The Anglo-Saxon king was chosen by the Witan and was usually one of the most important men in the country.
The relationship between the king and important nobles and churchmen was important to the successful running of Anglo-Saxon England.
By 1000, Anglo-Saxon England had efficient administration, e.g. with lesser nobles acting as tax collectors, and trade was prosperous.
The Anglo-Saxon king would give land and influence to important nobles and churchmen, and they would give him loyalty and troops for an army and govern the shires for the king.
The Vikings attacked Anglo-Saxon England often even after Alfred the Great created stability. It did not last long though as by 790 they started attacking the coasts again.
Anglo-Saxon kings tried to defend England against the Vikings by paying them Danegeld.
Aethelred found it difficult to maintain good relationships. In 1002, he gave an order for all Danes living in England to be killed which was unpopular among nobles who refused.
In 1003, Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, led a full-scale invasion of England. Aethelred went into exile.
Cnut conquered England in 1016. He executed several nobles and gave their land away to his followers. Most Anglo-Saxon was allowed to keep their land.
Edward the Confessor died without an Anglo-Saxon heir - there were lots of claimants to the throne.
There were a number of claimants to the throne after Edward the Confessor dies including: Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, Harald Hardrada, Edgar Atheling.
William was crowned King of England on 25 December 1066 after defeating a claimant. This was after winning the Battle of Hastings where he defeated Harold.
After many rebellions in Norman England, William made punishments of rebels harsher like that in the Harrying of the North in 1069.
The Normans built castles to show England that they were a permanent presence. They were stationed with troops and used to control the area. Castles were not a common feature of England.
William complied with the Domesday Book so that he could organise more efficient systems of taxation which were a big change in England.
The Normans carried out a huge church rebuilding project and church architecture more closely resembled that of Normandy which changed the English culture.
The church continued to be important to the king and when he had to fight back in France in 1075 he trusted the barons and churchmen to look after the country.
William also kept the efficient systems of Anglo-Saxon administrations (taxations).
In the Medieval period, Henry I's Coronation Charter of 1100 made some concessions to the barons to win them over. For example, the king had less control over the marriage of their barons and earls' daughter.
In the Medieval period, King John had a terrible relationship with his barons and had to admit defeat giving into the demands in a document known as the Magna Carta. This was signed in 1215.
In 1251, Simon de Montfort and a group of barons forced Henry III to accept the Provisions of Oxford. The Provisions stated the king had to rule with the advice of a council of 24 advisers, and Parliament had to meet three times a year.
Edward I was a strong ruler and summoned Parliament regularly and in 1295 he called the Model Parliament. Knights and representatives from major towns were invited and this group made up the Commons.
Richard II became king in 1377 at the age of ten and so a council of barons ruled on his behalf
In 1381, Richard was challenged by the Peasants' Revolt: this was triggered by high taxation after the war with France. This proved a massive challenge for Richard II and he lost the respect of his nobles who ended up opposing him.
Richard III faced opposition from Henry Tudor (a relative of Henry VI). In August 1485, Henry killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
Power shifted back to the monarchy within the Tudor period with changes to government help.
Under Henry VII, important decisions were made in the Royal Court. If nobles did not attend, they could not be part of these decisions. He would also discipline nobles in the Star Chamber (a special court).
In 1534, Henry passed the Act of Supremacy (this removed England from the Catholic Church). The Church of England was created, and Henry was recognised as its head.
In 1569, Elizabeth I defeated the rebels who wanted to see Mary Queen of Scots on the throne - 750 rebels were executed.
Elizabeth I saw Parliament as her point of contact with the people - MPs were allowed to raise questions about important issues.
In 1626, Charles I dissolved Parliament as he believed that he had the 'Divine Right' given to him from God. After challenges, in 1629 it was reconvened but later dissolved again.
In 1642, Charles arrested five MPs after accusing them all of treason. Parliament gathered its forces and in August 1642, Charles declared war on Parliament.
Charles I lost the war with Parliament with Oliver Cromwell becoming Lord Protector from 1653-1658. He wasn't as successful as people thought he would be.
In 1660, Charles II (Charles I's son) was restored to the throne but he had limited power and had to work closely with parliament.
