新版“英语国家概况”精讲笔记(3)

freedom of the Church and a ④ limitation of the powers of the king. The spirit of the Great Charter was the limitation of the powers of the king, keeping them within the bounds of the

feudal law of the land. III.The origins of the English Parliament英国议会的起源

The Great Council is known to be the prototype (原型) of the current British Parliament. In 1265, Simon de Montfort summoned （召集） the Great Council, together with two knights from each county and two citizens from each town. It later developed into the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Its main role was to offer advice，not to make decisions. There were

no elections or parties. And the most important part of Parliament was the House of Lords.大议会是当今英国议会的原型。1265年，西门德孟福尔召开大议会，各县有两名骑士，各镇有两名市民参加。大议会发展到后来演变成议会，分为上议院和下议院。其作用是咨询而非决定；也没有选举和政党。议会的最重要的部分

是上议院。 英语国家概况精讲系列（六）

IV．The Hundred Years' War and its consequences.百年战争及其结果

The Hundred Years‘ War refers to the war between England and France that lasted intermittently from 1337 to 1453. The causes of the war were partly territorial and partly economic. ①The territorial causes were related with the possession by the English kings of the large duchy of Aquitaine in France, as the French kings grew

stronger,they increasingly coveted this large slice. ②The economic causes

were connected with cloth manufacturing towns in Flanders, which were the importer of English wool, but they were loyal to the French king politically. Besides, England's desire to ③stop France from giving aid to Scots and ④ a growing sense of nationalism were the other causes. The English's being driven out of France is ① regarded as a blessing for both countries. If the English had remained in France, the superior size and wealth of France would have ②hindered the development of a separate English national identity, ③ while France was hindered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory. Three stages of the war 战争的三个阶段

In the first two stages, the English won some

big victories. But in the third stage, they were driven out of Fance.战争初期，英国取得辉煌胜利。但是最终被逐出法国 The battle of Argencourt 阿壤科之战

It took place in 1415 and the English won a crushing victory. After the victory, the English king Henry Ⅴ was recognized as the French King.1415年英国大获全胜亨利5世登上法国王位。 Joan of Arc

(1412-1431)贞德女士 Joan of Arc was a nation heroine in French history. She led and encourages the French in driving the English out of French in the Hundred Years‘ War. 贞德是法国历史上的女英雄，她领导和鼓舞法国人民将英国军队驱逐处境。 Consequences of the war 战争的后果影响 ①The English lost the war. The expulsion of the English from

French is regarded as a blessing for both

countries.② It helped English national identity as well as French national identity. ③Two separate nation were born after the war. V. The Black Death黑死病

The Black Death is the modern name given to the deadly bubonic plague,an epidemic disease spread by rat fleas across Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England in the summer of 1348. It reduced England's population from four million to two million by the end of the 14th century. The economic consequences of the Black Death were far-reaching. As a result of the plague, much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of labour. The surviving peasants had better bargaining power and were in a position to change their serfdom