The strengthening of the English monarchy occurred in the Middle Ages beginning with the reign of William the Conqueror and was strengthened with the signing of the Magna Carta by Juan sin Tierra, the signing of the document was imposed by the English lords on Juan Sin Tierra and he was forced to comply.
William of Normandy
After the domination of the Danes with Cnut the Great , the throne of England returned to the Anglo-Saxon dynasty. Edward the Confessor , so called because he used to listen to the requests of his subjects as if he were his own confessor, after having reigned allowing the Normans to occupy public positions and be members of his Court, he left the throne to Prince Harold, of Saxon origin. But William of Normandy, a French prince of Norman origin, was married to Matilda, daughter of Edward the Confessor, and therefore believed he had more right than Harold to occupy Power. Furthermore, Harold had sworn, William said, on the bones of ancient English kings, that he would help him get the crown, because Edward was going to leave it to him. As Harold failed this oath, the Pope excommunicated him and recognized William's right.
Then a war broke out between Harold, supported by the English lords, and William of Normandy, who had the sympathy of the people, largely of Norman origin.
A French army, led by William, landed on the shores of England.
Immediately Harold, with a strong army, went out to contain him. Therefore, the Battle of Hastings (1066) was fought, and William of Normandy emerged victorious, who, for that feat, was given the name of William the Conqueror. Harold perished in the fight.
The invader took over London, capital of the kingdom. He had the famous Tower of London built, to lock up the rebels who still did not accept his domination.
Government of William the Conqueror
Crowned King of England in the Church of Westminster, William the Conqueror immediately organized a new government. Among the reforms he made, three should be mentioned:
- He organized the kingdom, dividing it into counties and appointing judges called Sherifs, to do justice in the provinces.
- He rewarded his soldiers by giving them titles of nobility and making them dukes and earls, much to the displeasure of the English lords.
- He distributed the land among the victors, thus giving great impetus to agriculture.
Joke that cost expensive
William The Conqueror that he was enormously fat and paunchy, he went to Normandy, with the purpose of settling a dispute over territories, which arose between the English monarch and the King of France Philip I. But being in Normandy, William became seriously ill. When the French King found out, he joked that everything would be fixed after the patient gave birth and happily.
William roared in anger and responded to Philip's commissioner
—Tell your King that, after giving birth, I will go to hear mass in the Cathedral of Paris and that instead of candles I will carry spears!
And so he did. The war began, and during it, due to an accident, Guillermo The Conqueror perished. .
Successors of William the Conqueror
The Norman dynasty continued with the sons of William The Conqueror . William II The Red and Henry I; but the family of the latter disappeared in the shipwreck of the Blanca Nave and consequently the dynasty was interrupted. So a distant descendant of William The Conqueror , called Henry II Plantagenet, gave rise to a new dynasty.
Enrique Plantagenet
This monarch married Eleanor of Aquitaine, divorced wife of the French King Louis VII. This marriage was very important, because Eleanor owned several French provinces and therefore the King of England Enrique Plantagenet came to have Domains in France, especially in Normandy.
When Enrique died he left four children:Enrique, Godofredo, Ricardo and Juan.
The government of the last two is of interest to history. Richard Lionheart , named for his bravery, ascended the throne, but ruled for a short time. He had to go to Palestine in the Third Crusade.
His brother Juan, called Juan sin Tierra because his father did not leave him any fiefdom, he took advantage of Ricardo's absence to proclaim himself king.
Reign of Juan Sin Tierra
As this new King had assassinated his nephew Arthur of Brittany, who had more right than him to the crown, he ended up losing much prestige. And so the English lords resolved to fight him. King Juan gradually became an unbearable tyrant, as he charged the popular classes with taxes and violated the rights of the lords.
The Magna Carta
In these circumstances, the gentlemen who formed the Parliament drafted a Constitution called The Magna Carta , and they presented it to the King for his approval, putting his signature; but Juan Sin Tierra refused to do so and even escaped from the Parliament building. Then the lords pursued him and overtook him over the Thames Bridge. There they took his hand to sign and Juan Sin Tierra put his signature in the midst of tremors and tears. The Charter was approved on June 15, 1218.
The Magna Carta is a legal document of great importance, because it served as the basis for the current English Constitution. Its most important principles were:
- Only Parliament has the right to create taxes.
- Artisans own their tools and they are considered sacred.
- Each lord has complete authority in their respective territory.
- Imprisonment for debt is prohibited.
- Every prisoner must be judged after 24 hours.
The Oxford Statutes
When Enrique III, successor of Juan Sin Tierra, ruled, the Oxford Statutes were published. , set of laws to expand the Magna Carta, and according to which the English Parliament would be formed by two chambers:the House of Lords (aristocratic), and the House of Commons (democratic).
The first would be formed by the deputies elected by the lords and the second by the deputies elected by the people.
The Statutes completed the legal organization of the English monarchy.