Transcript The Middle Ages - Gallipolis City Schools

The Middle
Ages
1066 - Duke William of Normandy
invades England killing the last of the
Anglo-Saxon kings.
Normans brought:



Administrative ability
Emphasis on law and order
And cultural unity to the Anglo-Saxons’
more democratic and artistic tendencies
Domesday Book
• Inventory of every piece of property in
England
• Created by William I
• First time in European history that people
could be taxed based on what they owned
It was written by an observer of
the survey that "there was no single
hide nor a yard of land, nor
indeed one ox nor one cow nor
one pig which was left out".
The Norman Conquest helped to
bring England into the
mainstream of European
civilization.
Feudalism

Caste, property and military pyramid
system based on a religious concept of
God
Royalty
hierarchy
Nobility – barons, dukes, earls, etc.
Knights
Clergy
Serfs
Vassal


Feudal tenant
Subject or retainer
Primary duty of males above a serf was
military service to their lords.
Since feudalism was a military
system…



Women could not be warriors so they had
no political rights
Women were always subservient to a man
whether it be a husband, father or brother
A woman’s social standing depended
completely on her husband or father
Chivalry


Brought about by feudalism
A system of ideals and social codes governing
the behavior of knights and gentlewomen
Chivalry Codes
• Adhering to one’s oath of loyalty to the
overlord
• Observing rules of warfare
• Adoring a particular lady was a means of
self-improvement
Chivalry Codes
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry
From Chivalry by Leon Gautier

Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its
directions.

Thou shalt defend the Church.

Thou shalt repect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the
defender of them.

Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.

Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.

Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without
mercy.

Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not
contrary to the laws of God.

Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.

Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.

Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and
the Good against Injustice and Evil.
The Code of Chivalry
From the Rifts: England Supplement

















Live to serve King and Country.
Live to defend Crown and Country and
all it holds dear.
Live one's life so that it is worthy of
respect and honor.
Live for freedom, justice and all that is
good.
Never attack an unarmed foe.
Never use a weapon on an opponent
not equal to the attack.
Never attack from behind.
Avoid lying to your fellow man.
Avoid cheating.
Avoid torture.
Obey the law of king, country, and
chivalry.
Administer justice.
Protect the innocent.
Exhibit self control.
Show respect to authority.
Respect women.
Exhibit Courage in word and deed.



















Defend the weak and innocent.
Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms.
Crush the monsters that steal our land and
rob our people.
Fight with honor.
Avenge the wronged.
Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble
cause.
Fight for the ideals of king, country, and
chivalry.
Die with valor.
Always keep one's word of honor.
Always maintain one's principles.
Never betray a confidence or comrade.
Avoid deception.
Respect life and freedom.
Die with honor.
Exhibit manners.
Be polite and attentive.
Be respectful of host, women, and honor.
Loyalty to country, King, honor, freedom,
and the code of chivalry.
Loyalty to one's friends and those who lay
their trust in thee.
Courtly Love
• Nonsexual
• Supposed to make a knight braver and
better by revering and acting in the name
of a lady
• Example= wearing a lady’s colors in battle
Courtly Love Gone Wrong…
• Sir Lancelot and Guinevere
Cities
 Brought about new classes – lower, middle
and upper-middle
 People were free, not tied to the land or
knighthood
 Led to “people’s art” – ballads, mystery
and miracle plays
 Led to cathedrals and municipal buildings
Crusades


Series of wars by European
Christians against Muslims with
Jerusalem and the Holy Land as the
prize
Exposed English people to Eastern
math, astronomy, architecture and
crafts
Thomas a Becket
• Murdered in his own cathedral
by King Henry’s knights
• Led to a backlash against the
king
• The king lost all power in the
Roman Church
• State became powerless to
correct widespread corruption
Medieval Church
 Fostered cultural unity
 Continued as a center of learning
Magna Carta (The Great Charter)
1215


English barons forced King John to sign to
curb the church’s power
Became the basis for English constitutional
law
Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453)
First national war between England
and France
England lost to France
The English began to think of
themselves as British instead of
Anglo-Norman
Yeoman


Small landowner
Gave birth to modern democratic
England
Black Death
1348 - 1349





Bubonic plague spread by fleas from
infected rats
Killed 1/3 of the population
Caused labor shortage
Gave lower class more leverage
Led to the end of feudalism