English history for American readers
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911 | Channing, Edward, 1856-1931, joint author
bV^ sav'. ^ .«. ..«.^.% *^^^^^<j,* /.*fiv. ^ .. -.^^ ♦ . • •2^^ ^^jm^j" ""^K^j^' o*«?^l0f« ^♦^4:*'^ *'/^ffi^.^ "^ ENGLISH HISTORY FOR AMERICAN READERS ENGLISH HISTORY FOR AMERICAN READERS BY / THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON AUTHOR OF "young FOLKS' HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," ETC. AND EDWARD ^"^CHANNING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 15 East Sixteenth Street 1893 Copyright, 189S, By Longmans, Green, and Co. iJ VA-i U* -^ '^ ItHE LIBRARY] OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON Httibersttg Press: John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A. PREFACE. 'nr^HE name ''English History for American Readers," which suggests the key-note of this book, is based on the simple fact that it is not the practice of American readers, old or young, to give to English history more than a very limited portion of their hours of study. However much we may regret this fact, it is undeniable. This being the case, it seems clear that such readers will use their time to the best advantage if they devote it mainly to those events in English annals which have had the most direct influence on the history and institu- tions of our own land. For instance, an English reader might regard the acquisition of the Indian Empire as an event rivalling in importance the rise and growth of Puritanism in the English Church ; but there can be no comparison in the relative importance of these two events to an American. Every American sees in the rise of Puritanism an essential factor in the creation of the thirteen colonies, while the Indian Empire is simply a matter of curiosity or wonder. The authors of this book have therefore boldly ventured to modify in their vi PREF-ACE. narrative the accustomed scale of proportion ; while it has been their wish, in the treatment of every detail, to accept the best result of modern English investigation, and especially to avoid all unfair or one-sided judgments. The career of England is too important in the history of the human race to be handled in any petty or partisan spirit. THE AUTHORS. A LIST OF SOME USEFUL BOOKS FOR CONSULTATION. Books suitable for young students are marked with an asterisk. BIBLIOGRAPHIES. This list is in no sense a complete list of authorities. For such information, reference should be made to the following : — Allen, W.m. F. The Reader's Guide to English History. Gardiner and Mullinger. English History for Stndetits. — Contains an historical sketch by Gardiner, and a comprehensive bibliography by Mullinger. Lists may also be found prefixed to the first three volumes of Bright's Ejiglish History, and in Gardiner's Stiidenfs History., pp. 100, 172, 288, 359, 480, 577, 648, 744, 818, 890, 972. GENERAL WORKS. AcLAND AND Ransome. Handbook in Ontliiie of the Political History of England. — Arranged in three parallel columns, with topical summaries at the end. The most useful book of its kind for teachers and readers. Longmans' Stnnniary of English History. Gardiner, S. R. A Student's History of EnglaJid. 1023 pages. — The best single-volume history of England, profusely illus- trated, but without maps. The latter are provided in the follow- ing volume : — Gardiner, S. R. Atlas of English Histojy. — Contains 88 maps or plans. Brewer, J. S., Editor. The Students Hume. Vlil A LIST OF SOME USEFUL BOOKS Green, J. R. A Short History of the English People, i vol. — Also printed in parts, and in a profusely illustrated edition in three volumes. Macaulay, Lord. History of Englatid. — The introductory mat- ter in vol. i. is especially valuable. Mahan, a. T. The Influence of Sea Power on History. Green, John Richard, Editor. Readings from English History. Wheeler, A. M., Editor. Sketches from English History. Among the longer works may be mentioned, — Bright, G. F. A History of England. 4 vols. L, 449-1485 (PP- 354); n., 1485-1688 (pp.449); III., 1689-1837 (pp. 666); IV., 1837-1880 (pp. 577). — Well supplied with maps and tables. Green, J. R. A History of the English People. 4 vols. Knight, Charles. Popular History of England. — Profusely illustrated. „ T F )■ History of England, for the Use of Schools. In Three Parts. With Maps and Plans. Part I. From the Earliest Times to the Death of Henry VII. By F. York Powell. Part III. William and Mary to the Present Time. By T. F. Tout. Powell, F. York, Editor. English History from Contemporary Writers; especially Ashley, W. J. Edward III. HuTTON, W. H. Misrule of Henry III. Hutton, W. H. Simon of Montfort. HuTTON, W. H. S. Thomas of Canterbury. Henderson, E. F. Select Historical Documents from the Middle Ages. — The first 165 pp. contain documents illustrating English history before 1349. Gardiner, S. R. Documents illustrating the Puritan Rebellion. Among the books designed for children the following may be mentioned, — *Creighton, Louise. A First History of E?tgland. Illustrated. * Gardiner, S. R. English History for Young Folks. *YoNGE, Charlotte M. Voimg Folks'' History of England. FOR CONSULTATION. IX * Fisher, Mrs. Arabella B. [Buckley]. History of England for Beginners. *Creighton, Mandell, Editor. Epochs of English History. I vol. Also printed separately in eight small cloth-covered volumes with the following titles : — Powell, F. York. Early Englajid to the Norman Conquest. Creighton, Mrs. Mandell. Ejtglatid a Continental Power., from the Conquest to the Great Charter. Rowley, James. The Rise of the People., and the Growth of Parlia77te7it. Creighton, Mandell. The Tudors and the