THE MIDDLE AGES1066-1485

An Introduction to The Canterbury Tales

Middle Ages History

The Doomsday Book: Survey of all the lands and possessions of England

The Magna Carta: Allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament The Church - The Church was to be free from royal

interference, especially in the election of bishops Taxes - No taxes except the regular feudal dues were

to be levied, except by the consent of the Great Council, or Parliament

The right to due process which led to Trial by Jury Weights and Measures - All weights and measures to

be kept uniform throughout the realm

Middle Ages History Cont.The Black Death

Key Dates relating to the event: This terrible plague started in Europe in 1328 and lasted until 1351 although there were outbreaks for the next sixty years

Why was the disease called the Black Death? The disease was called the Black Death because one of the symptoms produced a blackening of the skin around the swellings. or buboes. The buboes were red at first, but later turned a dark purple, or black. When a victim's blood was let the blood that exuded was black, thick and vile smelling with a greenish scum mixed in it. 

How the disease was spread: The Black Death was spread by fleas that were carried by rats or other small rodents

The spread of the Black Death followed all of the Trade Routes to every country The Black Death of the Middle Ages was believed to have originated in the Gobi

Desert Key People relating to the event: Nearly one third of the population of died - about

200 million people in Europe The 1328 outbreak in China caused the population to drop from 125 million to 90

million in just fifty years 7500 victims of the disease were dying every day The Black Death in England raged from 1348-1350 Why the Black Death was important to the history of England: The population drop

resulted in a higher value being placed on labor - the Peasants Revolt followed in 1381. Farming changed and the wool industry boomed. People became disillusioned with the church and its power and influence went into decline. This ultimately resulted in the English reformation

Consequences and Effects of the Black Death plague

were far reaching in England: Prices and Wages rose Greater value was placed on labor Farming land was given over to pasturing, which

was much less labor-intensive This change in farming led to a boost in the cloth

and woolen industry Peasants moved from the country to the towns The Black Death was therefore also responsible for

the decline of the Feudal system People became disillusioned with the church and

its power and influence went into decline This resulted in the English reformation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs

FEUDALISM

Feudalism in England was established by William the Conqueror and the Normans following the defeat of the English Anglo Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The system and structure of feudalism had been well established in Europe for some time and the Normans

imposed feudalism in England.

Feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. King William the Conqueror used the concept of feudalism to reward his Norman supporters for their help in the conquest of England. Life lived under the Medieval Feudal System, or Feudalism, demanded that everyone owed allegiance to the King and their immediate superior.

Knights and Chivalry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaxzwlg9N_Q

Training took 7 years as a page and another 7 years as a Squire before becoming a Knight

Knights often wore ladies' "favors", generally a scarf, veil, or sleeve, when jousting

Knights met each other at combined speeds of 60 mph when jousting

The death-blow a knight gave to his mortally wounded opponent was called a Coup de Grace

'Dubbing' was a blow struck with the flat of the hand or the side of the sword and was regarded as an essential act of the knighting ceremony

A disgraced Knight had his spurs hacked off and his shield was hung upside down as a sign of dishonor

Full Plate Armor was introduced during the 15th century weighing approximately 50 lbs

Code of Chivalry

Faith Charity Justice Sagacity Prudence Temperance Resolution Truth Liberality Diligence Hope Valor

Woman In The Middle Ages

The women were expected to instantly obey not only their father, but also their brothers and any other male members of the family. Any unruly girls were beaten into submission and disobedience was seen as a crime against religion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_l5ntikaU

A Day in the life of a Woman

The daily life of a peasant woman started at started in the summer as early as 3am

She first had to prepare a breakfast, usually of pottage Work in the fields or on the land started by dawn and the daily life of a

peasant woman during the Middle Ages would include this type of hard work during busy times especially harvest

Preparations had to be started in order to provide the daily meals Peasant women were expected to look after small animals - geese,

chickens etc Weaving, spinning and making and mending clothes were also part of a

woman's work Preparing rushes for lighting Making preserves Tending the vegetable plot and collecting berries and herbs Women were also responsible for the children and need an

understanding of medicines and herbs for basic nursing requirements Outside work finished at dusk, working hours were therefore longer

during the summer months Women generally ate when her husband and children had finished and

had little leisure time

Geoffrey Chaucer1343-1400

Nationality: English Also Known by the Nickname: Father of English Literature Family connections : He was the son of a vintner Education: Geoffrey Chaucer was well educated and

studied law at the Inner Temple in London Career: Geoffrey Chaucer was an author, poet, philosopher,

courtier, and diplomat. Date of Death: Geoffrey Chaucer died in 1400 ( his exact

date of death is unknown) Character of Geoffrey Chaucer: Intelligent, loyal and hard

working Accomplishments or why Geoffrey Chaucer was famous: as

the author of Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer also wrote 'The Book of the Duchess' which was an elegy for Blanche of Lancaster who was the first wife of John of Gaunt.

The Canterbury Tales1387

The work was never finished, but what was written amounted to about 17,000 lines, written for the most part in heroic couplets.

In The Canterbury Tales, a party of twenty-nine pilgrims gathers at the Tabard Inn in Southwark in preparation for their pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The host of the inn proposes to go along on the pilgrimage as guide, and as a way to pass the time he suggests that the pilgrims each tell two stories on the way out and on the way back. That would mean a total of 116 tales all together. The pilgrim with the best stories would have a free dinner once all are returned to Southwark.

The Canterbury Tales Cont.

The work of The Canterbury Tales begins with a General Prologue, which is what in medieval terms is called an “estates satire.” “Estate” is a term for “class.” So it is a survey of the various “classes” of late medieval society.

Each class is represented by a group of figures. The knight and squire represent the nobility. The monk and prioress represent the religious orders. At the other end of the social spectrum are the Parson and Plowman. They are idealized types, shining examples of the pious, hardworking and dutiful lower orders.

The “satire” aspect comes from the fact that all these characters are often figures of fun. They are there to be ridiculed, or censured, or, occasionally, admired. People have often wondered why Chaucer put the Tales together. He is actually playing with the “estates satire” to give a picture of a society in the process of change in the England of the 1380s and 1390s.

One more thing

Chaucer's decision to write in his country's language, English, rather than in the Latin of so many of his educated colleagues, was something of a risk, and a big break with learned tradition.

The risk paid off – we know The Canterbury Tales were enormously popular because so many more manuscripts of the tales survived than almost any other work of this time period.

The Canterbury Tales were still going strong when the first printers made their way to England. William Caxton published the first printed version of The Canterbury Tales in 1470.

Prologue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E-0PaK4RtI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caIlwCi6JCc

Who Are These People?Commoners

Miller ShipmanWife of Bath PlowmanCook

The Religious SummonerMonkNunFriar

The WealthyMerchant LawyerPhysician Manciple

King’s ServantsKnightSquireReevePardoner

What Is our Equivalent Today?

Commoners

Wealthy

King's Servants

The Religious

Character Assignment

You are going to write an updated intro for someone in one of the previous categories.

Your intro must meet the following criteria

1. Must be at least 10 lines long2. Must be made up of rhyming couplets3. Should describe appearance, actions and

personality4. Must be accompanied with a visual

representation of your character Focus on the stereotypes of the

profession