Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

SOUTH WALES ATHENiEUM, CONDUCTED BY A COMMITTEE OF GENTLEMEN. , No. 6. JUNE, 1846. Price 1|</. READINGS IN HISTORY FOR CYMRAEG IFANC. The true era of English history com¬ mences from the battle of Hastings, fought on the 14th of October, a. d. 1066, which engagement tore the crown from the brow of the second Harold and placed it on the head of William of Normandy.^,, - ,...„,. . Perhaps, in the annals of history, there is not the parallel to this, that a single battle so suddenly changed the previous government of a whole nation, and this without that exten¬ sive slaughter which took p*lace to produce a similar change in die same kingdom, when previously conquered by the SaxOns. v C "■** ■-*;<-' 7.;- --.? ' * This arose from twocircumstancesi the death of Harold and his two bro¬ thers deprived the conquered of a lead¬ er under whom they might unite with -confidence, .and, to the introduction !of the feudal system into the country, 1 rait matured state by th£ conqueror. It naturally followed, that the intro¬ duction of a system of Government, 'which increased the power "ot^e, "nobles must be popular with tihem/the more so since William placed m the black book with which he rewarded his •followers, the lands of thoseo^yVhb opposed his measures, or were rebel- ^loustbliis government. Although, to a limited extent the feudal system of government previously existed inEng> iand/yiet9Padmitted so much power •to b# it th# disposal of the crown, that the kings of England previous to the present date were little other than a race of tyrants, their will being supreme ; and it is to these cir¬ cumstances chiefly, must be ascribed the fact, that a large, powerful, and warlike nation was overcome and conquered in one single battle. Yet, it must not be supposed that William, in placing so much power in the hands of his Robles, by that means deteriorated -from his own preroga¬ tive. No, we see by his sharpsighted policy, that it tended rather to its in¬ crease, and in this we see the differ¬ ence of the feudal institution in England, from that of every other kingdom in Europe ;* the former being introduced and matured in a single reign, whereas in France, Italy, Germany, Spain &c, it sprung from the accidents of ages. The chief difference of the two were,' that in France and Germany,' &c, 'where a fife was granted to an individual, he did homageJforjjthat fife 40 his su¬ zerain Jord, wliether he were knight, baronTof king? '^If* knight holding of the king, to the kinghe <iidho¬ mage, but if; holding oF'i^baron,'the knight did jhomag^e^.tb/"tl^Daifori, who, in his turn, did nomage to the ^jfdia ^holders of the fiS as thjjre^igtif be, 1 until the highest holder, did homage to the king as his superior; thus, in •everal instances, the hyhest "6maat