Lawlessness of the nobles
306. Henry II a Great Ruler.Nearly a hundred years had gone by since William the Conqueror ruled England. There was great confusion in England. The Norman nobles were doing about as they pleased. They rode forth from their castles with their little armies and attacked each other, or attacked the citizens of a town, sometimes murdering them.
Then Henry II, the grandson of William the Conqueror, came to the throne. He was like his ancestor in many ways. He could brook no opposition. He was short and powerfully built. "He had red hair, a bull neck, and bow legs."He was careless about his dress, but was a hard worker. He saw that England needed order first. He therefore first of all compelled the nobles to behave by destroying some of their castles and driving the soldiers, which they had hired, back to France.
Trial by jury
He changed the way of finding out whether or not a man was guilty. Instead of employing the "ordeal by fire," by water, or by battle, he sent judges around to different places. These judges called together sixteen good men who told them about those who they thought had broken the law. These men made up the Grand Jury.
Twelve other men were selected to examine into all the facts of a given case before the man was condemned or set free. This way of "trying men by jury" was a great improvement over the old way. In these ways Henry II brought the evildoers in England, whether high or low, to obey the law or be severely punished. England was now once more an orderly country.
John a worthless king
307. King John and the Pope.The son of Henry II, John, was about the worst king that England ever had. John was bad; he would not keep a promise, was a great liar, was cruel, was cowardly, was a traitor and a tyrant.
All the churches closed
Ever since the days of William the Conqueror the kings of England had been the dukes of Normandy. In a war with the French king, John lost all of Normandy. The Pope named as Archbishop of Canterbury a man whom John opposed. The Pope and John quarreled. "The Pope closed every church in England. No bells rang to call the people to prayer or to service on the Sabbath. No priest could preach. The dead could not be buried; the living might not marry. Every church stood silent and grass grew about the doors."
The Pope called on the king of France to take John's place, for in the eyes of the Pope John was no longer king of England. John turned about and begged for the Pope's mercy. He promised to submit to his will and to pay him a large amount of money each year.
The barons revolt
308. John Compelled to Grant Magna Charta.John was so cruel to his own people that the barons rose in revolt. Their forefathers had been free, and "why not we?" they asked. John only "laughed in his sleeve." But the barons meant business. They met in a meadow, called Runnymede, and summoned the king to face them. He came.
The meeting at Runnymede
It was a great scene. There stood the barons with their soldiers not far away. Their faces showed their anger and their decision to have their rights. The head of every house had his great banner which he had carried to victory on many a field of battle. But worse than all, there John saw the very Archbishop of Canterbury whom he had refused to permit to enter England. John was furious, but he could not help himself, for he heard the clanking of cold steel all around him.
What the Great Charter meant
The barons told him plainly that he must give all England a pledge to do right according to England's law. They told him that this promise must be signed by his own hand and on the signed paper he must place the royal seal. This great paper is called the Great Charter—"Magna Charta" (1215). Englishmen love it and have often shed their blood in defense of it.
The Petition of Right
For more than four hundred years this charter was the foundation of the rights of Englishmen. But they found in the charter only the old laws which had come down from good Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). In1628 another English king, Charles I, was compelled by Parliament to sign another charter, called the "Petition of Right." In this new pledge to the English people they found nothing very new but mostly the old laws or principles contained in Magna Charta.
The Bill of Rights
When James II was driven from the throne by the English people they drew another charter, which King William signed (1689). This was called the "Bill of Rights." In this there were not many new things, but it contained mostly the principles of Magna Charta and the Petition of Right. Besides, this last charter contained several rules which made Parliament superior to the king.
When the American people after their Revolution came to make a Constitution, they put in it many principles found in the English Bill of Rights. We ought to admire and love our Constitution because it contains ideas that have been tried out for more than ten centuries.
The Leading Facts.1.England almost ruined by the Danes.2.Alfred's youth.3.Alfred as king.4.What he did for his people.5.The Norman conquest.6.Battle of Hastings.7.Norman nobles built castles and brought confusion to England after William's time.8.The Normans and Anglo-Saxons mix.9.Henry II a great king.10.Nobles forced to behave.11.Established the Grand Jury and the jury to try cases.12.King John lost Normandy and quarreled with the Pope.13.John submits to the Pope.14.Barons at Runnymede force John to sign Magna Charta.15.The Petition of Right, the Bill of Rights, and the American Constitution.Study Questions.1.Why did the Danes go to England?2.Tell all the anecdotes about Alfred the Great.3.Prove that he was a good man.4.Why did the Normans invade England?5.Tell the story of Hastings.6.Explain themixture of races in England.7.How did the Anglo-Saxons conquer the Normans?8.Who was Henry II, and what did he do?9.How did he prepare the way for Magna Charta?10.Prove that John was a bad king.11.Tell the story of Runnymede.12.Give the date of Magna Charta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights.13.What do Americans owe these charters?Suggested Readings.Mowry,First Steps in History of England, 38-97; Tappan,England's Story, 24-93; Blaisdell,Stories from English History, 27-77; Dickens,A Child's History of England, 18-24, 50-63, 89-110, 122-168; Guerber,Story of the English, 42-53, 73-84, 117-128; Yonge,Young Folks' History of England; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 162-183.
The Leading Facts.1.England almost ruined by the Danes.2.Alfred's youth.3.Alfred as king.4.What he did for his people.5.The Norman conquest.6.Battle of Hastings.7.Norman nobles built castles and brought confusion to England after William's time.8.The Normans and Anglo-Saxons mix.9.Henry II a great king.10.Nobles forced to behave.11.Established the Grand Jury and the jury to try cases.12.King John lost Normandy and quarreled with the Pope.13.John submits to the Pope.14.Barons at Runnymede force John to sign Magna Charta.15.The Petition of Right, the Bill of Rights, and the American Constitution.
Study Questions.1.Why did the Danes go to England?2.Tell all the anecdotes about Alfred the Great.3.Prove that he was a good man.4.Why did the Normans invade England?5.Tell the story of Hastings.6.Explain themixture of races in England.7.How did the Anglo-Saxons conquer the Normans?8.Who was Henry II, and what did he do?9.How did he prepare the way for Magna Charta?10.Prove that John was a bad king.11.Tell the story of Runnymede.12.Give the date of Magna Charta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights.13.What do Americans owe these charters?
Suggested Readings.Mowry,First Steps in History of England, 38-97; Tappan,England's Story, 24-93; Blaisdell,Stories from English History, 27-77; Dickens,A Child's History of England, 18-24, 50-63, 89-110, 122-168; Guerber,Story of the English, 42-53, 73-84, 117-128; Yonge,Young Folks' History of England; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 162-183.