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Global Studies IR
Study Guide #32: Kings, Nobles, Popes, and Emperors
England. The Norman Conquest, which began with the invasion of
England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066, gradually united
England. William strengthened his power by ordering a massive survey
of his kingdom, the results of which were collected in the Domesday
Book. He sent his men out to gather information on the land, its
inhabitants, and its livestock, so that he could administer the kingdom
as a single entity.
William’s descendants further solidified his rule by establishing a
central treasury for the collection of taxes, and by setting up a uniform
system of justice. Instead of feudal judges making court decisions, the
king sent out his own judges to enforce a consistent code, laying the
foundation of what became common law, laws to all of England.
Only the church stood outside the king’s jurisdiction, claiming
allegiance to the pope. Although the king tried to rein in the church by
ordering the murder of the archbishop of Canterbury, he was humiliated
in his attempt, and ultimately unsuccessful in controlling the church.
Eventually the nobility rebelled against encroaching royal power.
They forced Henry’s son John to sign the Magna Carta, the Great
Charter. In signing this, the king agreed to abide by the law and not
toraise new taxes without the consent of the nobility. This laid the
foundation for a limited monarchy, by which the king would share power
with some of his subjects. By the mid-1200s, a group of nobles. the
Great Council, advised the king. This council, which eventually included
townspeople and knights, became an early model of Parliament, the
representative assembly that now governs the country.
France. At the end of the Carolingian Empire, France became divided
into several large provinces, each ruled by a noble. In 987, the nobles
elected Hugh Capet as their king. Although the Capetian kings were
not always as powerful as the nobles, they ruled France for 300 years
and gradually strengthened the French monarchy.
Without much help from the nobles, the French kings tried to
centralize their power by hiring well-trained officials to run a strong,
central government. They gained control over the legal system,
establishing the Parlement of Paris as the supreme court over the entire
land. The king also managed to bring the clergy under his control. To
gain support for his challenge of the church, he set up the Estates
General, an assembly of representatives from the three classes, or
estates, of French society: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners.
Later French kings used the Estates General to rally support for
their policies, without granting this body any real power. Instead of
providing a check to the king’s power as it did in England, this
representative body allowed the king to control the clergy and to avoid
the nobility altogether.
The Holy Roman Empire. In Germany and Italy, the popes and the
emperors had worked well together for many years, but eventually they
began a bitter power struggle. Like Charlemagne, Otto the Great was
crowned “emperor of the Romans,” and his empire had a unique
relationship with Italy that lasted 800 years. This new Holy Roman
Empire reached the peak of its power under Henry III, who appointed
popes.
Under Henry’s son, Henry IV, the popes tried to regain their
independence by announcing that only the college of cardinals, a group
of bishops chosen by the church, could select the pope. When Gregory
VII became pope, he and Henry IV disagreed about the power of the
emperor to appoint church leaders. They feuded for many years.
Eventually, the emperor marched on Rome, forcing Gregory to leave the
city. Finally, in 1122 the church and the emperor reached a compromise
in the Concordat of Worm. The emperor agreed that the pope would give
the bishops their spiritual authority, but the emperor retained the right
to demand that they fulfill their feudal obligations to him as his vassals.
The continuing power struggle between the emperors and the popes
hindered the development of a strong, central rulership in the Holy
Roman Empire and also weakened the power of the church.
Answer the questions below in your own words and in complete sentence. Highlight
your evidence. Also read pages 285-289 in your textbook. Create Cornell notes based
on the textbook. Use the Cornell notes template
1. What was the Norman Conquest?
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2. How did the Magna Carta change the power of the king in England?
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3. Why did the French king create the Parliament of Paris and set up
the Estates General?
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4. What issue divided the Holy Roman Emperor and the Catholic
Church?
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5. What was agreed to in the Concordat of Worms?
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6. What was the outcome of the power struggle between the emperors
and the popes?
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