The Middle Ages1066–1485

Norman England

In 1066 William of Normandy, France, became king of England. His reign brought many changes.•Latin and French replaced English as the languages of learning and of the court.•Powerful Anglo-Saxons had to give up their land to Norman lords loyal to William.•England “caught up” with European ideas.

Feudalism

The Normans brought feudalism to England. Feudalism •was based on a religious concept of rank, with God as the supreme overlord

•was a social system, caste system, property system, and military system

•determined a person’srank, duties, and loyalties

King: ruled by

“divine right”

Feudal Lords:powerful

landowners

Vassals:did work or military

service for feudal lords in exchange for land

Serfs:servants to lords and vassals; bound to their master’s land

GOD

Knights in Shining Armor

Knights made up the Middle Age’s military.•Training began in boyhood and ended in vows of loyalty to a lord (squire).

•A knight’s equipment—horse, weapons, armor—was expensive, so most knights came from wealthy, noble families.

•Knights defended their lord’s interests, property, and family and responded to the king’s call to arms in the event of war.

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Fifteenth Century Manuscript Illumination of a Knight in Armor from the Codex Capodilista

Chivalry

Chivalry was a system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights.•Knights had to

•be able to ride well, use weapons, and observe certain rules of warfare

•be loyal to their lord, even if it meant death•defend the Christian faith, even if it meant death•help any person in need •act with courtesy toward women of rank

Courtly Love

Courtly love was an aspect of chivalry that encouraged nobles and knights to improve themselves by adoring a particular lady. •A knight seldom “adored” his own wife.•The adored lady remained pure and out of the knight’s reach—he served and entertained her and gave her gifts.

Women in the Middle Ages

•Noblewomen•bore children and supervised the household and servants

•managed the estate in their husbands’ absence

•were under the command of their fathers, brothers, and husbands

•Peasant women•bore many children, worked the fields, and kept house

•were under the command of their fathers, brothers, and husbands

Women had no political standing and depended on the men in their family for their rank.

The Rise of England’s Cities

As England’s cities grew and more people began to live in towns or cities, the feudal system weakened. •City people were free of loyalties to a lord. •They could earn money in exchange for labor and services.

•They could move to another city or town.•They could choose careers other than the military, the Church, or farming.

Society in the Cities

•Under feudalism:•Rank is received at birth and is hard to change.

•Wealth is concentrated in noble families.

•Art reflects the concerns of the noble class.

•In cities and towns:•People can change rank by working hard and making more money.

•Wealth is generated by the merchant class.

•Art reflects the concerns of the middle class, who can now buy it.

Society in cities and towns looked very different from feudalism. People were divided in classes based on wealth: lower, middle, and upper-middle.

The Roman Church in the Middle Ages

•was extremely powerful and controlled most of the kings and queens in Europe

•gave all European nations a common belief system

•was the center of learning, publishing books and maintaining libraries

•considered Latin to the language of the educated

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Miniature of John Lydgate and the Canterbury pilgrims leaving Canterbury, from a volume of Lydgate’s poems (early 16th century). MS Royal 18 D II, fol. 148.

The Crusades (1095–1270)

The Crusades were a series of wars waged by European Christians against Turkish Muslims who controlled Jerusalem and places in the Middle East that were important to both religions. •At times the Europeans prevailed, but in the end the disputed land remained under Muslim control.

•Crusaders brought back to England new knowledge of Eastern mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and crafts.

•Crusaders also acquired a taste for Middle Eastern spices and flavors.

The Magna Carta

In 1215, nobles suffering under King John’s vicious reign forced him to sign the Magna Carta (“Great Charter”), which •curbed the king’s and the Church’s power over noblemen

•later became the basis for English—and American— constitutional law

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Facsimile of the Magna Carta, signed by King John of England at Runnymede, laying the basis for political and personal liberty. Barons' coats of arms and royal seals surround the document.

The Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453)

The Hundred Years’ War was the first national war waged by England against France. It•was fought on the Continent•was based on two English kings’ claims to the French throne

•marked the end of the age of knights•Yeomen (small landowners) with longbows represented the English armies in France.

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Plague

The Black Death, or bubonic plague, struck England in 1348. The plague •was highly contagious and spread by fleas from infected rats

•killed one third of England’s people, causing a labor shortage and giving the lower classes more bargaining power

•contributed to the end of feudalism as serfs gained their freedom from lord and land

Life of Chaucer1340 (?)—1400Considered the Father of English LiteratureBecame a powerful figure in medieval England•Controller of Customs•Justice of the Peace•Minister of Parliament

Chaucer continued…

Handwritten copies of Canterbury Tales circulated widely in the court (a remarkable 80 copies still in existence from the Middle Ages)

Wrote in the vernacular (“everyday” language)

Chaucer the first writer to be buried in what came to be known as Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey

The Canterbury TalesFrame Story•An outer story which contains one or more smaller stories within it.

•In this case is a group of pilgrims telling stories to one another while on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to see the shrine of Thomas a Becket

•Good frame story is like a good picture frame—should make the material within more beautiful and compelling

Canterbury Cathedral

The Canterbury Tales continued…

Structure•Canterbury Tales is divided into two broad sections, the “General Prologue” where Chaucer introduces all the pilgrims, and the pilgrims’ tales

•Tales•Each pilgrim was originally intended to tell four stories for a total of 120; Chaucer only completed 24 of these

•Tales are appropriate to the teller•Tales often respond to the tales of other pilgrims•Most tales have a prologue and/or an epilogue

The Canterbury Tales: Structure continued…

“General Prologue”•The Function

•The “GP” introduces all of the important pilgrims (29 in all).

•The frame story is appropriate for Chaucer’s purpose because it allows him to include people from all parts of society, from peasants to nobility. A pilgrimage is the only way this could have happened, because class barriers were very rigid during the Middle Ages.

The Canterbury Tales: Structure continued…

“General Prologue” continued…•The Situation

•The month is April.•The narrator (Chaucer) encounters 29 other pilgrims at the Tabard Inn on the outskirts of London.

•They decide to travel as a group to Canterbury, to visit the tomb of the martyr St. Thomas a Becket (murdered after guards of King Henry II misinterpret Henry’s anger at Becket to mean he wants Becket dead).

The Canterbury Tales: Structure continued…

“General Prologue” continued…•The Plan

•The Host of the Tabard Inn, Harry Bailey, devises a contest: To pass the time, each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way there and two on the way back for a total of 120 tales.

•The teller of the best tale (chosen by the Host) will receive a dinner paid for by the rest of the pilgrims on the way back.

The End