Challenging authority in the Middle Ages
Constraints on kingship: Magna Carta, 1215
King John lost lands in France and raised heavy taxes. Rebel barons forced him to agree to Magna Carta: the king must follow the law, could not take heavy taxes without the advice of leading men, and free men could not be jailed without a lawful judgement. John broke it quickly, but later kings reissued it and it became a symbol of limits on rulers.
The origins of Parliament
Kings called great councils to agree taxes. In 1265 Simon de Montfort invited knights and, for the first time, representatives of towns. By the 1300s the Commons (knights and townsmen) met separately from the Lords, and kings needed Parliament to approve taxes.
Medieval revolt: the Peasants' Revolt, 1381
After the Black Death, workers were scarce and wanted higher wages, but laws held wages down. A third poll tax (the same charge per head) sparked revolt. Rebels marched on London; young King Richard II met them and promised freedom from serfdom, then broke his promise and leaders were executed. Yet poll taxes stopped, and serfdom faded over the next century.
Challenging royal authority, 1500sโ1700s
Popular uprisings
The Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) was a huge northern rising against the closing of monasteries and religious change under Henry VIII. Henry promised talks, then had leaders executed.
Divine Right vs Parliament
Charles I believed in the Divine Right of Kings โ that God gave him power and he answered only to God. He ruled for 11 years without Parliament and raised taxes such as Ship Money. War with Parliament followed (1642โ1651). Charles was tried and executed in 1649, and for a time there was no monarch.
Parliament above the Crown
In the Glorious Revolution (1688) James II was replaced by William and Mary, who accepted the Bill of Rights (1689): no taxes or army without Parliament's consent, regular Parliaments and free elections.
The right to representation
American colonists argued 'no taxation without representation' and won independence (1776โ1783). Their success fed British debates about who should have a say.
Reform and reformers: the vote and workers
Protest and change
In 1819 cavalry charged a peaceful reform crowd at St Peter's Field, Manchester โ the Peterloo Massacre. Pressure for reform grew.
Extending the franchise (the right to vote)
- 1832 Great Reform Act: new industrial towns got MPs; about 1 in 5 adult men could vote.
- Chartists (1838โ1848): huge petitions for votes for all men, secret ballots and pay for MPs. Rejected at the time, but most demands came later.
- 1867: many skilled town workers; 1872 secret ballot; 1884: many country workers.
- 1918: all men over 21 and women over 30 (with property conditions). 1928: equal votes at 21. 1969: voting age 18.
Workers' movements
The Tolpuddle Martyrs (1834), farm labourers who formed a union, were transported to Australia; public protest won their release. Later came new unions for unskilled workers (the 1889 London Dock Strike), the Labour Party (1900), the General Strike (1926) and the Miners' Strike (1984โ85).
Equality and rights in the 20th century
Women's rights
Suffragists (led by Millicent Fawcett) used peaceful campaigns; suffragettes (led by Emmeline Pankhurst, from 1903) used direct action. Women's war work in 1914โ18 helped win the vote. Later: the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975).
Workers' rights
Unions won shorter hours, safer workplaces and, later, a minimum wage (1998).
Minority rights
Migrants from the Caribbean and South Asia met a 'colour bar' in jobs and housing. The Bristol Bus Boycott (1963) forced a bus company to employ Black and Asian crews. The Race Relations Acts (1965, 1968) outlawed discrimination in public places, housing and jobs. Campaigns also won rights for disabled people and LGBT people.
Why did change happen? Key factors
Across the whole story, look for these factors:
- Money and tax: rulers needed taxes, so those who paid wanted a say.
- Ideas: religion, Divine Right, 'no taxation without representation', equality.
- Individuals: de Montfort, Wat Tyler, Pankhurst, Paul Stephenson (Bristol).
- Organisation and protest: petitions, marches, unions, boycotts.
- War and economic change: war work, industrial towns, the Black Death.
- Government response: repression first, often reform later.
Try it: build a timeline
On a strip of paper 80 cm long, let 10 cm = 100 years from 1200 to 2000. Mark the 16 events from the 3D slider. Colour each one by type: limits on the Crown, revolt, vote, workers, equality. Which century has the most events? Which events were peaceful and which violent?
Key formulas and definitions
- Magna Carta (1215): a charter limiting the king's power
- Parliament: the Lords and the Commons, which make laws and approve taxes
- Divine Right of Kings: the belief that a monarch's power comes from God
- Franchise: the right to vote
- Reform Acts: 1832, 1867, 1884, 1918, 1928, 1969
- Trade union: a group of workers who act together for better pay and conditions
- Suffragist (peaceful) vs suffragette (direct action)
Worked examples
1. Explain why the Peasants' Revolt broke out in 1381.
1) After the Black Death, workers were fewer and wanted higher pay, but the Statute of Labourers kept wages low. 2) Many peasants were still serfs and wanted freedom. 3) The third poll tax charged rich and poor the same, which was the final trigger.
2. How did the Bill of Rights (1689) change the power of the Crown?
The monarch could no longer raise taxes or keep an army in peacetime without Parliament's consent, and Parliament had to meet regularly with free elections. Parliament now held real power over money and law.
3. Compare the methods of the Chartists and the suffragettes.
Both used mass meetings and petitions. Chartists relied mainly on peaceful petitions (with a small violent wing). Suffragettes added direct action: breaking windows, chaining themselves to railings, hunger strikes. Both faced government repression, and both saw most aims won later.
4. Why was the Bristol Bus Boycott significant?
It was a peaceful campaign that won quickly (1963): the bus company ended its colour bar. It drew national attention and helped lead to the first Race Relations Act in 1965.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Magna Carta gave rights to everyone in 1215. It mainly protected barons and free men; serfs were left out.
- Saying the 1832 Reform Act gave all men the vote. Only about 1 in 5 men could vote.
- Mixing up suffragists (peaceful) and suffragettes (direct action).
- Thinking every protest succeeded at once. Many failed at first (Peasants' Revolt, Chartists) but shaped later change.