Reforination. Gardiner, Mrs. S. R. The Struggle against Absolute Monarchy. Rowley, James. The Settletnent of the Constitution. Tancock, Rev. O. W. Englajid dm'ing the American and European Wars. Browning, Oscar. Modern England. SPECIAL WORKS. Arranged chronologically according to contents. Freeman, E. A. Old English History. Hughes, Thomas. Life of King Alfred. Freeman, E. A. William the Conqueror (Twelve English Statesmen). * Freeman, E. A. A Short History of the Norman Conquest. Stubbs, W. Early Plantagenets (Epochs of History). Green, Mrs. J. R. Henry //. (Twelve EngHsh Statesmen). Maurice, C. E. Stephen Langton (English Popular Leaders Series). Longman, W. Edward IH. Oman, C. W. C. The Art of War in the Middle Ages. Ashley, W. J. An Introduction to English Econo7nic History. Seligman, E. R. a. Two Chapters in the History of the Medi- CBval Guilds of England. Palgrave, Sir F. The Mercha7it and the Eriar. Seebohm, F. The Oxford Refor7ners (Colet, Erasmus, More). X A LIST OF SOME USEFUL BOOKS Creighton, Mandell. Cardinal Wolsey (Twelve English Statesmen). Creighton, Mandell, The Age of Elizabeth (Epochs of History). Beesley, E. S. Queen Elizabeth (Twelve English Statesmen). Payne. Elizabethan Seamen. CORDERY, B. M. (Mrs. S. R. Gardiner) and Phillpotts. The Kijig and Coni7non'wealth. Gardiner, S. R. The Puritan Revolution (Epochs of History). Smith, Goldwin. Three English Statesmen (John Pym, Oliver Cromwell, William Pitt). Boyle, G. D. Selections from Clare?ido?i's History of the {Puri- tan] Rebellioji. GuizoT, F. Oliver Cro7nwell. Harrison, Frederic. Oliver Cro7nwell (Twelve English States- men). Carlyle, Thomas. Letters a7id Speeches of Oliver Cro77iwell. Hannay, D. Ad77iiral Blake. Traill, H. D. Willia77i III. (Twelve English Statesmen). Lecky, W. E. H. History of E7igla7id i7i the Eightee7ith Ce7i- tury. 8 vols. — A new and convenient edition has been published, in which the portions deahng more particularly with Ireland are printed separately. Morris, E. E. The Age of An7ie (Epochs of History). Morley, John. Sir Robert Walpole (Twelve English Statesmen). Trevelyan, G. O. Early History of Charles Ja77ies Fox. Rosebery, Lord. Willia77i Pitt (Twelve English Statesmen). Russell, W. Clark. Lord Nelson. Martineau, Harriet. History of E7igla7id du7'i7ig the Thirty Years'* Peace (1816-46). Walpole, Spencer. A History of Engla7id fro77i the Co7iclusio7i of the Great War in 181 5 (to 1857). McCarthy, J. Epoch of Refor77i (Epochs of History). McCarthy, J. A History of onr Ow7t Ti77tes. Thursfield. Robert Peel. Morley, John. Richard Cobde7i. Froude, J. A. Zi?;Y/^d?^^^«>$yf<?/^ (Twelve English Statesmen). FOR CONSULTATION. xi CONSTITUTIONAL WORKS. Amos, Sheldon. A Primer of the E7iglish Cojistitiition a?id Government. * Creighton, Louise. The Government of England. * FoxBLANQUE, A. DE. How we are govemed. Ransome, C. Rise of Constitutional Governine?it in Eiigland. Creasy, E. The English Constitution. Taylor, Hannis. Origin and Growth of the English Consti- ttttion. Taswell-Langmead, T. P. English Constitutional History^ fro7n the Teutonic Conquest to the Present Time. The following three works form together a comprehensive treat- ment of the subject : — Stubbs, W. Constitutional History of England in its Origiii and Development. 3 vols. Hall am, H. Constittitional History of Engla7id from the Acces- sion of Hetiry VII. to the death of George II. 3 vols. ; American edition in 2 vols. May, T. E. Constitutional History of England^ 1 760-1 860. 3 vols. ; American edition in 2 vols. MINOR WORKS. * Creighton, Louise. Stoj-ies froin English History. Creighton, Louise. Social History of England. * YoNGE, Charlotte M. Cameos from E7iglish History. * Jones, M. Stories of the Olde7i Time, from De Joinville and Froissart. * Lanier, Sidney, Editor. The Boy's Froissa7't. * Edgar, John G. The Wars of the Roses. * Oilman, Arthur, Editor. Mag7ia Charta Stories. * Kingsley, Rose G. The Child7-e7i of West7ni7ister Abbey. EwALD. Stories fr 0771 the State Papers. Xll A LIST OF SOME USEFUL BOOKS. * Dickens, Charles. A Child'' s History of England. *RiDEiNG, William H. Yotmg Folks'' History of London. * Brown, Cornelius. True Stories of the Reign of Victoria. Sea Fights attd Land Battles. Editor. Pictures frojn English History. Tales of a Grandfather. Tales from English History^ for Chil- dren. * Valentine, Mrs. R. * Bishop, Coleman E. * Scott, Sir Walter. * Strickland, Agnes. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Early Britain. Date. Page Continuity of English and American History i Early British Races 2 The Gaels 3 The Britons 4 Mode of Life 4 Religion . 5 iStonehenge 5 Roman Conquest of Britain , 7 Roman Walls and Roads 7-8 A. D. 410 Roman Army withdrawn 9 CHAPTER II. How Britain became England {449-827 a.d.). 449 Coming of the Jutes 10 The Saxons 11 The English 12 Religion of the English 13 Institutions : the Township, Hundred, and County ... 14 The Land System 14 The Meeting of the Wise Men 15 Conversion of the English to Christianity 15 827 England united by Egbert of Wessex 16 xiv CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER in. The Northmen in England (827-1042). Date. Page The Vikings 17 879 Treaty of Wedmore 18 871-901 King Alfred of Wessex 18 St. Dunstan 19 1017-35 Cnut the Dane, King of England 19 The Earldoms 22 CHAPTER IV. The Norman Conquest (1042-1087). 1066 Harold, Son of Godwin, chosen King 23 1066 Battle of Senlac, or Hastings 24 1066-87 William the Conqueror 25 His Claim to the English Throne 25 Effect of the Conquest 26 Continuity of English History 26 1086 Domesday Book 27 1086 Oath of Salisbury Plain 27 Influence of the Catholic Church on England 28 The New Forest 28 London Tower and Westminster Hall 29 1087 William's Death 29 CHAPTER V. The Norman Kings (1087-1154). 