ i" <^0"rse of FrTncis n."'' "'""' '" ''^ ^^"^''•"' ^^^— ^s Protestantism Established.-The work of - Refor inat,on"wenton. Cranmer and Somerset were re thlltate'' "^^^'^^^^"'^^^ ^^-Id be the religion of The Parliament met and placed all offices, includ- ing bishoprics, m the king's hands. The bishops Progres, of ^^^f' acknowledging the king's supremacy ■''S«°' T^ the new doctrines, were reappointed ^^^Refbrma- during pleasure. The statute of "Six Ar- tides" was repealed. All the remaining ecclesiastical property was vested in the crown nom mally for learning and religion, but really 'to be divided among the new nobility. The work thus begun was continued by the council, which had already regulated preaching by the publication of twelve -homilies" or sermons to be read in all the churches. A committee of bishops and divines was appointed to "amend " the offices of the Church. They produced the "Book of Common Prayer," which was to take the place of the Missal. The use of the new ....?. ^^^ enjoined by Parliament, which now passed 1. IB the first "Act of Uniformity." Thus was the greatest and most worthy of all acts of worship-sacrifice- banished from the new creed. The altars were re moved, there was no longer any need for them- the sanctuary lamp was extinguished, the Real Presence had fled to other shrines; crucifixes, images of the The Offices of the Church "amended." EDWARD VI. 175 Blessed Mother of God and the saints, were cast out; confession was abolished. All the bishops except two — Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, and Bonner, Bishop of Lon- Acqules- don — silently acquiesced in these measures, o«oo« o( the which, however, met with stern opposition persecu- from the people. It soon became apparent tions. that strong measures must be taken with those who clung to the old faith. The country was divided into districts; wandering preachers were sent into them to preach blasphemies against the Holy Sacrifice and other Catholic doctrines. Many persons were exe- cuted. Great efforts were made to induce the Princess Mary of England to give up the Catholic faith; but her own steadfastness and the power of her cousin Charles V. of Germany protected her from the per- secution of the times. Discontent of the People.— The change of religion was not the only cause of discontent among the peo- ple. They were in sore distress. The rapacious nobles who had taken the prop- tjJe'p'gL^g erty of which the Church had been robbed, enclosed great quantities of land for the feeding of sheep. This, on account of the high price of wool, was more profitable than growing crops. Hence, thousands of laborers and tenant-farmers were re- duced to beggary. The mendicants who had for- merly obtained relief from the charity of the monks now swarmed over the country, often obtaining assistance from travellers under threats of violence. The savage law that any man who lived idly and loitered about for three days to- J*^"^*^®^ gether should be burned with the letter V (Vagrant) on his breast, made a slave, and wear an 176 IllSTOKY OF ENGLAND. iron fetter, still further exasperated the people and drove then, to revolt. The Protector became a rme", and bands of foreign soldiers hired for a war all t Scotland were sent to qnell the disturbance I needless to follow the events of this dreadful time Deeds of v.o ence and massacre were followed bv scenes o wholesale plunderof the remaining property of the Church. " Revolt was stamped outfn blood " Fall Of Somerset.-The blame for these ditufb ances was laid on Somerset, and prepared Zlt lord '<"■ "^'^ downfall. His brother. Lord Sev- SflrmoM. '"""', who held the post of High Admiral of England, had married Catherine Parr w,dow of Henry VIH. On her death. Sevmou; aspired to tHe hand of the Princess E i'abeT Secretly jealous of the power of his brother, he worked qu.etly for his overthrow. His designs were d°scov ered; he was committed to the Tower and executed Somerset was now in a dangerous position The execution of his brother excited a general fee ini^f hatred against him; his sympathy^:;? h^peoU estranged the nobles; and his destruction of churche' and other rel,g,ous houses, which he pulled down to bu.ld h.s house in London-still known as Somerset House-increased his unpopularity """erset Dudley, Earl of Warwick, son of Dudley who was Son..r«f, put to death by Henry VHI., was now the Powerful formidab e rival of Somcr-iBf c„ IUv»I. »,.,.„. ■>"""■ Somerset. So success- ful were his schemes that the Protector was arrested on charges of treason and plouin ' agamst the lives of certain members of the Jove n im ment^ He was acquitted on the first charge^ bulwas" found gudty on the second, and was beheaded Horthumberland.-Warwick, made Duke of North EDWARD VI. 177 umberland, now became Protector; and, owing to the declining health of the king, ruled the king and kingdom with absolute authority. The ,M;reat ambition of Northumberland was to p^*^««- secure the crown for his own family. To Great lliis end he caused the marriage of his son Ambition. Lord Guilford Dudley, to Lady Jane Grey, great grand- daughter of Henry VIL (see genealogical table). By working on the religious prejudices of the king and stirring up his fears that a Catholic sovereign would succeed him, Northumberland induced him to set aside ilie claims of Mary, Elizabeth, and Mary Queen of wScots, and make Lady Jane Grey his suc- cessor. At first Edward was not willing to Edward do this; but when he summoned the iudg-es "i»°» ."'^^y to draw up the deed and they pointed out dom from to him that his intended action was illegal, J^f '^^fi^^- requiring an Act of Parliament to authorize " ^*^''' it he became angry, and was now as anxious to sign away his kingdom from the rightful heir, Mary, as he was before opposed to it. The document was drawn up, and immediately received the signature of the king. Constitutional History— The Parliament of this reign was, as usual, the creature of the king in pass- ing laws for the oppression of the people and for the establishment of the new religion. Edward's Character and Death —Edward has re- ceived extravagant praises from Protestant histori- ans; but the character of a boy of sixteen can scarcely be looked on as formed. He was attentive and industrious in his studies; made a ^"A'^dent great show of statesmanship; w^as pious ^'^®'®'**°*- according to his light; was warmly atcached to the 178 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Protestant cause, and hated the old faith with a vio- lent hatred. The last prayer on his lips was that God would defend the nation from " papistry" and maintain •• His true religion." For some years Kdward had been in delicate health. Consumption finally seized on his weak frame, and he was placed under the care of a woman who pre- 1668 tended to be able to cure him. He died on 6th July '^'^ 1553- \ CHAPTER IV. MARY I. A.D. 1853 to A.D. 1558. Mary's Aoceasion. Re-establiahment of the Cath- olio Faith. Proposed Marriage of Mary: Oonsequenoes. Mary's Marriage. Beligious IVoubles. War with France. Mary's Character and Death. Mary's Accession.— The scheme for placing Lady Jane Grey on the throne was destined to prove a failure. The temper of the whole people rebelled against so lawless a usurpation. The Council no sooner saw the popular reaction than they proclaimed Mary Queen. The fleet and the levies of the shires declared in her favor. Northumbe. land's courage gave way; he retired to Cambridge, where he was one of the first to throw up his cap and shout, *' Long live Queen Mary!" She entered London among the ac- Mary's clamations of the people. Her first act was First Act. to liberate those eminent persons who had ClLenoy ^^*^" imprisoned in the last reign. Among these were Bishops Gardiner, Tonstal, and Bonner, the Duke of Norfolk, and Lord Courtney. MARY I. 179 From a list of t fho had beet wenty-fivc persons who naa been leadtTS in the attempt to deprive her of the throne, who had thus been guilty of treason, and who, by the law of the land, deserved death, she struck off sixteen names with her own hands. Of the remain- ing niiie, only three were executed — Northumberland and two of his associates. They died professing themselves Catholics and exhorting the people to return to the true faith. Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Bishops Cranmer and Ridley— all of whom bad taken part in Northumberland's rebellion — were committed tc vhe Tower. Re-establishment of the Catholic Faith.— As was perfectly natural, Mary's next step was the re-estab- lishment of the Catholic faith. Until the consent of Parliament had been obtained none were to be inter- fered with on account of their religion; but in the mean time five Catholic prelates who had been deprived of their sees were restored. J^B^tored Mass was solemnly celebrated in Canter- and Mmb bury Cathedral. Mary was crowned with ''•^•^'*t«d. all the pomp of Catholic ceremonial by Bishop Gar- diner, who was now raised to the dignity of Chancellor. In October following, Mary opened her first Parlia- 1683 ment. In accordance with the ancient form, all the ^ ^• peers assisted at the Mass of the Holy Ghost. This Parliament once more affirmed the validity of the mar- riage between Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon, and passed an act restoring the Catholic religion. Mary's next step was to bring England once more into communion with the Holy See. But „ , here came her first difficulty. The Lords First * and Commons, who were willing enough Difficulty. to see the Catholic religion the religion of the State, I So HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ' ! II did not like so well the establishment of the Pope s authority. They had been enriched with the spoils of the Church; and they had a very natural fear that the first act of a papal legate would be to oblige them to make restitution of the ill-gotten goods. They swore they would never part with their church lands so long as they could wield a weapon. Mary, there- fore, had to postpone this part of her plan until she consulted the Pope. Proposed Marriage of Mary: Consequences.- In the mean lime the question of Mary's marriage dis- turbed the kingdom. It was thp desire of Charles V., Emperor of Germany, that she should marry his son,' Philip II. of Spain; Mary's own inclinations were in favor of the match. With many this marriage was unpopular, and it led to insurrection. Two risings under the Duke of Suffolk and Sir Peter Carew were easily quelled- but another under Sir Thomas Wyatt, a Catholic by pro- fession, was more formidable. Opposed to the match on purely national grounds, he was desirous to bring about a marriage between Lord Courtney and the Princess Elizabeth, and to place the latter on her sister's throne. The insurgents were defeated; Wyatt was taken prisoner and sent to the Towsr. This rebellion had the sympathy, if not the help, of France. It led to the execution of Suffolk, and sealed the fate of his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, who with her hus- band was executed. AD* Union of Mary's Marriage— Some months later "England Mary was married to Philip of Spain. The - Sily S^e ^^'■^"looy ^ook place in Winchester Cathe- ■ dral, and was marked by extraordinary magnificence. Soon after this the great desire of her Insurrec- tion. MARY I. I8l life was accomplished — the union of England with the Holy See. Cardinal Reginald Pole was appointed Papal Legate, and was empowered by the Pope to assure to all holdere oi church property undisturbed possession of their lands. Religious Troubles.— Now began those shameful acts of the Protestant party — acts which, unhappily, led to the execution of great Shameful numbers. The agents of that party were p'^^J^t^^f busy stirring up the people to sedition and Party, exciting them to the grossest irreverences. Those who had fled from England on Mary's acces- sion poured into the country floods of literature, which, with disgusting profanity, boldly advocated the dethronement of the queen. Mary's death was especially prayed for by some of them, and the vilest calumnies were circulated regarding her. Men were hired to sing abominable ballads, to disseminate Protestant doctrines, and to mimic in ale-houses and other places of public resort the most sacred cere- monies of the Catholic faith. In one church the priest was attacked at the altar and stabbed as he was giving Holy Communion ; in another the Blessed Sacrament was taken from the tabernacle and tram- pled under foot. The queen's chaplains were often fired at in the streets. Gardiner and his colleagues proceeded, therefore, to put into execution the law of the land against heresy. This statute was passed one hundred and fifty -four years J^ainsf^** before, and had been occasionally en- Heresy en- forced. The severity with which this law ^°'^'^®^- was carried out cannot be excused : but it must be remembered that the punishment was inflicted by the civil law, not by the Church, and that these exe- llil'! «f#' it, 'Ml i 1 M » lit! I 1 82 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I i! cutions were not general throughout the kingdom Many Catholics opposed the executions. But, unl Bloody fortunately, the spirit of the times was a fhi'limes u'^^"^^ 'P'"'- "^"'■y ^"I- began the in- »• human work ; and the spirit of persecu- tion seemed to have grown in the very nature of the rulers of the age. The insulting and treasonable at- titude of the Protestants towards Mary, described be- fore while it does not palliate the executions, shows the deep provocation for them. War With France.-The intrigues of the French Court with the English Protestants, and the enmity of Phihp against France, led to a war with that country. An ajmy of Spaniards and English invaded 1557 In' -^""^ ^'^'^'"^ '^^ ^'*^"^»^ ^^ ^he battle of llll ^^- Q'^entin. But this victory was insignificant com- ^•^' Calaistaken ^f'^^ "'''^ '^^ ^^'^ ^'' ^^'^^'^^ ^^ich took by the P^^^^ "ot long after. This city, which had Frt^oh. been in the possession of the English for two hundred and eleven years, and which was their only possession in France, was now taken by the French. Its loss was looked upon by the fc-nghsh people as a great national calamity and dis- grace, and Mary felt it to the last moment of her lite. Mary's Character and Death.-The religious per- secutions which marked Mary's reign were^ the chief blot on her character. That they were the work of her ministers rather than her own is scarcely a justification. But this much may be said for Mary— she acted in har- mony with the spirit of the times, and she at least believed in the faith she professed, the sincere conviction that the propa- Religioua Persecu- tions the Chief Blot on Mary's Character. 3he held t ELIZABETH. 183 gation of what she knew to be erroneous doctrines was injurious to the best interests of her subjects at large. In this she compares favorably with her sister Elizabeth, who persecuted without the merit of sin- cere belief. The private life of Mary was bevond reproach, and she had at heart the Her Private . Life beyond good of her kingdom. She was a lover of Beproaoh. the poor, a lover of children, a lover of prayer and mortification, and of the practice of her religion. She stood almost alone in her adherence to the true faith when so many others in high places abandoned it, and spent her life in fruitless efforts to bring back her country to that faith. In September, 1558, the fever then prevalent at- 1558 tacked the queen. She lingered a while, and on the ^•^• i6th November, 1558, died, fortified by ti.e sacraments of Holy Church. ( CHAPTER V. ELIZABETH. A.D. 1558toA.D. 1603. Elizabeth's Accession. !He-establisliinont of Protest- antism. The Puritans. Mary Queen of Scots. Bisings : The Bull of Excom- munication. Penal Law^s. Protectorate of the Netherlandf. The Spanish Armada. Affairs in Ireland. Constitutional History. Progress of the Country. Literature. Elizabeth's Character and Death. Elizabeth's Accession.— Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn, succeeded to the throne. In her accession she had the good-will of all classes. Catholics as well as Protestants. 1 84 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I' ■:'■!' Elizabeth's Change of Faith, and the Beason. Re-estabtishment of Protestantism.-During the last reign Elizabeth had professed the old faith ; but she now saw that its continuance as the religion of the state would at once raise the question of her own legitimacy. Sup- ported by a party of able councillors, the leader of whom was Sir William Cecil better known as Lord Burleigh, she determined to re-establish Protestantism and make herself supreme head of the Church of England. Cecil, who was a zea ous " reformer" in Edward's reign and a no le^s zealous Catholic in Mary's reign, was now once more an ardent Protestant. The first thing done was to admmister to the council the oath of supremacy All the bishops and many of the other members refused Then a difficulty arose about Elizabeth's coronation* The bishops declined to take any part in this cere- mony so long as the queen persisted in assuming the title ''Head of the Church." At last the Bishop of Carlisle was induced to officiate, but on condition that Elizabeth took the ancient oath -to maintain the laws and privileges of the Church as they had existed under Edward the Confessor." With this oath she was crowned. Her next step w^s to call a parliament, carefully packed by Cecil. This parliament con- firmed Elizabeth's title, declared her supreme head Acts of Par- f ^^^ Church in England, and empowered Uament. "^r to entrust her jurisdiction to a commis- sion, known as the Court of High Com mission. It suggested to Elizabeth the advisabiliry of her marriage. It once more abolished the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, restored the Book of Common Prayer, and by a new act of uniformity pre-cri'^ed Its use under heavy penalties. The bishops, with ELIZABETH. 185 one exception, refused the oath of supremacy ; they were at once dismissed from their sees, and their places filled by persons of the new faith. From this time we have the name, non-jurors, applied to those who refused the oath. Dr. Matthew Parker, formerly Chaplain to Anne Boleyn, was made Archbishop of Canter- .. consecra- bury. An important question now arose — tion'*of who would consecrate these bishops ? To Bishops, save appearances, some show of consecration was thought necessary. After considerable delay there were chosen three men, who had held dioceses un- der Edward VI., and to these were added another — all four, therefore, without episcopal jurisdiction. Whether any of the four had received episcopal con- secration is extremely doubtful ; but they now pro- ceeded to consecrate Parker, who, a few days later, inducted two of them into sees, and consecrated other bishops according to the form of King Ed- ward's prayer-book. The nullity of these '* consecra- tions " was plain even to Elizabeth's government, which accordingly attempted by act of Parliament to supply what was wanted, declaring that all which had been done had been done aright, and that the queen by her supreme power and authority dispensed with all disabilities and imperfections which might exist in the consecration of her bishops. Thus was the Protestant hierarchy of England first established, not by Divine authority acting through ^^^ His Church, the Holy Catholic Church, Protestant but on the authority of Queen Elizabeth hierarchy, and an act of Parliament. The inferior clergy, most of whom refused to give up the old faith, we-^c ie- \c 1 86 HISTORV OF ENGLAND. privedof their living and thrown into prison while the.r places were filled by others. ' ' The Puritan8.-Of the Protestant party there was a certain portion who considered that'the " Reforma! Badical "°° had not gone far enough. They ob- ProtMtant.. J^'^'e" 'o government by bishops, to all out- ward forms and ceremonies, such as the s.gn of the cross, surplices for the clergy, etc and to the new prayer-book, which, they said, II "ade up of the rags of Popery." They called themselves /-Ja fa.s. Fora t,me they were permitted to hold their opmions undisturbed; but at length they were called on to comply with the form of worship estabiished!n the Protestant Episcopal Church. Many refused and were consequently driven from their churches their books condemned, the congregations broken up and the worshippers dispersed. They were calledX ConM„usts or Mss.„,.rs by their enemies; one branch was afterwards known as the Mp.„,en^,. Most of A Sutaer. '"e bishops were opposed to more severe SaJp. "'^^^"■•e^; but Archbishop Whitgift, who ' became head of the Court of High Com- m,ss,on was just the man Elizabeth wanted mZ of the Puntans were convicted of treason against the queens supremacy, and were hanged at Tvburn Many Catholics suffered death by thfse laws, and we hall see presently that for them\here were great^ seventies in store. gicaier rn!l^ildt'^r^^''^f~^''' ^"^^" ^' Scots was married at the age of eighteen to the Dauphin of Married to ^ ';ance, son of Francis "^ , mentioned in the theDauphm reign of Henrv VTTT tj^^ 7-k u- of France. ^f,J_ nenry vill. The Dauphin soon afterwards succeeded to the throne ^< Francis II. On his death Mary returned to Scot- Ml ELIZABETH. 187 i land, where the worst features of the change in re- ligion disturbed the country. Her strong attachment to the Catholic faith drew upon her the enmity of the Protestant party, at the head of which was that violent Puritan, John Knox. Conspiracies which were secretly encouraged by Elizabeth were formed to drive Mary from the throne. The events of her unhappy life are too numerous to record here. We can barely 1665 AD mention her marriage with hercousin, Lord Marriage with Darn- ley, and Be- salting Mis- fortunes. 1567 AD. Darnley (after her, heir to the throne of Scotland); the birth of a son, afterwards James I. of England; Darnley's assassina- tion by Bothwell and the confederate lords; their artful scheme of throwing the odium of their A.D. crime on Queen Mary herself; the rebellion which fol- lowed, and which ended by making her a prisoner in Lochleven Castle, where she was forced to resign the crown in favor of her infant son, who was crowned at Stirling as James VI., in the second year of his age, 1667 with Murray as regent. From this captivity Mary A.D. escaped, and at the head of an army met the forces of 1568 the traitor Murray at Langside near Glas- gow, where she was defeated. As a last resource she fled to the protection of Eliza- beth, who, jealous of Mary's better right to the throne of England, and terrified at the thought of a Catholic successor, kept her in imprisonment for eighteen years, finally signing the warrant for her execution on the isgv false charge of plotting against Elizabeth's life. A.D. Mary was beheaded. James of Scotland blustered a good deal over the murder of his mother, and Eliza- beth pretended great grief; but Walsingham, one of her ministers, came to the rescue and pointed out to Mary flees to Elizabeth for Protec- tion. Is imprisoned, and eventually beheaded. 188 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. both that the security of their crowns and of fh Protestant religion depended on thei!- Trfendship^ Protestant ^"^f P'otestant historians justify Mary's o?the""" f' ' 7 '''^'"^ ''^^'' "^h'^« ^he lived Jxet^loa f;^'^"^ Z'\ ''^''' •" ^^^"bJ« f-m con of Mary. ^piracy and threatened invasions." But the same historians verv carpfnii,, i, -gument out of siglu in the case of Lady Ja^rCeT ;::r.rc:'t";-:rre;'z,errt.f.r "'f'-" on the memory of Elizabeth " " ^°"' ""'" To'TemoT ^r m'^^'-^ *^r^" °'' ™'= ^™~m ber: Took he He d b"t "arthr '"""'^ '^'^^ ""■"■ troops under th Ear, of Sus ex'^h?'" "' ""^ ■•°^^' Ti,r„ . . Sussex the insurgents fled Th,s nsmg was made a pretexf for new seventies Three hundred villages werl Up to the present the Pope looked sadlvTn the unhappy state of affairs in England; no. he^ d no Elizabeth onger remam silent. Accordinglv Piu, =...d ""■• "-^ '"- -' '" 'he Chair of Pe crimes of l-r k' ^"" "'"^l'' ^fe^ enumerating^ he 1869 f"^^ °f thzabeth, pronounced against her Z A.D. solemn sentence of excommunication Elfzabe^h professing Protestant though she was took .f J .-ch to heart that she applied to the Empero" to New Severities. ELIZABETH. 189 despite P«r- secation. use his influence with the Pope for the withdrawal of the excommunication. Penal Laws.