levo

Y104: England 1377–1455

Enquiry: Richard II’s minority 1377–1380 and Personal Rule 1380–1388 — England in 1377, the Peasants’ Revolt and the war with France

  • 3 things to know
  • Unit group 1

Overview

Recall questions on England at Richard II’s accession, John of Gaunt and the councils, the poll taxes, the causes and events of the Peasants’ Revolt, and the renewed war with France to 1380.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

Describe the state of England when Richard II came to the throne in 1377, and what his coronation was meant to convey.

Who and when

What did the parliament of 1378 have to do with Wycliffe?

Key term

Give three causes of the Peasants' Revolt.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Describe the state of England when Richard II came to the throne in 1377, and what his coronation was meant to convey.

    Model answer

    The country was weary of a war with France that was going badly, labour was scarce and costly after the plague, and the Good Parliament of 1376 had just attacked corruption around the ageing Edward III; the unprecedented splendour of the coronation of a ten-year-old was designed to stress the sacred, anointed character of his kingship and compensate for his youth.

  2. 2

    How was England governed in Richard's first years, and what part did John of Gaunt play?

    Model answer

    No regent was appointed; parliament instead named a series of continual councils to advise the king and supervise the great officers, and Gaunt, distrusted by the Commons and hated in London, was deliberately kept out of formal office while still shaping policy behind the scenes.

  3. 3

    State how the poll tax of 1377 was levied, and explain what made such taxes necessary.

    Model answer

    It was a flat charge of four pence on every lay person over the age of fourteen, and it was adopted because renewed war brought French and Castilian raids on the south coast and costly failed expeditions, while traditional grants on movable goods no longer raised enough.

  4. 4

    What did the parliament of 1378 have to do with Wycliffe?

    Model answer

    John Wycliffe, whose attacks on Church wealth suited the crown, was under attack from the bishops and from Rome, and Gaunt's open protection of him drew his case into the political quarrels of that parliament.

  5. 5

    How did the rule of the councils come to an end?

    Model answer

    Parliament abandoned the experiment in 1380 as expensive and ineffective, returning government to the great officers of state and opening the way to Richard's personal rule.

  6. 6

    Describe Richard II's concept of monarchy.

    Model answer

    He held that royal authority came directly from God and was not answerable to his subjects, and he cultivated an exalted, ceremonial style, demanding elaborate forms of address and building a personal following marked by his white hart badge.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

See a huge jump in your memorisation

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107
Y103: England 1199–1272
Y104: England 1377–1455

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Franz Ferdinand was shot at in June.
SarajevoBelgradeVienna

Blank Blitz consolidates the facts

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AA republic replaced the sultanate.
BThe caliphate was abolished in 1924.
CThe Latin alphabet was adopted.

Build It trains answer structure

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Simony means the buying and selling of Church office.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Y104: England 1377–1455, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.