Transcript The Middle Ages PowerPoint
The Middle Ages 1066-1485
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War was the intention of the Medieval man.
Battle of Hastings
October 14, 1066
(basically the start of The Medieval Period)
Began the Norman Conquest
King Harold of England (the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings) killed by Duke William of Normandy, France
(known as William the Conqueror )
William the Conqueror
He was the illegitimate son of the previous Duke of Normandy, a cousin of the English king called Edward the Confessor
Edward died childless in 1066 and Harold, the Earl of Wessex, was crowned
William claimed the throne belonged to him and sailed the English Channel with his army intent on ruling the Anglo Saxons (one way was through the Domesday Book )
The Domesday Book
Inventory of property in England – land, cattle, buildings, etc… William assumed all property was his Supporters of King Harold lost their holdings William parceled property out to Norman lords who in turn swore loyalty to him Comparable to God’s final judgment of moral worth Allowed taxation creating social hierarchy
Feudalism
The essence of the medieval period based on Caste system – based on religious concept of hierarchy
– God was supreme overlord – Kings held land as vassals by “divine right” – King appointed barons as vassals, allotting
portions of land for allegiance and protection
– Carried all the way down to the landless
knights & serfs who were not free
– Created the iconic image of iron-clad
knights battling around moated castles because of displeasure with weak overlords
Knights
Military service was the duty of all males Aristocrats, sons of nobles, were the only people who could afford armor, which consisted of a war horse, pack horses, a mount ride, and servants Armor consisted of helmet, shield, hauberk made with metal discs sewn on linen (before crossbow), mail shirt– 120 lbs. with 200 custom fitted iron plates Education on manners, social skills, singing, dancing, playing chess along with teaching on the proper use of sword & shield began at age seven – strict training that occurred somewhere other than boy’s home Age 14 – became a squire or servant to a knight
Ceremony of Homage
Oath of Fealty - Vassal knelt, placed his clasped hands within his masters, declaring “Lord, I become your man.” Lord raised him to his feet and gave him the ceremonial kiss binding the vassal “to love what his lord loved and loathe what he loathed, and never by word or deed do aught that should grieve him.”
Coats of Arms
Armorial bearings to identify knight Cloth tunic worn over armor originally Record of family descent, property, alliances, or profession In a heraldic emblem, gentlemen’s helmet, mantle, crest, and family motto are above the shield (escutcheon) On flags carried by knights
Chivalry
Origin – French word “cheval” from horse –chevalier was a knight who rode a horse with lance in hand
Rules of Warfare – never attack an unarmed opponent, help & defend others, & resist the urge to retreat
Knight was to defend his lord, the king, & Christian faith
Chivalry Code of Conduct & System of Ideals
Treatment of gentlewomen Adoring a lady was means of achieving self-improvement Courtly love – revering & acting in the name of lady made a knight braver – was ‘non-sexual’ Knights might wear his lady’s colors in battle, glorify her in words, & be inspired by her – but she remained pure & out of reach giving rise to Romance Literature
Women in Medieval Society
Not soldiers so no political power
Subservient to men
Husband’s or father’s social status & land value determined her value
Peasants – ceaseless childbearing, housework, & field work
Nobles – childbearing & supervision managed estates while husbands were at war, but relinquished power when husbands returned
Feudal Castle
Roman Church ruled society
Feudalism originated because of the need to band together for protection
Roman Church & Feudal Society similar because of gathering around wealthy patrons
End of Feudalism cities & towns developed creating lower, middle, & upper classes with individual tastes and monetary system not tied to feudal lords
Crusades
Series of wars waged by European Christians against Muslims with the Holy Land and Jerusalem as the prize Eastern Influence -math, astronomy, architecture, crafts -Islam had public libraries -Cairo’s million people to London’s fifty thousand, center for spice trade; Arab universities existed with study of trigonometry -medical encyclopedia, study of small pox & measles -Baghdad teacher introduced ‘algebra’
St. Thomas a’ Becket
A Norman – chancellor (prime minister) under King Henry II All Christians belonged to Catholic Church and was vassal of the pope No separation of church and state Archbishop of Canterbury, Head of Catholic Church in England Sided with pope in a dispute with the king on December 1170 about Common Law King Henry raged, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Four of the king’s knights murdered Becket in his own cathedral, Canterbury
Common Law
Applied to all people rather than to certain classes of people
King Henry attempted to bring the church under this common law
“Benefit of Clergy” –people who could read could commit a crime and claim the benefit, receiving minor punishment
The public sided with the pope, were outraged at the king, and Latin and the church gained power
The Magna Carta
Greatest defeat of papal power
Signed at Runnymede by King John (backed by the pope) in 1215
English barons forced the signing
Basis for English constitutional law -trial by jury -legislative taxation
The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)
England and France
Both Edward III and Henry V claimed the throne
Created the working class – green clad yeoman (small landowner) with longbows replacing the knight
Longbows could fly over castle walls, pierce armor, and warriors could fire about 12 arrows in the same amount of time it took to reload a crossbow
Joan of Arc
Led French army against the English in the Hundred Years’ War
Illiterate French peasant woman
Successful for 2 years before being captured in Burgundy and sold to the English
English gave her to an ecclesiastical court, to escape responsibility for her death, which found her guilty of wearing men’s clothing and witchcraft
She was burned at the stake
Bubonic Plague
Black Death, 1348-1349
Final blow to Feudal England
Contagious disease spread by fleas from infected rats
Reduced England’s population by 1/3
Caused labor shortage which gave the lower class leverage against overlords
Saint Sebastian and Saint Christopher – protectors against plague
Monetary System
English upper class – gold & silver valued by weight
Foreign coins were melted into ingots
Feudal lords made their own coins
Serfs used a barter system
Crusaders needed money for other lands
Silver was heavy
Use of light weight gold coins gave peasants buying and selling power
Gunpowder
Before gunpowder warfare was hand to hand combat
Led to the development of guns
Led to gunpowder in cannons which made the previously impregnable castle open to attack
Literary Genres
Romance – narrative dealing with knights, quests, and dangers for the love a woman or ideal
Frame Tale – story within a story
Ballad – song-like poem that tells a story