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Power: Monarchy and Democracy in Britain c.1000 to 2014

Claiming, keeping and losing power

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

How rulers claimed the crown from the Witan to elections in 2014, how they kept it through castles, land, religion, display, patronage, censorship and concession, and how power was challenged from 1215 to the Chartists.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How did the Witan’s choice of a ruler differ from the rule of inheritance that took hold later?

Key term

How did William III’s title to the throne differ from James II’s?

Key term

How did medieval kings use land to keep their nobles loyal?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How did the Witan’s choice of a ruler differ from the rule of inheritance that took hold later?

    Model answer

    The Witan picked the fittest adult man from the royal house, whereas later the crown passed automatically to the eldest son, whatever his ability.

  2. 2

    What made a medieval English king’s authority a religious matter as well as a political one?

    Model answer

    He was anointed with holy oil at his coronation, so he ruled as God’s choice and disobeying him was presented as a sin.

  3. 3

    William of Normandy argued for the crown by inheritance, but what actually gave it to him?

    Model answer

    Victory in battle in 1066 and the seizure of English estates, so his rule rested on conquest rather than on the promise he claimed.

  4. 4

    Why did Henry VII depend on more than descent to justify his rule?

    Model answer

    His blood claim was weak and came through an illegitimate line, so he relied on victory at Bosworth, an Act confirming his title, and marriage to Elizabeth of York.

  5. 5

    What sort of claim did Henry VIII use to justify taking charge of the church in England?

    Model answer

    A legal one: Acts passed by Parliament declared him its Supreme Head, so his new authority stood on the law of the land.

  6. 6

    How did William III’s title to the throne differ from James II’s?

    Model answer

    James held the crown by hereditary right, while William was offered it by Parliament on stated conditions, so his claim came from statute and consent.

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