Magna Carta

1215 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta ("The Great Charter"), one of the most famous historical documents in history. It established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law. Most of the clauses granted by King John dealt with specific grievances from the barons relating to his rule. However, included within them were a number of fundamental values , including the clause that gave all "free men" the right to justice and a fair trial. Some of Magna Carta's key principles are echoed in the United States Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. Although most of its clause have been repealed in English law, it remains of major importance because of its defence against arbitrary power and tyrannical rulers.

Take a look at the following websites and videos to find out more about Magna Carta.

The 800th Anniversary site

The Magna Carta Project
The British Library site on Magna Carta
Melvyn Bragg's Radio 4 series on the Magna Carta
Just how important is the Magna Carta 800 years on
In Our Time on Magna Carta

Here is a nicely produced video explaining why Magna Carta was issued:


And now is a Timelines TV video about the signing of Magna Carta:

Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the name given to the Great Survey carried out on the orders of William the Conqueror after he became King of England. The survey contained a vast array of information on who owned what throughout the country and helped him raise money through taxation of his new subjects. The Domesday Book is one of the earliest public records in English history.

Take a look at the national archive site for extra information, games and videos on the Domesday Book. Look at the section on Interpreting the Domesday Book to understand how to decipher the language.

The Normans

To mark the BBC series on the legacy of the Normans, they have set up a new web page on the Norman Conquest. Click on the link to find some great material that will be really useful for Year 7 students and anyone else interested in the Medieval period.

Castles

William the Conqueror built castles to control his new kingdom of England after defeating Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Over the next 500 years castles evolved from the simple Motte and Bailey into highly complex, and impressive, fortresses equipped with a vast array of defensive features. Take a look at the excellent Woodland School website for more information on how castles changed and developed during this period. Look at this link for information on castle features.

Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the name given to the Great Survey carried out on the orders of William the Conqueror after he became King of England. The survey contained a vast array of information on who owned what throughout the country and helped him raise money through taxation of his new subjects. The Domesday Book is one of the earliest public records in English history.

Take a look at the national archive site for extra information, games and videos on the Domesday Book.

The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous sources of information about the Norman Conquest. Probably ordered by William's half-brother Bishop Odo, many historians believe the tapestry was likely to have been made by English women in the 1070s. This great video really brings the tapestry to life.

Huge haul of Anglo-Saxon gold found in Staffordshire

A huge haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been found by a man with a metal detector in a field in the county of Staffordshire in England. Around 1,500 gold and silver pieces, including helmets, decorations, jewellery, coins and crossed which date from the 7th century were found by Tony Herbert.

For more on the find check out the BBC and the Guardian websites.

Medieval Towns

To get a good idea of what a Medieval town looked like and how it was laid out, take a look at this site, while if you want to understand how the sites for new towns were chosen, try this page.

The Peasants' Revolt

Almost half a century after the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt took place. There are arguments about what precisely happened, but the History Learning Site gives a clear outline of the main events.

And here is a description, from a chronicle of the time, of the final meeting between king Richard II and the leader of the Revolt, Wat Tyler.

The Black Death

The Black Death killed between a third and a half of the population of Europe in the 14th century. This website provides a host of information on the Black Death including the low-down on the oriental flea that transmitted the deadly disease.

The Eyewitness to History site has a nice summary of the disease, as has this general site on the Middle Ages, while the BBC site has got plenty of in-depth information including a nice section on the impact.

The History Learning web has got good links with other aspects of Medieval life and a handy section on treatments used at the time. You can also find some really good background on Medieval medicine on the same site.

For an entertaining take on Plague cures have a look at the Terry Deary (of Horrible History fame) video below:

Medieval Farming glossary

Some Medieval Farming terms for your glossary:

Bailiff – The bailiff helped oversee the villeins’ work, the profits and expenses of the manor and farm.

Villein – a peasant who was not free. They worked on the lord’s land and did certain jobs for him in return for the use of some land for himself. A villein was bound to work on a certain manor.

Manor – all the land owned by the lord in a medieval village which included the fields, the common land and the woodland.

The Manor house – the main house owned by the lord of the manor

Demesne (pronounced “domain”) – the best land in the manor for the Lord to farm.

Freeman – Those peasants who paid the lord to farm their land. They did not have to work for the lord every week like the villains, but did have to help out at busy times of the year and pay to use the lord’s oven and his mill.

Reeve – The reeve made sure the villeins worked for the lord, started their work on time and did not cheat the lord out of any money.

The Hayward – The peasant who looked after the cows

The Shepherd – The peasant who looked after the sheep

The swineherd – The peasant who looked after the pigs

Crops – the plants grown by the farmers which commonly included wheat and barley

Harvest – Gathering in the crops from the fields when they are ready. Reaping is the cutting of the grain for harvest, using a scythe or sickle.

Ploughing – This is when the top layers of soil are cut open, and turned over to bring nutrients to the surface and to allow air to enter.

Harrowing – Used to break up the earth even more than ploughing and also used to cover the seeds after sowing.

Sowing – The process of planting the seeds in the fields

Fallow - the land that is left to rest and not farmed for a year so the nutrients can be replaced.

Furrow – long lines made in the fields after ploughing.

Open field system – the system by which the manor was split into three or four big unfenced fields which were in turn divided up into strips farmed by the peasants

The Middle Ages

Here are a selection of websites that contain a host of interesting information on the Middle Ages.

This interactive site has a stack of information on all aspects of medieval life. Here is the British Library site on the period and it has a great section on the role of women.

As you know, we looked at some images from the Luttrell Psalter in class. Click here and you can see the book itself. Click on the section entitled "glimpses of medieval life".

Here is an atmospheric video on peasant food.



And finally another video showing a 13th century harp dance.

The Battle of Hastings

William Conqueror and his Norman army defeated Harold and the Saxons at Hastings in 1066 in one of the most significant battles in British history. Here is a chance to play a game re-enacting the events of that famous day and here is a video of the 2006 re-enactment of the battle.

 

You can see the first part of the Battlefield Britain episode on the Battle of Hastings below:

The Bayeux Tapestry

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror was the first Norman king of England. He took power in England after winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Click here to find out more about him.