Ontario Public School History of England : Authorized by the Minister of Education for Ontario for Use in Forms IV and V of the Public Schools . the Normanperiod the charge of a body ofarmour-clad knights was resist-less; but English archers hadlong since learned to shoot anarrow so swiftly that, at closerange, a knights armour was noprotection. Then, too, the intro- .duction of gunpowder had madea still greater change. Althoughthe smaller firearms were stillvery crude, cannon were madepowerful enough to batter downstone walls, thus eriabling the king to destroy even the strongest „„„.!„„ -Kir
Ontario Public School History of England : Authorized by the Minister of Education for Ontario for Use in Forms IV and V of the Public Schools . the Normanperiod the charge of a body ofarmour-clad knights was resist-less; but English archers hadlong since learned to shoot anarrow so swiftly that, at closerange, a knights armour was noprotection. Then, too, the intro- .duction of gunpowder had madea still greater change. Althoughthe smaller firearms were stillvery crude, cannon were madepowerful enough to batter downstone walls, thus eriabling the king to destroy even the strongest „„„.!„„ -Kir Complete Suit of Plate castles. Moreover, as cannon akmour, Fifteenth Century were very expensive, few but the king could afford to keep them; in fact, Henry had in his own control all the cannon of the state. Formerly, when any great noble was charged witli anoffence, he was trietl by the courts in his neighbourhood,and was thus frequently able to escape punishment bycompelling l)()th the judge and the jury to do his Star Chamber Court, which consisted of two chiefjustices and certain members of the Royal Council, was. 114 msTORY OF ENGLAND [1485-1509 established by Ileniy to bring powerful offenders to nobleman who broke the laws or took part in re-bellious plots against the king, was tried and punished bythis new tribunal with as little fear as if he were apeasant. The court was known as the Star Chamber,because stars were painted on the ceiling of the roomin which it was held. But perhaps the strongest reason why Henry was enabled toincrease his power so materially was that he had the generalsupport of the people. It was the nobles who had wrestedthe Great Charter from John and who had opposed thetyrannical kings, but they had used their power to oppressthe people. Now that the people were stronger and knewtheir strength, they felt that their best protection lay inupholding the power of a king who did not fear to governin their interests, and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidonpubhisteng, bookyear1912
