The Medieval Period

(1066-1485)

The Norman Conquest of 1066

 Normans  descendants of the Vikings   Invaded France and adopted French customs William, Duke of Normandy  Promised throne by King Edward but Council elected Harold II, so William conquered and killed Harold in Battle of Hastings  Became King of England on Christmas day at Westminster Abbey  Overthrew Anglo-Saxon England / instituted French culture

Norman England

William, Duke of Normandy

 Roman Catholicism became focal point of culture, including govt  French words replaced Anglo-Saxon words, as they were deemed more elite  govt instituted Feudalism

Feudalism



Land

was granted by the

lord

to the

vassal

in exchange for

service

during the

Act of Homage

in 3 ways

:

  

personal

use to the

church

to

barons

(lord’s supporters)  Land was called

fiefs

, and

taxes & knights

were supplied in retribution.  Land given to the knights was called the

manor

, and

serfs

worked this land.

The Plantagenet Reign (1154)

     Henry II   knowledge of govt & law wanted to change church’s rule in govt Richard I  put country in debt due to overseas fighting John   signed Magna Carter (no taxation w/o rep) beginning of constitutional govt in England Henry III  Instituted parliamentary govt (The Great Council of Elders) Edward I  Included free men into Parliament via election

Decline of Feudalism

 trade created the growth of towns  towns organized into labor unions, which overtook govt’s rule over the people THEREFORE  wealth no longer based on land ownership

Bubonic Plague

 “Black Death” (1348-49)  killed 1/3 of population of England  WHY?  People lived so close together that disease festered and spread rapidly – land ownership was a privilege of the wealthy  RESULT?

 Labor shortage increased value of peasant work

The Later Middle Ages

(14 th - 15 th centuries)  Lancasters replaced Plantagenets  Henry IV, V, and VI  (subjects of Shakespeare’s history plays)

John Wycliff

 Believed:   church exploited the Bible church shouldn’t be the wealthy  Directed the translation of the Bible from Latin to English  Hoped more people would read it and understand it and agree with his thought

War of the Roses (1453)

 Richard of York was appointed temporary King when Henry VI was sick  Would not step down when Henry VI recovered  Civil war broke out (Lancasters vs. Yorks)  Red rose vs. White rose  Yorks won in 1461  Richard’s son Edward IV took throne

House of York

 Richard I  Edward IV (1461-1483)  Edward V   Just a boy He and his brother died “mysterious” deaths in Tower of London while under protection of his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, who proclaimed himself King Richard III  Richard III

End of the War of the Roses

 Henry Tudor (Lancaster)  led rebellion against Richard III, killing him   King Henry VII married Richard III’s niece, uniting the two houses  end of the civil war and the Middle Ages

Chivalry

 code of Knightly behavior  respected way of life for all citizens  Examples:  Loyalty and valor on/off battlefield  Pledge service to a lady  Joust for her favor  Rescue damsels in distress

Chivalry in Literature

 Troubadour  French poet  wrote stories about chivalrous knights  Romance  stories about chivalrous knights  written in Romance-influenced languages  French  Spanish  Italian

King Arthur

 Legendary king who instituted the Knights of the Round Table and code of chivalry  Made famous through  Tales of the Celts  Geoffrey of Monmouth  Norman scholar who wrote about K.Arthur

Development of English Language

PAST Old English MERGED WITH Latin used mostly in church and education Norman French – used mostly in govt PRESENT Middle English

Contributions to English

WHEN 1372 1454 1476 WHO John Wycliff Johann Gutenburg William Caxton WHAT HOW translation of Bible from Latin to English encouraged people to learn to read and write moveable type printing press faster copying of books, making lit more available faster copying of books, making lit more available

Poetry of the Middle Ages

 reflected the changes of English society and the English language  Poets:  William Langland  Geoffrey Chaucer  Types:   Lyrics – versus sung with accompaniment of a lyre Ballads – folk songs that told a story

Drama of the Middle Ages

 Miracle plays (mystery plays) from the Bible  Cycle plays – presented a Biblical history of human kind  Morality plays – taught moral lessons in the form of allegory