1087-1100 William II., the Red 30 His Extravagance 30 His Death 31 1100-35 Henry 1 31 Conquers Normandy 32 The White Ship 32 Geoffrey of Anjou marries Maud 33 1135-54 Stephen 33 Civil War 34 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER VL The First Two Plantagenets (1154-1199). Date. Page 1154-89 Henry II -^^ His Reforms ^c Shield-money ^5 1 164 Constitutions of Clarendon 36 Conquest of Ireland . . . , 37 Henry's sons o , 37 1189-99 Richard 1 39 Richard's Death 39 His Place in England's History 40 CHAPTER VIL King John and Magna Charta (1199-1216). Prince Arthur 41 Philip of France seizes Normandy and Anjou .... 41 The Interdict 42 John submits to the Pope 42 1215 Magna Charta 43 John's Death 44 CHAPTER VIIL Hfnry III. (1216-1272). Earl of Simon of Montfort 47 1265 Earl Simon's Parliament 48 1265 Battle of Evesham 48 CHAPTER IX. The First Two Edwards (1272-1327). 1272-1307 Edward 1 50 1276-1284 Conquers Wales 50 Prince of Wales 50 The Welsh Bards 51 XVI CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. Date. Page Balliol and Bruce , ... 51 1296 Conquest of Scotland 52 Sir William Wallace 52 1298 Battle of Falkirk , 52 Robert Bruce « 52 1295 The First Perfect Parliament • • • 53 Its Composition 53 1297 Confirmation of the Charters 54 1307-27 Edward II 54 1307-12 Piers Gaveston 54 Bruce in Scotland 55 1314 Battle of Bannockburn • • • 55 The Irish 55 The Despensers 55 1327 Murder of the King 56 CHAPTER X. Edward III. (1327-1377). 1327-30 Supremacy of Mortimer . . . . , 57 1333 Battle of Halidon Hill 57 Cause of the Wars with France 59 1340 Sea-fight at Sluys . 60 1346 Battle of Cressy 60 1346-47 Siege of Calais 62 1348-50 The "Black Death" 62 1356 Battle of Poitiers 63 1360 Peace of Bretigny 63 ^333 Parliament separates into two Houses 65 1353 Statute of Praemunire 66 John WyclifFe and the Lollards 66 Copyhold Tenure 67 1349 Statute of Laborers 67 CHAPTER XI. Richard IL (1377-1399). 1381 The Peasants' Revolt 68 1399 Abdication of Richard 70 Henry of Lancaster's Claims to the Crown 72 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. xvii CHAPTER XIL England in the Fourteenth Century. Date. Page Trade ^•^ Financial Policy 74 Clothes 74 74 Commerce The Guilds yc Rise of the English Language 76 CHAPTER Xin. The First two Lancastrian Kings (1399-1422). 1399-1413 Henry IV 77 Rise of the Commoners yy Maintenance , . 78 1413-22 Henry V 78 Renewal of the War with France 79 141 5 Battle of Agincourt » .... 80 1420 Treaty of Troyes » = 80 CHAPTER XIV. Henry VI. (1422-1460). Regency of Bedford and Gloucester 82 1428-53 Loss of France 82 1450 Jack Cade's Rebellion 83 1460 Richard of York claims the Throne 83 1455 The Wars of the Roses begin 84 1 461 Edward I. of York crowned King . 84 Forty-shilling Freeholders .85 CHAPTER XV. The Yorkist Kings (1461-1485). 1461-83 Edward IV 86 1475 Invasion of France 87 1478 Murder of the Duke of Clarence 87 6 xviii CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. Date. Page 1483 Edward V 88 1483-85 Richard III 88 The Tudors and their Claims . , 88 1485 Battle of Bosworth 90 CHAPTER XVI. Social Changes during the Fifteenth Century. End of the Middle Ages 91 Printing 91 Abolition of Villeinage 92 Loss of Power by Parliament 93 Money Bills 94 CHAPTER XVII. Henry VIL (1485-1509). Henry's Home Policy 95 The Pretenders, Simnel and Warbeck 95-96 Henry's Foreign Policy , 96 Court of Star Chamber 96 CHAPTER XVIIL Henry VIII. (1509-1547). The Spanish Marriage , 98 1 513 War with France and Scotland 100 Battle of Flodden 100 Cardinal Wolsey loi The Divorce from Katherine 102 Henry's Personal Rule 103 1533 The Statute against Appeals to Rome 104 Destruction of the Monasteries 106 Effect of this Destruction 107 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. xix Date, Page 1536 Execution of Anne Boleyn 108 1539 ^^^ ^^^ Acts 108 1540 Fall of Cromwell 109 Last Years of Henry VIII 109 CHAPTER XIX. Edward VL ( i 547-1 553)- Protector Somerset iii 1547 The Scottish War iii 1551 Fall of Somerset 112 Lady Jane Grey 112 CHAPTER XX. Mary the Catholic (1553-1558). Mary's Policy ^ 114 1554 Marriage with Philip of Spain 114 1554 Risings in England 116 The Martyrs 116 CHAPTER XXL Elizabeth (i 558-1603). Character of the Reign 119 William Cecil, Lord Burleigh 121 The Church of England 123 The Puritans 124 The Roman Catholics 125 Mary, Queen of Scots 126 Foreign Policy 128 1569-86 Roman Catholic Plots 129 Court of High Commission 130 1587 Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots 131 1588 The Invincible Armada 132 The English in Ireland 135 Elizabethan Settlement of Ireland 135 Elizabeth's Last Years 137 XX CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIL State of Society. Date. Page Commerce 140 Architecture 140 The Poor Law 142 Literature 142 CHAPTER XXIIL James I. (1603-1625). His Character 144 Sir Walter Raleigh s 146 1605 The Gunpowder Plot 146 The Puritans 149 " The Spanish Marriage " 151 The " Divine Right of Kings " 151 1621 Impeachment of Bacon 151 162 1 The Great Protestation 152 CHAPTER XXIV. Charles I. (162 5-1649). The French Marriage, and War with France .... 153 1627 The Attempt to relieve La Rochelle 154 1628 The Petition of Right 154 1629 Sir John Eliot's Resolutions 157 1629-40 Personal Government of the King 1 58 Archbishop Laud and the Puritans . 159 Ship-money 160 1637 Hampden's Case 160 The Scottish Church 163 1639 The First Bishops' War 164 1646 The Short Parliament 165 1640 The Second Bishops' War 165 1640-60 The Long Parliament 165 1641 Execution of Strafford 166 Constitutional Reforms 167 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. xxi Date. Page The Patriots disagree about Religion i68 1641 The Irish Rebellion 168 1641 The Grand Remonstrance 168 1642 The Attempt to arrest the Five Members ., ... 