HIST 435 Take Home Mid-Term 2009

Mid-Term is Friday, Mar. 6th by 12:30 midnight.

E-copies to jeharris@harding.edu

Sections I & II to be done in class on Tues. Mar. 3rd

I. Map. in class on Tues. Mar. 3rd


II. List the monarchs through Richard III. in class on Tues. Mar. 3rd


III. Identify and show the significance. Choose ten of the following. Write four sentences explaining each item and its significance. (10 points each = 100) Include who, what, when, where, how & why. Students must choose items from at least four separate eras of English history

Group A

             Boudicca                        Cartimandua                  Mount Badon                               Battle of Eddington

             Edgar of Wessex            Synod of Whitby           Anglo-Saxon Chronicle              Venerable Bede

             Canute                            Danegeld                        Feudal Aids & Incidents             Tower of London

             White Ship Disaster       Wool trade                     St. Ives                                        The Pale

             Domesday Book            3-field System                Richard Coeur de Lion               Simon De Montfort       

             Constitutions of Clarendon                                   Maid of Norway                         Exchequer 

             Piers Gaveston               Fyrd                                            Prince of Wales             


IV. Short Answer.

1. Identify the author (or subject), time, circumstance/ subject and significance of each of the following quotes: (Be brief.) 3 pts. each (51)

a. “The Devil is out. Look to yourself.”

b. “I praise God and ever shall; It is the sheep that hath paid for all.”

c. “As Long as I have lived, I have striven to live worthily.”

d. “Will no one rid me of this turbulent (or meddlesome) Priest!”

e. “We were born not to sue, but to rule.”

f. “He feared neither God nor men.”

g. “Not Angles, but Angels.”

h. “The law is in my mouth.”

i. “Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote

                          The droghte of March hath perced to the roote ....

                          Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,

                          The hooly blisful martir for to seke

                          That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.”

j. “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.”

k. “The ignorance of the priest casteth the people into the ditch of error.”

l. “To pitch the famous lily was an enterprise of more profit, ease, and honour than to pluck the recalcitrant thistle.”

m. “It has ever been my delight to learn or teach or write.”

n. “There was no single hide nor indeed was one ox, one cow, or one pig... not put down in his record.”

o. “Let the boy win his spurs.”

p. “God have mercy on our souls, for our bodies are theirs.”

q. “Christ slept, and his saints”


2. List the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms & their collective name. (8)

3. List five clauses of the Magna Carta, explain their purpose and their link to the modern U.S. Constitution or Current Anglo-American practice. (15)

4. What were the two English universities? (15)

a. Give their founding dates & reason for founding.

b. Name the elements of the Trivium & Quadrivium.


V. Essay. Answer three of the questions below. (75 pts each)

You must answer one from BLOCK A and one from BLOCK B. The third essay can be from either block.

Answer each of your choices thoroughly, using complete sentences and paragraphs. Be specific in references to names, places, events and dates. Include a bibliography of all sources used for each answer.  


BLOCK A

1. The kings of Wessex early on styled themselves as Rex Britannae. During the Middle Ages, the concept of English High Kingship was constantly changing. Discuss the rise of English High Kingship between 1093 and 1399, including specific evidences of High Kingship, as well as the changing relationships with and sometimes conquest of Wales, Scotland and Ireland.                  


2. English society shifted and changed from the Anglo-Saxons to the 1450s. Discuss the evolution of a class society and the basic structures of life which existed by 1400s. Include major characteristics of economic and social life for England, including the class structure and monetary system.                        


3. Discuss the development of Parliament from Anglo-Saxon times until 1450. Include origins, composition, functions, and reasons for development.


4. One of the most important developments in England prior to the Norman conquest was the conversion of the populace to Christianity. Discuss the development, influence and role of the church, including the relationship with the monarch, through 1485.



BLOCK B

5. Explain the development of the English legal system, including the courts, common law and statute law.


6. Explain the development of the Hundred Years War. What were the earliest foundations of this war (prior to Edward III)? How and why did it erupt in 1337? What were the phases, triumphs, and outcomes of the war?


7. Discuss the progress and impact of the Norman conquest. How was this accomplished in 1066 (include various contenders for the throne and battles)? How did this transform the landscape of England? Why?


8. Discuss the development of the English government and finance system from Anglo-Saxon times through 1400. Include the origins, structure and duties of differing departments, as well as the problems that arose.


9. Discuss the evolution of the Angevin empire. What were its problems and advantages? Which monarchs were most successful with it? Why?


10. Compare and contrast the reigns of John, Henry III and Edward II. How were their problems similar? Their solutions? What impact did these reigns have on English government and society?