H3H03 MEDIEVAL ENGLAND 1066-1399 TUTORIAL TOPICS
06 EDWARD I AND THE CONSTITUTION
a) Which historians have specialised in the reign of Edward I ? How
have their views changed ? What is the current view of Edward I ?
b) What are the principal documentary sources for his reign ?
c) What problems faced Edward on his accession to the throne in 1274
? What steps did he take to deal with them ? What were the
'Ragman Inquests'?
d) What changes did Edward make in methods of legislation ? What was
the significance of the Statutes? How did they differ from other
forms of Common Law ? What problems did the statutes attempt to
remedy ? What problems did they create ? Who benefited from
Edward's statute legislation?
e) What improvements did Edward make in the field of fiscal
administration ? What changes took place in the assessment and
collection of royal taxation ? What were 'Lay Subsidies' ? How
were they authorised and who collected them?
f) Why did Parliament develop in the reign of Edward I ? How did the
king used parliament? What kinds of people did he summon to
parliament and what did he expect of them ? What powers had
parliament acquired by the end of his reign ?
g) What were the principal objectives of Edward's foreign policy
(including Wales and Scotland) ? How successful was he in
achieving these aims ?
h) What is the significance of the 'Confirmation of the Charters' in
1297 ? Did it constitute a major setback for the king ?
i) What changes took place in the organisation of the Royal
Household during this reign ? What was the significance of these
changes ?
j) Does Edward deserve his high reputation as the greatest medieval
English king ? What criticisms can be laid against him ? What
difficulties did he bequeath to the future ?