Annotate the below document. For each paragrpah: 1. Selectivily underline 2. Write a heading 3. key points in margin
Medieval Sourcebook: Anonimalle Chronicle: English Peasants' Revolt 1381 Here is a description, from a chronicle of the time, of the final meeting of king Richard II and the leader of the Revolt - Wat Tyler
1. Then the King caused a proclamation to be made that all the commons (peasants) of the country who were still in London should come to Smithfield, to meet him there; and so they did.
2. When the King and his train had arrived the Mayor of London, William Walworth, came up, and the King bade him go to the commons, and make their chieftain come to him. Wat Tyler of Maidstone, came to the King with great confidence, mounted on a little horse, that the commons might see him. And he dismounted, holding in his hand a dagger which he had taken from another man, and when he had dismounted he half bent his knee, and then took the King by the hand, and shook his arm forcibly and roughly, saying to him, "Brother, be of good comfort and joyful, for you shall have, in the fortnight that is to come, praise from the commons even more than you have yet had, and we shall be good companions."
3. And the King said to Walter, "Why will you not go back to your own country?" But the other answered, with a great oath, that neither he nor his fellows would depart until they had got their charter (a contract granting rights and privileges from the king) such as they wished to have it. And he said in a threatening fashion that the "lords of the realm would rue it bitterly if these points were not settled to their pleasure."
4. Then the King asked him what were the points which he wished to have revised, and he should have them freely, without contradiction, written out and sealed. Walter said... that there should be equality among all people save only the King, and that the goods of Holy Church should not remain in the hands of the religious, nor of parsons and vicars, and other churchmen; but that clergy already in possession should have a sufficient sustenance from the endowments, and the rest of the goods should be divided among the people of the parish. And he demanded that there should be only one bishop in England and only one prelate, and all the lands and tenements now held by them should be confiscated, and divided among the commons, only reserving for them a reasonable sustenance. And he demanded that there should be no more villeins (a member of a class of partially free persons under the feudal system) in England, and no serfdom, but that all men should be free and of one condition.
5. To this the King gave an easy answer, and said that he should have all that he could fairly grant, reserving only for himself the regality of his crown. Presently Wat Tyler, in the presence of the King, sent for a flagon of water to rinse his mouth, because of the great heat that he was in, and when it was brought he rinsed his mouth in a very rude and disgusting fashion before the King's face. And then he made them bring him a jug of beer, and drank a great draught, and then, in the presence of the King, climbed on his horse again.
6. At this time a certain valet from Kent, who was among the King's retinue, asked that Wat, the chief of the commons, might be pointed out to him. And when he saw him, he said aloud that he knew him for the greatest thief and robber in all Kent.... And for these words Watt tried to strike him with his dagger, and would have slain him in the King's presence; but because he strove so to do, the Mayor of London, William Walworth, reasoned with the said Wat for his violent behaviour and despite, done in the King's presence, and arrested him. And because he arrested him, he said Watt stabbed the Mayor with his dagger in the stomach in great wrath. But, as it pleased God, the Mayor was wearing armour and took no harm, but like a hardy and vigorous man drew his cutlass, and struck back at the said Watt, and gave him a deep cut on the neck, and then a great cut on the head.
7. And during this scuffle one of the King's household drew his sword, and ran Watt two or three times through the body, mortally wounding him. And he spurred his horse, crying to the commons to avenge him, and the horse carried him some four score paces, and then he fell to the ground half dead. And when the commons saw him fall, and knew not how for certain it was, they began to bend their bows and to shoot, wherefore the King himself spurred his horse, and rode out to them, commanding them that they should all come to him to Clerkenwell Fields.
8. And when he came he found not there the said captain Watt Tyler, at which he marvelled much, and asked what was become of the traitor. And it was told him that he had been carried by some of the commons to the hospital for poor folks by St. Bartholomew's, and was put to bed in the chamber of the master of the hospital. And the Mayor went thither and found him, and had him carried out to the middle of Smithfield, in presence of his fellows, and there beheaded. And thus ended his wretched life.
9. But the Mayor had his head set on a pole and borne before him to the King, who still abode in the Fields. And when the King saw the head he had it brought near him to abash the commons, and thanked the Mayor greatly for what he had done. And when the commons saw that their chieftain, Watt Tyler, was dead in such a manner, they fell to the ground there among the wheat, like beaten men, imploring the King for mercy for their misdeeds. And the King benevolently granted them mercy, and most of them took to flight. But the King ordained two knights to conduct the rest of them, namely the Kentishmen, through London, and over London Bridge, without doing them harm, so that each of them could go to his own home.
10. ***Afterwards the King sent out his messengers into divers parts, to capture the malefactors and put them to death. And many were taken and hanged at London, and they set up many gallows around the City of London, and in other cities and boroughs of the south country. At last, as it pleased God, the King seeing that too many of his liege subjects would be undone, and too much blood split, took pity in his heart, and granted them all pardon, on condition that they should never rise again, under pain of losing life or members, and that each of them should get his charter of pardon, and pay the King as fee for his seal twenty shillings, to make him rich. And so finished this wicked war.
