The High Middle Ages

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The High Middle Ages

• Royal Power Grows
• YEARS 1050-1450 CE/AD

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Royal Power Changes

• William the Conqueror
• Increased power
• Kept land for himself
• Required first allegiance from all vassal lords
• Collected census information for tax purposes

• John
• Lost power
• Forced to sign Magna Carta
• Required consent of Great Council to raise taxes
• Recognized rights of townspeople and Church

• Henry II
• Increased power
• Expanded custom into law
• Peoples choice to bring disputes to royal courts
• Claimed right to try clergy

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Monarchs, Nobles, and the Church

• Witness History Audio A Struggle for Royal
  Authority
• The Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry
• During the High Middle Ages, monarchs began to
  centralize power and were supported by
  townspeople who wanted peace and unity.

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Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry
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English Kings Strengthen Their Power

• William the Conqueror became king of England in
  1066 and required vassals to swear first
  allegiance to him. His census helped him collect
  taxes efficiently. Under Henry II, the legal
  system was unified as English common law.

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The White Tower
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Evolving Traditions of Government

• With the coronation of King John, the power of
  the monarch was diminished. He lost battles with
  France, the Church, and nobles, who forced him to
  sign the Magna Carta.
• Witness History Audio Roger of Wendover

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Successful Monarchs in France

• The Capetians made the throne hereditary and
  ruled for 300 years. They established order and
  gained the support of the middle class. Philip
  Augustus extended the power of the French throne
  and expanded the kingdom. Philip IV won
  widespread support when he set up the advisory
  body called the Estates General, which was made
  up of representatives from all classes of French
  society.

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• France
• Patchwork territories
• Hereditary monarchy that stabilizes kingdom
• Nobles appointed to government positions

Royal Power

• England
• Unified kingdom
• Actions by nobles limits royal power

• Conflicts with Church
• Expansion of royal courts
• Increase in royal lands

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France

• Geography Interactive Royal Lands in France,
  987-1328

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