英国历史.ppt

The Crusades and its Purpose From the 11th century to 14th century, there were a series of wars in which armies from all over Europe tried to snatch the Holy Land from the Infidels. The armies were made up Christians who were induced by the Pope in Rome to grab Palestine, where Jesus Christ once lived , from the Muslims. The real purpose of the Crusades was to take advantage of this chance to expand to the East and get overseas land and wealth. The Great Charter(1215) Background: The powerful local chiefs called barons were great rivals of the king’s authority and always causing trouble. They made King John sign a document called the Magna Carta (Great Charter) by which he promised to recognize their rights. Later, with the help of the Pope, John was able to prevail against the barons. The Magna Carta attempted to limit the kings’ power. It is generally considered as the basis of the British Constitution and is now in the British Museum, London. The English Reformation Henry VIII: the English Church broke away from the central organization of Christianity and Protestant doctrines began to spread. Bloody Mary: as a devout Catholic, she had many Protestants burnt to death. Elizabeth: she stopped religious persecution and Protestantism gradually became the dominant faith. Later, however, Protestants persecuted Catholics for political reasons. The 16th Century (other events) The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern period. The English Renaissance. The age of great voyages of discovery by Columbus and Vasco da Gama. The beginning of the imperialist expansion resulting in Europeans establishing throughout the American continent. The beginning of the freedom of thought in Christianity and the decline of both the Pope’s religious authority and his political power. Protestant churches versus Roman Catholic ones. The 18th Century Major Events England was continually at war with France e.g. the Battle of Waterloo (the most famous victory: Duke o