For the teacher"s use a very interesting and trustworthy book is _A History of the British Nation_, by A.D. Innes, T.C. & E.C. Jack, Edinburgh.
I. CAUSES
1. _Political._--(_a_) Ambition of Philip to rule Europe; chief obstacles were England, France, The Netherlands.
(The opposition of France was overcome by a treaty and by the marriage of Philip and Isabella of France after Elizabeth had refused Philip"s offer of marriage. The Netherlands were in full revolt and could not be conquered even by the cruelties of Alva and the destruction of their commerce. England was the chief Protestant power in Europe and, as such, was the chief opponent of Spain.)
(_b_) The marriage trouble; Elizabeth"s religious policy broke off negotiations of marriage with Philip.
(_c_) Philip received as a legacy the rights of Mary Queen, of Scots to the English throne.
2. _Commercial_.--Interference of the English in the New World, to which Spain claimed sole right.
(This includes the English settlements as well as the capture of Spanish treasure ships. Recall stories of Drake, Hawkins, etc.)
3. _Religious._--Philip was the chief supporter of Roman Catholicism in Europe, and wished to impose his religion on England.
(This was the period of compulsion in religious matters.)
II. EVENTS
1. Preparations in Spain and England.
(Spain set about preparing a large fleet, to carry soldiers as well as sailors. The best Spanish general was in command at first. His death put an incapable man in command, who was largely responsible for the defeat. The Duke of Parma was to co-operate from the Netherlands with a large army. In England, the small battle fleet was increased by the voluntary contributions of all cla.s.ses till it actually outnumbered the Spanish fleet, though the vessels were very much smaller. A comparison of the fleets as they were on the eve of battle should be made.)
2. Difference in the national spirit in the two countries.
(The Spanish were on an expedition of conquest; the sailors were ill-trained and many serving against their will. The English were defending their homes; they forgot their religious and political differences in their patriotism; the sailors were hardy, fearless, and most skilful in handling their ships.)
3. The affair at Cadiz.
(r.e.t.a.r.ded the invasion for a year, gave England more time for preparation, and encouraged hopes of success.)
4. The battle in the Channel.
(Armada attacked on the way to Dover, July 28-Aug. 6, 1588; fireships at Calais, Aug. 6; final engagement, Aug. 8-9; a chance for a vivid description by the teacher.)
5. Storm completes the ruin of the Armada.
(Facts to be given as to the losses of the Armada; recall stories of wrecked Spanish vessels on the coasts of Scotland, etc., and recommend cla.s.s to read some story, such as Kingsley"s _Westward Ho!_)
III. RESULTS
1. Ruin of Spain and of Philip"s ambitions. [Connect with I. 1 (_a_)]
2. Influence on England"s patriotism and maritime power.
3. Greater religious tolerance in England.
4. Marvellous growth of literature in England partly due to this.
5. Effect on America. It decided for all time that Spain should not rule the New World, but that the Anglo-Saxons should, with all their ideals of political, social, and religious liberty.
(See _P.S. History of England_, secs. 135-142.)
LESSON ON THE FEUDAL SYSTEM
(As many lesson periods as may be found desirable)
_Aim._ To give the pupils a knowledge of the manner in which land was held, (1) by the Saxons at different periods on the continent and in England; (2) by the French; (3) by the Normans under William the Conqueror, showing the changes he made in both Saxon and French systems.
STEP I
1. _Introduction._ By questioning, the teacher elicits from one pupil that his father owns a farm; from another, that his father rents a farm; from a third, that his father works one "on shares." From this may be derived the meaning of "freehold," "leasehold," and "on shares," as applied to ways of holding land. For town and city cla.s.ses, a parallel may be made by subst.i.tuting "house" for "farm." As holding property "on shares" is not so common in cities, suggest possible cases, such as a florist"s business, a rink, etc.
2. Let pupils read the sketch of the Saxon or "mark" system given in the _Ontario Public School History of England_, pp. 22 and 30; and then draw a plan of a Saxon village from the pa.s.sages read.
STEP II
(Given to the cla.s.s by the teacher"s oral explanation)
1. _The Saxon System:_ Further study of the early land tenure of the Saxons. (See _Ontario High School History of England_, p. 33.) The following extract from Oman"s _England before the Norman Conquest_ may be of a.s.sistance:
The typical free settlement of an English _maegth_ (or kindred) consisted first of the large arable fields divided up into narrow strips, of which each household possessed several, next of the almost equally prized meadow, which was hedged off into appropriated lots in summer, but thrown back into common in winter, and lastly of the undistributed waste, from which the whole community would draw its wood supply, and on which it would pasture its swine, or even turn out its cattle for rough grazing at some seasons.
The normal method of agriculture was the "three-field system," with a rotation of wheat, barley, or oats, and in the third year, fallow--to allow of the exhausted soil regaining some measure of its fertility. In the last year the field was left unfenced and the cattle of the community picked up what they could from it, when they were neither on the waste, nor being fed with the hay that had been mowed from the meadow. There seem to have been exceptional cases in which the strips of the arable were not permanently allotted to different households, but were distributed, by lot or otherwise, to different holders in different years. But this was an abnormal arrangement; usually the proprietorship of the strips in each field was fixed. And the usual arrangement would be that the fully endowed ceorl"s household had just so much arable in its various strips as a full team of oxen could plough.
Then explain the origin of the names "Eorl" and "Thegn" (_P.S. Hist. of Eng._, pp. 34 and 37); the idea of protection (_P.S. Hist. of Eng._, p.
37), and of sharing in the produce of the land, and the payment of necessary fees to the King. Emphasize the ownership of the land by the freeman.
2. _The Courts_: The _Witan_, which could displace the king for certain reasons, the _Shire_ or _folk-moot_, and the _Tun-moot_; their powers; the people looked to these courts for justice.
3. _Change_ brought about by Danish raids--small freeholders sought protection from the greater lords; the shifting of ownership from small landowners to "eorls."
STEP III
_The Feudal System in France:_ (Read Scott"s _Quentin Durward_.) Barons too powerful for the king for various reasons:
1. Their property was large and compact.
2. They administered justice, issued coinage, etc.