168 1642 Civil War begins , . 170 CHAPTER XXV. The Civil Wars (1642-1649). 1643 Death of John Hampden and of John Pym 172 Oliver Cromwell 173 Cromwell's Ironsides 173 1644 Battle of Marston Moor 175 1645 The Self-denying Ordinance 176 1645 " The New Model " Army, and Battle of Naseby ... 176 Charles flees to the Scots 177 The Independents 177 The Army seizes the King 178 1648 The Scots invade England 179 1648 Battle of Preston 179 1648 " Pride's Purge " 179 1649 Execution of the King 180 1649 Cromwell in Ireland 181 CHAPTER XXVI. The Commonwealth (1649-1653). Charles II. in Scotland 182 1650 Battle of Dunbar 183 1651 Battle of Worcester 183 1653 The " Rump " expelled 186 Barebone's Parliament 186 1653 The Instrument of Government 186 xxii CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVIL The Protectorate (1653-1659). Date. Page Oliver, Lord Protector 188 1655 The Major-Generals 189 War with the Dutch 189 1657 The Petition and Advice 190 1658 Death of Cromwell 192 1660 The Restoration I93 Puritan Ideas I94 CHAPTER XXVIII. The Restored Stuarts (1660-1688). 1660-85 Charles II 196 1660 Act of Indemnity and Oblivion 198 The Regicides 198 1661-79 The Cavalier Parliament 199 1661 Corporation Act 199 1665 The Plague 200 The Dissenters 200 1666 The Great Fire 201 1666-67 War with the Dutch 202 1670 The Secret Treaty of Dover 203 1672 Declaration of Indulgence 204 1673 The Test Act 204 1678 Popish Plot 205 1679 Habeas Corpus Act 206 1680-81 Exclusion Bills 207 1683 Rye-House Plot 207 1685-88 James II 208 1685 Monmouth's Rebellion 208 CHAPTER XXIX. The "Glorious Revolution" of 1688-1689. The Case of Sir Edward Hales 210 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes 210 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. xxiii Date. Page 1688 Declaration of Indulgence 2H Birth of the Old Pretender , 212 1688 The Seven Bishops acquitted 212 The Invitation to William of Orange 213 7oo5' !> William lands at Torbay 21^ 1688 (,,.,, ^ ■' -^ 1* light ot James 214 The Jacobites 214 The Convention. 215 1689 Declaration of Right 215 CHAPTER XXX. The First Constitutional Monarchs. 1689-1702 William and Mary . = 216 The Mutiny Bill 216 The Nonjurors 217 1689 Siege of Londonderry 218 1690 Battle of the Boyne 219 1690 Battle off Beachy Head 220 1692 Battle of La Hogue 221 1694 Bank of England established 221 1695 Liberty of the Press . 222 1692 Massacre of Glencoe 222 1702-14 Queen Anne 224 1704 Battle of Blenheim 224 1704 Seizure of Gibraltar 226 1707 Union with Scotland 227 CHAPTER XXXI. George I. (17 14-1727). 1701 Act of Succession, or Settlement ...... . . 229 1715 Jacobite Plot 230 1715 Riot Act • 230 1716 Septennial Act 230 1720 South-Sea Bubble ... 0 230 1721-42 Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister 232 Walpole's Policy 233 xxiv CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIL George 11. (1727-1760). Date. Page Queen Caroline 234 The Methodists 234 1739 War with Spain . 234 War with Prussia and France 236 1744-54 Pelhain Ministry 236 1745 Stuart Rising 236 1746 Battle of Culloden 238 1751 New Style adopted . 239 1754-63 Causes of the French and Indian War in America . . 240 1756-63 The Seven Years' War in Europe 240 William Pitt 242 CHAPTER XXXIII. George III. (1760-1820) : part i. (1760-1783). Character of the New King 244 1763 Peace of Paris 245 John Wilkes 246 The North American Colonies 248 1765 The Stamp Act 249 1765 The Regency Question 249 1766 Stamp Act repealed 250 " The King's Friends " . 251 1768 Wilkes and the Middlesex Election 251 1773 The Boston Tea Party 253 1774 The Boston Port Act and other Oppressive Measures . 254 1775 Lexington and Concord 254 1776 The Declaration of Independence 255 1776 The Surprise at Trenton 255 1777 Burgoyne's Surrender 256 1778 The French Alliance 257 Lord North's Plan of Reconciliation 257 Economical Reform 258 1780 Lord George Gordon Riots 258 The Southern Campaigns 259 1780 Arnold's Treason ° 260 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXV Date. Page 1 781 Capture of Yorktown , . . . . 261 1782 End of the North Ministry 261 1782 The Second Rockingham Ministry 262 1782 Independence of the United States acknowledged . . 264 1783 Conclusion of the War , . . . . 265 CHAPTER XXXIV. George III. Part ii. (1783-1820). 1783 The "Coalition" 266 1783 Fox's India Bill 266 1 783-1 801 William Pitt, Prime Minister 267 1784 Pitt's India Bill 268 Pitt's financial policy 269 1788 Trial of Warren Hastings begins 269 1788 The Regency Struggle 269 1789 The French Revolution . 271 1793 France declares War against England 271 Pitt's Policy 272 1797 Mutinies in the Fleet 272 1798 French invasion of Egypt 272 1798 Battle of the Nile 273 Ireland in the Eighteenth Century 273 1779 The " Volunteers " . ." 