Growth of Royal Power in England

World History I

Feudal Monarchs• Monarchs were the figure

heads of society• They had limited power

• Lords & Church had much of the power over the people

• Monarchs used different tactics to centralize power• Expanded royal rule• Set up royal courts• Developed taxes• Built a stable army• Strengthened ties with the

Middle Class

The Norman Conquest• Battle in 1066 for the English

Throne

• King Edward of England died without an heir to the throne• The nobles chose Edward’s

brother, Harold• William, Duke of Normandy,

claimed himself heir to the throne

• William gained support from the Pope• Raised an army and sailed

across the English Channel• On Christmas Day, William

defeated Harold to become the King of England

William The Conqueror• Duke of Normandy, he

forced himself into the English throne in the Norman Conquest

• He blended Anglo-Saxon and French culture

• Adjusted the feudal government to gain more power

• Produced the “Domesday Book”

Henry II• Henry was a well educated

but hot-tempered king

• He broadened the system of royal justice, giving the royal court power over the smaller courts

• This did not go over well with the church and this led to power struggles between the church and the monarch• Henry was accused of killing

Thomas Becket

Canterbury Cathedral

King John & The Magna Carta

• King John was the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart• He was a power-hungry tyrant

and did not protect the rights of his people

• He made laws, but frequently broke them himself

• Under a poor ruler, the people of England needed a stable government

• Magna Carta = a long list of feudal rights• Means “great charter”• Designed to protect the free

man

Parliament• Parliament is an organized form

of government to advise the monarch• Similar to a bureaucracy• This limited the power of the

king• Had to get approval of the

Parliament before doing anything

• King Edward I asked Parliament for its approval

• Established a “Model Parliament” with two houses• House of Lords• House of Commons