Most of the materials for this book were gathered by the writer during several years' residence in England.
The attempt is here made to present them in a manner that shal ilustrate the law of national growth, in the light
thrown upon it by the foremost English historians. The present edition has been carefuly revised throughout, and,
to a considerable extent, rewritten.
The authorities for the different periods wil be found in the Classified List of Books in the Appendix; but the
author desires to particularly acknowledge his indebtedness to the works of Bright, Brewer, Gardiner, Guest,
Green, Lingard, Oman, and Trail; to the source books of Lee and of Kendal; and to the constitutional histories
of Stubbs, Halam, May, and Taswel-Langmead.
The author's hearty thanks are due to the late Professor W. F. Alen, of The University of Wisconsin; Professor
Philip Van Ness Myers, of Colege Hil, Ohio; Professor George W. Knight, of Ohio State University; and to a
number of teachers and friends for many valuable suggestions which they have kindly made.
David H. Montgomery
Contents
Leading Dates xvii
Period
I. Britain before Written History began
II. The Geography of England in Relation to its History
III. Roman Britain; A Civilization which did not civilize
IV. The Coming of the Saxons[1]; the Coming of the Normans
V. The Norman Sovereigns[1]
VI. The Angevins, or Plantagenets; Rise of the English Nation[1]
VII. The Self-Destruction of Feudalism
VIII. Absolutism of the Crown; the Reformation; the New Learning[1]
IX. The Stuart Period; the Divine Right of Kings versus the Divine
Right of the People
X. India gained; America lost—Parliamentary Reform—Government by the
People
A General Summary of English Constitutional History
Constitutional Documents
Genealogical Descent of the English Sovereigns[2]
A Classified List of Books
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Special Reading References on Topics of English History
[1] Each of these six Periods is folowed by a General Reference Summary of that period. See pp. 43, 71, 141,
174, 230, 316 [2] For special Genealogical Tables see pp. 124, 140, 161, 172, 179, 207, 323
Suggestions to Teachers
The writer of this brief manual is convinced that no hard-and-fast rules can be laid down for the use of a
textbook in history. He believes that every teacher wil naturaly pursue a system of his own, and that by so doing
he wil get better results than if he attempt to folow a rigid mechanical course which makes no alowance for
individual judgment and gives no scope to originality of method.
The author would simply suggest that where time is limited it might be wel to omit the General Reference
Summaries (see, for instance, p. 43) and to read the text as a continuous narrative. Then the important points in
each day's lesson might be talked over at the end of the recitation or on the folowing day.
On the other hand, where time permits a thorough course of study, al of the topics might be taken up and
carefuly examined, and the General Reference Summaries may be consulted by way of review and for additional
information. The pupil can also be referred to one or more books (see the Classified List of Books in the
Appendix) on the subjects under consideration.
Instead of the teacher's asking a prescribed set of routine questions, the pupil may be encouraged to ask his on.
Thus in undertaking the examination of a given topic—say, the Battle of Hastings (SS69-75), the issue of the
Great Charter (SS195-202), or "The Industrial Revolution" and Watt's invention of an improved Steam Engine
(S563)—there are five inquiries which naturaly arise and which practicaly cover the whole ground.
These are: 1. When did the event occur? 2. Where did it occur? 3. How did it occur? 4. What caused it? 5.
What came of it? It wil soon be seen that these five questions cal attention first to the chronology of he event,
secondly to its geography, thirdly to the narrative describing it, fourthly to its relations to preceding events, and
fifthly to its relations to subsequent events.
The pupil wil find that while in some instances he can readily obtain answers for al of these inquiries,—for
example, in the case of the Great Charter,—in other instances he wil have to content himself with the answer to
only a part of the questions, perhaps, in fact, to only a single one; nevertheless the search wil always prove
instructive and stimulating. Such a method of study, or one akin to it, wil teach the pupil to think and to examine
for himself. It wil lead him to see the inevitable limitations and the apparent contradictions of history. It wil make him realize, as pehaps nothing else can, that the testimony of different writers must be taken like that of witnesses
in a court of justice. He wil see that while authorities seldem entirely agree respecting details, they wil generaly
agree in regard to the main features of important events. Last of al, and best as wel as last, these five questions
wil be found to open up new and broader fields of inquiry, and they may perhaps encourage the pupil to
continue his work on some subject in which he becomes interested, beyond the limits of the textbook and the
classroom.