— The reip^n of Elizabeth is specially noted for the cruel "Penal Laws" against Catholics. These savage laws were multiplying on the statute- hook. It was death to a priest to come to England; death to harbor him; death to confess to him; death for him to execute any of his priestly functions, par- ticularly to reconcile any one to the Catholic faith. Non-attendance at the Protestant Church service was punished by a ruinous fine; those who could not pay it were imprisoned and their ears bored with a hot iron. Still the Faith lived on JJjg^on*^ in spite of hate, gibbet, and rack. Fresh bands of devoted priests came from the continental colleges to England, many of them to die a martyr's death on the scaffold. The history of the lives of these priests is the history of the Church at this period. Protectorate of the Netherlands.— The Nether- lands or Low Countries, now forming the kingdoms of Holland and Belgium, belonged first to the House of Burgundy, but were afterwards, by marriage, trans- ferred to the House of Austria. They were thus in- herited by Charles V. from his father, and were now ruled by his son, Philip U. of Spain. The religious troubles of the time led to a series of attempts at inde- pendence, chiefly under the leadership of „, 1 T-» • r ^ r , , Strusrele the Prmce of Orange, afterwards known as for Inde- William the Silent. Elizabeth pretended pendence. friendship for each party; but many of her accepts* the subjects joined the insurgents. The strug- Protector- gle in these states is of interest to us only ***" in so far as it led to Elizabeth's acceptance of the iiHi' 'i 190 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. li • The Spanish Armada.— In the vear f>.u death of Mary Oueen of S." / i. ^ f ^"''^^'"R the ened bv a SnnnT • ^'' ^"8^^^"" was threat- t-iiea ny a Spanish invasion Plinii-» r.f c • i exasperated by the condu"; of t e F„ ^k" ''"•'""'= mf.Mf Ti . "^ut-t or the linifhsh g-overn. ment. They assisted his rebellious subjects in Fla" 1,„ were organised to meet the foe On .h "f "'<',»' holding their own. Buf tl^e credit n? ^J '"'P' SpanishArmad^i ,„,--tU?^^^^^ TheArmada f , ""^/^^'^ scattered the Spanish vessels defeated. '^"d wrecked many of them. The Soanish admiral was obliged to return tr.7 ^.^''"7 the remnant of the lare-e .rm ^^^'"" '"^'^^ Philip that the InW b^,: ZlZlTslu'r''^' ^° I58S destroyed. England rejoiced ovt This def a" "^'b' ^•^- he celebrations were held: amon^ thise wet . f executions of Catholics tn r»r. « ^^^ ^ ^^^ victory. From ths to the 17 of E^f '' ,""^' '"^ the scaffold streamed w th bloL an th f ''"^" flowed with prisoners. '^' •""'' °^^''- ELIZABETH. 191 AfTairs In Ireland* — The evils of religious strife were even greater in Ireland than in England. English tyranny, and the tines, tortures, and p*r,eo'^'ti<,n murders by which it was attempted to and lubie- force the new religion on the Irish people — i°l°iH the most Catholic people on earth, — drove them into rebellion. Another of Elizabeth's favorites, the Earl of Essex, was sent to quell the disturbance, but he was obliged to make a truce with O'Neill, Earl ,.«« of Tyrone, and return to England. The rising was A D. afterwards quelled by Lord Mountjoy in the usual manner — the murder of men, women, and children, a.D. the burning of houses and crops, so that there was nothing left to save the survivors from star- vation. Essex fell into disgrace, was led into con- spiracy against the Queen, was condemned and exe- cuted. Constitutional History.— The changes which led to the conflict between the Crown and the people in later reigns showed themselves in the reign of Elizabeth. She was just as arbitrary as her abandoned' Tudor predecessors. There was the same by the straining of statutes, the same arbitrary *'"^'*- power; but she endeavored to soften down all, and to retrace her steps if she felt she had ventured too far. The Monopolies with which she fettered trade, she abandoned at the request of Parliament. Though the Parliament met but rarely, it gained power. It established the freedom of its members from arrest, and its o\vn right to punish ingrgi^gg^ them if occasion required it. It also regu- Power of lated the manner of holding elections. It PwU»»neit. passed laws for the support of the poor — laws heard of tor the first time in English history, as in the old ' ■< i\ M ''nli I'll 192 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. t Ciitliolic times there were nr, „„„ .■. prevented this. P""""' ">' monasteries Progress of the Countrv —Farming tuHng were now carri'eT on wT vi;:;' T"rl commerce was rapidly developed, E.^ s ^fr' Th. .,.„ ;"K f-^'nd in all parts o^ the world 'ti^u,' Tr.d.. the wealth of the country incre ed h" unfortunately with thissr>r^.„?^f ' ^"' came the slave trari^ J.i 1 """P'^<='«' of commerce to ".e disgrace o'Ciur"'"' "' ""^'"^ ^^''- tolerated it. civUi^d communities which bn"f,t™*''„?m:s";h!ct i:''" r '-' ^"""^ °f '-e 'ish authors." ™";'^'r/l7;/'''-o" of Eng. speare, Sydney, and Bacon ^ ^'''"'"'■' ^'""'«- Eluabeth's Character and Dnath pi u ^ an able ruler and raised E,"g,andto7^•''?''"^ '"'" among European nations Of h . *^ ' P°""°" sonal character it i" " „ '""' P"^^'^ «"'' Per- ._ zearfir'h'Tr:::::;;;/"-'^^"'.''''^'^' ^ar^d feature Of S';!!n,:hi:-h s Td T reT "" r° "•"">' ^"'I Wood as. fer admirer" c.Mh"^""' ^"''" ''''^^" sore«f """'7'^^ call her, are times of the would ;';"':/''"' '"""""^ '- -" »• « established" part clarlvT '°'\« Church -bylaw died unmarried leaW^; for Catholics. Elizabeth Henry VIII. tol'uccWTt'o tTe ttr„'e. "'''""'"' °' Zeal for Proteatant- ism the Marked Feature of Elizabeth's Reign STUART PEF^IOD. A.D. 1008 to A,U. 1714. James I * AD. 1603 to AD. 1625 Charles I. (son) A.D. 1625 to A.D. 1649 Commonwealth A.D. 1649 to A.D. 1660 Charles II (son of Charles I.). A.D. 1660 to A.D. 1685 James II. (brother) A.D. 1685 to A.D. 1688 William III. (nephew) A.D. 1688 to A.D. 1702 Anne (daughter of James II.). A.D. 1702 to A.D. 1714 CHAPTER I. J .\ M E 8 I . A.D. 1603 to A.D. 1625. James's Right to the Throne : His Coronation. Plot in Favor of Arabella Stuart. Treatment of Catholics and Puritans : Gunpowder Plot. i' or-; win Belations. The King's Favorites : the Spanish Match. Colonization : Confiscation of Irish Lands. Constitutional History. Character and Death of James. .'-i>v 3'8 Riglii to the Throne : His Coronatlon.—By the death of Elizabeth the family of Henry VIII became extinct. Two of the descendants of Mar- garet, daughter of Henry VII., came next in the suc- cession — James VI. of Scotland, descended from Mar- garet by her marriage with James IV. of Scotland; 193 « I.J ¥t> '■ '' I 194 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. meanor not kingly. Margaret by her rnarnage with Archibald DoulH^ Karl of Angus. The English people recogni.eci tt' nght o James, and he was proclaimed kTng a few hours after Elizabeth's death. At every stage of his journey from Edinburgh to James's London he was received with warm demon- Appearance strations of loyalty; but his personal an andDe. pearance and demeanor were not kinjrlv and by the time he reached his new capital his popularity was considerably diminished Even the lavish distribution of titles-he con e red the honor of knighthood on seven hundred persons!n 1603 three mcnths^did not impress the people This England .J' J^"'^^ ^"^ his queen were crowned and Scot- 'It Westminster. Thus were EnHand -iiul iXtr f""^"" """^d -der one .ontx.,; Z Monarch James assumed the title ''King of Great Britain and Ireland." For the present Scotland retained its own Parliament, its own on n of religious worship, and its own laws aft^e'i"*thl" ''"'"'' °^ '^''^**"'^ Stuart.-rmmediately aftei the coronation, a conspiracy was formed in favor of Lady Arabella Stuart. Sir Walter Raleiirh Lord Cobham, and Lord Grov were ic' cused of being the leaders. They were sentenced to death; but the capital penaitv was commuted to one of imprisonment. ^eX retuin fiom an unsuccessful expedition to South America, which James permitted him to take, he was beheaded on the old charge of conspiracy. T e general belief that Lady ArabelLn w.s i^rora-i. f this plot caused the king to retai; her i:fh;:t:tc;! Leaders of the Plot. JAMES I. 195 but her marriage with Seymour, a descendaut of Mary, daughter of Henry VII , and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, whose succes- committed sion to the throne Elizabeth had rejected to the with scorn, offended James. She was com- Tower, dies ■' Insane, mitted to the Tower, where she died insane. H'^'- death left James and his children sole represent- atives of the House of Stuart. Treatment of the Catholics and Puritans: Gun- powder Plot. — In the last reign we saw that the Catholics and Puritans suffered by Eliza- . . , 1,1 1 Both Catho- beth s cruel persecutions under the penal ^-^.g ^^^ laws. Both parties hoped that the acces- Puritans sion of James would bring some relief — ^°?w°*^ would bring repeal of at least the severest of the enactments against them. The Catholics very naturally thought that the son of a Catholic mother who had suffered martyrdom for the faith would sympathize with them. The Puritans hoped for sympathy from one who had been brought up in the religion of the Scottish " Reformers," a religion which was even gloomier and barer than that of the Puritans themselves. But James disappointed both parties. As King of Encfland he became " head of the Church," , " ... James a position which suited his vanit} as a disappoints fancied theologian and his arbitrary power both as a ruler. For a time he treated the Catholics and the Puritans with apparent friendli- ness, inviting some of the former to court and con- ferring knighthood on them; but the cruel laws were not repealed, and a rumor of his own conversion to Catholicity, set afloat by the Puritans for their own purposes, so angered him that the laws were put into ' Mi i I) Hi I' 196 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. active operation with even n,ore severity than of 1604 To, he Puritans he was a little more gracious. He appomted a conference, composed of a number J[ Confermce bisl)ops and tlie chief Puritan divines to •tHampton meet at Hampton Court to aiscuss 'the ■ leadmg pomts of difference between the wo part.es. James himself took an active part n the d.scuss.on, and made a vast parade of his learl ."«. y.ew.ng the Puritan demands in a pure pi It caihght, he met all their reasoning by the mL^m "No b.shop. no king,', and the conference broke J eav.ng the two parties where they were. B,u soT,; followed severer measures for oblfging the Puritans Chu"" ™ '° '"^ "'"=" °f '"« "Established ■■ The dissatisfaction of the Catholics at the harsh t.eatment to which they were subjected drove a f^^ desperate men mto a conspiracy commonly cllled hi ^606 Gunpowder Plot.'' Its object was to bfow u ^ The Gu. ^uT"'" °^ P-liament on the first day of powder f'"' ^e^sm,, 5tn November, tluls destrov- Plot. mg wuh one stroke the King, Lords, and Commons. A desire to save the r,,,,,! peers led one of the conspirators to send a le r" „ Lord Monteagle, warning him to absent himself fom he House on the fatal day. This letter he carried to Cec,l, who hud it before the king in CouncH Su, ■ "°"::eret;;rTrpa'x:'ii^""^r'''r Guy ^'^"-^ * avvke.s, a Spanish ofR- FawkeB. ^f ^"f^ one of the conspirators, was in and put to deVtir ^.l T""' ^^' ^'^' ''"''^''^^ F 10 aeath. The otiier conspirators were JAMES I. \gy chased from county to county, and either killed or sent to the block. The result of this plot, which, even if successful, could not have helped the cause of the Catholics, was the passing of still more cruel laws against them. Though but sixteen appear to have been engaged in the conspiracy, all the Catho- '^^^ Cr.tho- T rrrij lu -ui j ^^^s further lies of England were held responsible, and oppreued suffered accordingly. It was of no avail that the king himself publicly acknowledged in Par- liament that the Catholics as a body were innocent of all participation in the plot; it was of no avail that they publicly execrated the deed; it was of no avail that the Pope published a brief declaring that all such conspiracies are utterly unlawful: a new penal code was enacted, and the old laws were executed with the utmost severity. Nothing was too bad to be believed of Catholics: to tolerate them was, in the language of Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, to commit a deed "hateful to God," and to persecute them to death was to "advance His glory." Foreign Relations. — In 1618 began on the Continent 1618 the struggle known as the " Thirty Years' A.D. War." The Bohemians who had embraced yJarl'^ifS the doctrines of the " Reformers," and who were very aggressive in their Protestantism, revolt(;d against the Catholic House of Austria. When Ferdi- nand of Austria succeeded his cousin as Emperor ul Germany, the Bohemians chose Frederick, Elector Palatine, son-in-law of James I., as their king James at first held aloof from the contest between Ferdi- nand and Frederick, because he did not wish to offend the King of Spain, with whom he had made a treaty in the second year of his reign, and because he ^^- . 198 HISTORY OF l-NGLAND. hoped to bring the war to an end by the marriage of his son Charles with the Infanta. Aroused, James sends , , , 1 • i- ^- i Troops to however, by the popular indignation, he defend the sent some troops to the Continent, not to Palatinate, ^j^ Frederick in Bohemia, but to defend the Palatinate. Meanwhile Frederick was defeated 1620 ^^ ^^^ battle of Prague and fled to Holland, while A.D. the Spanish and Austrian troops ravaged the Palat- inate, meeting but little resistance from the English forces there. The KInn's Favorites: The Spanish Match.— The death of C«.cil, Earl of Salisbury, the leading minister of James is he had been of Elizabeth, brought into power Robert Carr, a young Scotchman who had come to court in the early part of the reign. He had been raised by James to the dignity of Viscount Rochester and Earl of Somerset. His vicious con- duct led to his downfall and his retirement into private life. He was succeeded in the JJef^e 0:'"' king's favor by George Villiers, afterwards Bucking- Duke of Buckingham, whose influence over ^*°^ the king and court made it a sink of vice and corruption. Nor did the halls of justice escape the contamination, for we find the judges of the land, even the great Lord Bacon himself, accepting bribes for unjust judgments. Buckingham warmly supported the Spanish match, and proposed to Prince Charles that they give the Court of Spain the pleasant surprise of a Bucking- ^jgjj. jj^^ prince and Buckingham trav- h am and ,. . ^ 1 • »* j -j ^i • Princo elled in disguise. Reaching Madrid, their Charles in conduct there was of such a character as ^^""" to give deep offence to the Spanish Court, and indeed to the English people. They left rriage of Aroused, ition, he t, not to 3 defend defeated id, while le Palat- English Dh— The minister ight into who had He had Viscount ous con- lent into d in the iter wards ence over ik of vice ce escape the land, ng bribes sh match, give the )rise of a lam trav- Irid, their iracter as sh Court, rhey left I)'ll liu 1S5 ^- M T A R. C T I C lis ISO JS6 a E A.N CHART or rnE ^mt iiiTiSM roM)iio AW© ®g!?ii3©lS'l'l}liii, Hie ngicrci lU'P ihr Datea ot'Jniumition. or .iiilli'i -I— I I =^L^ Tb 80 45 so €V II Montreal. James A. Sadlier. los lau l&O U5 vn^ukJ- CHART 01' THK AW© ®i!?ii3©lSl'Ullit, i -i i- Swpposedj .d-ittarctCc Emerald [' ContiAont I 15 (V II UO X55 las 180 James A. Sadlier. Toronto. JAMES I. 199 AD. 1620 AD. Spain hurriedly; and Charles, who had met in Paris Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII., was determined to marry her in preference to the Infanta. Bucking- ham now saw that his safety lay in opposing the Spanish match; and Parliament, though not pleased with the French alliance, was so well satisfied with breaking off the Spanish marriage that it passed over Buckingham's conduct. Colonization : Confiscation of Irish Lands.— in this reign was laid the foundation of ^he great English colonies. A permanent sei • cut was made at 1607 Jamestown in Virginia; a charter was granted for the colonization of Newfound- i^™?"*'*° 1 J ,1 1 /• ^ . . Settlements, land; and a band of Puritan exiles, known as the " Pilgrim Fathers," landed in Massachusetts, where they formed the germ o: the New England States. The charter granted b^ Elizabeth to the East India Company was renewed in perpetuity. In Ireland, by " a vast policy of spoliation, two thirds of the Province of Ulster was de- clared to have been confiscated to the Spoliation of Ulster. Crown, and the land which was thus gained was allotted to new settlers of Scotch and English extraction." By this robbery " all faith in English justice was torn from the minds of the Irish, and the seed was sown of that fatal harvest of dis- trust and disaffection which was to be reaped through tyranny and massacre in the age to come." Constitutional History.— James I. came to the throne with the loftiest notions J^^®'''^ .Loity of kingly power; and in his reign began Notions of the struggle between the kins: and Par- p°&ly Power. liament which caused the death of his son Charles and the overthrow of the Stuart dy- 100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1604 AD. 1814 A.D. 1(120 A.D. 1622 A.D. nasty. H,s ideas of kingly power implied the men arch s freedom from all control by l.w and "om responsibility to anything hnt the royal wilt Jamel was very extravagant, was always in'debt, and when every .legal means he adopted for rais ng mo ey a.led, he had to apply to Parliament. His first p/r- Lament granted him snpp.y, ,,„t p,,,,^,, , (,,•„ Z. Aotion of ^"^""« 'liberal exactions by the king's sole ParUament. authority. His second Parliament declined to grant snpplies until the illegal imposi- t.ons and other grievances were redressed After an nterval o seven years the want of money obliged h.m o call another Parliament. This granL I ma small subsidy, and then set about the reLss of X venllitv o "tl^'^'^r "' K™'-"S"'-oPoliesanVtle venality of the judges were dealt with. The Parli-, ment of ,6.0 having sent a peti.ion to James respect" mg .he defence of the Palatinate a„3 the SpXish alliance, received a message from him forbidd 1 g hem to meddle with any matter which concernef his government or the mystericO of state, as th ng r above their capacity. To their rSnew^d claim o liberty of speech, he replied that their privileges were derived from the grace and permission of hi! ances tors and himself. Upon this the Commons drew up Th. ■• Pro. ' f"- celebrated Protest, asserting that " the Sn.1"" ''fr'^^' f™-'!--. Pnvileges,^and juHs! undoubted K 7'°, '"'■'"""<=•" ^■••= 'he ancien and undoubted birthright and inheritance of the peo- pie of England." James sent for the Journals of Uie House, and in full Council tore out Uie record with his own hand, at the same time dis.,olving the and ^^r m'- "^"^ '""'"^^ "' '"« ^-'"'. Co' e, Pym! and Shelden, we'-'^ • •" ^ - - .. - ' ' ' , were imprisoned. - In this Pa mament CIIAKLKS I. 201 the die was cast,*and that contest was fairly begun be- tween the Crown and the country, in whicli James had sown the wind, and his son, trained in his principles, was to reap the whirlwind." Character of the King: His Death— James was called by his courtiers "the modern Solomon;" by Sully, the witty French ambassador, '* tke ^^^^^^^ most learned fool in Christendom," An jamess overweeninef conceit in his own wisdom Chief Char- , . 1 1 • »u I • f acteristic. and in his royal authority was the chiet characteristic of James. He died after a short illness, less and was buried in Westminster Abbey. • ^-D. •Hi! CHAPTER II. CHARLES I. A.D. 1625 to A.D. 1649. Accession of Charles : State of Parties. The First and Second Parlia- ments of Charles. The Third Parliament: Peti- tion of Right. Ecclesiastical Affairs : Laud : Scotch Presbyterianism. Absolute Qovornment: Straf- ford. Ship-Money: John Hampden. The Short Parliament: Tho Long Parliament. Civil War. Trial and Execution of the King. Accession of Charles: State of Parties.— Charles I. succeeded. He had many kingly qualities; but he had his father's weakness for favorites and his love for absolute power. On coming to the throne he found a kingdom in debt, two ruinous wars with Spain and Austria, a bitter dislike to his Catholic queen, and to Buckingham, his favorite minister. 202 HISTORY OF KNGLAND. It' Before entering: on the history of the trouhl^rl times which followed, it n.ay be sai^, thit for the in Causeofthe ^^PP^ f ^^^e of affairs which marked this Unhappy re.gn the despotism of Charles and his re- lffi?r2'ln ^"'"^ '^ ^'■""^ J"^^ concessions until they this Eelgn. ^f ''^ ^'•""S from him are mainly respon- s.ble; but the un^renerous advantage which king IS no less responsible. Through all the differ 'M.aTf :i:''V:r ^"', ''- '^-^ ^'^y --er Lt '• ; lion mark of "'' ' "" '"^ ^^^^ ^^^ -" -ten- tional mark of want of confidence in Charles had S'o7th?r"^ r"" ^^ ^'^ p^«^'^ -^ ^-y^''-b h m in tead of"a; '"^"^^^'^"-^ temperately with mm mstead of ^t once placing themselves in studied antagonism to him, most of the disasters vhchtl lowed might have been avoided The First and Second Parliaments of Ciiarles - ITvorA"' ^^'-'•^--^ --posed clueflyL Puritans AB. votedh.m a sum quite inadequate to'the wants o^ Action of l^}^ Cxovernment and to meet the oblie^a- aelinst r!r °'/u ^='P^'"'i°" 'ed by Buckingham against Cacl.z, and the want of money to pay exnenseT obhged the king to call a second Parlfament'^ But' h.s was not more tractable than the last It be^an .tssesston by impeaching Buckingham; and to sfve CIIAUI.ES T. 203 his favorite, Charles again dissolved it. Illegal tax- ation and other unconstitutional means of r II I A -.1 Charles's raising money followed. A war with ggg(,Q^ p„. France, begun at the instigation of Buck- liamont as inirliam to lielp the Protestants there, ended Intractablo in failure, and caused universal indigna- tion. Third Parliament: Petition of Right.— Charles having again exhausted his treasury, found it neces- sary to call a third Parliament. The Commons at once proceeded to draw up the famous Petition of i628 Rii:,ht, to which under pressure of his necessities AD. Charles gave the royal assent. The Peti- tion of Right thus passed into the statute q^.^^^ which bears the same title (3 Chas. I. c. Charter of i). It is called the Second (Jreat Charter ^Hf^^J*^ of English liberty. It declares illegal (i) taxation without the consent of Parliament, (2) penal- ties for resisting such taxation, (3) billeting soldiers and sailo'h in private houses, (4) inflicting punishment by martial law. The Commons now voted five sub- sidies, and Parliament was prorogued. Buckingham was thus saved from impeachment; but two months later he fell by the hand of an assassin. Although Charles had received large subsidies and had pledged himself to abide by the terms of the Petition of Right, he continued during recess the illegal system of raising money. In church affairs also, as will be seen presently, he deeply ..nemon. offended the Puritans. When Parliament strance" of reassembled next year they drew up a Parliament, strong Remonstrauce against the king's acts. Charles 1629 I* ' imprisoned iiiiic Oi House. the members and dissolved the A.D. 304 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Ecclesiastica Affairs: Laud: Scotch Presbyterian Sm.- Two parties were now conteudin/for Ue" 'a/ tery w,th,„ ,he Protestant Church. 0,f the one^it were the Puritans with theiraustere and ^1 "n" -e '"= ■on and their republican ideas in politics on th» ,V "^ ' What would now he called a - H^h 'ch,::::,'''%ttT Jhu'l"'*" Z7 '" ceren.onial.and sinu, alino; JW. ^^f-™- power of the Catholic Churcif VV.th the High Church party the rov.l "uthonty was a sacred thing: resista'nce^o he , i Charts ZT'^", r' ""'"'"S """^ of ''-ril K Charles, thoroughly imbued with these idea-i »n po.nted to the See of Canterbury a mL wlfo waj p.epared togo any length in defence of the roTa Chu ch. Tins man was William Laud. He carried out Ins principles with the utmost rigor, and the Pu„ tans sufered much from his oppressTon. An attempt to force on the Scotch nation the ritual and .orm of government of the Protestant Episcopa Th. Scotch Church set the whole country in a bl-.7e ^v».n.. and led to the formation o' a " So e,nn League and Covenant" for the m>i,n>. nance of the Presbyterian form of wo hip The Scotch went so far as to take up arms b t a tim porary peace was made. ' " ""'' stue'",la!r, Ph'T^'^ Strafford.