英美概况 教学配套课件 齐智英 unit 10.pdfVIP

LOGO Unit Ten Significant Events of the UK and the USA 《英美概况》 主编：齐智英 Contents 1 Significant Events Before World War I 2 Significant Events in the Two World Wars 3 Significant Events in the Postwar 《英美概况》 主编：齐智英 Unit Ten  10.1 Significant Events Before World War I  10.1. 1 Significant Events in the UK Before World War I The Magna Carta  King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Mangna Carta, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.  The Great Charter contained three sets of provisions: a) that the king was not to exact extra payments from the feudal vassals (or towns) without their consent; b) that laws were not to be modified by the arbitrary action of the king; and c) that should the king attempt to free himself from law, the vassals had the right to force the king to obey it, by civil war or otherwise. Unit Ten  The Hundred Years’ War  The Hundred Years’ War was a prolonged conflict between two royal houses for the French throne, vacant with the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings. The two primary contenders were the House of Valois, and the House of Plantagenet. The House of Valois claimed the title of King of France, while the Plantagenets