Pursued in this way, the study of history wil cease to be a dry delving for dead facts in the dust of a dead past. It
wil rouse thought, it wil quicken the pulse of an intelectual life, and it wil end by making the pupil feel the ful
force of the great truth: that the present is an outgrowth of the past, and that it is only when we know what men
have done, that we can hope to understnad what they are now doing. D. H. M.
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Leading Dates
(The most important constitutional dates are marked by an asterisk)
55. B.C. Caesar lands in Britain (S18) 449. A.D. Coming of the Saxons (S36) 878. Alfred's Treaty of
Wedmore (S56) 1066. Battle of Hastings (S74) *1100. Henry I's Charter of Liberties (S135) *1164.
Constitutions of Clarendon (S165) *1190. Rise of Free Towns (S183) 1204. John's Loss of
Normandy (S191) *1215. John grants Magna Carta (SS198, 199) *1265. De Montfort's Parliament
(S213) *1279. Statute of Mortmain (S226) 1282. Conquest of Wales (S218) *1295. First Complete
Parliament (S217) *1297. Confirmation of the Charters (S220) 1336. Rise of Wool Manufacture
(S236) 1338. The Hundred Years' War (S237) 1346. Batty of Cr'ecy; Cannon (S238) *1350. Origin
of Trial by Jury (S176) 1378. Wycliffe's Bible; Lolards (S254) 1381. Revolt of the Labor Class
(S251) 1390. Chaucer writes (S253) *1393. Great Act of Praemunire (S243) 1455. Wars of the
Roses (SS299, 316) 1477. Caxton introduces Printing (S306) 1485. Battle of Bosworth Field (S315)
1497. Cabot discovers America (S335) 1509. The New Learning (S339) *1534. The Act of
Supremacy (S349) 1536. The Monasteries destroyed (S352) *1549. Protestantism established (S362)
*1554. Mary restores Catholicism (S370) 1558. Rise of the Puritans (S378) 1559. Act of Uniformity
(S382) 1582, 1605. Bacon's New Philosophy (S393) 1587. Mary Queen of Scots executed (S397)
1588. Destruction of the Armada (S400) 1588. Rise of the English Navy (SS401, 408) 1589(?).
Shakespeare's First Play (S392) 1601. The First Poor Law (SS403, 607) 1604. The "Divine Right of
Kings" (S419) 1607. Virginia permanently settled (S421) 1611. The "King James Bible" (S418) 1622.
First Regular Newspaper (S422) *1628. The Petition of Right (S433) 1642. The Great Civil War
(S441) *1649. Charles I beheaded; the Commonwealth established (SS448, 450) 1651. Navigation
Act (S459) 1660. Restoration of Monarchy (S467) *1660. Abolition of Feudal Dues (S482) 1665.
The Plague in London (S474) 1666. Great Fire in London (S474) 1670. Secret Treaty of Dover
(S476) 1673. The Test Act (S477) 1678. The Disabling Act (S478) *1678. Rise of Political Parties
(S479) *1679. Habeas Corpus Act (S482) 1684. Newton's Law of Gravitation (S481) 1685.
Monmouth's Rebelion (S486) 1687. Declaration of Indulgence (S488) 1688. The Great Revolution
(S491) *1689. The Bil of Rights (S497) *1689. Mutiny Act, Toleration Act (S496) 1690. Battle of
the Boyne (S500) 1694. National Debt; Bank of England (S503) *1695. Liberty of the Press (SS498,
556) 1697. Peace of Ryswick (S502) *1701. Act of Settlement (S497) *1707. England and Scotland
united (S513) 1713. Peace of Utrecht (S512) 1720. The South Sea Bubble (S536) *1721. Rise of
Cabinet Government (S534) 1738. Rise of the Methodists (S546) 1748. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapele
(S542) 1751-1757. English Conquests in India (S544) *1759. The English take Quebec (S545)
*1776. American Independence (S552) *1782. American Independence acknowledged (S553) 1784.
Mail Coaches begin to run (S566) 1785. "Industrial Revolution"; Canals; Watt's Steam Engine (S563)
1796. Vaccination introduced (S537) 1799. First Savings Bank (S621) *1800. Great Britain and
Ireland united (S562) 1805. Battle of Trafalgar (S557) 1807. Steam Navigation begins (S565) 1812.