-To aid him in state affairs, Charles found a minister who was a ft- ting colleague for Laud. This wis st Th ,,. ^- ^"'^ was i5ir Thomas Strafford a Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford. for LaSd '" '^^ ^^'''^ Parliament, and a warm sun- porter of the Petition nf p;^u.. i., " ' the death of Buckincrh..,., .u i- "^"s""-. teuton or Buckingham the king won him over. CHARLES I. 20S This was the more easily accomplished as Wentworth saw on the side of the king a wider field for his am- bition. He desired to fill the place of Buckingham, whom he surpassed in ability and boldness. Went- worth's motto, " Thorougli," he tried in Ireland, of which country he was appointed Lord Deputy. Here by his tyranny and oppres- jaSeJand. sion he made the king's power absolute; and he was prepared to do the same in England. Royal proclamations now took the place and had the force of statutes; the taxes condemned by Parlia- ment were levied; the king himself proclaimed peace with France and Spain; the Court of High Commis- sion and the Star Chamber, in the former of which Laud presided, in the latter Straf- „nier the ford, became more active and arbitrary King, than ever, imposing heavy fines and in- gf'^^*^^ flicting cruel punishments for sedition, libel, and nonconformity. Thus did the king, Laud, and Strafford, instead of the king. Lords, and Com- mons, rule England for eleven years. Ship-Money: John Hampden.— Among the many ingenious schemes for filling the treasury, devised by Charles and his advisers, was the revival of the tax called ship-money. This was originally intended for the support of the navy; but Charles now wanted it for general purposes. John Hampden, a private gentleman of Buckinghamshire, refused to TTampden pay the tax, and brought the matter before refuses to the courts. A majority of the judges de- paytlieTax. cided against him; but from that hour he was re- garded as the champion of popular liberty. The Short Parliament: The Long Parliameni.— jj^^ At last all the resources of Charles failed; the ^d 206 HISTOKV OK KNGLAND. ^'-oit.sh Covenanters were in open rebellion; and he The Short '^'^'^^ ^'^''^eci once more to call a Parlia- Parliament '"^*"t. It refused all supplies, and, led by Pym, sternly called for redress of eriev ances. It was dissolved on the roth of Marc 'and >n-ee of Us members were imprisoned. This is on e 1640 T ''"'^^ '^'' " ^^'^"'-^ Parliament." ^40 ■■-s.n,. difficulties surroundin,,. him on every side Cha.les called Ins hfth Parliament in November ol the The Long 'f"'^ >'^^^^'" ''^'^ ^''is were elected all his Parliament. Y'"""'^'''''^ "^'''''"^"^•^'•>ni(>n,ir the rest, Ilamp- the '• I one. p'!h-''"'^'"'' "'"' Cromwell. It is calknl r/f, ''"'"'"'' ''' '' '""''^ "«t dissolved un- td r66o althou.,.h turned out by Cromwell in 165, 1 he Commons [>cMan their work, as usual by resoau.ons aoa.nst the Catholics. Their next step uas to impeach Strafford and Laud forhieh treason. Strafford was found ^nnlty and ^I'^'^i on the scaffold : Laud suffered the same fate a icw years later. An act was I''^-'^*'^^^ '-^quinngtheassemblintrof Parli-i- n en at east once in three years, and what was oult a dle^^al as any of the acts of Charles, deprivin JT, , k.ngot the power of dissolvin^^ them wi hout U e own consent. Thismadeih^r '■"'^nu intn Kino.^„,i T , '^.^'^^'■'^e Commons supreme over Kng and Lords, a pnnciple in direct opposition to Tl lilS "'""• T''''''' ''''' passecPforbiddin; alldlegallev,.s,and abolishing the courts of Hi^rh Commission and Star Chamber ^ There were now two great parties in theState-the fnTp '''. ^^^^ahers, or king's friends, and the Round- and Round- heads (so called from fU • heads. ,. . v^^Z-aiicd tiom their manner of clipping their hair), the friend: Strafford and Laud impeached and executed Pari lament. lends of the CHARLES I. 207 A grand Rcmonstninci' was biouglit forward in the House, coniplaininij of the king's niisgov(MiinuMit since he had conic tt) the throne, and expressing their want of confidence in his acts and pt)licy. An un- successful attemj)t made i)y the leers; and by Magna Charta no freeman could be arrested, imprisoned, or punished except by the j> Jt- . ment of his peers. But this unassailable posit, was of no avail. After a mockery of a trial lasting, Charlescon. ^f'* ^'""^ ^^^^^ Charles Stuart, King of demned to England, was condemned to death as a Mecuted*^ "tyrant, traitor, murderer, and enemy of his country." He was executed on the 30th January, 1649. Thus did he die in the forty- 1649 ninth year of his age and the twenty-fourth of his AD. reign. He was buried at Windsor. i «: V i CHAPTER III. COMMONWEALTH. A.D. 1649 to A.D. 1660. Form of Government. Cromwell in Ireland. Cromwell's Victories over the Scotch. Expulsion of the Long Parlia- ment : New Parliament. Home and Foreign Policy. Cromwell's Death: His Suc- cessor. Committee of Safety : General Monk : Monarchy Bestored. Form of Government.— On the death of Charles, the fag-end of the Long Parliament, which now sat and which did not represent the people, forbade the proclaiming of a king and abolished the House of Lords. The Government was vested in a Council of thirty-eight members, of whom five were peers. Bradshawe was President; John Milton, Secretary. COMMONWEALTH. 211 ■<'JJ In England, therefore, there was no longer hope for royalty; but in Scotland and Ireland Prince Charles was proclaimed King. Cromwell In Ireland.— Cromwell was now ap- pointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and crossed over with a large army to repress the loyalists. .,,, . • r r 1 Cromwell 1 hen began a series of awful massacres un- |,g5o,neg paralleled for cruelty in any country of the Lord Lieu- world. Cromwell took by storm Drogheda, j!°,*"*,°' Wexford, Clonmel, and Kinsale, the streets of which ran with the blood of innocent people. He offered quarter to tiie garrison of Drogheda if they surrendered; but no sooner had they done so than he gave orders for a general massacre. One thousand unarmed inhabitants took refuge in the church and were mercilessly slaughtered. Of the soldiers who opposed Cromwell every tenth man was put to death, and the rest were sent away to Barbadoes. In Wex- ford five thousand were massacred in cold blood; among the rest, three hundred j^troc^ies frightened and defenceless women who had gathered for protection round the market cross. " And so Cromwell marched through the land, giv- ing up her cities to murder and pillage, hanging her bishops and priests in their sacred vestments, slaughtering women and even children if they be- longed to the ' Papists; ' and all the time praying and expounding the gospel to his soldiers, or writing despatches in which each fresh iniquity is detailed in choice phrases from Scripture;" and God is thanked for the success of the bloody deeds. The movements of the royalists in Scotland called him away from Ireland, where he left his son-in-law Ireton as Lord Deputy. 1649 AD. ,,U, 212 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND.. Ill Cromwell, low Com- mander-in- Chief, pre- pares to invade Scotland. Cromwell's Victories over the Scotch.— Cromwell returned to London, and was immediately appointed "Captain General and commander-in-chief of ail the forces raised or to be raised within the Commonwealth of England." The re- fusal of Fairfax, who up to this time had been commander-in-chief, to lead an army against the Scotch, left no other course open to the Parliament. Cromwell at once made preparation to invade Scotland. The Scotch army was now under Leslie, who had succeeded the gallant Duke of Mcntrose. The duke had made an attempt to establish the authority of Charles in Scotland; but was treated as a public enemy. He was taken prisonei^, and, under an old act of attainder, 1650 was hanged at Edmburgh with the most cruel in- ^'J>- suits. The armies met at Dunbar, where Leslie, following the imprudent advice of the preachers who filled the Scottish camp, and contrary to his own judgment, left a strong position to give battle to Oliver on his own ground, The Scotch army was totally routed. 1650 Four thousand of them were killed and ten thou- sand taken prisoners. Edinburgh surrendered, and Cromwell became master of all the country south of the Forth. 1651 Next year, Charles, having sworn to observe the Solemn League and Covenant, and to up- hold Presbyterianism, having also signed a declaration acknowledging the tyranny of his father and the "idolatry" of his mother, was crowned King at Scone Raising an army, he managed to outflank Crom- The Scotch Army routed at Dunbar. A.O A.D Charles crowned King at Scone N III COMMON\VEAI/ri£. 213 well's forces, and marched rapidly into England. 1651 Cromwell, leaving General Monk in com- ^•^' mand in Scotland, followed, and overtook pirJJJ, Charles at Worcester, where a battle was Charles, fought, in which almost the whole of the Y^°' ^1' , Army de- king's followers were either killed or cap- stroyed, ture(f. For six weeks Charles was in con- flees to stant danger of falling into the hands of his ^° ^' enemies; but through the loyalty of his Catholic sub- jects, among whom his hiding-places were made, he escaped to Normandy. War with Holland.— The Navigation Act forbid- 1651 ding the importation of goods in foreign vessels ex- ^'^ cept those of the country that produced them, threatened ruin to the commerce of Eifectofthe the Dutch, who were at this time the car- ^g^ riers of Europe. A naval war followed. Many battles were fought, but after a severe engage- i658 ment off the Texel, in which the Dutch were defeated, ^^' peace was made. The chief commanders in this war were Admiral Blake on the side of the English and Van Tromp on the side of the Dutch. Expulsion of the Long Parliament : New Parlia- ment. — "The Parliament was now a scene of con- fusion and muddle in public business; The Parlia- and against its members many charges of nient a malversation and corruption had been Scene of brought. Some" of them were accused of . °" '^"°°- using their power to further their own interests. The one remedy, as the army now saw, was the as- sembling of a new and complete Parliament; but this was the one measure which the House was resolute to avert." Cromwell resolved that it would sit no longer. He went down to the House with a body of M » f m 2 14 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1C53 AD Vi 1033 A.D. 1664 A.O. soldiers, who quietly turned out the members. He locked the door and declared Parliament dissolved A new Parliament was formed, not by the consti- tutional way of election, but from lists of "godly" Barebone's "!^" f^"' "P ^^ Cromwell by the ministers Pariiament. f; "^^ different Puritan congretrations. This is known as Barebone's ParHament after one of its leading members; but as it was in- clined to be troublesome, it also was dissolved. This Parliament had appointed many committees " to con- sider the needs of the Church and nation." It had named a fresh Council of State; and this body drew up a constitution under the name - Instrum'ent of Government."^ It conferred on Cromwell the title Cromwell " "'^ Highness the Lord Protector." It constituted was provided that a Parliament be called ieaor""'*'" ^" '^^ ^^^'^ «f representation-four hun- ^"-^d members from England, thirty from Scotland, and thirty from Ireland. Catholics and malignants,"as those who fought for the king were called, were not allowed to vote or to sit in Parlia- ment. The acts of this Parliament were to become law even if Cromwell withheld his assent It was the first Parliament in English history where members from Scotland and Ireland sat side by side as they do now. The first business was to consider the question of government. The " Instru ment " was taken as the groundworlc of the new con- stitution. That Cromwell should rule as Protector was unanimously agreed to; that he should possess a legislative power co-ordinate with the Parliament was strongly opposed. This opposition ano-erpH ViJm c^ ~.,_u .i. . , dissolved the Parliament, and with it ended all show The Pro- tectorate becomes a Tyranny. I ,(: m COMMONWEALTH. 215 of constitutional rule. The protectorate now became a simple tyranny. Home and Foreign Policy.— For the last five years lesT of his rule Cromwell was supreme in the state. True ^^^• he called Parliaments, but only to dis- solve them again. That of 1657 offered J[°!f^'" him the titl*^ of king; but the opposition ^jng^ of his generals induced him to decline after long hesitation. The country was divided into the military dis- tricts, each with a major-general at its head, with power to disarm " Papists" and royalists. Cromwell boasted of his toleration; but this did not include the Catholics. Bv his vigorous rule insurrections were put down everywhere. In Scotland General Monk had brought about tranquillity. In Ireland "the work of conquest had been continued by Ireton and completed by Ludlow as mercilessly as it had besfun. Thousands perished by fam- The Merol- less Work ine or by the sword. Ship-load after ^f ^onque,t ship-load of those who surrendered were in Ireland, sent over the sea and sold as slaves in the West Indies. No such doom had ever fallen on a nation as fell on Ireland at this time. Among the bitter memories which part Ireland from England, the memory of the bloodshed and confiscation which the Puritans wrought is the bitterest. By the piti- less policy pursued, the whole native population lay helpless and crushed."^ Cromwell, however, did much good in England. He kept down insurrection with a strong hand: he re- stored confidence in the financial standing of the gov- police. Abroad, his power was no less felt. The 2I6 nisTOKv OK en(;kani). Whftt Cromwell aooom- pliihed for Englaud. p.ralcs of n.,hary were driv*.,. fn„„ ,ho Moditerr. •"'•'" ;^<'a. Spain was luiml,lc-«J, and ^rave up JanK.ica. The 1-Ven .ninisiry sonL(ht tl.r I— (Iship <.f Cn.n.wHI. and ^^ave up to '^"Ml.H.d Dunkirk, wl.id, il.ey had taken iron) iho Spaniards, and which was a sea !;;"\:;'77' ;''»7';" i'"'^""'"'"^ ^'' ^'^''^'i^- Many of ti.e Wrst India Islands came into Knj^Iish possession Cromwell's Death.-Tho troubles .ft hon ^ aHywahthcl>arlia„,ent,thedreadofassa;ha ; do ncst.c ain.ctiou in the loss of his favorite dau.d.te ' told on the health and spirits of Cromwell. '« To I e wear.ness of power were ad^r,.. .f , "^ '^**^'^'on in tavor of monarch V i."si.ense and fear were ended by (Jen. Monk wo march.ng from Scotlan.l, soon reached London. He CHAKLKS ir. 217 reinstated tlu' Long Parlianit'iit, wliicli now dis- solved itself, after suniniojiinir a new one, called the " Convention Parliament," be- J}''^''^^: cause not summoned by the kin^. lliis lUment" assembly, inspired by Monk, agreed to call oalU Prince ., . /. . II f » • r . I Charlei to Prince Charles to the throne of his father, jh^ xhrone. He lost no lime in respondinpj to the call. Landinjjj at Dover, he was received by Monk and 1860 escorted to London, which he entered on his birthday amid the joyful welcome of all classes. CHAPTER IV. CHAULKS II. A.D. 1660 to A. D. 1666. n Declaration of Indulgence : The ToKt Act. PlotH : Persecution of Catho- liC8. Exclusion Bill : Habeas Corpus Act. Monmouth: Ryo House Plot. Death of the King Aooession of Chcrles: Conven- tion Parliament. New Parliament : Special Actti. The Court and Society. Foreign Policy : Great Plague and Fire. Clarendon: The Cabal. England and Prance. Triple Alliance: Treaty of Dover. Accession of Charles: Convention Parliament.— "With the entry of Charles II. into Whitehall mod- ern England begins. . . From the moment of the Restoration, we find ourselves all at once among great currents of thought and ac- J*|j°Jg°J tivity, which have gone on widening and England, deepening from that time to this." Charles ascended the throne by the double title of 2l8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 11 ' I tree election and hereditary right. He was king de Charlei'g J"^^ ^rom the time of his father's death so Early A?tl' ^^'^' '^'^ ^'^^ ^^^^ ""^ ^'^ ^^^"^1 •"^ign is y • numbered in the statutes as the twelfth All revenues of the feudal system were abolished; and an annual grant of one million two hundred thousand pounds sterling, as well as the old duties of tonnage and poundage, was made to the king. A " Bill of In- demnity and Oblivion" was introduced; a general pardon was proclaimed and extended to all except TheBodie. ^^^^^ immediately concerned in the death ofCrom- of Charles I. Twenty aine were brought rnd^Br'aT"' '? ^"^^= ^^" "^^'^ executed. The bodies sUweex- of Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshawe were humed^and exhumed and hanged in chains at Tyburn. The army was disbanded, except a thou- sand horse and four thousand foot, which formed the 1660 beginning of a standing army. The Convention Par- • • hament was dissolved by the king at the close of the year. New Parliament : Special Acts— in this Parlia- ment, which was elected according to constitutional form, the Cavaliers predominated— the Presbyterians numbering about fifty. The rovalists were ably led by Sir Edward Hyde, now Earl of Clarendon and Lord Chancellor. The Parliament showed a servile devotion to the Protestant Episcopal Church and to the Crown. Episcopacy was re-established; the 1661 bishoprics were filled up; and the clergy ejected by • Cromwell were restored to their livings. Many im- TheActof P°'-ta"t Acts were passed. The Corpora- Uniformity. ^'°" A^^ excluded from muncipal offices Qao 168: ad« ^^^ '^"t the Episcopalians. The Act of A.D. Uniformity required all clergymen to renounce the CHARLES II. 219 Covenant. Two thousand Presbyterian ministers who refused lost their livings, Charles, however, issued a royal proclamation which expressed his re- folve to exempt from the penalties of the Act all those who, from religious scruples, could not con- form to the ritual of the Episcopal Church. A Bill 1668 introduced into Parliament confirmed this power; but when it was found that it would bring even a slight relief to the oppressed and persecuted Catholics, the 1664 king was forced to withdraw his proclamation. The ^•^• Conventicle Act declared seditious all re- r -^ -..u The Con- ligious meetmgs not m conformity with ^^^^^^1^ the established church; and the Five Mile Act, and Act required all "dissenting" ministers gj/j^J' who refused to take the oath of non-resist- ance (that is, refused to swear that it was unlawful to take up arms against the king under any circum- stances) to keep at a distance of five miles from any corporate town. In the disabilities of the Test Act, passed latgr in the reign and aimed spe- 1678 cially against Catholics, the dissenters were in- ^^' eluded. In Scotland Episcopacy was restored, and a fierce persecution against the Covenanters raged for over twenty years. The Court and Society.— The king unhappily set the example in idleness and vice. The court became the most profligate in Europe. The nation ^^^ ^^^^ feeling the reaction from the intolerable Profligate rigor of Puritanism, and the hypocrisy ^^'^'^^ which it fostered, piissed into the opposite '^°^®' extreme; the stage, the literature, and society in England, became shamelessly impure. Foreign Policy : Great Plague and Fire— The old •■II 220 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1665 A.O. commercial jealousy between the Dutch and the ^- ''«' unT'lff ' °"L '"'° "''^- P'"-liame„ thoDutoh. "nan mously voted a large supply, which sendin, ol^a^d'hf;^-; „% ^ rhi^lr H^' orthrET^iir^^'' "^ ^''-"'^- ^"n^r th^'sid: Meantime, calamity at home was added to th. :si7jLr. ■;,;;-- :-£>£ Ravages of '" ''\^ crowded streets of the capital. It the Plague, was followed by a great fire, which bee-in andofthe ning in the heirt of T^ ^ "uicn, oegin- Great Fire. ,^^%, • ^^^/^^d'^t of London, swept over in London. '.^^"^''^^^^ ^f the city, destroying thirteen «,e catholics r rct:i:n.-tt- ;r;^if r-d?" ^•■"- over two hundred vear«; fh^ c. -J "re, and for untruth might be re dTn ':;:e ^^on^urnt" t^^^ th'e tSr '" '° """■' '"^ ^P"' ^^'^- yoiitu'r "xhrrrs^rwi"^ ^^"-'^ -- '^- .., Ships nor .rts were TalU:,.:™-^' ttcrt: TheDutoh sa'le i«.n ^^' h'^^'' ^Z "'^ '^^^ ^^ "'°"^y' ^^hich he always 17 ''rn ' "'k' ' """' '''''''' "'''> Louis- the Treatv In consequence of this treaty war was declarPd , against Holland. The Duke of ^orlc con^andet royal fleet. Louis invaded Holland. William, Prince War with °^ V'^"^^ (afterwards King of England) Holland. made a gallant defence of his country' Peace was concluded; and William mar ned his cousin Mary, daughter of the Duke of V'rk Declaration of Indulgence : The Test Act -By ,e72 vjrlue of ecclesiastical powers the king ordered 'that A.D. all manner of penal laws on matters ecclesiastical against whatever sort of non-conformists or recusants should be from that day sus- pended," and gave full liberty of public worship to all dissidents save Catholics who were allowed to have Mass celebrated only in private houses. This Declaration of Indulge ce raised a storm; and the Commons refused supplies r. th r "''"''• ^"^"^ ^^^ ^--^ - opp- Russen I "h V":'"L ^^^•^"--•■e Lord William Kussell, Lord Cavendish, and others The king yielded, and the Declaration of Indul- passed. It required that every one holding a civil or a military position in the state take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, declare against transubstantiation, and receive the "Sacrament " according to the rites of the Episcopal Church. Hundreds of Catholics r;!^';.^.;:^15 ««^- ^y ^^'- Act, among thet" Jam.o ..ukc of X 01 k, against whom it was particularly Penal Le^ws against Non-con- formists Bnspended. The Decla- ration re called and the Test Act passed. CHARLES II. 223 aimed. It was long suspected that James had been privately reconciled to the Church. He was not a man to deny his principles; and at once he resigned all offices which he held under the Crown, refusing to take the test. Plots : Persecution of the Catholics.— This open avowal of the Faith by James, and his marriage with a Catholic princess which took place about the same time, worked the Protestant party into a fury. Charles had no children by his Queen, Catherine of Braganza; and James was therefore heir apparent. " It was of this general panic that one of the vile im- postors that are always thrown to the surface at times of great public agitation, was ready to take advantage by the invention of a * Popish ' plot." Titus Oates, a man of infamous character, now came i678 forward to erive information of a certain ^•^' horrible plot for the subversion of Protes- Qates. tantism, the murder of the king, and the placing of James on the throne. Five Catholic peers were sent to the Tower ; two thousand suspected persons were hurried to prison. A proclamation •ordered every Catholic to leave London. Another villain, named Bedloe, came forward with tales besides which those of Oates seemed informer, tame. "The two informers were now pressed forward by an infamous rivalry to stranger and stranger revelations. Bedloe swore to the exist- ence of a plot for landing a Catholic army and for a general massacre of Protestants. Oates capped the revelations of Bedloe by charging the queen herself at the bar of the Lords with knowledge of a plot to murder her husband. Monstrous as such charges were, they revived the waning frenzy of the people * 111 224 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1679 AD. 1679 A.D. 1681 AD. 1679 A.D. and the Parliament. The peers under arrest were The Wan- '"^P^^^^^d. A new proclamation enjoined ing Frenzy Jjj^ arrest of every Catholic in the realm Protatants ^f ''" ''''^ ^"^ ^^^^^tion of Father revived. <-oIeman, began a series of judicial mur- ders which even now can only be remem- bered wuh horror." Dangerfield invented anXr Tub ^0!