273 1791 The " United Irishmen " 274 1796-98 Rebellion in Ireland 274 1801 The Union 275 1803 Emmett's Rebellion 275 1801-4 The Addington Ministry 275 1802 Peace of Amiens 276 1803 War renewed 276 1805 Battle off Trafalgar 276 1803-6 Pitt's Second Ministry 277 1806-7 Ministry of "All the Talents" 277 1807-27 The Tory Ministry 277 The Spanish Resistance to Napoleon 279 1809-14 The Peninsular War 279 Napoleon's Downfall 281 War of 181 2 with the United States 281 1815 Battle of Waterloo 282 Agricultural Distress 283 XXVI CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. Date. Page Corn Law of 1816 283 Commercial Depression 283 The Luddites , 283 1819 The Manchester Massacre 284 1819 The Six Acts 285 1810-20 The Regency 286 CHAPTER XXXV. George IV. (1820-1830). Queen CaroHne 286 George Canning and the Monroe Doctrine 287 1828-30 Wellington-Peel Ministry 287 Daniel O'Connell 288 1829 Catholic Emancipation , 289 CHAPTER XXXVI. William IV. (1830-1837). Character of the new King 291 Causes of Discontent 291 1830-34 The Grey Ministry 293 1830-32 The Struggle for Reform 293 1832 The First Reform Act 294 1833 Emancipation of Slaves 295 1833 The Factory Act 295 1834 Reform of the Poor Law 296 1834-35 Peel-Wellington Ministry 296 1835-41 Second Melbourne Ministry 296 CHAPTER XXXVII. Victoria (1837- ). Difficulties of the Ministry 297 1840 The Canada Act 299 1839 The Bedchamber Question 300 1841-46 Sir Robert Peel's Ministry 300 Overthrow of the Protective Policy 301 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. XXvii Date. Page The Anti-Corn-Law League 302 1844-49 The Irish Famine 303 1846 Repeal of the Corn Laws 303 1846-52 Lord John Russell's Ministry 305 " Young Ireland " 306 The " Clearances '' 306 The Chartists 306 1851 Dismissal of Lord Palmerston 307 1852 The First Derby Ministry 308 1852-55 The Aberdeen Ministry 308 1854-56 The Crimean War 308 i855~5S First Palmerston Ministry 309 1S57-58 The Sepoy Mutiny 309 1858-59 Second Derby-Disraeli Ministry 311 1858 Jews admitted to Parliament 311 1859 The " Fancy Franchises " 311 1859-65 Second Palmerston Ministry 312 ,-\\ Gladstone's Financial Policy 313 The Cotton Famine 313 J::^ England's Policy during the Civil War 314 The "Alabama" 314 1865-68 Derby-Disraeli Ministry 315 1868 The Second Reform Act = 315 1868 Compulsory Church Rates abolished 315 1868-74 First Gladstone Ministry 316 1869 Disestablishment of the Irish Church 316 The System of Landholding in Ireland 316 1870 The Irish Land Act of 1870 319 The " Bright Clauses " 320 1881 Irish Land Act of 1881 320 1 87 1 National Education 320 187 1 Reorganization of the Army « . 320 1872 The Ballot Act 321 1884 Third Reform Act 321 1874-80 The Disraeli Ministry 322 X Disraeli's Imperial Policy 322 1876 Congress of Berlin 324 1880 Mr. Gladstone's Second Ministry begins 324 The British Empire 325 Conclusion 325 INDEX 327 XXVlll GENEALOGIES. — MAPS. GENEALOGIES. Page The Norman Kings 31 Succession to the Scottish Throne in 1290 51 Succession to the French Crown in 1328 o 59 The Later Plantagenets 71 Claims of York and Lancaster 81 Lancasters and Tudors 89 The Howards 102 The Tudors no The Stuarts 143 The House of Hanover 242 MAPS. At the beginning: ■ I. Britain before the Norman Conquest. - 2. The Dominions of Henry 11. At the end : • 3. England at the .beginning of the Puritan Rebellion. . 4. England since the Restoration. Folding Maps, after the Index. ^* ^, ,,^ , -' „ ' i showing growth of the British Empire. » 6. The World, 1892. ) ° ° IMPORTANT DATES. XXIX IMPORTANT DATES. Year Caesar in Britain B.C. 55 Coming of the Jutes a. d. 449 Egbert of Wessex, Overlord of all England 827 Treaty of Wedmore 878 Battle of Senlac Murder of Becket Magna Charta Simon of Montfort's Parliament. Confirmation of the Charters Battle of Bannockbum Battle of Cressy Peace of Bretigny Battle of Agincourt o Battle of Bosworth First Act of Supremacy Defeat of the Spanish Armada Petition of Right Battle of Naseby. Battle of Worcester The Restoration Bill of Rights Act of Settlement Union with Scotland Battle of Blenheim Peace of Paris Declaration of American Independence Union with Ireland Battle of Trafalgar Battle of Waterloo Catholic Emancipation First Reform Act Second Reform Act Disestablishment of the Irish Church First Irish Land Act Elementary Education Act ... Ballot Act Second Irish Land Act Third Reform Act 868 869 870 870 872 881 884 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page View of Stonehenge 5 Views of Parts of the Roman Wall 8, 9 Saxon Horsemen . . ... 16 Rural Life (Eleventh Century) 20, 21 An English Vessel 22 Silver Penny (time of William I.) ........... . 29 Seal, showing Mounted Armed Figure (time of Henry I.) , . . . 34 Efifigies of Henry II. and Queen Eleanor 38 Silver Penny (time of John) 40 Royal Arms of England (Richard I. to Edward III.) 45 Effigy of a Knight, showing Armor worn between 1 190-1225 ... 47 Seal, showing Mounted Knight in Mail Armor (about 1265) ... 48 Armed Knights (about 1300) 56 State Carriage (Fourteenth Century) 58 Contemporary View of a Walled Town (Fourteenth Century) . . 61 Tomb of Edward III. in Westminster Abbey 64 Rural Life (Fourteenth Century) . 69, 70 Gold Noble (time of Edward HI.) : from the Lnttrell Psalter, " Vetusta Monumenta " . 72 Geoffrey Chaucer {from Harl. MS. 4866) 76 Effigy of Knight in Plate-armor (about 1460) 79 Royal Arms (1408-1603) 85 A Fifteenth-Century Ship 90 Tudor Rose 97 Henry VIII . » 99 Sir Thomas More 105 Angel of Henry VIII. (1543) 113 Queen Mary Tudor 115 Mounted Soldier (1596) 118 Queen Elizabeth (1588) ...» 120 William Shakspere . . . •• 122 Mary, Queen of Scots 127 Sir Francis Drake I33 William Cecil, Lord Burleigh 138 xxxil LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Coaches in the Reign of Elizabeth jai Sir Walter Raleigh 14 c James I j cq Charles I jrr The " Sovereign of the Seas " (1637) 161 Coach (Seventeenth Century) i5q Military Equipment (Seventeenth Century) 171 Oliver Cromwell ija John Milton jgr Wagon (Seventeenth Century) 187 Charles II 107 Yeomen of the Guard (Seventeenth Century) 209 William III 218 Mary II 219 Queen Anne ' . . 