War with America (S558) 1815. Battle of Waterloo (S559) 1819. The Six Acts (S571) 1829.
Catholic Emancipation (S573) 1830. First Passenger Railway (S584) *1832. Great Suffrage Reform
(S582) *1835. Municipal Reform (S599) 1837-1911. Colonial Expansion (S618) *1838-1848. Rise
of Chartrists (S591) 1839. Postage Reform (S590) 1845. First Telegraph (S614) 1845. Irish Famine
(S593) 1846. Repeal of the Corn Laws (S594) 1857. Rebelion in India (S597) 1858. Jews enter
Parliament (S599) 1859. Darwin's Evolution (S606) 1861. The Trent Affair (S598) 1866. Permanent
Atlantic Cable (S595) 1867. Second Suffrage Reform (S600) 1869. Partial Woman Suffrage (S599)
1869. Free Trade established (S594) 1870. The Education Act (S602) *1870. Civil Service Reform
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(S609) 1870. Irish Land Act (S603) 1871-1906. Trades Unions Acts (S616) 1884. Third Suffrage
Reform (S600) *1888, 1894. Local Government Acts (S608) 1899. The Boer War (S623) *1906.
Labor enters Parliament (S628) 1908. Old-Age Pensions (S628) 1910. Imperial Federation (S625)
*1911. Parliament Act; Salary Act (S631)
THE LEADING FACTS OF ENGLISH HISTORY
FIRST PERIOD[1]
"This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of ewar;
This happy breed of men this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wal,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands;
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."
Shakespeare, "Richard II"
BRITAIN BEFORE WRITTEN HISTORY BEGAN
1. The Earliest Inhabitants of England.
England was inhabited for many centuries before its written history began. The earliest races that possessed the
country were stunted, brutal savages. They used pieces of rough flint for tools and weapons. From flint too they
produced fire. They lived by hunting and fishing, and often had no homes but caves and rock shelters.
Folowing the Cave-Men came a race that had learned how to grind and polish the stone of which they made
their hatchets, knives, and spears. This race cleared and cultivated the soil to some extent, and kept cattle and
other domestic animals.
[1] Reference Books on this Period wil be found in the Classified List of Books in the Appendix. The
pronunciation of names wil be found in the Index. The Leading Dates stand unenclosed; al others are in
parentheses.
2. The Britons
Finaly, a large-limbed, fair-haired, fierce-eyed people invaded and conquered the island. They came from the
west of Europe. They made their axes, swords, and spears of bronze,—a metal obtained by melting and mingling
copper and tin. These implements were far superior to any made of stone.
The new people were good farmers; they exported grain, cattle, and hides to Gaul (France), and mined and sold
tin ore to merchants who came by sea from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
This strong and energetic race, known as Celts, eventualy caled themselves Britons. By the time they had
adopted that name they had made a great step forward, for they had learned how to mine and manufacture iron,
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—the most useful metal known to man; from it they forged scythes, swords, and spears.
Such were the people Caesar met when he invaded Britain, fifty-five years before the beginning of the Christian
era. The great Roman general caled the Britons "barbarians"; but they compeled him to respect them, for they were a race of hard fighters, who fearlessly faced even his veteran troops.
3. The Religion of the Britons; the Druids.
The Britons held some dim faith in an overruling Power and in a life beyond the grave. They offered human
sacrifices to that Power, and when they buried one of their warriors, they buried his spear with him so that he
might fight as good a battle in the next world as he had fought in this one.
Furthermore, the Britons had a class of priests caled Druids, who seem to have worshiped the heavenly bodies.
These priests also acted as prophets, judges, and teachers. Caesar tels us that the Druids instructed the youth
about the stars and their motions, about the magnitude of the earth, the nature of things, and "the might and
power of the immortal gods."
More than this, the Druids probably erected the massive stone columns of that strange stucture, open to the sky,
whose ruins may stil be seen on the lonely expanse of Salisbury Plain. There, on one of the falen blocks, Carlyle
and Emerson sat, when they made their pilgrimage to Stonehenge[1] many years ago, and discussed the life after
death, with other questions of Druid philosophy.