%'^"' r> ^7^^y^-^^" one-called the Meal Tub Plot, fiom the place in which the compromising The "Meal P^Pe^-^w^ere discovered. Among those who Tab Plot." suffered death in consequence of the fanat- ical feelings worked up by these stories: wereOnverPlunkett,Archbishopof'A^.aghandS Stafford a venerable peer over eighty years of age The Exclusion Bill: Habeas Corpus Act -The efforts of the Protestant party were now Tected to obtain the exclusion of the Duke of York from the succession. By the influence of Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, a Bill to this effect was brought into Parliament; but its progress was stopped by dis- solution. This Parliament had been iirpower^since annals '' unbroken life in our Parliamentary To it we owe the Habeas Corpus Act, which forbids Features of ^"^ judges under severe penalties to refuse cirpus^Acr ^^^"yP'-i^o^era writ of Habeas Corpus, P «t- directing the jailer to produce the bod^ of he prisoner in court, and to certify to the cause ot his imprisonment. It requires that every prisoner shall be indicted in the first term after his commit- ment and tried in the subsequent term in that court which is competent to try him. In two succeeding Parliaments the Exclusion Bill failed to pass. During the debates on this measure CHARLES II. 225 1683 the names Whig and Tory first came into use. The Tories were the court party; the Whigs, the opposition. These names were first ^l^f" *^* used in contempt; but they have since lost their uncomplimentary meaning. Monmouth : Rye House Plot.— The resolute stand taken by Charles in upholding the rights of his fam- ily, led to a reaction in his favor, and he was thus able to punish many of the Whig leaders. Some of them formed a conspiracy to place on the (jongpfracy throne the Duke of Monmouth, an illegiti- oftheWhig mate son of Charles. Lord William Rus- I'^aders. sell and Algernon Sydney took an active part in the plot. A number of their subordinates formed an- other plot, the object of which was to murder the king and his brother. This is called the Rye House Plot, from the place where the murder was to be ^^" committed. Thus there was a plot within a plot; but Russell and Sydney do not seem to have had any knowledge of the second. Both plots were dis- covered and most of the conspirators were executed. Russell and Sydney died on the scaffold; Monmouth fled to the Continent. Death of the King.— On the 2d of February, 1685, 1685 Charles was seized with a fit of apoplexy; and in ^•^• spite of all remedies he died four days after. Through a merciful Providence and the j^priggta* devoted attention of his brother James, a the King's priest was brought to the king's death- Deathbed, bed. He made his confession; showed a hearty re- pentance for all his sins; received the last sacra- ments of Holy Church; and died in the fifty-fifth year of his age and the twenty-fifth of his reign. He was buried at Westminster. ■J h l|:T I .ICl 226 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. CHAPTER V. JAMES II. A.D. less to A.D, 1688. Accession of a Catholic King : Religious Matters : Declaration Popular Feeling. of Indulgence. Monmouth and Argyle. "William of Orange : FllBht of Punishment of the Rebels. James. -""kukoi William and Mary : Declaration of Rights. Accession of a Catholic King : Popular Feeling.— We saw that in the last reign the Test Act was passed as a special mark of Protestant ill feeling against James. Consequently, when he came to the throne, A Powerful ^ ^^^.^^ ^"^ powerful faction was opposed Paction to him on the simple ground that he was opposed to a Catholic. Unfortunately his zeal for the *™®"" restoration of the Catholic Church in Eng- land was not tempered with discretion or prudence. His reign began like that of his father Charles I., in antagonism between himself and his Parliament and people. Gates and Dangerfield, the perjured inventors of the vicious plots of the last reign, were tried, found guilty, and imprisoned— the former for life. James promised his council to maintain the church and government of the country as bylaw established; but his first act seemed to those who were ready to The Kin 'b ^^^^^ °" anything to his disadvantage, a KrttAct^' violation of this promise. He went to Mass publicly, attended by his guards and chief officers of state. Protestantism was roused: and the opportunity seemed to have come for a sue- JAMES II. 227 1685 AD. cessful effort in favor of Monmouth as champion of the Protestant cause. Monmouth and Argyle.— The discovery of the Rye House Plot and the execution of the leaders caused many who were sympathizers, if not active conspira- tors, to flee from the country. Among the rest Mon- mouth and Argyle took refuge in Holland. Simul- taneous risings in England and Scotland under these as leaders were planned at Amsterdam. Both expe- ditions were unsuccessful. Argyle landed in Scotland; but meeting little help, and EnglfnV^ the government through secret information and Soot- being aware of his intentions, he was de- ^*°*" feated by the royal troops, taken prisoner, and behead- ed at Edinburgh. Monmouth landed in England, and soon found himself at the head of six thousand men. At Taunton he caused himself to be proclaimed King as James H. — "James Duke of York " being, in the words of the proclamation, a "Popish" usurper. Monmouth came upon the royal troops at Sedgemoor in Somerset. Here a battle was fought — the last on 1685 English soil. Monmouth was defeated, taken pris- oner, and executed, notwithstanding his pitiful ap- peal to the king for mercy. Punishment of the Rebels.— Then followed the most cruel proceedings against the rebels. Colonel Kirke's soldiers ravaged the country, putting many to death. Judge Jeffreys, by his harshness on the bench, was a fitting colleague for Jgffff Kirke. Whether James was directly re- sponsible for these severities will never be known; but he had a full share of the odium attached to AD. ^1 Religious Matters: Declaration of Indulgence. 228 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ') Restora- tion. James now began to put in practice his great idea of restoring the Catholic Church to her ancient posi- Cfttholio ^^°"' ^"^ Catholics to the dignities which they formerly held in the kingdom, but from which they were debarred by their religion. He appointed Catholic officers to the ! army; sent an ambassador to Rome; caused Catho- lic churches and convents to be opened in London; he even revived the Court of High Commission to help him in ecclesiastical affairs. And, as if to awe the people into submission, an army of sixteen thou- sand men was encamped on Hounslow Heath. Magdalen College, Oxford, was required to elect a Catholic president; twenty-five fellows were ejected for their resistance. It was in vain that the wisest of the Catholic party advised James against going so fast with his changes; in vain the Holy Father lg87 himself advised prudence. James proceeded with his ^'^" D 1 r tion '^^^^- ^^ published a Declaration of In- of Indul- dulgence, by which all penal laws forrelig- gencepub- ious offences were suspended, and all tests Iished and , i-^ .• r i_ i .• the Test Act in^posed as qualmcations for holdmg ofhce virtually were forbidden. This was a virtual repeal repealed. ^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ authority of the king alone. In the freedom of worship thus proclaimed by James, a// his subjects were to share — nonconformists or "dissenters" as well as Catholics. This showed the sincerity of his tolerant spirit. But Dissenters ^^^ Indulgence, although a prerogative which had been exercised by previous sovereigns, was contrary to law; and the dissenters, with a new-born zeal for the law, d<;clined to take aivantafye of th.e lib- erty offered to them. The fact is, they would rather decline to take Advantage of the Indulgence. JAMES II. 229 themselves suffer, than see Catholics relieved from disabilities. Next year James issued a proclamation ordering I688 the Declaration to be read in all the churches. Seven ^•®- Protestant bishops refused to obey the order. They were committed to the Tower; but after trial were acquitted. This result was received as a great triumph over James; and the Protestant party were proportionately jubilant. William of Orange : Flight of James.— Meantime William of Orange was watching every ac -•, of James. Mary and Anne, the king's daughters, were leagued with their father's enemies. The birth of a son to James brought matters to a crisis. The Protestants were alarmed at the prospect of a Catholic succession. A forged petition, purporting ^i^rm to be in the name of the Protestants of Eng- William't land was sent to William of Orange, asking 9^^^' him to come to England and rescue the country from James. William gladly seized an oppor- tunity for which he had long been looking. His preparations for the expedition were made known to James by the English minister at the Hague; but the unhappy king couid do nothing to save himself ; he could trust no one ; he had to wait for results as patiently as he could. William landed at Torbay in Devonshire, and 1688 marched to Exeter, which, however, shut its gates ^•^' against him. He remained there several days, only to discover that his welcome enters the was not so cordial as the petition led him Kingdom, to expect. He had almost made up his J°J.'jr" mind to turn back, when several persons of distinction rallied round him. Jauies, alarmed at i '. "y-M 230 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. (I the prospect of a .i^eneral defection of his subjects, and rememberin^r the fate of his father, resolved to quit the kingdom. William of Orange was not in- capable of becoming a second C romwell. James o the first sent his queen and the young prince t Court of France, following them soon after. William and Mary Proclaimed King and Queen* Declaration of Right.— William entered London on the day of James's leaving it. He was met by a number of peers and commoners, who requested him to assume the government and call a " Convention" to settle the affairs of the nation. The Convention, composed of those from each county and borough 1689 who were most opposed to James, met and drew up ^^ Proviiions ^''<^ "Declaration of Right." It affirmed of the the illegality of royal dispensation or sus- Deciaration. pension of the laws, and of keeping up a standing army in time of peace, the right of petition, of free election, of free parliamentary debate, of im' partial impanelling of juries, and of the pure admin- istration of the laws. It declared that James had abdicated the throne ; and it settled the Crown on 1689 William and Mary : on their issue ; and failing them, on Anne and her issue. William accepted ; and William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen of England, France, and Ireland. *' The great English 'Revolution' was now complete. Thus terminated The Three ^''^ ^"^^"^ struggle between the sovereign Estates. ^"^ ^'^^ parliament, not in the establish- ment of a wild democracy, but in the ad- justment and firm foundation of the three great es- tates of the realm— the King, the Lords, and the Com- mons, upon whose due balance and mutual check the strength of the English constitution mainly depends." WILLIAM AND MARY. 331 CHAPTER VI. WILLIAM AND MAUY. A.D. 1688 to A.D. 1702. Parliamentary FrooeeditiKB : Coronation of William and Mary : Bill of Rights. Scotland: Maisaore of Glen- ooe. Ireland: William and James: Penal Laws. France : The Treaty of Rys- wiok. National Debt : Triennial Aot : Freedom of the Press. Death of Mary : William Sole Buler • The Act of Settlement : Party Oovern ment. The Spanish Succession. Death of William: His Character. Appropria- tions. Parliamentary Proceedings : Coronation of William and Mary: Bill of Rights.— As soon as William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen of England, the Convention declared itself a Parliament. It pro- ceeded to settle the revenue of the king ; and in voting him supplies it assumed for the first time the right to appropriate them, that is, the right to say how they should be expended. Heretofore the king was permitted to do with them, what he pleased. Thje mutiny of a Scotch regiment led to the passing of the Mutiny Act, which placed the troops under martial law. The ® ^°*^' army was remodelled, and brought more under Par- liamentary control. Half the regiments were Dutch guards. At the coronation of William and Mary a new path was used. Instead of swearing to main- tain the Church as in the days of Edward ^^^ 0**^ ^\ r* c *u .. • used at the tlie Confessor, they now swore to main- coronation. tain the Protestant relio^ionj at the same tim« abjuring the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Feb. IS 1689 A.D 1689 AD. <( » 232 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Ill The Jacobites. 1689 A.D. the doctrine of the Real Presence, and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin and Saints. Freedom of Worship was secured to Protestant 1689 dissenters by the Toleration Act, but no relief was • granted to Catholics or Unitarians. Seven bishops of the established church refused to take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary, and were suspended. Their example was followed by four hundred of the clergy, who were deprived of their livings, and under the name of 'on-jurors, formed a class devoted to the House of Stuart. The fol- lowers of that House are known in history as Jacobites. William, by the Act of Grace, granted a general pardon ^'or political offences. Later in th -ar, on the reassembling of Parlia- ment, the Decimation of Right, with some enlarge- TheBillof '".^"^' passed into law as the Bill of Rights. Rights. Its chief provisions were given in the last chapter. "William, Mary, and Anne were sovereigns, simply by virtue of the Bill of Rights." Scotland : Massacre of Glencoe— In Scotland a Convention settled the crown on William and Mary. Presbyterianism quietly took the place of Episcopacy^ as the established <'orm of worship. But the whole nation was not inclined to accept the new rulers. The Duke of Gordon held the Castle of Edinburgh for James ; and the Highland clans, to support his cause, sent to the field three thousand men under the gallant Vis- count Dundee, John Graham of Claver- He defeated the troops of William at Killie- 1689 crankie, near Blair Athol, but fell in the moment of ~ victory. Edinburgh had already surrendered; and The High- land Clans Loyal to James. house. •Mt^.: WILLIAM AND MARY. 233 with the death of Dundee all resistance to William ceased. Some time afterwards pardon and indemnity were ^691 granted to all those who would lay down their arms and take the oath of allegiance before the last day of the year. All submitted in good time but McDonald of Glencoe. Dalrymple, Master of Stairs, in whose hands the government of Scotland mainly -jiieMcDon- rested, and who was a bitter enemy of the aids and McDonalds, eagerly seizec,,on this pretext, Dalrymple. and an order " for the exLJ.rpation of that sect of robbers" was laid before William and received his sig- nature. The troops were choser^, ,;rom the Campbells, the deadly foes of the clansmen of Glencoe, and were quartered peacefully among the Mci maids for twelve days, till all suspicion of their t^^tltid had passed ^g^g away. At daybreak, on the thirteenth day, they fell on a.D. their hosts, and in a few moments thirty of the McDonalds lay dead in tiie snow. The Sjfggacre. rest, sheltered by a snow-storm, escaped to the mountains, to perish for the most part of cold and hunger. '* The massacre of Glencoe set the stamp of execration on William's name ; and though he was doubtless imposed upon by Dalrymple, it is impos- sible to acquit him of culpable negligence, if he were not guilty of direct connivance. Ireland : William and James : Pena! Laws.— But a bloodier and more prolonged struggle had begun in Ireland. James landed there, having been furnished with a small army by the King of Jj'Jrelan'd ' France. He was joined by Tyrconnell, the with a Lord Lieutenant, and the first important |°^*^^ event was an unsuccessful siege of London- ^^ ^ derry, which held out for William. Schomberg, at the ^^^ 234 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Battle of the Boyne. James's Army routed. head of a Williamite army of ten thousand men, landed in the north, and was soon followed by William 1690 H. r"""^ '""u^ command in person. In the battle of ^ J, the Boyne the army of James was totally routed. Its opponents advanced from the north under command of William, who in point of lead- ership was unsurpassed. James, on the other hand, was deficient in the qualities which constitute a successful general He was wavering and uncertain. At one moment he de- cided to retreat, at the next he would risk a battle • then he sent off his baggage and six of his field- pieces to Dublin for his own protection ; and while James to ^^"^ so remarkably careful of himself he SHefeat ''°"*'^ """' ^^ persuaded to allow the most • necessary precaution to be taken for the safety of his army. No one can be surprised that under such circumstances the Irish were defeated- the only wonder is that they had the courage to fight for a single hour under so wretched a leader. Well can we understand the cry of O'Regan, one of the Irish captains: -Change kings and we'll fight the ba t e over again." James fled to Dublin before the battle was over, and thence to France William next took Waterford and laid siege to Siege of Limerick, which made a stubborn reslst- limerick. ^nce of six weeks notwithstanding the sneering opinion of the French general Lau^un, that the ramparts might be " battered down with roasted apples." Brave men and brave women were behind these ramparts ; and the defence of 1690 i:'"^^'''^^ ^^ «"e of the glories of the Irish people A,a The capture of Athlone, the defeat and death of tl ' French General St. Ruth ^t Ano-i,.;„, ,..u__- .. Ruth at Aughrim, ^Yhere through WILLIAM AND MARY. 235 jealousy of the Irish leaders he kept the whole plan of battle to himself, thus leaving the troops helpless on his fall, were followed by the ,aJJJ^deri. surrender of Limerick. Honorable terms of capitulation were offered to the garrison, and Sars- field, who held command, saw that further resistance was hopeless and useless. A parley took place, and after negotiations " The Treaty of Limerick" was i69l signed. Its most important provisions ^•'*' ^ , 1 e f • I. • Term> of were, perfect freedom of religious worship ^jj^ Treaty. for the Catholics, and peaceable posses- sion of their estates, both of which were violated al- most before "the ink was dry" on the parchment. In the following year royal letters pate.U confirming 1692 the treaty were issued, signed by William and Mary. ^•^^ All who wished to retire to France were at liberty to do so. It is said that fourteen thousand availed themselves of this permission; and such of them as were soldiers entered the service of France, forming the famous " Irish Brigade" whose deeds of valor on the continent of Europe have made them "renowned the world over. Three years later Lord Capel was appointed Vice- 1695 roy. He summoned a Parliament to meet j^p„iia. in Dublin. It sat for several sessions and mentin passed many penal laws against Catholics. B'lWio. All the miseries of Elizabeth's and Cromwell's reigns were revived. As it is important that we a^, ^^^, y should know what thrse penal laws were, of the a brief summary will not be out of place p^J^YLawi here. Catholic peers w re deprived of their enacted rieht to sit in Parliame X. Catholics could »?»Jn«t ** . , f r> r - Catholics. not be elected as memoers of Padiamcni. Catholics were denied the liberty of voting, were I i 236 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. '■.f ■'. <;xcluded from all offices of trust, and from all re- munerattve employment, however insignificant. Thev were fined sixty pounds sterling a month for absence from Protestant worship. They were forbidden to travel five miles from their houses, to keep arms to maintain suits at law, or to be guardians or exec- utors. Any four justices of the peace could, without further trial, banish any man for life if he refused to attend the Protestant service. Any two justices of the peace could call before them any man over sixteen, and if he refused to abjure the Catholic religion, they could bestow his property on the next of kin. No Catholic could employ a Catholic teacher to educate his children ; and if he sent his child abroad for education he was subject to a fine of one hundred pounds, and the child could not inherit any property in England or Ireland. Any priest who came to the country and was caught, was hanged. Any Protestant suspecting another Protes- tant of holding property in trust for any Catholic many kind-hearted and liberal Protestants helped the.r Catholic neighbors in this way) might file a bill against the suspected trustee, and take the estate or property from him. Any Protestant seeing a Catholic tenant-at-will on a farm which in his opinion yielded one third more than the yearly rent might enter on that farm, and by simply swearing to his opinion, take possession. Any Protestant might take away the horse of a Catholic, no macter how valuable, by simply paying him five pounds Horses and wagons belonging to Catholics were in all cases to be seized for the use of the militia Any Catholic gentleman's child who b ^came a ?rot^ estant could at once take possession or his father's WILLIAM AND MARY. 237 property. Any Catholic who exercised a trade, except seamen, fishermen, or day-laborers, forfeited his goods and was imprisoned. The Protestant historian Green, in speaking of this dark and unhappy period, says: "For a hundred years the country remained at peace, but it was a peace of „ , despair. The most terrible legal tyranny Despair, under which a najion has ever groaned avenged the rising under Tyrconnel. The conquered people, to use Swift's bitter words of contempt, became ' hewers of wood and drawers of water ' to the conquerors." France: The Treaty of Ryswick.— The great ambition of William was to humble Louis of France ; vVilli&m. ft and the active sympathy of the latter with Ambition the cause of James intensified William's to hamble desire. While the struggle between Wil- ^J^^J^ liam and James was going on in Ireland, a French fleet, under Tourville, defeated the English 1690> fleet off Beechy Head. Many of the chief men of ^^• England were favorable to James ; and when, two years later, Tourville again put to sea with a large 1692^ fleet, he expected that the English would not fight A.D. against him. In this, however, he was mistaken, for in a battle off Cape La Hogue he was defeated by the combined English and Dutch fleets. The French lost twenty-five vessels. James, who was ready to embark an army for England, gave up the project for the present. 1Q91 Meanwhile William had gone to Holland .^.^^.^j^.g A.D. to arrange for a grand European coalition Title ac- against Louis. For five years the war knowledged lasted on the Continent, with little or no ^^ ^"'^^ advantage to William. Both parties being tired of the 23S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. H' ITT'^'^''^ ^''' '"^^^ ^y '^' Treaty of Ryswick Dting. of !"^"' ^^'^ recourse to borrowing monev tulimnt. "•om the people on the security of future taxes, so that the payment miglit be spread nZ '"Trr. '''"'' ^^' establishe/the l^S jD.W wh.ch during William's reign increased from Th. R Tf^'" '"""°"' 'f P°""ds sterling, time and"loa°ned ",^ " "" incorporated at th^e same time and loaned arge sums of money to William, The pressure of war taxes became severe • and Parbament seized the opportunity to carrl the renewaTo//h^ r,"'' established by the non. renewal of the act to restrain unlicensed printing Death Of Mary: William Sola Ruler: Act of Settle ment: Party Government-Mary died from L„ M« attack of small-pox. After her' death Wmiam s irnpopu. ?8''"5' his hfe were formed; and his larity. Parliament showed little confidence in .1, ,j ,. insisted that his Dutch euards should be sent back to Holland, and compelled hfm lanH /.'■""'u'" °'"^'' '"'""' ^""e lands in I™ land, so hat these lands might be sold to pay the ex- penses of the war. Mary had died childfess; death ^ had carried away all the children of Anne- SuocM,ion. consequently a new arrangement for the' I'Ol succession became nec^s^r" i-h- ■• ■ A.D. »/ Settlement was passed fixino-'f' T ^' '''" pussea, nxing t/ie crown on the WILLIAM AND MARY. 239 Protestant heirs of Sophia of Hanover (see genealogi- cal table). It was enacted that the sovereigns of England must be in communion with the Protestant Episcopal Church as by law established. All future kings were forbidden to leave England without the consent of Parliament. The independence of justice was established by a clause that Enactments no judge should be removed from ofiSce ofParlia- save on an address from Parliament to °^®°*" the Crown. The two principles, that the king acts only through his ministers, and that thes<; are respon- sible to Parliament, were asserted. The plan of a ministry drawn from among the members of the party which was strongest \n the lower House was suggested by Lord Sunderland soon after the accession of William and Mary, and was grad- ually carried into practice by William. The Spanish Succession.