DOCUMENT ANALYISIS
1. TYPE OF DOCUMENT: (Letter, Deed, Chronicle of an Event)
2. UNIQUE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOCUMENT
3. DATE(S) OF DOCUMENT:
4. AUTHOR
5. FOR WHAT AUDIENCE WAS THE DOCUMENT WRITTEN?
6. LEVEL OF BIAS (Provide Evidence to support your answer.)
Directions: For your answers write the paragraph number/s where you found your answer and use text evidence to support your answer.
A) Describe both Richard and Wat. ( What evidence shows their personalities)
B) Who called for the meeting and what was the purpose?
C) What demands did Wat make to Richard?
D) What was the Kings Response? Do you believe The King was sincere?
E) In paragraph 5, did Wat intend on being Rude to the King? How did his actions lead to violence?
F) What paragraphs described the violence of the meeting? Describe the violence which occurred.
G) What finally made the peasants beg for mercy? What was the Kings response?
H) What were the final results for the king and peasants?
The Earlier Ravages of the Northmen[1]
[Excerpted from James H. Robinson,Readings in European History(New York, l904), Vol. I., pp. 162-164]
843. Pirates of the Northmen's race came to Nantes, killed the bishop and many of the clergy and laymen, both men and women, and pillaged the city. Thence they set out to plunder the lands of lower Aquitaine. At length they arrived at a certain island[2] and carried materials thither from the mainland to build themselves houses; and they settled there for the winter, as if that were to be their permanent dwelling-place.
845. The Northmen with a hundred ships entered the Seine on the twentieth of March and, after ravaging first one bank and then the other, came without meeting any resistance to Paris. Charles[4] resolved to hold out against them; but seeing the impossibility of gaining a victory, he made with them a certain agreement and by a gift of 7,000 livres he bought them off from advancing farther and persuaded them to return. Euric, king of the Northmen, advanced, with six hundred vessels, along the course of the River Elbe to attack Louis of Germany[5] The Saxons prepared to meet him, gave battle, and with the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ won the victory. The Northmen returned [from Paris] down the Seine and coming to the ocean pillaged, destroyed, and burned all the regions along the coast.
853-854. The burning of Tours The Danish pirates, making their way into the country eastward from the city of Nantes, arrived without opposition, November eighth, before Tours. This they burned, together with the church of St. Martin and the neighboring places. But that incursion had been foreseen with certainty and the body of St. Martin had been removed to Cormery, a monastery of that church, and from there to the city of Orleans. The pirates went on to the chateau of Blois[9] and burned it, proposing then to proceed to Orleans and destroy that city in the same fashion. But Agius, bishop of Orleans, and Burchard, bishop of Chartres[10], had gathered soldiers and ships to meet them; so they abandoned their design and re turned to the lower Loire, though the following year [855] they ascended it anew to the city of Angers[11].
855. They left their ships behind and undertook to go over land to the city of Poitiers[12]; but the Aquitanians came to meet them and defeated them, so that not more than 300 escaped.
Truce of God1063
Drogo, Bishop of Terouanne, and Count Baldwin have established this peace with the cooperation of the clergy and people of the land.
Dearest brothers in the Lord, these are the conditions which you must observe during the time of the peace which is commonly called the truce of God, and which begins with sunset on Wednesday and lasts until sunrise on Monday.
- During those four days and five nights no man or woman shall assault, wound, or slay another, or attack, seize, or destroy a castle, burg, or villa, by craft or by violence.
- If anyone violates this peace and disobeys these commands of ours, he shall be exiled for thirty years as a penance, and before he leaves the bishopric he shall make compensation for the injury which he committed. Otherwise he shall be excommunicated by the Lord God and excluded from all Christian fellowship.
- All who associate with him in any way, who give him advice or aid, or hold converse with him, unless it be to advise him to do penance and to leave the bishopric, shall be under excommunication until they have made satisfaction.
- If any violator of the peace shall fall sick and die before he completes his penance, no Christian shall visit him or move his body from the place where it lay, or receive any of his possessions.
- In addition, brethren, you should observe the peace in regard to lands and animals and all things that can be possessed. If anyone takes from another an animal, a coin, or a garment, during the days of the truce, he shall be excommunicated unless he makes satisfaction. If he desires to make satisfaction for his crime he shall first restore the thing which he stole or its value in money, and shall do penance for seven years within the bishopric. If he should die before he makes satisfaction and completes his penance, his body shall not be buried or removed from the place where it lay, unless his family shall make satisfaction for him to the person whom he injured.
- During the days of the peace, no one shall make a hostile expedition on horseback, except when summoned by the count; and all who go with the count shall take for their support only as much as is necessary for themselves and their horses.
- All merchants and other men who pass through your territory from other lands shall have peace from you.
- You shall also keep this peace every day of the week from the beginning of Advent to the octave of Epiphany and from the beginning of Lent to the octave of Easter, and from the feast of Rogations to the octave of Pentecost.
- We command all priests on feast days and Sundays to pray for all who keep the peace, and to curse all who violate it or support its violators.
- If anyone has been accused of violating the peace and denies the charge, he shall take the communion and undergo the ordeal of hot iron. If he is found guilty, he shall do penance within the bishopric for seven years.