225 Royal Arms (1603-1714) 228 George 1 231 Costumes and Sedan Chair (about 1720) 233 Sir Robert Walpole 235 George II 237 William Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham) 241 Coach (about 1700) 243 George III. (in 1767) 245 The House of Commons in 1741-42 247 Costumes of Persons of Quality (about 1783) 260 Edmund Burke 263 Royal Arms (i8oi~i8i6) 265 William Pitt 268 Headdress of a Lady (about 1778) 270 Lord Nelson 278 The Duke of Wellington 280 George III. in old age 284 George Canning 288 Royal Arms (1816-1837) 290 Old Sarum 292 Queen Victoria 298 Sir Robert Peel 304 Lord John Russell 312 Mr. Gladstone 318 Lord Beaconsfield , » 323 ENGLISH HISTORY FOR AMERICAN READERS. CHAPTER I. EARLY BRITAIN. OFF the western coast of Europe there are two large islands. One of these is a little larger than are the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania united, and the other is almost as large as the State of continu- Indiana. Two thousand years ago these islands English were mentioned by an old Greek author, Poly- ^jJencan bins, as " the two Britannic islands of Albion history. and lerne ; " and they are now known to us as Great Britain and Ireland. Small as they are, their history is of more importance to Americans than that of all Europe besides; for the ancestors of the majority of Americans came from these islands, and thence came many, if not all, of our most important institutions. Indeed, the history of these islands until within two centuries and a half is a part of American history; without it we cannot understand our own institutions, or trace the history of our ancestors. Who were the earliest inhabitants of these islands .-* How did they live.'* What did they eat and drink, 2 EARLY BRITAIN. and what kind of clothes did they wear? These ques- tions cannot be answered with certainty, for inhabit- the vcry first inhabitants of Albion and lerne lived before the period of written history. Let us begin at the beginning, and see what is really known about them. In many parts of the larger of these two islands there are still to be seen a great many small, roundish hills, commonly called barrows. They were made by Barrows. ^ / human hands, and graves have been found m the middle of some of them. When these graves were first opened, they were found to contain bones, not only of men, but of animals. Tools of stone and bronze were found in them, and also in the earth around them. In other cases everything but the stone graves had crumbled away and disappeared ; and when the graves are thus empty and uncovered, they are usually called cromlechs. Until lately the cromlechs were supposed to be altars, on which human beings were sacrificed; but they are now known to be only graves. The human bones found in these graves were evi- dently those of the early residents of Britain; so they have been carefully measured and examined. British It is fouud that they belonged to two different races, who can only be known apart as being the people with long, narrow heads, and those with short, round heads. The long-headed people appear to have been the older race, and the more Long- headed ignorant. They were a good deal like the Es- kimo, or Esquimaux, of the present day. They lived in caves, and in villages built over shallow water. They used stone tools, and ate the flesh of wild beasts; THE GAELS. 3 but they had tame animals also, for the bones of the ox, the horse, and even the goose, have been found in the graves. It is not known who these long-headed people were; but they have been thought to belong to a race called Iberian, or perhaps Ivernian, who were the early occupants of the peninsula of Spain, and also of Ireland, or lerne. The people with the round heads came at a later day, although long before the time of written history. They were larger, stronger, and less barbarous . , Round- than the race just described. This is shown by headed the fact that they used bronze tools; for bronze ^^^^^^ is a mixture of copper and tin, and it cannot be made without some skill. They made earthen pots also, wove a rough kind of cloth, and built their villages over deeper waters than the others. They were per- haps of the Finnish race, which still occupies the northernmost part of Europe, although some regard them as Celts, or Kelts. At any rate, we know that men of Celtic, or Keltic, blood lived in Britain at the beginning of written his- tory, and they are the first British men of whom The we know much. Men of the same race still live ^^^^^" in France, especially in Brittany, in Spain, and in Northern Italy. Of those who came to Britain, the tribes of whom we know most were the Goidels, or Gaels, and the Brythons, or Britons. The Goidels came first, and then passed over into Ireland, where the western Irish are probably their descendants. Some of them passed over into Scotland, where the Scottish Highlanders are supposed to be sprung from them, and still speak a language called Gaelic. On the other hand, the Brythons came to the southern part of 4 . EARLY BRITAIN. Great Britain, and the Welsh are their particular de- scendants. Their old neighbors on the continent of Europe gave them this name of Brythons, meaning either clothed men or painted men; but they called themselves Cymry, and their descendants, the Welsh, call themselves by that name to this day. We know more about these early Britons than about any of the other early races, because the Romans, The who afterwards conquered them, have told us a Britons, gj-^^t deal about them in their books. They lived in huts shaped like beehives, made of planks, and covered with basket-work and mud. The only ornaments of these huts were the heads of the Their . i i • i mode of owncr's cncmics ; and this shows what a savage life race they were. The heads that were thought most valuable were kept in boxes, and were brought forth only on great occasions. In this they were no better than the wild tribes called head-hunters, who are still to be found in the island of Borneo. The Britons were a tall and well-formed race. They were dressed in skins and in woven cloth, this last being dyed in gaudy colors. The men allowed their mous- taches to grow so long that they strained what they drank through them as through a sieve. They were good farmers, and raised large crops of grain. Cattle and sheep abounded among them, and they had little horses, or ponies, which, when too old to labor, were killed and eaten like other animals. The Britons were brave, and fought chiefly from chariots drawn by three horses. When going to war, a soldier colored his hair bright red, and painted streaks of blue and green on his face and legs, like the American Indian. When the Romans afterwards conquered Britain, the STONEHENGE. 