— Meanwhile a difficult question was agitating Europe. This was the suc- cession to the throne of Spain. Charles II., King of Spain, had no children ; and as his sister was mar- ried to Louis XIV. of France, their son was the nearest heir to the throne. The prospect this opened 1698 up was not pleasing to William. Con- •^•^• sequently he tried to make, by Partition ^^^^^^^ Treaties, such a division of the Spanish kingdom as would prevent an increase of Louis' power. By the last of these the crown was to pass .--^ to the son of the German emperor. When Charles a.D. died, leaving the throne to the grandson of Louis, the latter, ignoring the treaties, placed his grandson on the throne of Spain. Parliament refused to help William; and all that he was able to accomplish was a Grand Alliance of England, Holland, and Germany H .., ,,S| 240 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 11 iii If Ik against France. Next year, however, when, on the death of James II., his son James Francis was War with f "^t'^^y recognized as King of England by France. 1-ouis, contrary to the provisions of the Treaty of Ryswici<, Parliament cheerful- ly voted supplies to equip an army to make war on France. Death Of William: His Character. -William, whose health had been declining, died before war was de- clared. As he was proceeding to Hampton Court his horse fell, and William sustained a fracture of the collar-bone. This brought on a fever, of which he died. Ambition was William's ruling passion. The one WiUiam'i obiject of his life was to humble Louis of ?a«fo^n f"^"''^' ^""^ ^^ ^^^ ''"^^ ^^'•e for Eng- • land or the English people beyond that which he felt for them as aids in carrying on his foreign wars He left as his legacy to his successor and the English people a bloody and ruinous war CHAPTER VII. ANNE. A.D. 1702 to A.D. 1714, Political Dissensions : Death of Anne. Accession of Anne: War of the Spanish Succes- sion. — Anne, daughter of Tam«:.c TT ^nH o:„,.„„ ^_ the late Queen Mary, succeeded to the throne. ANNE. 241 1702 1703 As we said at the close of the last chapter, Wil- liam left a bloody and ruinous war to his successor. He recommended John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough, as the fittest person to lead J^*^^ " her armies and guide her enthusiasm. But she needed no urging. When Parliament met she ex- pressed her intention of continuing the war. Two months after her accession war was declared against France and Spain by England, Austria, and the Netherlands. In the first campaign a num- ^.^ ber of towns were taken. The second Successfnl campaign was marked by similar successes. CampaigM. The third campaign is memorable for the victory of 1704 Blenheim and the capture of Gibraltar. Marl- A.D. borough, fearing that the French would reach and capture Vienna, hastened into Bavaria and met them 1^04 at Blenheim, where the first great battle A.D was fought. The French were defeated with immense loss. For this gre^t vic- tory — and in the language of old Kaspar, " What they killed each other for I never could make out" — Marlborough received the thanks of the Houses cf Parliament; was created a Duke, with a pension of five thousand pounds sterling a year; and had settled on him and his heirs the manor of Wood- stock, on which was erected, at the public expense, a magnificent mansion, named Blenheim from the famous victorv. Sir George Rooke, who had been sent on a cruise 1704 to the Mediterranean, attacked and cap- •^•^• tured Gibraltar, a most important posses- Ot^er Suc- , . cesses of the sion, which England has retained ever English. since. The following year is marked by the capture of Barcelona by the Earl of Peter- Battle of Blenheim. 342 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. borough with an army of Dutch and English troops Three other important battles v..r»^ lou^ht and won by Marlborough— Ramilies (i;o6j, Oudenarde (1708) and Malplaquet (1709). Political Parties: Fall of tiie Wiiigs and Marl- borough— While the war was raging on the Con- St If tinent the strife between the two ODliti- between ^^^ parties-the Whigs and the ToVies- the Parties, was carried on with much bitterness. The Whigs desired the continuance of the war- the Tories desired peace. Anne was a Tory at heart; but, inspired by her friend Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, she at first favored the Whigs The influence of the Duchess over Anne helped them to retain power. A quarrel between the two friends led to the introduction of a new favorite at Court, —Abigail Hill, afterwards Mrs. Masham, through whose efforts two Tory ministers, Robert Harley and Henry St. John, were admitted to the Cabinet. The former b^ ng accused of plotting against the ministry was dismissed from office; the latter re- signed. Two sermons were preached by a Tory Churchman, Dr. Sacheverell, advocating passive obedience to the' Dr. Sa- Sovereign, abusing the Whigs and all dis- cheverell. senters, and even the Revolution itself. He was impeached by the Whigs, found guilty, suspended for three years, and his sermons were ordered to be burned by the common hangman. This trial and sentence led to the downfall of the Whigs. A Tory Cabinet was now formed, of which Harley as head of the Government, and St. John (a decided Jacobite) as Secretary of State, were members. The general election which followed was ANNE. 243 influenced by the Sacheverell trial and sent a Tory- majority to the Commons. When the new Parliament met, Marlborough, ii - stead ot receivinjr a vote of thanks for his „ ,. , . , , Marlbor- servjces m me late war, was deprived of ough d«- a!l his offices. He was accused of appro- P'i^^d of pi ating to his own use large sums of and obliged money voted to pay his army; and ere to leave long he was obliged to leave England ''"Sland, and retire to the Continent. Harley was made Earl of Oxford; St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke. Close of the War: Treaty of Utrecht. — The Government now resolved to bring the war to a close. This was done by the Treaty of Utrecht, by which Louis agreed to up- 5jJxre*aty hold the Prote tant si ocession in Eng- land; abandon th* cause of Janu s Francis, called by his enemies the "Old Pretender;" demolish the fortress of Dunkirk; and cede to England Nova Scotia, Hudson Bay Territory, and Newfound- land. Legislative Union of Enyland and Scotland.— An Act of Union between England and Scot'and was passed in this reign. Its chief provisions were, that Soph- y of Hanover and her ^®7*'^j?" heirs, being Protestants, should succeed of Union, to the crov\n of the United Kingdom; that there should be one Pari ament sitting in Lon- don; that Scotland should I r^^presented in this Parliam* at by sixteen elective pee ., and fort3 five commoners; that all British ports and colonies should be open \o Scottish traders; and that Scotland should retain the Presbyterian form of worship, and her own ecclesiastical and civil courts. 1710 A.D. 1718 A.]>. 1707 A.D. m^k m 244 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Jacobite Effort in Favor of Jamei Francis. Political Dissension: Death of Anne —Many of the Tories wished to place James Francis on the throne. Bolingbroke was leader in this movement ; and he so won the confidence of the queen that Oxford was dismissed. Bolingbroke had now everything his own way ; but before he could take a single step towards 1714 perfecting his plans the queen died suddenly, having, ^•*'- the very day before her death, appointed the Duke of Shrewsbury, a Whig noble, Lord Treasurer and leader of the government. He took prompt meas- ures for the recognition of George, son of Sophia of Hanover, asking ; and before the Jacobites had time to even think of resistance, George had taken peace- able possession of the throne. CHAPTER VIII. NOTES OF PROGRESS. The country was still to a great extent unculti- vated, and consisted chiefly of marsh land and for- est. Arts, manufactures, and mining, were yet in their infancy ; but were beginning to show healthy signs of growth. Communication between distant places was very difficult for want of good roads. This backward state of the country was due to the long wars and other troubles. Commerce was greatly extended by rival compa- Commerce. "^^^ °^ merchant adventurers, and it re- ceived a vast impulse from the naval suc- cesses of the Dutch. NOTES OF PROGRESS. 245 Shake- speare. Taxation gradually took more of its modern form in the duties of customs and excise. Education was much neglected during this period. Out of London and the two university towns there was scarcely a printing-press in the kingdom. Latin, the language of state papers, of the traveller and the diplo- matist, was spoken and written with ease and accuracy. Art received some encouragement, chiefly by tho employment of foreign artists, among . . , whom the greatest was Vandyke. Arohitec- The Italian style of architecture was in- ^'**'®- troduced and developed with magnificence by Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren. In literature Shakespeare belongs to James as well as to Elizabeth, if he can be said to belong to any special epoch. Carlyle declares him to be the "outcome of the Catholicism of the whole Middle Ages." He found a worthy successor in Ben Jonson. Bacon wrote upon history and law, and the advancement of learning and philosophy. He stands at the head of the prose writers of the century. John Locke gave to the world a celebrated essay on the Human Understanding. Both, however, are responsible for laying the foundation of that Materialism of which Voltaire and Spencer are among the latest exponents Science was pursued by Boyle, Wren, Hooke, Harvey, and other worthy asso- ciates, who formed the Royal Society under Charles II.; and its achievements were crowned by Sir Isaac JMewton. Newspapers began to flourish in the reign of Will- iam ; the cofifee-houses and clubs disseminated news previous to this. Bacon and Locke. Science. 246 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Milton, Dryden, and Pope were the great poets of this penod. Milton is the poet of the Common- wealth ; but his great epic belongs to the Restora- tion. Queen Anne's reign has been styled the Augustan TheAugu.. t^^ of English literature, from the num- tan Age. '^^^ and elegance of its writers. To it be Th.^T ./"""^ u^'^Po' Addison, Steele, and Swift. Kr . . 7' '^' " Spectator," and the " Guardian," published from 1709 to 17 13, with the worthy object of correcting the taste and improving the morals of the day, were eminently successful. Addison and oteele were the originators and chief contributors In the reign of William and Mary, Peter the Great Peter the Emperor of Russia, visited England, and Great. worked in the Deptford dockvard as a car- penter and siiipwright, that he might learn the art of shipbuilding. His knowledge and expe- rience he put to good use when he returned to Russia. House of Hanover or Brunswick. A.D. 1714 TO THE PRESENT TIME. George I George II. (son) George III. (grandson)... George IV, (son) William IV. (brother).... Victoria (niece) .A.D. i7i4toA.D. 1727 .A.D. 1727 to A.D. 1760 ..A.D. 1760 to A.D. 1820 .A.D. 1820 to A.D. 1830 ..A.D. 1830 to A.D. 1837 . .A.D. 1837 ^^ ^^^ present. CHAPTER I. GEORGE I. A.D. 1714 to A.D. 1727. Accession of Oeorge I.: Whig Ministry : England and Eu- rope. Disturbances : Biot Act. "The Fifteen." The Septennial Act. Foreign Afikirs : Quadruple Alliance. The South Sea Scheme : Wal- pole. Death of the King : His Char- acter. Accession of George \.: Whig Ministry: England and Europe. — George I., eldest son of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, grand-daughter of James I. (see genealogical table), succeeded to the throne by vir- tue of the Act of Settlement. Immediately on the death of Anne he was proclaimed King ; but he did not reach England until seven weeks had passed away. During this time the affairs of government were managed by a Council of State ; and the Tory ministry, suspected of sympathy with the Stuarts, was dismissed. 247 IE.. i 248 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. for;l;'« 254 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1742 Bohemia and Austria. He retired to Frankfort, where some time after, he died in obscurity With the retirement of Walpole a change from his policy of peace had at once taken place. The control Carteret in °^ ^o^-eign affairs was given to Lord Car- Control of teret,a man of great power, and skilled aK '" Continental matters. Carteret and the Court of Vienna now determined not only to set up the pragmatic sanction, but to undo the encroachments of France, which had quietly an- nexed Alsace and Lorraine during the Spanish war George IL, who warmly supported Carteret's policy' put himself at the head of forty thousand men-' 1.43 ^nglish and Hanoverians— and marched from the A.D. Netherlands to the Main. Here he defeated the Battle of ^'^"^^ ^"^ Bavarians in the battle of Dettingen IJettingen, the last battle in which an prn.. _. ^"|''^h king in person commanded the fh?^"- ^^^/"-^"^h^'thdrew from Germany; but Engfand^ "' ^^" ^''^"'"^^ ^^'^ ^^^"^^ Louis took the field in person, with Marshal Saxe ITfZ '"^TrJ' ^" ^"'"^P' °" ^^hemia made by Frederick of Prussia led to an alliance of England. Holland, Austria, and Saxony. Frederick soon con- eluded a peace. Marshal Saxe now invested Tournay in Flanders- and an army consisting of English, Dutch, and Aus- trians under the Duke of Cumberland, second son of 1745 George II., marched to its relief. The armies met at " Battle of ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ Fontenoy, where, after a long Fontenoy. ^"a bloody battle, the French, aided by .K ir . ^^^ ''^^°'" ""^ '^^ "^"sh Brigade," routed the allied army, which lost ten thousand men. This GEORGE II. 255 " Prince Charlie." victory gave Flanders to France. The war lingered on for some time; but the danger to Holland by the new victories of Saxe over the English and Dutch, and the financial exhaustion of France, Treatvof brought about the treaty of Aix-la-Cha- Aiz-la- pelle, by whicli England surrendered its Chapelle. gains at sea and Frr.nce its conquests by land; but a.D. Frederick was permitted to keep Silesia. " Not a single point was gained for which England had been fighting France and Spain for eight years." The national debt had now reached eighty millions of pounds. Second Jacobite Rising: "Tlie Forty-fiVe."— 1745 Charles Edward, son of James Francis and grandson A.D. of James II., considered the time favorable # for another effort to recover the throne of his ancestors. His first attempt was made .„.. with the support of a large French fleet and army a.D. under Marshal Saxe; but the expedition was totally wrecked off Dungeness by a great storm, and the French Government abandoned the enterprise. Next year Charles, deprived of their support, pawned his ^ jj jewels and borrowed money from his friends to fit out two ships. Contrary to the advice of the Highland chiefs he set sail for Scotland. One of his vessels was disabled by an English cruiser; the Qj^^j^g other reached Scotland in safety. Charles reaches landed at Moidart in Inverness-shire with Scotland, seven followers. But he was soon joined by joined by Cameron of Lochiel, the Macdonalds, and Highland other Highland clans. Sir John Cope, com- "'' mander of King George's forces in Scotland, marched northward to Inverness, thus leaving the south open to Charles, who did not fail to take advantage of '"I' i iftlil m I 256 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Copes mistake. H,- marched to Perth, where he made a short stay; thence to Edinburgh, where he ook possession of Holyrood Palace, anVcaused his ather to be proclaimed king as James VIII. Cope .n the meant,me had moved his troops by sea and Battle of landed his forces at Dunbar. Charles met llT° J;™,^' P;«'°" P^"' "»r Edinburgh, and IT routed .he EngMsh "Th?i '" "'B^landers totally rh, T .r '^"K'"'"- Th.swas the turning-point of Sttrf^H '""'• "''" *"^ P"^''^'' °" •» London the Stuart dynasty might have been restored. But his army was small, and reinforcements came slowl! H,s Scotch supporters wished him to be content with the conquest of Scotland. Aid from France, which m.ght have proved decisive, was withheld; and con sequently much valuable time was lost. After a delay of s,x weeks, of which the English Government made good use Charles marched into England Hardly a man rose to his support as he passed through districts where Jacobites boasted of their strength. The fact was, the severities which had followed the ris- ing of 1715 were fresh in the minds of the wished f ''^°'''^' "■!-" "^'^ '■^^"y "■■«'' °< «'ar, and Tean ,h k""^'" ""^ ^"'" '° ''" '^eir lands and reap their harvests not minding very much who was on the throne or who had the best right to it h.M^^h'" T'!"^ °"^y- ^"^ ^ ~""'=i' of war was ret;, ,,;.'""' '''"''" '° S° ''"-'her; and Zry "« He def" 7h ?.'^'' "'"^'^ '° "'''^' '° Scotland"^ 4.B. He defeated the royal army at Falkirk; proceeded northward, and passed the remaining pan of the winter ,n the neighborhood of Inverness. The Duke of Cumberland followed; and the decisive battle was Charles marches in- to England, but Few rise to his Support. Gl RGE TI. 257 ■vM Butcher. fought on Culloden oor, nine mile;, from Inverness, The army of Charles as utterly ro"ted. The barbarou' crucity "f the Duke Cumberland tow Tds the insurgents— ti wounded were murdi red in cold blood after the battle — has earned for tiim title by which he is universally stigmatized — . 7ie J icher. After adventures even more exciting than those of Charles II., Charles Edward escaped to France. Many noblemen who took part End of the in the rebellion, and many of lesser note x^lne were put to death. No serious effort wa again made to restore the Stuarts to the throne. James Francis died in 1765 ; Charles Edward in 1788 ; and the last of the ancient and ill-fated line, Henry, Cardinal York, in 1807. Seven Years' War : Colonial War : America and India : Pitt.— The ambition of Frederick the Great provoked a European coalition, of which the main- spring was the prime-minister of Maria Theresa. He made a secret treaty with France, and another with Russia, Poland, Saxony, Cause of and Sweden, for the partition of Prussia. Years'War. Frederick, discovering the plot, at once seized Dresden, the capital of Saxony, and so began th ' "Seven Years' War." As his Hanoverian king- dom was threatened, George II. resolved to support Frederick ; and England was therefore once more opposed to France on the continent of Europe. But besides these European complications there were other causes for dispute between France and Eng- land in their rivalry for supremacy on this continent and India, and in the question of the boundaries of their respective colonies in these countries. 1746 A.D. 1786 A.D. .Ill I Ewpapvi IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ■ ^j^ m V. ^'^ fA 1.0 I.I 11.25 no >u In u •UUu 25 2.2 2£ f.8 U ill 1.6 'V s%. (?;?f Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I4S80 (716) 872-4503 :n>^ ^^K :\ ' Q V \ 5? %^ 258 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1768 AD. 1768 A.O. 1759 A.D. On this continent the French held Canada and Louisiana-the English the country and seaboard between. To connect Canada and Louisiana, and to Beginning T. ^^, '^^ ^l^^t^ ^''^"^ ^^e fur trade of oftheco-^ ^^^ interior, the French began to build a lonial War. chain of forts along the river Ohio The English attempted to stop this, but were unsuccessful. They suffered a severe defeat wTie marching to attack Fort Duquesne, led by Genera Braddock, who was mortally wounded. In this vear however, Admiral Boscawen and Lord Amherst, with Wolfe as second in command, took Louisburg in Cape Breton, thus placing the island in possession of the English. William rttt, the "Great Commoner," was now Pitt be. S.'''^" ^^ P'^"'"^^ ^" ^^« B"tish Cabinet. comesPrime ^'^ clear judgment, bold and lofty spirit 2Iinister. and unswerving honesty roused in the nation at large a temper which made ulti- mate defeat impossible. The selection of Wolfe and Amherst showed his contempt for " family" and his inborn knowledge of men. > «* m nis Next year General Wolfe captured the city of Quebec. Ihis was followed by the surrender of Canada to the English. Besides the East India Company, chartered, as we remember, by Elizabeth in i6oo, and since that time gradually increasing in power and in the extent of Its operations, there were trading colonies of French, Dutch, and Portuguese. The rivalry between the English and the French, and the gradual encroachments of the latter, brought on , war. Dupleix, the French governor of Pondicnerry, hoped, by aid of the native princes, to War In India. GEORGE II. -59 1767 AD. set up a great French empire in India. He took Madras from the English and overran the Carnatic. But his career of conquest was stopped by Robert (afterwards Lord) Clive, who from a clerkship in the East India Company's service went to the army as ensign. He captured Arcot, and passed from victory 1751 to victory. Dupleix was recalled to France. A D. Surajah Dowlah, Nabob of Bengal, had captured Calcutta. He thrust one hundred and „^ ,.^, , £ Tii6 SliUsk torty-six prisoners into a narrow cell Hole" of eighteen feet square, known as the Black Calcutta. Hole of Calcutta, which in that hot climate was scarcely fit to hold more than one. Next morning only twenty-three were found alive, the rest having been suffocated or trampled to death. But this cruelty was avenged by Clive in the great battle of Plassey, which placed Bengal in Jj^^^^ possessiorx of the English and laid the Indi& foundation of the British Empire in India. ^^^J^oyed. The last remnant of French power was destroyed by i76i Clive's capture of Pondicherry. A.D. The Seven Years' War was closed by the Treaty of 1763 Paris, which will be referred to in the next reign. A.9. State of Religion and Morality.— The Protestant historian Green gives the following sketch of the spiritual and moral condition of Protestant England in the time of George II. It is most in- structive, as showing what a " reformed " ^S^ot of a church gave to the people in place of the cf^Ji""®^" old Faith, its wise restraints and practical piety, and its care for the poor. "The system of pluralities turned the wealthier and more learned of the Protestant clergy into absentees, while the bulk of them were indolent, poor, and without social con- 26o HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Boligion a Laughing- stock, and Society grosal; Inunorax. siderati&n. A shrev/d, if prejudiced, observer brands the English clergy of the day as the most lifeless in Europe, 'the most remiss of their labors in private, and the least severe in their lives.' There was a re' volt against religion and against churches in both the extremes of English society. In the higher circles of society ' every one laughs,' said Montesquieu on his visit to England, 'if one talks of religion.' Of the promi- nent statesmen of the time the greater part were unbelievers in any form of Chris- tianity, and distinguished for the gmssness and im- morality of their lives. Drunkenness and foul talk were though^ no discredit to Walpole. Marriage was no longer held sacred ; and a morality which savors of paganism was openly inculcated by authorities on manners. At the other end of the social scale lay the masses of the poor. They Were ignorant and Ignorance ^'""'^^ ^^ ^ degree which is hard to conceive, fc.nd Brutal- for the increase of population which fol- Maseei^* '"^^'^^ °" ^^^^ growth of towns and the de- velopment of commerce had been met by no effort for their religious or educational improvement. The rural peasantry, who were fast being reduced to pauperism by the abuse of the poor laws, were left without much religious or moral training of any sort. 