[1] Stonehenge: This remarkable structure is believed to be the remains of a pre-historic monument to the dead,
which was, perhaps, used also as a place of worship. It stands on Salisbury Plain about nine miles northeast of
the city of Salisbury. (See map facing p. 38.) It consists of a broken circle of huge upright stones, some of which
are stil connected at the top by blocks of flat stones. Within this circle, which is about one hundred feet in
circumference, is a circle of smaler stones. The structure has no roof. The recent discover of stains of bronze or
copper on one of the great stones, seven feet below the surface, strengthens the theory that Stonehenge was
constructed by the race who used bronze implements and who were later known as Britons (S2). Consult
Professor C. Oman's "England before the Norman Conquest"; see also R. W. Emerson's "English Traits," and O.
W. Holmes's fine poem on the "Broken Circle," suggested by a visit to Stonehenge.
4. What we owe to Prehistoric Man.
We have seen that the Romans caled the Britons "barbarians" (S2). But we should bear in mind that al the
progress which civilization has since made is built on the foundations which those primitive races slowly and
painfuly laid during unnumbered centuries of toil and strife.
To them we owe man's wonderful discovery of the power to produce fire. To them we are indebted for the
invention of the first tools, the first weapons, and the first attempts at architecture and pictorial art. They too
tamed the dog, the horse, and our other domestic animals. They also discovered how to til the soil and how to
mine and manufacture metals. In fact those "barbarians" who lived in "the childhood of the world," and who never wrote a line of history, did some things equal to any which history records, for out of wild plants and trees they
developed the grains and fruits which now form an indispensable part of "our daily bread."
Finaly, through their incessant struggles with nature, and incessant wars among themselves, those rude tribes
learned to establish forms of self-government for towns or larger districts. Many of their salutary customs—their
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unwritten laws—stil make themselves felt in the world.[1] They help bind the English nation together. They do
even more than that, for their influence can be traced in the history of newer nations, which, like the American
republic, have descended from the great mother-countries of Europe.
[1] For example, parts of the "Common Law" can be traced back, through English "dooms" (decisions or laws), to prehistoric times. See E. A. Freeman in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (10th edition, VIII, 276). The New
England "Town Meeting" can be likewise traced back to the German ancestors of the Anglo-Saxons.
[Figures: Carved bone, flint dagger, and bronze spearhead]
SECOND PERIOD[1]
"Father Neptune one day to Dame Freedom did say,
Ìf ever I lived upon dry land,
The spot I should hit on would be little Britain.'
Says Freedom, `Why that's my own island.'
O, 't is a snug little island,
A right little, tight little island!
Search the world round, none can be found
So happy as this little island."
T. Dibdin
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ENGLAND IN RELATION TO ITS HISTORY[2]
5. Geographical Names given by the Britons and the Romans
The steps of English history may be traced to a considerable extent by geographical names. Thus the names of
most of the prominent natural features, the hils, and especialy the streams, originated with the Britons. They
carry us back to the Bronze Age (S2) and perhaps earlier. Familiar examples of this are found in the name
Malvern Hils, and in the word Avon ("the water"), which occurs in Stratford-on-Avon, and is repeated many
times in England and Wales.
The Roman occupation of Britain is shown by the names ending in "cester" or "chester" (a corrupton of castra, a military camp). Thus Leicester, Worcester, Dorchester, Colchester, Chester, indicate that these places were
waled towns and military stations.
[1] Reference Books on this Period wil be found in the Classified List of Books in the Appendix. The
pronunciation of names wil be found in the Index. [2] As this Period necessarily contains references to certain
events which occurred in later history, it may be advantageously reviewed by the pupil after he has reached an
advanced stage in his course of study.
6. Saxon and Danish Names.
On the other hand, the names of many of the great political divisions, especialy in the south and east of England,
mark the Saxon settlements, such as Essex (the East Saxons), Sussex (the South Saxons), Middlesex (the
Middle or Central Saxons). In the same way the settlement of the two divisions of the Angles on the coast is
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indicated by the names Norfolk (the North folk) and Suffolk (the South folk). (See map facing p. 24.)
The conquests and settlements of the Danes are readily traced by the Danish termination "by" (an abode or
town), as in Derby, Rugby, Grimsby. They occur with scarcely an exception north of London. They date back to
the time when King Alfred made the Treaty of Wedmore (S56), A.D. 878, by which the Danes agreed to
confine themselves to the northern half of the country. (See map facing p. 32.)
7. Norman Names.
The conquest of England by the Normans created but few new names.
These, as in the case of Richmond and Beaumont, generaly show where
the invading race built a castle or an abbey, or where, as in
Montgomeryshire, they conquered and held a district in Wales.