5 race which they overcame was really not much more civilized than the Mandans or Choctaws or Apaches of America. The religion of these early Britons was called Druid- ism, and their priests were called Druids. They wor- VIEW OF STONEHENGE. (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.) Religion. shipped several deities, and offered human sacrifices to them. They held oak groves sacred, and particu- larly the mistletoe that hung from the boughs. There are in England several great buildings, or struc- tures of stone resembling buildings, which are stone- supposed to have been built in the time of the '^^"s^- Druids, though no one can fix the date. As the trav- eller goes out from the city of Salisbury over a bare undulating plain, like one of the rolling prairies of the 6 EARLY BRITAIN. West, he sees at a distance a vast gray structure made of huge stones now fallen apart. This is called Stone- henge. The largest upright stones are nearly thirty feet long, and hold up cross-pieces that are sixteen feet long and weigh eleven tons. How these great stones were brought or shaped and raised to such a height with the imperfect tools and machinery of a barbarous age, is very puzzling; but there is no way of learning exactly when Stonehenge was built, or another structure of the same kind at Abury. But we have every reason to believe that the people who built them were ancestors of our own ; for the island of Albion, or Great Britain, has been conquered so many times that there is a great mixture of race in all English-speaking people. Ibe- rian and Finn, Gael and Briton, all mingle their blood in our veins ; and so do other races yet to be men- tioned, such as Angle and Saxon, Dane and Nor- man. But it is a curious thing that our institutions and laws are mainly based on those of the Angles and Saxons. At a time when Britain was in an almost barbarous condition, the southern portions of Europe were much j-^rj more civilized, and we know something of the visitors, early state of Britain through the writings and traditions of these more advanced races. For instance, an early Greek explorer named Pytheas is supposed to have visited the island, and the Phoenicians at Carth- age used tin that probably came from British mines, and they knew something about the Britons. Yet the route of Pytheas is not easy to make out, and the Phoenicians may, after all, have obtained their tin and their information from Gaul or Spain. But as to the Roman knowledge of Britain, we are on surer ground. A. D. 84.] THE ROMAN CONQUEST. 7 We know that, fifty-five years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the s^reat Roman general, Julius Caesar, ^ ' ° ... Caesar in crossed over to Britain, he being then governor Britain, of Gaul. The next year he came again, and ' "^^ ' marched over part of the southeastern portion of the island. He did not stay long; but his coming was of great importance, for he made the island known to the Romans, who were then the great conquering race of Europe. A century later these mighty conquerors came again and subdued Britain itself, making it a province of the Roman Empire. This took place under the Emperor Claudius (43 a. d. ). The roj^^i^ Britons were brave and warlike, but they were ^^^^ no match for the disciplined Roman soldiers, (a-d. 43). The chief who made the bravest resistance was Caradoc, or Caractacus ; and he was at last captured and sent to Rome, where the emperor was so pleased with his frank and open manner that he set him free. But the Romans in Britain were not so kind as was this emperor. They oppressed the Britons terribly, and even tortured them to obtain money from them. At last this could be borne no longer, and there was a rebellion under a brave chief named Boadicea, a woman. The Britons took and plundered the Roman town of Londinium (London) ; but they were defeated at last, and Boadicea is said to have taken her own life in her despair. After this the Romans went on from one conquest to another. In the time of the Emperor Agricola (a.d. 78-84), all Britain, as far north as the Clyde Roman and the Firth of Forth, was in their hands. At ^^"^• that point the island is very narrow, and Agricola caused a wall to be built across it, to aid in keeping back the wild Highland tribes called Scots and Picts, 8 EARLY BRITAIN. [84. who made constant raids upon the country. Fifty years later these bold mountaineers pressed the Romans so hard that the Emperor Hadrian caused another wall to be built, much farther south, between the Tyne and Solway Firth. Later still, the Emperor VIEW OF PART OF THE ROMAN WALL. Severus rebuilt this wall, and a part of it is still stand- ing, although much has been taken away to mend the roads. While the Scots and Picts thus troubled the Romans by land, the sea-fighters, or vikings, also