'We saw but one Bible in the parish of Cheddon,' said Hannah More at a far later time, 'and that was used to prop a flower-pot.' The criminal class gath^ The Crim- ^^^^ boldness and numbers in the face of inal Class' ruthless laws which only testified to the terror of society,— laws which made it a capital crime to cut down a cherry-tree, and which strung up twenty young thieves of a morning in front GEORGE II. 261 of Newgate ; while the introduction of gin (which came over with George I.) gave a new impetus to drunkenness. In the streets of London at one time gin-shops invited every passer-by to get drunk for a penny, or dead drunk for two pence." The Catholics were suffering from extreme depres- sion, and every means of education was ~ well-nigh denied them. Tiiey were forbid- Catholiot den by law to open seminaries at home, opprewed. or to send their children to foreign schools. Under these cruel disadvantages, however, they were still able to produce many men of learning, such as Ha- warden, Walmesley, Alban Butler, and Dr. Richard Challoner, Vicar Apostolic of the London District, author of many works of piety in use at thr r resent day. In Ireland the penal laws against the Catholics continued with unabated vigor. Fear that they would give assistance to Charles Edward led the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Chesterfield, to conciliate them by some relaxation of the severe laws ; but when the danger passed away they were left to their sufferings as before. Death of the King. — in the midst of the victories attending the English army and. navy all over the world, a fairly contented people, and an able and trusted ministry, the king died suddenly of heart- 1730 disease. His character has been told with that of his A..D. predecessor at the close of the last chapter. Fred- erick, Prince of Wales, with whom he had lived on bad terms, died before him, and the throne passed to Frederick's son. Irish Penal Laws. 262 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. CHAPTER III. GEORGE HI. A.D. 1760 to A.D. 1820. (Flrit Period to A.D. 1789.; '^SLf.orP:.,^-"' ^-- £e^oXn Blots. American Bevolution. T^e KoyaT Family. Accession of George lll.-The grandson of Geome 11. now ascended the throne as George III He Well re- ^^^ J^^''" ^^ England, and, to use his own «eived by words, gloried in the name of Briton. He the People, was well received by the people, whose loyalty and enthusiasm were freely offered to h,m as a native sovereign. Events so many and so important took place in his long reign of sixty years- he longest in English history_we shall find It convenient to divide it into tw. periods, the sec- ond beginning with the French Revolution Political Partles.-During the last two reigns the great Whig families had gradually drawn to them- selves almost all power in the state, often encroaching George'. «" ^he prerogatives of the crown itself. Resolve. ^o this usurpation George was deter mined not to submit. His resolve was to govern ; not to govern against law, but simply to gov- ern, to be free from the dictation of parties and min- isters, and to be in effect the first minister of state." The Earl of Bute, a Scotch Tory, who had been George s tutor and was now his chief friend and ad- GEORGE III. 263 viser, was placed in the Cabinet. The Tories had by this time returned to political life, and joined the party of the king. End of the Seven Years' War : Treaty of Parle.— France was now showing a disposition for peace, to which the king, advised by Bute, was in- j. dined. But Pitt was in favor of contin- "Family uing the conflict ; and as a treaty of alii- Compact." ance had been made by France, Spain, and Naples, known as the " Family Compact," since the three nei royal houses were of the Bourbon family, he advised ^D. that war be declared against Spain also. His col- leagues dissented from his views ; he resigned in con- sequence, receiving an annual pension of three thou- sand pounds, and his wife the title Baroness Chatham. Later in this reign he was created Earl of Chatham. The Earl of Bute succeeded Pitt as Secretary of State ; and on the resignation of the Duke of Newcastle, who had been nominal pre- tecomeB mier for some time, he became Prime Min- Prime ister. " He took office simply as an agent ^^'""'*'- of the king's will ; and the king's will was to end the war." Circumstances, however, obliged the govern- ment to carry out the aggressive policy of Pitt. The war with France continued, and hostilities were com- menced against Spain. The struggle was carried on chiefly in the East and the West Indies, and many of the latter islands were taken by the English. At last peace was made by the Treaty of P^ris, 1763, by which an interchange of forts and islands took place; Eng- land retaining her conquests in North America. The English people looked on Is foroed to this treaty as a disgraceful surrender ; and Bute, unable to withstand the storm of popular in- 264 HISTORY OF EN(;i,AND. dignatlon, was obliged to resign. He was succeeded by George Grenville. John Wilkes : Parliamentary Reform.-The part which this man played in English history shows how even a very worthless person may be brought into prominence when he is looked on as the represenfi tive of some great principle. John Wilkes was a Wllke. the !:r'': ?! P-!'-'"f "t, talented but profli- Chief In- ^''^^- ^y 3 singular irony of fortune he ■trumentin became the chief instrument in brintriuLr nreeSfeat \^^"' '^'^^ ^^ ^^'^ S^reatest advances which Reforms. ^^^ British Constitution has ever made He woke the nation to a conviction of the need for parliamentary reform, by his defence of the right of constituencies against the despotism of the House of Commons ; he took a lead in the struggle to put an end to the secrecy of parliamentary pro- ceedings ; and he was the first to establish the right ot the press to discuss public affairs " Wilkes was also editor of a paper' called the JVor.A Brtion^ In a certain number of that paper he at- tacked the speech from the throne, and charged the king with uttering a falsehood. Grenville caused a general warrant to be issued-that is, one in which no name is mentioned-for the apprehension of - the authors^ printers, and publishers of th^ seditious li- bel. On this warrant Wilkes was arrested and com- mitted to the Tower ; but claiming his privilege as a member of Parliament, he was at once released The General matter was referred to the courts, which WYi^nts decided that general warrants are illegal declared Wilkes was then expelled from the House," found guilty of libel, and, having fled to France, was outlawed. Returning to England he was GEORGE III. 265 1766' elected for Middlesex ; but the House refused to admit him. Four times he was returned, and as often refused admission. But he afterwards took his seat, and, later, filled the offices of oueriff and Mayor of London. It was durinjr these exciting times that the '* Let- ters of Junius " appeared, attacking the misgovern- ment of the king and his ministers. American Revolution.— The National Debt had in- creased enormously — it was now one hundred and forty millions of pounds — and Grenville sought anx- iously for means to raise money. He conceived the scheme of taxing the New England colonies; and the Stamp Act was passed, by which it , , , ^ J • The Stamp a.w, was enacted that every document used in j^^^ *" trade or legal proceedings, to be valid, should have affixed to it a stamp, the lowest in value costing a shilling, the duty increasing in proportion to the amount set forth in the document. This raised a storm in the colonies. Taxation and representation, they said, go hand in hand. No representation, no taxation. Grenville was obliged to give way, and repealed 1766 the Act, but he did not abandon the principle. To ^•^• this he held strongly, and he put it in force next year by imposing duties on paper, glass, tea, and some small articles. Later, these taxes j^^^ were partly repealed, the only or.e retained being a tax of three pence on the pound of tea, on which the original duty was one shilling. Combinations were at once formed in New England against the importation and use of tea, and measures were taken to prevent its L ing landed or sold. Ac- cordingly, on the arrival of three tea-ships at Boston 266 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Cargofl Three Tea Shipi thrown Overboard in Boston Harbor. as Sept.S 1774 A.D 1776 A.D. i'J,3 ,hey were boarded by a band of men disguised a. Dor. When this news reached EnRland the government determined to punish the coN 1 he port of Boston was closed, the customs of cnv '^ '"nsferred to Marblehead, the sea^ of government to Salem. In soiie nf th- Burke, Fox, and Pitt, further measures of""'"^' "' were adopted. The British P.Ti <^°"c.on from the colonial governments mh"^'. '""•""'' and this gave deep^o;:ncrto e pe^plf "^'7°^"' of delegates from the thirteen coZfes met at "p1,nr Declaration ^^^P^f ' A Declaration of Rights was Of Bight.. ^f^-^-d to, in which was set foTth, with Rriti.h K ' '^'"^'' '^^ ^^^'"^ °^ the colonists as their alliance in resist nl Fn J^i h ^^"^^ '"^'^'"^^ the people of Great Sin ^^"'' '"' ^" ^^'^^^^ ^^ «nT^^ '°K "'"''' P^'-^^'^ed that war was inevitable Tnfa '^^LtfoTar ?„r ^^^^^-^^ ^^ ^^^ ^ ^ lated bv the nrn , ^"^"lunition were accumu- .eusa utrrnr,^orroeUi,^o::::t:- Enghsh governor, secretly despatched a force to d stroy the stores at Concord, ^his led to the first" Battle of '"f '^""^^"*' ;^'hich took place at Lexing- -exingtoo. ton, half-way between Boston and Concord .en armv H " '\' ^"^"^' ^^"^^^ ^^^ ^ ^-^^l citl' wlr nf .h' 1. ! '^^ ^''' ^^^^^ ^^s shed, and the War of the Revolution began. GEORGE III. 267 Congress now reassembled ; another petition was sent to the king ; but measures were taken to raise an army, to equip a navy, and to Jui Amy. provide arms and ammunition. The citizen Washing- forces before Boston were adopted as the '°°' nucleus of a colonial army ; and George Washington, a member of Congress, was appointed commander- in-chief. Before he could reach his command the battle of Bunker Hill was fought, in which the British troops won the victory, but with such great loss, their army was almost disabled. An invasion of Canada was now decided on, and General Montgomery was appointed to lead the ex- pedition. He succeeded in taking Montreal, but failed to capture Quebec. After a siege of some months, during which Montgomery was killed, the arrival of British reinforcements obliged the Americans to leave Canada. The same year saw the success of the colonial arms at Boston and Charlestown, and the "Declaration of Independence." This oflnde- memorable document was based on a reso- P«ndeno«. lution proposed and passed in Congress " that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown ; and that all politi- cal connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." For seven years the war continued ; but France coming to the aid of the colonists Colonies be- * j*u*-j rr. • 1.- '^ome Free turned the tide of fortune in their favor, and Inde- The defeat of the English general Burgoyne pendent at Saratoga may be traced to this help. The ^***®*- surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in Vir- May24 1771 A.S. Juae 17 1776 A.D. 1775 A.D. July 4 1776 A.D. 1777 A.D. 1777 A.D. 1781 268 HISTORY OF ENGt-AND. ginia, where he was besiep-p,! ,>..t 1783 Two year, later a7r»l? ^ ' ? ' ^" ^"'' '" ""= '^^'^■ *•» which"^ GrearLri.aTn 'io""*' f,'-'^""^'' " ^^"^'"«. "^ United States to be" frt""^ ^ acknowledged the dent." "• ^°™«'gn, and indepen- "»' co°".[:e5 F::n:h^^<;%^''-. :- "-'^^ed by the lantly defended by Genera' Elt.r% '^""^ «"'■ bamed an atte.pis "raptu: t'he'^ o^rtts °" U^ .f" eve^r s.„ce regained in undisturbed posISon of Ih : Ireland : Legislative rndeoendenPA in fu Henry V"- an Irish Par,iart''rafh;r]"aDr;g!'ed°i Ireland. "^"'"gs. Then was passed that iniaui- Which prov^ed "r iT-rV"'"'"^^ ^^<' Should b'e heidt Ir'eu'nd' "^if r^^'Lo": D ""■^"■'-•"• Council had first certified to te kW , f^'P^'^ =■"" coioi^-i'-t^L-^-r^-^^^^^^^^^ SU,h. c». ^ ;ar to the English Government' that fo S'"" lous'aTr'"" °' '""«'=™- ~" 'ica- Cthouc el.e,e Irish r'?."'^-"*"*' ™"^' ''"^ '"'>"- "> ties Triflinlo" mer ? °''" '■"°'" "'^"- "'sabili- just ehougMo °ake th?i T""""' ^"'^ S-"'-=<^- need not LpecnrsH. ^'"P''^ '"=""'^ '^at they of .ear. ardToV^ orghnr';'e::firth'" """'"''''>" bill was passed which^panlv re eyed threat;', ' "" They were now allowed a few of the ri gh^" f° Ui-' 3 I •■ GEORGE in. 269 zens. They were permitted to take and dispose of leases ; priests and schoolmasters were no longer liable to prosecution. Grattan entered Parliament in 1775. In 1780 he 178© made his famous demand for Irish inde- ^•®» pendence. The Volunteers, who took up Orattanand arms in the north for the defence of their volunteen. country when the coast was threatened by French privateers, had now risen to be a body of national importance. Delegates from all the volun- teer associations met at Dungannon ; and the gov- 1782 ernment dare not prevent or interrupt their proceed- ^^• ings. Resolutions were adopted demanding civil rights and commercial freedom. The effect of this powerful agitation was decisive. In Parliament Grattan brought forward his celebrated motion for independence, which was carried. A period of unex- 1782 ampled prosperity followed. ** If the Par- ^•^- liament had been reformed when it was «^®,.'"'^^ Farliament freed, it is probable that Ireland would at Independent this moment be the most prosperous of ^^^ Uare- t-, ^ , „ ,. ^ formed, nations. But the Parliament was not re- formed. The prosperity which followed was rather the effect of reaction than of any real settlement of the Irish question. The land laws were left un- touched, an alien church was allowed to continue its unjust exactions ; and though Ireland was delivered, her chains were not all broken, and those which were, still hung loosely round her, ready for the hand of the traitor or foe. Though nominally freed from English control, the Irish Parliament was not less enslaved by corrupt influence. Perhaps there had never been a period in the history of England when bribery was more freely used, when corruption was 270 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. more predominant." The Pafi.rai ^ such a condition of .m'sV.luln Z"'X'"''' °' h J fi,""';'"'.'' ""•♦^--English Catholics received the benefits of the very small measure of relief granted to the,r corel.g,onists of Ireland. This arou^sed a,1 Protest.,.. i„, °^^ '^^''"8 "f Protestant bigotry and Bigotiyand ""o'erance, and theshameful " No Poperv" the Mob in """f ■ Protestant associations were formed londot. under the presidency of Lord George Gor in St r- . -H",''^''''''""'^P'''^« a mob assembled -n''an^;rr:her':'r:hfHitrco" " ^°" Tu^f ."nfo^'T '"' — ^"" -^e^oTeTat^! The moh ,r L"",'"' "''"""' '" 8'-='"' 'heir prayer were":' l; fire™,; °"""'° "°'^ Catholic churches were set on fire, the prisons were broken onen and to catthc^L^^i-r^^ri zr '•°-- '""«'" London for five '^s, L^^ iT^ rornS^fmilf ary were called out and five hundred of he rioters shot down that peace was restored These rin. But out of this evil came good. The first step Tardy owards the restoration of Catholics -o Jurtice. their civil and religious rights was taken- of i,,.,- 1" """' ''"y '° 'he present the work of^ju^stice has gone forward-sic^ perhaps but Changes in the Cabinet.-The American war car ried on under the administration of Lord North had ZT, :i,u'r^" "=?"'"' '"' "-^ E"siish,rd hai -J .d much loss of men and money. The king GEORGE III. 27-1 resolutely held to the war; but two votes in the House of Commons, one against continuing the war, the other a vote of want of confidence in North's administration, being carried by a majority of nine only, North resigned. The king was now obliged to form a Whig ministry under Lord Rock- ingham. It was during his term of office ^*°y that the claim for Irish legislative inde- MiSstey."' pendence was yielded. On the death of Rockingham, after a few months' administration, 1782 Lord Shelburne succeeded, who made the treaty ^•^• acknowledging the independence of the United States. 1788 Eminent among the Whigs were Fox and Burke. •^•^• They boldly attacked the policy of the king, who by useless offices and pensions was able to bribe men to vote as he pleased. The Whigs were now divided into two parties — one following Lord Shelburne, called the Chatham party; the other. Fox, The latter joined with Lord North to overthrow the Shelburne administration. They suc- ceeded; and a coalition government was ^^' formed, Fox and Lord North being joint Secretaries of State, and the Duke of Portland Premier, Owing, however, to troubles in India, which will be explained presently, they did not remain long in office. Fox introduced his East India Bill, which placed the Gov- 1788 ernment of India in charge of seven Commissioners, ^•^• who were to be named by Parliament first and after- wards by the crown. The king was very much dis- pleased with the bill, as it seemed to be a plan to set aside the rights of the crown. By his influence the Lords threw it out; he dismissed his min- Pitt isters. and rallpd on th#> vrmno-or Pi<-«- *n form a cabinet. A general election resulted in Pitt's lliik 'I* iflffl 272 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. favor; and he held office for ei.^hteen years in spite of the ability of his opponents Burke, Fox. and Sher- dan. Pitt took office at a critical time; but he was a very able man, and quite equal to the difficult tasks now set before him. India : Regulating Act : Board of Control -We have said (page 259) that the capture of Pondicherry TheEast ^''°'" ^^'^ French firmly established British India Com- supremacy in India. Then began a system SSuf JnT""" °^ ^y^""y' corruption, and plunder prac- Corrupt. ^'^^^ ^y ^he merchant-clerks and other officials of the East India Company. Clive himself was not free from complicity in this miscon- duct; but he saw that -the time had come when greed must give way to the responsibilities of power " He returned to India and at once set to work to put down private trading by the Company's servants with all Its vicious consequences. His exertions led to measures of reform in the government of the coun- 1773 try. The " Regulating Act" placed the three prov- AD inces of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay under the Governor of Bengal, who was thus made Governor- General. Warren Hastings was the first Governor-General, Warren "^"^ "^'"^ """""^ '° establish a strong govern' Hastings. "^^"^ ^"^ a respect for the law. He, how- ever, did some harsh and wicked things during his administration. He had constant quarrels with his council; and complaints against him were 1783 frequently made to the home government. It was at this stage that Fox introduced his East India Bill already mentioned. Pitt was now obliged to take up the India question. He had a bill passed appointing a Board of Control as The Board of Control appointed. GEORGE III. 273 Prince of Wales. a department of the English Government to man- age the political affairs of India, \vhile the Com- pany was allowed to carry on its own business and appoint Its own officials. This method of double government lasted till 1858, when the country was placed under direct control of the crown Hastings was impeached in the House of Commons. 1788 His trial lasted for seven years; but A.D. ended in his acquittal. The impeachment ?"ting8 was supported by Fox, Sheridan, and '°^P**''^**' Burke, the speeches of the latter being masterpieces of oratory. ^ The Royal Famlly.-There was trouble in the royal household, chiefly through the miscon- duct of the Prince of Wales. Henot.only J{\'5°°d»i«t allied himself with the Whigs, in opposi- * tion to his father, but made his residence, Carlton House, a scene of disgraceful revelry and incurred enormous debts by reckless extravagance and gambling. He married a Catholic lady Mrs F'.tzherbert, a virtuous, intelligent, and accomplished woman; but the law of England did not recognize the marriage as legal. A vote was passed in the House of Commons to discharge the prince's debts- and ten thousand pounds a year were added to his' income. The king now suffered the first severe attack 1788 ot insanity, some symptoms of which ap- A.D. peared over twenty years before. The '°»a°ity of opposition claimed that the Regency be- *^® ^'°»- longed of right to the Prince of Wales. Pitt would not admit the claim as a right; but he did not oppose the prince's appointment. The dispute was ended 1T89 by the recovery of the king, who became more than ^•^• ever hostile to the Whigs. ! nioii 274 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. CHAPTER IV. GEORGE III. A.D. 1700 to A.D. 1820. (Second Period A.D. 1789 to A.D. 1880.) French Bevolution. Napoleon in Egypt and Syria. Peninsular War. irnited"lrf»hmen7 "• nSv' S"''T °f Wales Begent. ^eight :" Irish Parfiament '^" ""^tr^' »"«"^" Campaign: Trafalgar: Austerlitz • Jena • ^^^^ Abdication. Berlin Decrees ^^^' ^^°J^°^ ^«*"™« to France: _ vvaterloo. Death of the King. enLTthe''irI''H «''-~^''°''''^ ^''" 'he independ- ence of the Unued States was recognised by the E,,^- A G.n.r.I "^h Government a general peace was made P.„.. with America, France, Spain, and Holland During the .est which followed, the arts of peace were cultivated. England was becoming a great manufacturing country. Iron and coal mils were opened up ; and the use of steam LrLrv in creased facilities for all kinds of indus^y ^ ' "" In the midst of this quiet and prosperity trouble once more arose by a revolution in Fran«. '^M lita ' fu;;cy^VtT^" "'^' r""' '° ">•= -^^^ °f '-^ ruptcy. At P. ., a mob, goaded by oppression and poverty, and by the immoral and infidel TaZhZ, wuh which Voltaire, Rousseau, and other's fio'oied he country, rose against the king, Louis XVI and 1789 his government. "France f^l) ,w .u u , A.D ,, r ranee tell into the hands of The "Reign L f^l^"^ "lob, whose wild vengeance of Terror" ^g«;"st the noble and privileged classes m France. could only be satisfied with blood " Thev the palace';? t'.r tl^'!^' °' ^'"-^ P^'^"' '•& ^^^^ "CAL Stormed, its de- GEORGE III. 275 fenders massacred, and the king and queen sent to prison. Then the '* guillotine " was set up, the "Reign of Terror" began, and thousands were put to death, including the king and his queen, the beautiful Marie Antoinette. In the midst of such scenes a republic was formed, the worship of God abolished, and the Goddess of Reason en- throned on the high altar of Notre Dame. ^ ^**"° *>' France now became a nation of atheists, *^""*"- and declared war against the world, offering the assistance of her armies to all people who desired liberty. The murder of the king and queen alarmed all the crowned heads of Europe; and soon war was de- clared against France by England, Holland, Spain, Austria, and Prussia. The English took Toulon, but were compelled to abandon it by the French under Napoleon Bonaparte, whose abilities as a general were fast bringing him into prominence. Prussia, Spain, and Holland now deserted England; Spain and Hoi- Japo^«on land joined France. Napoleon drove the °°*P*"®- Austrians out of Northern Italy, and compelled the Germans to sue for peace. To England, left alone at this crisis, everything appeared cheerless and hope- less ; but two naval victories, one over the Spanish 1797 fleet off Cape St. Vincent, and the other over the A.D. Dutch at Camperdown, opened up brighter prospects. Napoleon in Egypt and Syria.— Napoleon resolved on the invasion of Egypt. His object, as he after- wards declared, was " to conquer the East and take Europe in the rear." Taking ^"^ Scheme Malta inarched hi , , , ' ° ct" Conquest, is way, he landed at Ak x.ndria, to Cairo, and defeated the Egyptians in the '1! Ill 276 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1798 AD. Aug 1 1798 A.D. Is elected First Consul. Aug 1802 AD 1791 AD. 1793 A.O. battle of the Pyramids. But his fleet had been pur- sued by English ships under Nelson, who utterly de- feated the French in the Bay of Aboukir-an engage, ment known as the battle of the Nile. Napoleon marched into Syria, took Jaffa, and laid siege to Acre Here he was defeated by a combined English and Turkish army under Sir Sidney Smith, Affairs at home demanded his immediate presence there, so, leaving his army, he returned to France. The troops which he had aban- doned finally surrendered at Alexandria n the same year Napoleon was elected First Consul ot i^ ranee for life. United Irishmen: ''Ninety-eight." Irish Parlia- ment.