While each new invasion left its mark on the country, it wil be seen that the greater part of the names of counties
and towns are of Roman, Saxon, or Danish origin. With some few and comparatively unimportant exceptions,
the map of England remains to-day in this respect what those races made it more than a thousand years ago.
8. Climate.
With regard to the climate of England,—its insular form, geographical position, and its exposure to the warm
currents of the Gulf Stream give it a temperature generaly free from great extremes of heat or cold. On this
account, it is favorable to the ful and healthy development of both animal and vegetable life.
Nowhere is greater vigor or longevity found. Charles II said that he was convinced that there was not a country
in the world so far as he knew, where one could spend so much time out of doors comfortably as in England.
9. Industrial Division of England.
From an industrial and historical point of view, the country fals into two divisions. Let a line be drawn from Hul,
on the northeast coast, to Leicester, in the Midlands, and thence to Exmouth, on the southwest coast. (See map
on p. 10.) On the upper or northwest side of that line wil lie the coal and iron which constitute the greater part of
the mineral wealth and form the basis of the manufacturing industry of England; here too are al the largest towns
except London.
On the lower or southeast side of the line there wil be a comparatively level surface of rich agricultural land, and
most of the fine old cathedral cities with their historic associations; in a world, the England of the past as
contrasted with modern and democratic England, that part which has grown up since the introduction of steam.
10. Eastern and Western Britain compared.
As the southern and eastern coasts of Britain were in most direct communication with the Continent, and were
first settled, they continued until modern times to be the wealthiest, most civilized, and progressive part of the
island. Much of the western portion is a rough, wild country. To it the East Britons retreated, keeping their
primitive customs and language, as in Wales and Cornwal.
In al the great movements of religious or political reform, up to the middle of the seventeenth century, we find
that the people of the eastern half of the island were usualy on the side of a larger measure of liberty; while those
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of the western half were generaly in favor of increasing the power of the King and the Church.
11. Influence of the Island Form on the Roman Invasion
Geologists tel us that Great Britain was once connected with the mainland of western Europe. It was fortunate
for Britain that this connection was severed and that it became an island. We see an ilustration of this advantage
in the case of the Roman invasion. It was easy for the Romans to march great armies into Gaul and take
complete possession of that country, but it was with no little difficulty that they sent fleets across the tempestuous waters of the Channel. This may have been one reason why they never succeeded in permanently establishing
their language and their laws in the island of Britain. It is true that they conquered and held it for several centuries, but they never destroyed its individuality,—they never Latinized it as they did France and Spain.
12. Influence of the Island Form on the Saxon Invasion.
In like manner, when the northern tribes of Europe overran the Roman Empire, they found themselves, in some
measure, shut out from Britain by its wal of sea. The Jutes, Saxons, and Angles could not enter it in countless
hordes, but only in smal numbers and by occasional attacks. Because of this, the invaders could only drive back
the Britons by slow degrees, and they never entirely crushed them.
Again, the conquerers could not build up a strong, united kinigdom, but they had to content themselves with
establishing a number of petty kingdoms which were constantly at war with each other. Later, the whole of
England became subject to a sing sovereign. But the chief men of the separate kingdoms, which had now
become simply shires or counties, retained a certain degree of control over the government. This prevented the
royal power from becoming the unchecked wil of an arbitrary ruler. Finaly, it may be said that the isolation of
England had much to do with the development of the strong individual character of its people.
13. Influence of the Island Form on the Danes and Normans.
In the course of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries the Danes invaded England, but the sea prevented their
coming al at once and with overwhelming force. They got possession of the throne (S63) and permanently
established themselves in the northern half of the country. The English, however, held their own so wel that the
Danes were eventualy compeled to unite with them. Even when the Normans invaded England and conquered it
(SS74, 107), they felt obliged to make many concessions to both the English and the Danes. The result was that
every invasion of the island ended in a compromise, so that no one race ever got complete predominance. In
time al the elements mingled and became one people.
14. Influence of the Channel in Later History.
Furthermore, the immense protective value of the Channel to England may be traced down to our own day. In
the great crisis when Simon de Montfort was fighting (1264) to secure parliamentary representation for the
people (S213), King Henry III sought help from France. The French monarcy got a fleet ready to send to
England, but bad weather held it back, and Henry was obliged to concede De Montfort's demands fo