The Decline Of The Middle Ages
People Involved With The Decline
Henry VII
Henry VII (1457-1509) brought an end to the War of the Roses, terminating the Plantagenet line and establishing the Tudor dynasty. He came to throne in 1485, after he had killed Richard III of York at the Battle of Bosworth. Although Henry VII belonged to the House of Lancaster, he maintained peace between the two houses by reuniting them, creating the House of Tudor. To gain support from the Yorks, he married Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV.
Consequently after the war, Henry VII immediately restored peace and raised England’s position among all the other powerful nations of Europe. Also, he used a variety of strategies to ensure that his power and safety remained among the nobles. Henry VII was a ruthless ruler, and he killed all who challenged his power.
Furthermore, he expanded England’s control over Europe by making beneficial alliances with neighbour countries. His son Arthur, married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. However, Arthur died shortly after the marriage, therefore Catherine the widow was eventually betrothed to Henry VIII, the younger son of Henry VII. Most importantly, Henry VII kept England safe from the outside wars and established the footholds for a strong nation.
Isabella I & Ferdinand V
Isabella I of Castile and Leon (1451-1504) and Ferdinand V of Aragon (1452-1516) were one of the most powerful monarchs during the time of the Middle Ages. Their marriage in 1469 led to the union of the two greatest Spanish kingdoms, laying the foundations for Spain’s future achievements. Isabella I and Ferdinand V strengthened their power, forming an absolute system of monarchy.
Also, these monarchs began the Spanish inquisition in 1476, receiving papal endorsement in 1478. In 1492, they conquered the Moorish kingdom, Granada, expelling 150,000 Jews out of Spain.
Furthermore, Isabella and Ferdinand commanded all Jews to become Christian or to banish them from Spain. Consequently after they had conquered the Muslims, the couple willingly agreed to sponsor Christopher Columbus on his voyage to America. They supplied him with three ships; Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent of North and South America before any other explorer.
As a result, this led to Spain claiming the new continent. Moreover, the resources such as gold, silver, and spices found in the new world impacted greatly on Spain’s economy. Columbus’ successful discovery was the beginning of the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere. In conclusion, Ferdinand and Isabella laid the foundations for Spain’s success towards the future.
Henry II
Henry II( 1133-1189) was the first king to come from the Plantagenet family. He reigned over England and western France from 1154 until his death in 1189. Henry II also claimed authority over Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Moreover, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 and had four sons, Geoffrey, Richard, John, and Henry. His marriage with Eleanor gained Henry significant power and authority over French territories, such as Aquitaine and Normandy.
Furthermore, Henry II continued the policies founded by Henry I his grandfather, which increased the power of the English throne. Henry II was the inventor of the English system of common law, and he revived the use of travelling circuit judges to spread law equally throughout the land.
Although Henry II strengthened England’s law and political system, he had several conflicts with the archbishop, Thomas Becket. Henry II disagreed with Thomas Becket that the royal rights and the independence of the church should expanded
Finally, their conflicts ended when one of Henry II’s four knights murdered Thomas Becket in 1170 at his cathedral. In Henry’s later years, he had many conflicts with his family, leading to his sons rebelling against him. Henry II defended against the attacks, but his sons eventually succeeded after him. In the end, Richard the Lionheart ascended to throne, followed by John I, who signed the Magna Carta.
Philip IV
Philip IV became the king of France in 1285. He was called "the Fair" because of his handsome appearance. Philip had challenged the power of Pope Boniface VIII in 1301 by arresting a French bishop that Boniface had appointed.
In 1302, Philip had the Roman Catholic churches go against the pope's orders. Philip's actions were supported by a group of Frenchmen he had put together in 1302 called the Estates- General. This group, which included representatives of the rich and middle class, had great strength as they were ancestors of the French Parliament. Philip had Pope Boniface arrested in Italy, during the year of 1303.
However, the townspeople rescued the pope and freed him. In 1305, Philip arranged the election of a French archbishop to earn the role of a pope. Clement V was elected as the new pope to replace Pope Boniface.
He moved to Avignon, France, in 1309 to carry out Philip's orders which were to persecute the Knights Templars (members of a wealthy, religious military order) as Philip hoped he would gain the order’s wealth. Philip was born in Fontainebleau, France in 1268, and he died on Nov. 29, 1314.
John Wycliffe & Jan Hus
John Wycliffe (1330-1384) was a philosopher, English theologian, and a church reformer at Oxford University and was then invited to serve at court by John of Gaunt. One of his major achievements was the new translation of the Latin Bible into English. His followers became known as "Lollards." His death was caused because he fell into conflict with the church and was condemned by the Pope in 1377. This is because he agreed that the government should take the property of the clergy.
Jan Hus (1370-1415) received a master's degree from Charles University in Prague for becoming a professor of theology. A friend of his, Jerome of Prague, brought some of Wycliffe's books from Oxford for Jan. He was inspired and also agreed with Wycliffe that everyone should be able to read the Bible in their own language. At the time, the Roman church threatened to kill anyone found reading the Bible in anything but Latin. Eventually, Jan became a preacher at Bethlehem Chapel. On December 20, 1409 the Pope ordered that all of Wycliffe's books to be burned and to forbid his teachings. The Czech people were angry and there was an uprising. Hus continued preaching and his support grew, despite the entire city being excommunicated. On July 6, 1414, Jan was burned at stake and Wycliffe's writings were used to kindle the fire.
John I
King John ( 1166-1216) is best known for granting Magna Carta, an official document that established the democratic government and enforced the constitutional rights in England.
He was born in 1166 as the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. King John is generally remembered as one of the worst kings in English history because of his tyrannical behaviour. Also, King John was infamous for his cruel, arrogant, and stubborn personality, often called as “John Lackland”.King John lost most of England's overseas domains to France due to mishandling and neglect of his lands. He lost Normandy and Anjou to Philip II of France.
In addition, this grumpy despot had several serious quarrels with Pope Innocent III over claiming Stephen Langton as the archbishop of Canterbury in 1207. In 1208, King John ordered the confiscation of Catholic property, which meant rebelling against the church.
Consequently, Pope Innocent III banned all religious services throughout England in 1208 infuriated by John’s unethical actions as well as excommunicating King John in 1209.For this reason, his barons revolted against him in the First Barons' War ( 1215-1217).
Finally, John decided to accept his barons’ demands. On June 15, 1215, he met with his barons at Runnymede, and reluctantly signed the Magna Carta forced by his barons on June 15, 1215.