William the First (The Conqueror) created a great nation by acceptance of the "status quo". He caused the Doomsday book to be
created as a means to find out how much his conquest had gained him from the Battle of Hastings. An administration was in
formation.
There followed a sucession of Kings of England, The building up of the large Family dynasties, eventually the great reigns of
the Plantagenet Kings all of which collapsed into internacine squabbles that formed the English Wars of the Roses.
The period also saw the rise of the church and the might of the Roman Catholic movement take a major role in all aspects of
Mediaeval Life. The Ecclesiastic courts in opposition to the Laity with great consequences as seen in the life of St Thomas a
Becket of Canterbury.
The rise of the Merchant classes in England happened through these several centuries with great wealth made from such as the
English wool trade. Along side of this rise was the formation of the great Trade organisations, each one specialising in their
particular skill and eventually arriving at a balance of power between themselves, the merchant classes and the older great
families of the land.
Not that all of the mediaeval events happened in England. Great crusades against the Moors and the eastern states to free
Jerusalem, The formation of the European boundaries by war and marriage, appalling deaths from repeated attacks of disease
such as the Black Death all played their part in this period.
More articles on this period will appear in this section as soon as they are written. If anyone wishes to contribute to this
section please feel free to email submissions@histrenact.co.uk for inclusion of
your articles.
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