-As we have already noted, the meagre con^ cessions granted the Irish in 1782 did not give full Catholic emancipation or Parliamentary reform An organization called the ''United Irishmen "* was formed, in which Protestants and Catholics worked together harmoniously for the freedom of their country. The fundamental rules of the society were as follows: (i) "That the weight of English influence in the government of the country is so great as o require a cordial union among all the people of Ireland to maintain that balance which is essential to the preservation of our liberties and the extension of our commerce. (.) That the sole constitutional mode by which this influence can be opposed is a complete and radical reform of the representation of the people in Parliament. (3) That no reform is just which does not inc .de every Irishman of every reli- gious persuasion." The government made some half- nearted concessions, but not enoue-h to ,=ati-^" *h- Fundamen- tal Bules of the " United Irishmen." GEORGE III. 277 demands of the United Irislimen, wlio soon entered into a correspondence with France. This so alarmed the English Government, that Lord Fitz- ^^^^ William was sent over as Lord Lieutenant, OoJerSme't with instructions to make still further con- alarmed, cessions to the Irish. But he was recalled; and Lord Campden, a man of very different views, replaced him. Everything that could be done was now done to excite the Catholics to rebellion. The change of governors and change of policy so exasperated the United Irishmen, they appealed to France for aid. A French fleet, commanded by General Hoche, arrived 1796 in Bantry Bay, but finding no preparations made for ^^• them they returned to France. Next year the bitter feelings of the Irish were in- 1797 tensified by the fact that soldiers were sent into the AD. disaffected districts, and were billeted on „^ » . , *v,^ 1 -.1 « The Irish the people without payment. Any mur- goaded into mur against this treatment was punished Rebellion, severely— often with death. Tlie United Irishmen were perfecting measures for a rising when an in- former made their movements known to the govern- ment. Several were arrested and executed. The expected rising took plact; but the leaders 1798 were gone, dead, or imprisoned; and "nothing but A.D. wild desperation could have induced the people to rise at all." Still, the insurgents met with considerable success in various parts of the country, chiefly in the County Wexford; but their defeat at Vinegar Hill by Generiil Lake crushed the rebellion. A French army under General Humbert landed at Killala and defeated Lake at Castlebar. Rebellion They marched into the country and at crushed. Baliinauiuck met a large English force under Lord 278 HISTORY OK ENGLAND. Cornwalhs. Here they surrendered, and were treated as pr,soners of war, while the Irish who had S them were executed. In these troubled tim« he names o Emn.et, Wolfe Tone, and Lord Edwa d F.t.serald. names to he forever revered by Irishmen stand out prominently. .y "isnmen, ,,99 Next year the government proposed legislative AD. un.on between England and Ireland; but ft raised Th. AC. of Zt.^ T"" u" ,''■"'''"''■ "'" ■"="»"■•« was Union. defeated n. the Irish House of Commons 1.00 "'"••"«"■ '".''"= following year, however, by open WOO bribery, some of the Irish members were bought over to support the measure, which wis finally carried. The union went into effec on Th an Act of Cathohc Emancipation; but being opposed by the k,ng, he resigned office, .,„d was sucfeeSed bv the Add.ngton Cabinet. <-ceeaea by Napoleon: Trafalgar : Austerlitz : Jena: Berlin De- Uapol.™'. Crees.-When Napoleon became First Con- Diplomacy su he made overtures of peace, which was i~ But the j""*'M""?"'^''"'y"'«Treatyof Amiens. But the fact .s. Napoleon did not so much desire permanent peace as time for maturing h,s plan of uture operations. While England ceded nearlval Of the Rhine, and several cities in the north of Italy Napoleon annexed Piedmont to France, seized Pari ma found a pretext for keeping his troops in Hoi- land, and on a frivolous plea insulted the British ,M3 Ambassador, who immediately left France This A.D. was equivalent to a declaration of war; and war was accordingly declared. Napoleon then seized on The English who had gone to France during the peace! GEORGK III. 279 and formed a great camp at Boulogne for the in- vasion of England. Next year Pitt re- turned to office as Premi t, and was now Attempted J i. ■ . VT I T Invaeion of to conduct a war against Napoleon I., England. Emperor of France, a title assumed in this year. All the powers of Europe, except Prussia and Spain, joined England. The watchfulness of Lord Nelson prevented the landing of a French army on the English shores; and his great victory over the combined PVench and Span- ish fleets off Cape Trafalgar removed all fear of inva- sion, and established England's supremacy on sea. Eager to chastise Austria, Napoleon marched the " Grand Army" from the shores of the Channel to Vienna, which he occupied. In the battle of Austerlitz he defeated the Austrians and Russians with great slaughter; and next year Prussia and^Jena* was laid at his feet by the battle of Jena. He entered Berlin, whence he issued the famous " Ber- lin Decrees" against commercial intercourse with Great Britain. England in retaliation decreed that no neutral power should trade with France or her allies. The Peninsular War.— Napoleon now began his scheme of conquest in the Spanish peninsula. A French army under Junot overran Port- Portugal ugal. He entered Lisbon, and the royal overrun, family fled to Brazil. Napoleon placed JoJ/p^t^^ his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain, made King England sent an army to Portugal under 0' Spain. Sir Arthur Wellesley, who defeated Junot at Vimi- era. Wellesley was superseded by Burrard and Dal- rymple, who by the convention of Cintra permitted Junot to evacuate Portugal. Sir John Moore ad~ 1804 A.D. Oct. 21 1805 A.D. 1805 AD. 1806 A.D. i 11 ll 1, 11 1808 A.D. 28o HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1809 Napoleon took p„t in this can,pai,n,,. Lt hifpr defeat, th. \V;,ffr-,m l.„ "'* '"""e <>( Aoitrtan.. '".''-f^''"! lie once more defeated the Aus i"5° the States of "tL "'"'"« ""^ "^""'P-S" he declared" empire; and e \he hI^".".?'"' '" '"^ ''■•^-'' «-ob|e and then' .: "rn't^aitbl^n^"^""^^' «^" '" peni:^:.,:" ';ve,;ery;:r s v;;;;.'^ 7^ ^" "■« 1,13 command in Spain- and Ifter" ^^""'"f"". to<'k AD. victories he dro^ tl^e French ,"' °' ""'"'"" Prince of Wales Reaen^r'!"'' ''^■■^"'='^^- 1810 cnmbed to his ntn.T r, ^'"^ ""^"V '"<:■ * ° Wales governed Trel'jJ'"'' """ "' ''""'=' »' of his ffther's reign *" '"^ '"' '^" "'"<= ^"''^ / ■"•= .'=™s to the Russian emperor Bnt The Be- '"« winter had now l GEORGE IV. 283 deprive her of the prerogatives of queen and to di- vorce her from her husband, was introduced into the House of Lords. The bill was passed by a narrow majority; but as there was no hope for its success in the Commons, it was abandoned. Caroline presented herself at the door of Westminster Abbey on the day juiyi9 of the king's coronation, but was refused admission. "81 It is said that she felt this treatment so keenly she ^^ died soon afterwards of a broken heart. Even over her remains there was disturbance. The government had ordered that the funeral procession should not pass through the principal streets of London; but the people, always on her side, insisted on the most pub- lic route, and carried their point. The King's Tour.— The king visited Ireland, Scot- land, and Hanover. His visit to Ireland was a mere pageant, bringing no real benefit to the people— not even a change in his unsympathetic feeling towards his Irish subjects. In Scotland he restored a number of peerages which had been forfeited in consequence of the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. Foreign Affairs.— A war witli Burmah led to the 1824 annexation of a large portion of Further India to ^^*- the British possessions. Russia, France, and Britain entered into an alli- ance for the protection of Greece, which .,,. was suffering from Turkish misrule. A proteSr *° naval engagement in the Bay of Navarino, 0"ece. in which the Turkish fleet was almost wholly de- 1827 stroyed, led to the independence of Greece and its ^^• establishment as a separate kingdom. CatilOlIc Emancipation.— During the reign of George III. several attempts were made to gain his consent to the introduction and passing of a bill for the relief 284 HISTORV OF ExNGLAND. Of Catholics, but his bigoted obstinacy always stood Bigoted '" ^^^ way. From the time of the leeisla Obstinacy tive union between England and Ireland the" Georges. "Jf"^'* ^^^came still more pressing. George as his fatheT" T ^' """'^ opposed to concessions as his father. Some measure of relief would have t^nghsh Government a veto or prohibitory power in X7uZT' °' ?"'°!'^ ^'^'^p^- T^- point w very fully discussed in Ireland; and though some Catholics would have accepted the evil lith the mall amount of good offered to them, the p oposi tion was as resolutely opposed by othe^ ^ to keeriTh ''' •" ^''^'"' " committee was formed to keep up the agitation; ana a general "Catholic Association" was formed in Dublin for the same purpose. O'Connell and Shiel lent all their energy and all their eloquence to the work. The English Government felt that this was no weak effort which could be easily crushed. The demands of seven millions of Catholics could no longer be ignored T was felt, too, that a rebellion moL formfdable than any which had ever appeared, was imminen The 1828 ^"umphant return of O'Connell for Clare was the A-D. herald of coming victory. im In the same year an act was passed repealing the ^^^l^^^'^^^'^'PO'-^tion Acts. This would enable O Connell to take his seat in the House were it not that the oath usually administered to members-the oath of supremacy-made it impossible for him to do so. Next year the Catholic Relief Bill The"Catho Uc Associa- tion." O'Connell returned for Clare. The "Catho- lic Emanci- pation" Act. O'Connell takes his Seat. 1829 A n i-jiiiy caned the " Catholic E mancipation" Act, WILLIAM IV. 285 abolishing civil distinctions and giving equality of civil rights to all (with some reservation still made for Catholics), was passed. A new oath was adopted, which Catholic members could accept, and O'Connell took his seat. Catholic Emancipation was passed dur- ing the administration of the Duke of Wellington and Robert Peel, the former declaring that he assented to the measure only as an alternative against rebellion. Nex year the king died,in the sixty-eighth year of mo his age, leaving no heir. A.D. CHAPTER VI, WILLIAM IV. A.D. 1830 to A.D. 1837. Aooession of WiUiam IV. Abolition of Slavery. Accession of William IV.— William Duke oi Clar- ence, third son of George III. and the eldest surviv- ing brother of the late king, now ascended ^ . the throne. His reign "marks the begin- ?/f New* ning of a new era in the history of civiliza- ^^^ tion and political freedom. From it are to be dated those ameliorative efforts for the diffusion of knowl- edge and the elevation of the masses which up to the present time are only in process of greater develop- ment." Reform Bill.—The cry for Parliamentary reform, 286 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. i«JO heard so often in the past, was revived by a revoln- ParU.iii.1,- ,'°" '" '^"■""cs which drove Charles X. from Xc». w ' P^' '° '"=;S" ^^ ^ constitutional king into Power. Wi ham was favorable to reform; but the not accept "V' "''"'"^'°"' '""' '' "^ "-' - ^ of p:s^nt rr:rne:"officr-" "*= ^^^°™ TK^ Airu- / icbignea ottice in conseauenpf The Wh.gs, tor twenty years in the " cold shades I8SI °f ;PP°^"'°". now came into power with Lord ^.B, Grey as prem.er. A bill for Parliamentary reform F..t«r., of was introduced. It took away the ri^hr g. E,for„ o representation from fifty-si^ decay^ed or rotten boroughs- o-ave rr.«,>,K coiinfi^c or,^ 1 ""fe'^=>> 8.t forward, 1832 A.D. nassed th. r- ^^ " "brought forward, Lords "L" ^°'""'°."^' ^"d w« again opposed in the Lords The premier proposed to the kine the crea- tion of a sufficient number ot new peers to carry the bill through the Lords. The king declined to d7this and Grey resigned. Wellington was called on to form a Cabinet, but popular feeling ran so high that th" don mob. Grey was recalled to ofSce and i well known Change in the king's opi„io?r's;:cti:g tt WILLIAM IV. 287 creation of new peers led the Lords to assent to the bill, which now became law. Reform bills for Scotland and Ireland were passed The Bill be- shortly after, comes Law. Abolition of Slavory.— This was a period (,f reform- The next evil attacked was the slave-trade, which still existed in the British colonies. It was long ago proposed to abolish this inhuman traf- The Friends fie; but the opposition from slave-holders, SZful*^ planters, and merchants was so great that after nearly the question was under discussion for forty- J!^*^ T®*"' six years— 1787 to 1833— before the friends "'''"""°* of humanity were successful in their efforts. Promi- nent among the workers in the cause was William Wilberforce. An act was passed liberating the slaves, and giving twenty millions of pounds to the slave- owners as compensation. Poor Laws and Municipal Laws.— We saw that on the suppression of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII., the poor, for the first time in English history, became a burden to the state. In the reign of Elizabeth the first poor-laws were passed. Abuses had crept in, and through the system of "outdoor relief "large numbers who should earn their living were supported in idleness. The Poor Law Act placed the local boards under government superintendence, withdrew aid from those able to work, and estab- lished poor-houses for those unable to work. The Municipal Act placed the government of cities and towns in the hands of the people, giving them power to elect councillors and a chief magistrate to manage civic affairs. Other Reforms.— Statutes were passed substitutino- equitable money payments for tithes; permitting the 1832 AD, 1833 AD. 1834 A.D. 1835 AD. ! I i 288 1837 AD. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. marriage of dissenters bv their n«,n • • ranging a systen. of re4 e'n ' h .. ''''^' "" and deaths; reducing the^ ttmlLtv?'' """'^^^' regulating the labornf .^i , ^. ^ °" newspapers; seve"„ 'rcon" yel'^T^f ™' '"! "'"« ''-0. - the CHAPTER Vir. VICTOKIA. A.D. 1837 to PreBent Time. AOMssion of Victoria. TheOhartiBts: The Anti-Corn- ijaw League. Ireland. The English Hierarchy Restored Crimean War. The Indian Mutiny. Reform Bills: Extension of the Franchise. Foreign Wars. ascended the h^o„ ' As 'h^S r ""r'^' "'• ""'^ Hanover, the crown „fVh» ' '^* P'^^^i'^d in worn by the EnTli^h V '°"""'''' ""''^'^ ''^'^ "een passed t^o th: <,t!l?r>f: Erntst'^Dr o'r'c"""- beriand, the nearest male heir ^""'" spUe'of'iK!^,- , T!l''..*„"«f-:'-- L-flue.-In craae ioliowi ng VICTORIA. 289 the introduction of steam in locomotion, the country stillsuifered from distress; and the discon- ' '^""''^y tent of the poorer classes showed itself in ^I'le'n riotous demands for the " People's Chart- Charter.' er, with its " Five Points"-Universal Suffrage, Vote and AW V.^"""^^ Parliament, Payment of Members and Abolition of property qualification. Some of these have since been conceded; but the attempt made to overawe the government and force it into comphance led to its resisting the demands. The leaders were arrested, and the movement finally col- An agitation for the abolition of the duties on im- ported corn was set on foot at the same time. These duties made bread dear, and 5.*°ii'T°' thus weighed heavily on the poorer classes. Jn'oor^n An association called the Anti-Corn-Law »K»tated. League was formed under the leadership of Richard A." Cobden Aided by John Bright, he carried on a I^n^m ^"V^'^T^"^ '^^'^'^°" ^^'' ^^^^^-1 years, until Sir Robert Peel, who as leader of the Con- servative or Protectionist party had long resisted the measure, introduced a bill for the repeal of the Corn Laws. The bill was passed: Ills""" but Peel, having thus alienated many of repealed, his former supporters, resigned, and Lord John Rus- sell became premier. rreland.— The agitation for " Repeal of the Union '• for the restoration of the Parliament of which Ireland was so unjustly depriired *^^*»t»o^ . continued with renewed vigor since the o?the ^^'"^ . grantingof Catholic Emancipation. O'Con- ^^^0°" nell was now the acknowledged leader of his conn- trymen; and by constitutional means, that is, by 290 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 1844 A.D. 1848 A.S. 1848 AD. 1865 A.D. 1869 A.D. public meetings, addresses, and petitions, he kept O'Connell u ! "^'^"'l"'^' °^ '^" ^"^^ P"°P'^ constantly Chief of the ^^^"""^ ^he government. The agitation Agitators. reached such a height that O'Connell and ^uiltv ..r^Z '''^^? "^^'^ arrested, tried, found gui ty, and condemned to imprisonment. Thev an reveised Lord Denman, in condemning the man- ner in ^.ch the jury-lists had been prepared, said that such practices would make the law "a mockery a delusion, and a snare." ' ' This trial led to a change in the tactics of some of the bolder spirits, and a " Young Ireland " party was formed-a party of physical rather than moral force Then came the famine of 1848, on which the English government looked with shameful indifference and saw the people die in thousands, but took no steps to help them. From that time to the present the tide of emigration has set out from the shores of Ireland car- rying to foreign countries some of the best and bravest of her sons and daughters, so that in the last forty years the population has decreased over ^hree millions An attempt at rebellion was made by the Youn^ I^-e^ land party under William Smith O'Brien. It was un successful; the leaders were condemned to death but the sentence was changed to penal servitude' A later rising of the Fenians was followed by like results. Church Di8- Some important measures for the benefit Sf ''" ::^^^^^l^^"^,were passed in this reign. The rh„r.i, ^.^i^^^^^bhshment"* of the Protestant y^l^!:^|^^J^^hich_^^ out of the public Du,stabluh»HeHt divested it of this support. VICTORIA. 291 reUeZ^: 1 f^^ ^" °' J"^"" '° 'he Catholics, relieving them from paying for the support of a church to which they did no! beiong. beforedifnnt" """ ""' P^'"""' °^^'«'"S landlords mo before d ispossess.ng tenan ts to com pensate them for im- *•»• provements and securing for then, greater fixity of te" ure. Ireland owes both these measures to Gladstone The country has returned to the constitutional means of forcing the Government to redress us grievances; and through the efforts of her SZtiS representatives in the Imperial Parliament, ta tatanl" aided by the great Liberal party under Gladstone the realization of O'Connell's dream, and the hopes' o the millions of the Irish race scattered over fhe" globe-Home Rule*-may be realized in the near tio"n''o*f"^'iT "Jh ^^"^ Hl.rarchy.-The restora-uw tion of the Catholic Hierarchy in England caused *" great joy throughout the Catholic world The Holv Father divided the country into various dioceses which he placed under the control of an Archbishop WisemT " Th """ '"'^ Archbishop was Cardinal Wiseman. Then appeared the celebrated Uurham letter" of Lord John Russell He '''" ""»'- wrote to the Bishop of Durham, bitterly'""'""'"-" attacking what he was pleased to call the " Panal Aggression." He spoke of the Pope's act as "a pre- tension of supremacy over the realm of England and a claim to sole and individual sway which is incon: siste^nt with the queen's supremacy, with the rights of the bishops and clergy, and with the spiritual in- ^^P^!}^cj^^ijh^nMonr_N^^tyear was passed 292 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. mi the .^ Ecclesiastical Titles Bill," forbidding Catholic The ..EC y^T- '" "''""^^ '''''' '^-^ «ny place in clesiastioal ^''^ United Kingdom. Mr. Roebuck h1 TitlesBiU." scribed the bill as -one of .^^^'"''^ ^^' ^ ....■ ""^ o^ the nieanesf through both House, after along strJl n ^T" passed it was practically a dead le er t- « "^ iffnored it anH ;* « ucau letter. 1 he Bishops torv of thl PT / ."^''^ "^^^'" P"' ^" ^^'■ce. " The his tory of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill wp. th , ^'^■ history of blimH^,- i , ^^' therefore, a from [hemomenMt" ,^ ^'u''^"'' '"'' '«""■■-- ■miniousandr^ ,""'°"«''" '" """' 'ts igno- whe.: us^rbsXL-'rprnt-a it '"- <"' "• demonstrated, but forgotten '• "°' "'"''^ 1..4 Crimean War -To preserve the "balanceof power- England and France declared war aglinst s^iidVe T V'l' '"''"''' Turkeflnd seized the Turkish provinces north of the Danube. English, French, and Turk sh troops were landed in the Crimea aid he iTklava, and-^ilrttin'thtrt"^""^' -'- defeated. The allies were no^ reL^f;;;',^"^^ Z"^ 1,55 d.n,an contingent, and the battle of the Trh. ' A.B was fought, the Russians being a<.ain r.. i r"-^" r'crrZ-::-. fr-''- •'-egeSatt:;o ... ■'.andsTtt :;;i;s"a:d;irrttd:trt° '"^ A.D. signed at Paris ^"^ ''5' * treaty Indian Mutiny.-ln the foiiowino- v^^r = mutiny of the Sepoys or native sold ersofrnT broke out. They took possession of De,M = ^L!,!',! England, France, and Turkey allied against Russia. 1854 ~i VICTORIA. 293 lowed the horrible massacre of Cawnpore in which men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered ; and the siege and gallant de- "•"^ "<* fence of Lucknow. After a long and bloody ^''''^°°^- struggle the rebels were brought to submission, chiefly through the bravery and skill of Sir Henry Havelock, and Sir Colin Campbell, afterwards Lord Clyde, The power of the East India Company was now finally abolished, and the government of India was I868 transferred to the crown. Queen Victoria bears the A.D. titles Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Em- press of India. Reform Bills: Extension of Franchise.-It was felt that a still greater extension of the franchise was necessary in order to give the working classes a voice in selecting the representatives of the people A bill introduced by Mr. Gladstone was defeated. He re- signed office, and was succeeded by Mr Disraeli ^*®^ who introduced a reform bill, which, being* ' ^^ supported by the Liberals, was passed Disraeli's This bill gave the borough franchise to all ^'"* "J'^ householders paying rates, and to lodgers occupying ' * rooms at a rental of ten pounds: the county fran chise to occupiers of property worth twelve pounds a year. ^ p-u ^^ L'^"^^'f "^^^ ^^^^" extended by the Franchise 1886 tJiIl of Mr. Gladstone's last administration. This was ^^■ accompanied by a Redistribution Bill, arranging the number of members for each part of the kingdom (See chaptei on the Constitution.) Foreign Wars.— Besides the Crimean War and the Indian xMutiny, many foreign wars of greater or less importance in which England took part occurred 294 HISTOUY OF ENGLAND. n th,s re.gn. These were: the Afghan War (.R.n ^ to place on the throne of AftrhanistanTrT^f^^"^'^' .to England; the war with ChrarxslTr/"'""'^ -portation of opiun. into th^co nt^y^la d^^^^^^^^^ rrrVr ^H^'r' ^^ take ; the'sikh r t iiiaia (i»45), by which the British .,„., ■ still further increasoH • ,1 fu . P°"' 'ons were -"cr increased ; the Abyssinian War ^tS/;»\ . Pun.sh the king of that country fo" the i™. '' ment-somewhat deserved JZ aL ™P"son- -issionaries ; a wart Egy^t (X ?"! '""'"'" revolt of Egyptian troop/L^r AraW P ^. I^" ' only offence was striving for "Home R^Te'^o^r country, but whose threatened secure oth!% Canal was the alleged ground for war ^"" « CHAPTER VIII. NOTES OF PROGRESS DURING THE BRUNSWICK PERIOD n, ^"stralia. Under the blessing of self C„i,..., g--"-ent these countries are^ workf g perity and power "' '" ™">P-="ive pros^ and"a7d:d%L: t^f pTo^rsI'lfthe'^:^ '''' "^^ ^'"'- Thx. ^ 1 F'^gress ot the country. The ^eve^opn^ent of the postal syste^ is another The Postal "^^'^'^ ^^ Progress. Previous to 1840 the System. charge for carrying letters wa. \r!l tion to the distance Rvth ^'""P^'" Mr. (afterwards Sir) RowirnT Huf; ^ iL^ " PROGRESS DURING THE BRUNSWICK PERIOD. 