at- tacked them by water; and to meet these the Romans built great roads, so that soldiers could be hurried from one part of the island to another. Some of these roads can still be traced ; and all over England there yet remain ruined walls and fragments of tiled floors to show where the towns and camps of the Roman con- querors of Britain were built. The Romans, having become Christian, introduced Christianity into Britain, and in this way the Britons 410.] ROMAN ARMY WITHDRAWN. became Christians. But soon the Roman power de- clined. In A. D. 410, Rome was taken by the West Goths under their chief, Alaric, and in the same j^^^^j^ year the Roman leerions were withdrawn from ^^"^y •^ ^ with- Britain. This strong arm being gone, the drawn Britons had to defend themselves from Scots '^^° ' and Picts and other invaders, — a task in which they succeeded very ill. PART OF THE ROMAN WALL AT LEICESTER 6V*» lO HOW BRITAIN BECAME ENGLAND. [449. CHAPTER II. HOW BRITAIN BECAME ENGLAND. A. D. 449-827. BY the seaside, in winter, we may sometimes see a floating log or plank on which a little flock of sea-fowl has perched. Then comes another flock, and another, all ready to alight, and each flock must either make room for the next, or be driven away. The early history of the island of Britain is very much like this. One flock of invaders after another settled upon it, each having a name of its own, but all belonging in general to the great Germanic, or Teutonic, race, which spread all over northern Europe. The modern Ger- mans, Dutch, and Danes all belong to this race, and so did the successive flocks of invaders who came to Britain. There were the Jutes, for instance, from whom the peninsula of Jutland is still named. They landed Coming about 449 on the southeast coast of Britain, Tutes^ and soon overran all that part of the island. (449)- It used to be said that they were led by two brothers, named Hengist and Horsa, whom a British chief, named Vortigern, had asked to help him against his enemies. But it is now thought that this whole story may be false, and that Hengist and Horsa mean only horse and mare. Yet it is certain that the Jutes themselves came, and brought with them their families. 520.] THE SAXONS. II slaves, and cattle. The Romans had called the south- eastern part of Britain Cantium, and the Jutes changed the name to Kent, — a name it still bears. They called themselves Kentsmen, and named their chief town Kentsmen' s borough, or Canterbury, as it is now spelled. This is interesting to Americans, be- cause a large part of those who first settled this con- tinent came from this county of Kent, and kept up its way of speaking and its institutions. The next flock of invaders, also belonging to the great Teutonic race, were of the Saxon tribe, and set- tled upon the land south and west of Kent, r^^^^ calling this region Sussex, or the land of the s^^o"^- South Saxons, — a name it holds to this day. Then another band of Saxons settled to the west of Sussex, and called that region Wessex. They are said to have fought many battles with the British king Arthur, about whom there are so many legends and poems, — he that founded the Round Table of famous knights, who went in search of the Holy Grail. The poet Tennyson, in our own time, has written much about King Arthur, but it is now believed that he existed only in poetry, as none of the early historical writers even mention his name. But the leader of these Saxons of Wessex was a real person, named Cedric, who was the ancestor of most of the later sovereigns of England, including the present queen. Cedric's settlement of Wessex was the most important Saxon colony. Other Saxons settled in the eastern part of England, calling their part of the country Essex, while others settled between these tribes and called that region Middlesex. These two names yet belong to English counties, though the name of Wessex is lost. 12 HOW BRITAIN BECAME ENGLAND. [600. Then other Teutonic invaders settled in the central and northern parts of Britain. These were called jj^g Angles, or English, so that we now see whence English. ^^^Q tj^g words " English " and " Anglo-Saxon. " They settled north of Essex, and gradually got to the borders of Wales. The old English word for border is "march;" so these English were called "march- \ men," and their country was called "Mercia. " Other Angles also settled north of the river Humber, and were finally united in a large kingdom, called North- umbria. They gradually spread yet farther north, and founded a city named Edwin's-borough, or Edinburgh, after a King Edwin of Northumbria, who lived in the seventh century. Thus the Angles, or English, gradu- ally got possession of the greater part of the island, and it came to be called Angleland, or England. What became of the early British tribes we do not know, although it is very likely that the present in- Treat- habitants of Wales and Cornwall are mainly de- "hg"^° scended from them. Some writers, too, think Britons, ^j^^^- ^^iQ prcscncc of SO many dark-haired Eng- lishmen shows that the slaughter of the Britons was not so complete as many historians have thought. For the English, Danes, and Normans belonged to the Teutonic race, and had light hair, while we know that the early Britons had dark hair. At any rate, there are hardly any British words in our present language, but there are many Latin words, and some of these may have come from the Britons, who probably spoke a dialect of Latin after the Romans conquered them. And our customs, like our language, came mainly from the Teutonic tribes, who, one after another, pos- sessed England, and whom we must now call English. 