Paper 2 Section B/B: Medieval England: the reign of Edward I, 1272–1307

June 2024

Q1: How convincing is Interpretation A about warfare during Edward I’s reign?

Explain your answer based on your contextual knowledge and what it says in Interpretation A.

Answer:

For example, it is convincing because it was better to avoid battle in the Middle Ages because the outcome was so unpredictable, for this reason medieval kings put their faith in castles and sieges. Edward’s invested in castles in Wales to establish his authority there. Stirling Castle was besieged at the Battle of Falkirk as it had a strategic position in Scotland. Here Edward built Warwolf, a massive trebuchet which made the defenders surrender. more than one aspect of the interpretation. For example, it is convincing because medieval battles were unpredictable. Many factors, such as the weather or the terrain, could control the outcome. There was luck involved in these brutal affairs that often went on for hours or days. The terrain helped decide the Battle of Stirling Bridge on 11 September 1297, where the English army was trapped and the Scottish timed their attack For example, the schiltron was a successful defensive tactic but at the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298, Edward I used his archers to bombard the Scottish pikemen until they were so weakened that the cavalry could break up the schiltrons. This decided the battle. Answers may show understanding/support for interpretation, but the case is For example, the schiltron was a defensive tactic using pikes or spears formed into huge circles/rectangles. The spikes pointed outwards like a giant hedgehog, they could be almost impossible to break through.

Q2: Explain what was important about the English church during the reign of Edward I.

Answer:

the consequences of the stated development (English church) in the broader For example, what was important about Edward’s relations with the church was that there were disputes about taxation, privileges, and jurisdiction. The reason Edward fell out with Peckham was because by attacking pluralities he hindered Edward’s main method of adding to the incomes of some of his civil servants. But generally, Peckham was loyal and the worst dispute was with Winchelsea who had the power to excommunicate. Edward’s anger was probably because the dispute coincided with his troubles in 1297 with the nobility which forced him to back down – a humiliation he never forgave Winchelsea. For example, it was important that Edward I clashed with his Archbishop John Peckham over whether priests should be allowed to hold more than one job within the church. This was known as plurality. Some priests never visited their parishes although they were paid by them. Although Edward agreed in principle, he did not want Peckham to get too powerful. He passed laws, such as the 1279 Statute of Mortmain, which limited the amount of land the church For example, the church was important to Edward because it controlled learning and because the government of England needed people who had been to university as government officials. Edward’s reform of English law needed lawyers who had studied at university. The church controlled the universities. A university education was seen as a way of gaining social standing and entering a profession. Edward used the lawyers of Oxford and Cambridge to back his claim to decide the next king of Scotland in 1290. the identified consequences, supporting by factual knowledge and For example, generally Edward had good relations with the church but he did not always get his own way – he wanted Robert Burnell as the new Archbishop of Canterbury but he had to accept John Peckham who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1279. For example, Edward I was a devout Christian. He had fought in the Crusades for the Christian faith, and he spent a lot of money on new religious buildings

Q3: Write an account of the ways in which the government of England changed during the

reign of Edward I.

Answer:

reasoning supported by a range of accurate and detailed factual knowledge and understanding. For example, an explanation of different impacts/ consequences of change in the broader historical context. For example, so much of Edward’s changes in government were to establish the power of the crown and to diminish the power of the nobility and in some cases the church. In this, Edward was seeking power and money to make sure that he was never placed in the position that his father was in relation to the nobility. Robert Burnell was a key figure, as his Chancellor, in the King’s government. Burnell was respected enough by the King to hold a Parliament at his house – Acton Burnell Castle in Shropshire in 1283. Perhaps with the death of his wife Eleanor in 1290, and then, Burnell in 1292, the King’s government changed its character and possibly became less effective. Burnell was a skilled administrator who made the Chancery, which travelled with the King, work. After Robert Burnell died, the Chancery became located in London, along with For example, one way in which government changed under Edward was to try to define and protect Royal justice, such as in the Statute of Gloucester 1278. Local feudal lords administered justice and the King wanted to limit this power unless the person using it had it from ‘time immemorial’, ie 1189. The King also tried to allow people to inherit their estates in the Second Statute of Westminster, 1285. Again, this affected the nobility who stood to gain if land reverted to them. Similarly, the Third Statute of Westminster in 1290 tried to simple understanding of consequence(s) supported with factual knowledge and For example, Edward I needed money. He called the Model Parliament. He said, ‘what touches all, should be approved by all’. So, representatives of the Knights, and merchants from each English county came to Parliament in 1297 so that they could approve the taxes Edward needed for his campaigns in Wales and Scotland. For example, Edward I passed laws, such as the First Statute of Westminster in 1275. This stated that all land and the rights attached to it, came from the King. A landowner had to prove how he got the land. should demonstrate their ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.

Q4: ‘The main consequence of Edward I’s invasion of North Wales was English control.’

How far does a study of North Wales during the reign of Edward I support this statement? Explain your answer. You should refer to North Wales during the reign of Edward I and your contextual knowledge. and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team.

Answer:

To support their answer students could include aspects of the site such as: location, function, structure, design, people connected with the site, how the site reflects culture, values, and fashions of the time and how the site links to important events and/or developments of the specified period. understanding of the site. For example, in consequence of Edward’s colonisation was English control, established by building castles at strategic and symbolic points in North Wales and so they could be supplied by sea. To each castle he attached a town with English settlers to colonise Wales. The colonists were given economic privileges, land, and trading rights. The colonisation of Welsh government was achieved through the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, and by 1294, the King was receiving an income from the Welsh clergy. But there was also the consequence of English influence on religious life which, as Archbishop Peckham hoped, would further reform and ‘civilise’ the Welsh clergy. Answers may suggest that one factor has greater merit. For example, the main consequence of Edward’s invasion and colonisation of Wales was redesign of government based on an English shire model. It was intended to pacify and control the countryside through castles. The men appointed were ruthless and loyal to Edward but he also encouraged the middle rank of Welsh society to take over from the old ruling families and serve the English administration which was run from Westminster and the Exchequer. The changes made to the legal system, by the Statute of Rhuddlan, 1284 imposed an English court system on Wales, along with the office of sheriff and coroner. This helped crush Welsh resistance. For example, the main consequence of Edward’s colonisation of Wales was economic because the castles that he built had towns attached to them. In them, there was a permanent English civilian presence, colonists who would defend the town and castle. They were given privileges – they were rent-free for three years, they could buy more land and took over the mills and fisheries. By the end of his reign, the Welsh towns made an important contribution of £600 annually to the Royal finance which paid back some of the money Edward had invested in building castles. consequence by simple reasoning supported with factual knowledge and understanding of the site. For example, Edward built a series of castles around Llywelyn’s traditional family home of Snowdonia. The massive castles of Caernarvon, Conwy, Rhuddlan and Harlech controlled the Welsh people. The towns he attached to them, called bastides, meant his control would last. For example, Edward built many castles in Wales. He built a castle at Caernarvon which was concentric. At Rhuddlan he even rerouted the river closer to the castle.