295 postage was adopted. The post-card system still a message of^ management ; and for one shilling The enormous increase of commerce is one of the ch.ef ^characteristics of this period and of the pres- Pace^with'on' '''"h' ''' " ^^"^ ''""' ^'^ "-^ keep late years. '"^"^^"-'^^^ '^as improved much o^ In material comforts, such as food, clothing, houses etc., there is a marked advance. The one drawback to all this prosperity is the vast increase of pauperism, particularly in large towns and cities. How to deal with it is ^^^^Pwi-m. a^^problem engaging the attention of thoughtful The press is now an immense power. By its arti cles beanng on all great questions, its news, Its correspondence, its readers the ''^^^^'»»- whole nation, and, for that matter, the whole world IS, as u were, brought together for consultation In scientific pursuits the most wonderful progress has been made. progress To improve the condition of their fellow-men was the work of Howard, Wilberforce, and Romilly. Hol^ ard s name is forever associated with re- form in prison government. He visited ^rT."^' most of the prisons of Europe, and letting fTm.Tnd in the light of public opinion on the shame- ^'"""ly- ful abuses of management, he brought about a radical and salutary change. Of Wilberforce we have already a^^R.. — £53, iHc euurts or S ir iSamuel Romilly the 396 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. seventy of the criminal laws was r.m ■ punishment in proportion to t he cL '"' """ o"t. We saw in a former cha er thT, ,r' ""'""' down of a cherrv tr,, u,/ ""1''*'^ '"a' the ciittine Although .n Ws " enllt,'^"^''''' ""'' ■"■"«'"«• 'here are'stili'mL;" 'btlrto "'r'""'.' """"■^•• evils ,o be -moved/many grievancesToTe'n' """"' many reforms to be made it 11 ,^ h u ™''''««'i, daily increasing number nf,V ''°P'<' ""a' the devote their live" a^d for/ '' "'"'"'^ """ "^ie to -its, may, under the guMare':/^^?^"',"'"'^ ""• have their noble effort orrr/;- h^^.l" ^f'^"' The present star«» of t i , ^"Ccess. ".Coerci'on Act/Xh proh7^t" ."df V^ ^^'-^^^ t.es, freedom of speech wherh ^ , ^^^"^ P^"al- through the presses engtgi.;;h''".""'"""^°' "■hole civilized wo^ld I?T,"f , ! ''"^"tion of the THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 297 CHAFTER IX. THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.' talfen' 't^ollT ""^f '^^ ''' customary practices which, taken together, determine the person or persons who shall constitute the supreme ?°'*l*"- political authority of a State, and which sZ^'"' ascertain the modes of legislation and the '^•^"**- Tth'!.!''^ appointing and restricting the executive of the SutT' '°"^P'"^'^"^'y ^^y'^d the Cons^ifuf/on The free life and energy of the English Constitu- mrturd'"T'' '^ ^ ^^"^'^"^ maintenance o a mutual dependence between central and local power. The functions of both these l^!'JiV^' classes of authorities are • (t\ Io«- 1 *• ^^«ii»a ., , . "i"uiiues are. (i) legislative, Constitu- that is, making laws ; (2) executive, that '^»»- IS, securing that laws are obeyed and punishing the transgressors of them ; and (3) administrative that is appointing public officials, controlling in detail he different parts of the public service, and making from time to time such regulations as are required for this purpose. The last two functions are fre- quently called by the common name, executive. Ihe central power is compounded of two distinct elements : one legislative, the other executive and administrative. Many of the same persons form part of both elements. ^ The legislative authority consists of the sovereign. ♦ From University of London he l>,imer of Shdd .n Amos, M.A.. Profess or of Juricprudencc, 298 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I Lords of the Treasurv fh^ ^ .'^"visea by the First state, and other Ser; o'Th^r h""""" °' officers of ail sorts, and the helds of't,'""' '""'"'' navy, of the pojice and J , ^ ^'"y ^"d ments, as those of' educa" ol 7° h 'P^'^"" "^P"'' and local government gentally '' """'^ '■^^'"'' TheyVrr:;. hT:;:cr;r „r ^^^'°r ^"^ ""-™-- for different local puTposef" ""^ '°'"''^^ ^PPo^'^d By the Act of Settlemenf if . ..ew '"■"'o-versTatr'heLrrrrf/.t' eignmust Possession of this crown ch 11 • ^ '^ --ote. Hion with the C?urcroflar aT^ law established." This simni ^ ' ^^ the sovereigns of England rnus I'p.'o^T^"^ ^''^^^ The monarch may be either ^\'. '°^^'^^"t. The eldest son of the nr.«l . "^ °'' ' '^"een. . Wales "wMi^v? ^"'^"' '^^ " Pnnce of Law of • vvaies, will, if ahve, succeed fn fh« .u Succession on his mother's dea h Jfu V '^'''"^ leave chi,drrth:Uil'^of w:,e^^s sTc' 'IT'"^' "- -s,rth°reh„Lr:°^,--=wa,:;: o' Wales's next brother th.n r"*^' "'"" ""^ P^'"« his children success ve'vw^.H ^^'"''"■'S'', and In case of a ^inoT'^a'tirfor'T '" "^ "'™"^- under eighteen vearsl,f= W ^ Purpose, ont a regentls usuaryTo:;i:a^dX"ic7ofr r"™"^' the s:;-ign tcfJi'::'L"--" °n ^hiTsr:; S ecomin^ iwvaiiaed; that is to say, per- THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 299 manently incapable of discharging his proper func- tions. The functions of the sovereign may be distinguished into those which are (i) in relation to Par- liament, and those which are (2) executive S't^he'""' and administrative. In both respects the Sovereign, sovereign is always held to act upon the advice of his Ministers, who are responsible to Parliament and the country. These Ministers, who form a compact body called the Cabinet, have entirely su- perseded in importance, though they have ^^«C*^i»^»*- not even nominally displaced, the " Privy Council,** of which they and all past Ministers, with a number of other illustrious persons, are members. The Cabi- net is a sort of select and confidential committee of advisers, presided over by the Prime Minister, who is now invariably the First Lord of the Treasury. The sovereign's functions in relation to Parliament may be described both negatively and posi- tively ; that is, by what he cannot do, and ^.^« ^°^«' by what he can do. The sovereign cannot, F?ncfion»in by a mere exercise of his will, and without Kelaticn to the assent of the two Houses of Parliament, ^*'^"*°i«^'- make, alter, or suspend a law, or impose any sort of tax. But though he cannot suspend the operation of a law, yet by his '« prerogative of pardon " he can relieve particular offenders from the penalty attach- ing to their ofifence ; but his advisers are held re- sponsible for any abuse of this privilege. This '* responsibility," or the grand principle oT "responsible government," consists in the ..^ fact that the niembers of the House of siKov- Commons, f r their votes and speeches in emmeut." the House, avQ responsible to the people who sent them 30O HISTORY OF ENGLAND. there, and who, if tlievvp,. fi, the next election ; a^/t ,a " ' "m '' '"™ '""='" <"" '" ''''^to the House of ro" ^""""' ^■•'^ '•"/''««■- any bill, or by a direct voToT" " "" ^ ^ ^°'^ °" can remove them from office In ,r' °' ""fi^ence," eign sends for the Z^nT , " ''''"' ""= ^over- politics, and entrusts h"''', "T""'" "' "PP"^"" ■ new Cabinet, or as h if '" '^^ '^"^ "' '"""'"S a "government." '--equently cailed. formin| a calpZre ^pTrn!y l^^"''^^ <>' "er Ministers) (exceo „ ""'*"*=^^'' ^"^ P'-ases ; and l^orogation (^'"^ept in one case) no Parliam.^, l •rDi.,oiu. assembled nrorntr,,.^ i-arliament can be "s functio^ns unii p^'^d ^^^''tV^ ^'=^"'"«' «ssor If ,he sovere rfd"^ o^ dissolved by his suc- one Parliament and before h.H ' '''^'°'""on of assembling of a new on. .k,"" "PP^inted for the ■"entmeefsandconTinueVf ^" P'-^eding Parlia- unless sooner prorol". h'"="°'' "' ^''^ """'hs, such an accidenta e^te'sion r"'"'"- '^^^'^P' "^ last-mentioned case no P^i '"^ "'°""'^ '" 'he than seven years Th? ^^'''^"'^"^ -^an last longer ment wheneChe p^ter'H ^" -„ dissolve ParL Parliament on the advi.J ""= °'^<=asionaIly dissolves appears that tliev no Ion? " "'"'^'<='''' -^^en it "■e House of Commot^r P"^'"^ "^ confidence of ">• "appealing to the oeonf"'"^'"' P™''^^'^ 'hat ■eturnedmor? favorable fP/r * "=" """^'^ ™ay be they may be secure in ih ^T' °'' "' ""= '<>«". 'hat inside the H^use s fut s "' "'i '"^ J^^S-ent side it. ""y supported by that out- THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 30 1 When a Parliament either comes to a natural end or IS dissolved, members of the House of Commons and representative peers J**^®'^*^'^* of Scotland in the House of Lords are SluLu elected afresli. When Parliament is //-<7~ .andPro- rogued, the members of the two houses are rjfaids" " merely dismissed to meet again. A pro- Members of rogation puts an end to all business then ^"^*'"«°t- in progress in either house, except certain proceedings of a judicial nature, such as an impeachment The assent of the sovereign is indispensable for any bill (01 proposed law) to become act- ual law. The royal assent can be given ^oyal either in person or by commission in the ^."«°t^°; House of Lords, to which the House of J^t^"''' Commons is on such occasion summoned ^°*«*™ent The same plan is frequently pursued in °'"y^*^- presenting the " queen's speech " at the opening of a session. The sovereign's power of refusing assent to a bil was last exercised in 1707, when Queen Anne refused her assent to a bill for settling the mihtia in Scotland. ^ In respect to the sovereign's executive and admin- istrative functions, he is said to be the "fountain of justice." He appoints all judges, either directly or by delegation. He can, with a ^-^^ ^"J*"' few exceptions, pardon all offenders against ''F^untlin the criminal law, either before or after «f Jistioe." conviction ; but this prerogative is seldom exercised All degrees of nobility are, or have been, derived from grant of the crown. All " corporations," that is, bodies of persons united together so as to be treated for some legal purposes, as thoiK^h th-v -aI - - • - ^-! ii»v.y w^ic uHly one person, are created either directly by the crown. I 302 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. The sovereign alone can coin ™oney, can impress Varioa. ""."What stamp lie chooses, and imnar Powenand "'' "s legally current value. The estah. «rf?-... ;\^-"' "here the coin is made is cX Sovereign, ^ iviint. and diplomaUc?r„rr/P'?°'"" ^» ^"•bassadors conduct n:gi'tiars';,'tVt,:eTsti:::'""'^"'^' -" for";rStites" ^He'tr' '"^^"— ' P-ce with army and ^Ivv u^d.r P T'"'""" '""""'"'^ "f « ^ ^ navy, under Parliamentarv resf riV-;.v«c j appoints all officers. ^ restricuons, and The sovereign appoints the vicerovs of r i ^ Canada, India, and all colonial governors nt ' sent* IS essential to the validity of a^f.r^c . ^'■ legislatures. **"aiiy ot all acts of colonial fiv^h^fnd"^L^'t"''p'■"^"^^°"^p-^^-^-bout n»nared and thirty-seven members • bnf tU^ number is constantly changing. The 'Lords -• Ire The House ""^^ "P °^ Princes of the blood roval Of lords. ^^-^^,^-hops dukes, marquises, earls, ^is-' peers for CZ '^ b'^^ops, barons, representative peers for Scotland (chosen for each Parliament^ and representative peers for Ireland (elected foMif '' ' The sovereign can make as many new peers" "d hTs T ^"^ "'' "' ^'^ ^^-« ^'^^^ as hrchl's tteo Tr "^"^'^y—- end (especially at he _J^P_'^_the^resent time the House of Lordi has * This assent i. gi^T^jT^,,— ^p--^^^^^;^ THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 303 possessed important judicial functions as the highest court of appeal. These are now abolished, except in cases of impeachment. The House of Commons consists of members elected by the people, the whole number being 670, comprising those elected by English The House Welsh, Scotch, and Irish - constituencies "' °^^°'"'"°'^»- (that is, bodies of persons entitled to elect one, two or three members). The following is the present representation in the British House of Commons- England and Wales, 495; Ireland, 103; Scotland, 72. In the history of the House of Commons the places represented have varied a great deal, according to their changing size and importance. When a town loses its importance, or becomes smaller, or has had bribery very extensively practised in it, it is some- times " disfranchised," or loses its right to return a member to the House of Commons. On the other hand, if a town increases in importance for the first time, it is allowed to return more members, or one member at least (if it returned none before). Up to a recent date (1872) the election of members for the House of Commons was done by "open" voting ; that is, in such a way that every one could know who vot^d for each candidate. The votes are now given by secret ballot. If any member of the Bouse accepts any office of profit from the crown, his election is void and a new writ must issue for a fresh election. A member sometimes retires from his seat (which he cannot generally do otherwise) by accepting the office of steward or bailiff of the three " Chiltern Hundreds" of Stoke, Desborough, and Boneham. lUe ottice IS in the gift of the crown, and is ordi- 304 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. narily g.ven to any member who applies for it It is merely nominal, but as the warrant of appointment grants It, together with all "wages, fees, and allow- ances, It IS treated as a place of profit. The most important part of the business of the Paosing House of Commons is that of " passine- Bills the bills." The proceeding o' - -S-^ea bill i. mostim- oo f,,n^,.,, . rp. ^ ^ -^g a qui is portant f^ tollows : The first stej. the mem- Business of ber who proposes to introtiuce a bill on Commrs.°' ^"^ ^'^^J^^^ '^ have it prepared, or. as it is the form he wishes the act to bear when it is passed- and printed. A bill must have the names of at least two members on the back of it, approving of it. A bill can be brought in either by a private member-that IS, one not connected with the government, hence called a private bill-or by a member of the govern- ment, the latter being called a " government meas- ure. Motion ,s then made for leave to bring in the bill, and when the motion is agreed to (after debate only when the bill is of a very exceptional character) the bill ,s ordered to be brought in, and this is gen- Various erally done on the same day. On its be Stages of ing brought in and delivered to the Clerk • of the House, the bill is said to have been received by the House." The first reading of the b, I takes place without debate, and is merely formal. Ihe bill ,s then said to have been read a >./ /,W When the bill has been read a first time the question IS put, " That this bill be read the second time " The second reading is not, however, taken at that time ; a future day is named for the purpose. When the d^v arrives the member in charge of the bill moves that It be read a second time. This is the most imnor.an. THE BRITISH CONSTITU IION. 305 stiigc" of the bill, and is the stage at which hills wholly disapproved by the House are usually thrown out. On making the motion the member at this time gen- erally enters into a full explanation of the measure. Then follows a debate more or less prolonged. If the bill passes this stage, it is referred to a commit- tee of the whole House, which will sit at some future day. When the day comes the Speaker leaves the chair, another member takes it, and the bill is dis- cussed clause by clause, it being open to any member to propose any alteration, or omission, or addition. Divisions are taken on disputed points. T*je bill is then "reported" to the House, and if amendments have been made it is ordered to be considered at a future day, on which day a motion is made that the bill he read a third time, and after that a motion is made " That this bill do pass." If this is agreed to, the bill has *' passed " the Commons, and is now sent " up" to the Lords, where it is dealt with in a similar manner. All bills, with the exception of those affect- ing taxation, may be proposed first in the Lords, though in fact comparatively few are. For a long time past the members of both houses have been accustomed to range themselves in one or the other of the great parties. The oldest names of the parties are Whig and Tory. The modern names are, respectively, Liberal and Conservative. The oldest names are, however, still occa- ^°"V*^ sionally used, though frequently in an op- probrious sense. Order* and preservation are the ideas which direct the policy of Tories and Conservatives ; while progress and improvement rather inspire the policy of the Whigs and Liberals. There are some * ConditioB conBcqucnt upon conformity with law. 3o6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND members of Parliament, mostly in the House of r.r« mons, called Radicals TI.mv ' .- / ^^"^' \..t\,l *vc*uicais. iliey are far more ndifferenf to the manitenance of the existing order of thin Js ^0 either of the other parties. They are the ultr^H " c. atic party, and are not averse to^irmost dden'r:: ar-reachMig changes. Some members profess tnh long to no party, sometimes voting Tn one s de so ' times on another. These are called "T w' . meml)er^" u ;. 1 ^*^ ^^''^^ Independent members. It ,s only some questions which are con .Ke,ed^..,, ,estion.s, and with respect to which all tver oc then individual opinions. The "govern ment party-that .s, the Ministers and the mfmbTrs Ttnr:irsorr'"'" "'^ ^^^'^^^^ ^^^^ -'^^^^^ posit"r the^i:r ^'" p^"^-^^'^^ ^^-' op- rhe CabiiKn now invariably includes the following Menxbersof "^'^V' ^^^ '^^'^^ ^^'''^t Lord of the Treas thoc.binet. "/y> (2) the Lord Chancellor, (3) the Lord Se-il r.Wh r? "n "' ^"""^''' ^4) ^h« Lord Privy ^eal (5 the Chancellor of the Exchequer (6) (,\ J (9). (10) the Secretaries of State for Ho m. a2' ^' I^^^" f^^airs, the Colonies, rn"di^and Wa/'^"-^' A number of other officers of the government fre quenty have seats in the Cabinet, fhosenTos" f.e WoH ''h";;"m.'""^^^") ^'^-^ Commissione of' Uoiksand Buildings, (12) Chancellor of the Duchv ot Lancaster, (^3) First Lord of the Admiralty (x^) he Local Government Board (until lately called th. W ;:: trt V')^--'-^ Cenerll r ^cJ-e Council.^ '' ^''^ Vice-President of the t^ENEALOGTCAI, TAHLKS. 307 A Cil^NKALOUY OF TlIK IU)i;t;E OK EgHKRT. EOHEHT. r. 800- Kid. in. Hit>ill)iirh Ethki,woi.f, iti. 1. Osbiirh. a. Judith. I AtliHlstaiiH Kthklbai,!), Kthki.bkrt, Ethki.hkd. Ethelwyth. Alfrkd. (k.ofS.E.or r. H.58-860 r. 800-80(1. r. 800-8: 1. r 871-901 Einf.<1.854). ,n Eallmwith. I 6 other children. Edward thk Ei.okr, p. HOI Oi'j. „ , , ^ m. 1. FcKwyri. :,•. ^^IHiT'd :i. E.Igiva. By his three mur liaKes Kflwiml left i:) chililren. by 3 of whom )ie was sue- ceeiled. i I .\THKI,STANB, EDMUND. r l»-,>5-9«. r. 940-916. rii. 1. Elglva. "i. Ethelttsed. I Edred, r. 940-958. I Edwy, Ed'iar. r. 9:,r,-%S. V. 9.'i8-9r.5. in. 1. Ethflflo'd. -i. JElfihryth. 3. Wulfthryth. r Edward thk Martyr. Ethei.red, Edcvth r. 975-979. r. 979-1010. „ ^ m. 1. .^mfied. 2. Emma of Normandy. By these two marriages Ethelred liad 14 children, of whom it will here be necessary to mention oidy 3. Epmond Ironside (by first wife), assassinated Nov., 1016. m. Al^itba. I I Alfred (by second wife), d. 1030. Edward thk Conpkssob (by second wife), r. 1042-1066. m. Edgitha. Edmond. Edward, m. Agatha (d. 1057). ;! Margaret, m. Malcolm, k. of Scotland. Edgar Atheling (in whom the male Saxon line became extinct). Matilda, m. Henry I i<. of England (thus uniting the Saxon and Norman lines) Christina (a nun). m 308 GEMEALOGICAL TABLES. B. Genealogy op the Anou,-Dan,s» Kings of Enulani, Harold HIatuiid, (I. 985, Sweyii Tveskjietr, U. lOl-J. Canute. ox. 1, ElK va. 2. E.nma. widow of Ethelred. I (k.omn^V). "'?''u.;"?wT"''' HARnir'ANUT«. d. 1036. Hi,io-i(wo. r. 104O-1O4-,' (on )ds dt'ath tlie Saxon line restored iu Edward tlie Confessor) L Gnnhild 0. OEN-EAI.OOV OK W,U,U„ TUK Co.,UE„„K AND „,s HoCSE. William Lonpne-^pee, d. 942. Richard I. Sans Peur, d. 096. Richard II. le Bon, d. ]0';;6. Emma, m. Ethelred. Richard III,, d. 1028. Robert tlie Devil, d. 1035 (by Harlotta). William I. b. 1027. d. Sept. 7, 1087 m. Matilda, d. of Baldwin, count of Flanders. Robert. Richard. AV.lliam II d. Aug. 6 daughters. ^ --• Henuy I 2, 1100. d. Dec. 1, 11% '' 2^ Adeliia o?^^n?''""'^- ^'L^^ ^^^"^ ^dela. ~. Aaeiiza or Louvain the fourth m Cby whom, no children). St 'phen,'?o^nt — —!—___ of Blois. William, d. 1120. m. Matilda, d. of Fulk of Aujou. Matilda, m. 1. Henry V. of Germany. 2. Geoffrey of Anjou. Hknby II. ] Stephen, d. 1154. GENEALOGICAL TABLES. 309 lULAND D. Genealogy op the House op Pi.antagenbt. Okofkukt Plamtaoknkt, coiml of Anjuu, (I. 1151. Hrnry II. )) 11:13. a. 1189. in. Eleanor, oounteH* of Potlou and Aquitalne. Wrilliain. d. use. Henry d. 1183. UlOHARU I. Qcoftrey. b. 1157. d. 1199. 111. (lonHtaiue m. Borensc'irla of Navarre, of Rrlttaiiy. (No i.MHue.) (1. 11H«. I John, 3 dnusrhterw b. 11«7. d. 1216. (Mankla, ni. 1. IlawlHa. 2. Isabella of Aiigouleiiir. KU'unor, Jooiij. Arthur. Eleanor. Hrnry III. Kkhanl, b. 1207. d. 1278. earl of Cornwall. m. Eleanor of Provence. <1. 1272. I 3 daii((hter8 (.loan, iHabella, Eleanor). Edward I. Edmund, earl of Lanenater. b. 1239. d. 1307. U. 12!I6. m. 1. Eleanor of Cantile. | 2. Martraret of France. Thoma.«, earl of Lancaster. 2 dan^rhterti (MarKaret, Beatrice). House. John. Henry. Alphonso. Edwaud II. .■■uiubb, d. 1271. d. 1274. d. 1284. b. 1284. d. 1327. earl of Norfolk, earl of Kent, m. Isabella of Franco. d. 1338. d. 1330. Thoinaa, Edmund, 9 daiijfhtei-*. Edward III. b. 1312. d. 1377. m. Phllippa of Hainault. John of Eltliam. d. 1330. 2 dnngliterK (Eleanor, Joan). Edward William (the Black Prince), d. 1335. d. 1370. m. Joan of Kent. Edward of AiiKouleme. d. 1371. I Richard II. b. 1367. d. 1400. Lionel, duku of Clarence, duke of d. IMS. Lanca-Hter, m. EUiabeth d. 1399. de Burgh. , I John Edmund, Thomas, 5 da\iirhtem of Gaunt, duke of York, duke of 2 sons, who d. U02. Gloucester, died in I d. 1397. infancy. Phillppa. Henry IV. m. Edmund b. I.'«i6. d. Ul,3. Mortimer, m. 1. Mary of earl of March. Boliuii. I 2. Joan of Navarre, I Edward, duke of York. d. 1416. Richard, carl of Cambrldara d. 1415. ni. Anne Mortimer (see below). I I Iters. Adela. •th. m. , count )is. lEN, 54. Roger Mortimer, Hekry V. Thomas, John. Humphrey, 2 daugkters. earl of March. b. 1388. duke of duke of dulce of ""K"""™ m. Eleonora, . d. 1422. Clarence. Bedford. Gloucester, daughter of m. Catherine Thomas Holland, of France, earl of Kent. 1 I I Edmund, Anne. m. Richard, d. 1424. enrl of Cambridge, second son of Edmund, duke of York. Richard, duke of York (killed near Wakefield, 1460). m. Cicely, daugiiter of Ralph, earl of Westmoreland. Edward IV. b. 1441. d. 1483. m. Elizabeth Woodville. I Richard III. b. 1450. d. 1485. m. Anne, daughter of the Earl of Warwick. Hrkry VI. b. 1421. d. 1471. m. Margaret of Anjou. Edward, b 1453 (killed at Tewkesbury, 1471). George, 8 other sons and duke of Clarence, daughters, most killed 1478. of whom died I young. Edward, earl of Wai-wick (killed Nov. 34, 1498). Margaret, countess of Salisbury, whence the De la Pole family. Edward V. Rfrhsrd, KiizQUth. b. 1470. d. 1483 duke of York. m. Hknry VII. murdered by his uncle RichardX b. 1473. d. 1483. 1 otiier son, and 8 other daughters. i 310 CLNEALOGICAL TABLES. o o ■< m !Z O ■J r^ U O ^ a .in O « ■ III "3 "Si's - 5 O 3 es * rt rt J= i« O SfSa 5S-5 ■^^^ it s = s^ .CO u^ a! u ■o'-tf S_:'S - a > a 01 . O H S .-- . ".grit: • c a o •"2 t- lO rt) , CO t-i »-t -, , == '^ S " fe o -^•"-;«:;■ line Z \ ^"^" "" '""'""°" °' "■« "«■"■«"- g.ne though as yet in rude form. Stage<;oache, hackney coaches, and sedan-chairs came i"to us:' Cal,co p„„t,ng and sugar refining were introduced In .3.9 sugar was used for the first time, honey hav ■ng previously served the same purpose.) Copper half-penn.es were coined by Charles li., though co,, per penn,es were not made till the reign '„( Geofge i/l • Brunswick Period. Inoculation, followed by vaccination, was intro- vZ. '"■ '^" P*"""- L""""" ^"-eets were fi ■ghted with gas in .806. I„ ,he same year Fulton launched the first regular steamboat on the Hudson R.ver; and ,n ,8„ the first steamboat in Europ was started on the Clyde. Four years later the locomo t.ve engtne was invented by George Stephenson;Z hrst railway for passengers was opened between Stockton and Darlington in ,8.,. In^Sao the ise of Mr. Macadam. The first steamer to cross the Atlan t.c was the Sa,.annai i„ ,8,,. j„ ,« Whe ifs 0^: and Cook brought the electric telegraph Tn o "pe" ..on, and ,„ ,866 the first submarine telegraph Talt between Europe and America was laid. Electric ,v and photography have rapidly developed during "he present reign. "nn^ cne land, stab- ti the ivor- and i-en- :hes, use. ced. hav- 3per :op- II r. :rc)- irst ton >on k'as lO- he en of 3y ri- le a- le y le