The Middle Ages

1066-1485

The Battle of Hastings

• In October 1066, a daylong battle known as the Battle of Hastings ended the reign of the Anglo-Saxons and began the Norman Conquest.

William the Conqueror

• In the battle, Duke William of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, defeated King Harold of England, the last of the Anglo Saxon kings. William did not want to kill the Anglo Saxons, he just wanted to rule them. The new group under William’s reign became known as the Anglo-Normans.

The Feudal System

• The Anglo-Normans brought a new language, French, and a new social system, feudalism, to the country.

• Feudalism was not just a social system, but also a caste system, a property system, and a military system.

The Feudal System

• The basic chain of feudalism was as follows:

1. God

2. Kings

3. Nobles (Barons, Bishops, etc.)

4. Knights 5. Serfs or peasants

Feudalism Structure

God - “appointed” kings, ruler of all.

King - owned all land, gave some to church.

Barons - given some land to control. Had to pay taxes to king and provide him with knights. (land = fiefs)

Knights - received land for military services. (land = manors)

Peasants - (serfs) worked the land.

The Three Estates

• The three estates (social classes) in the Middle Ages were Aristocracy (kings and their vassals), Clergy (Those who prayed- priests, monks, nuns, friars, etc.), and the Commons (everyone else- doctors, lawyers, clerks, yeomen, etc).

Knighthood

• The primary duty of males above the serf class was military service. Boys were trained at an early age to become warriors.

• After training was complete, the boy was “dubbed” or ceremonially tapped on the shoulder. He was then a knight, had the title or sir, and had full rights of the warrior caste.

Knighthood

• Knighthood was grounded in the feudal ideal of loyalty. Knights had a system of social codes that they were not permitted to break.

Women in the Middle Ages

• Women had no political rights because they were not soldiers in a primarily military system.

• Women were always subservient to men.

• A woman’s husband or father’s position in the feudal system determined her position.

Chivalry• Chivalry was a system of ideals and social

codes governing the behaviors of knights and gentlewomen.

• Chivalry codes included oaths of loyalty to the overlord, observing certain rules of warfare and courtly love.

• Courtly love was nonsexual.• Chivalry brought about an idealized attitude

about women, but did not improve their actual position in life.

• Chivalry gave rise to a new form of literature- romance.

The Effect of Cities and Towns

• Eventually, the increasing population in cities and towns made the feudal system close to obsolete.

• The city classes were lower, middle and upper-middle.

The Crusades

• The Crusades (1095-1270), a series of wars waged by European Christians against Muslims, were waged during the period.

• The prize of The Crusades was Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

St. Thomas a Becket

• Thomas a Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his own cathedral by four knights because he too often sided with the pope instead of the King Henry who had appointed him to the position.

• Becket’s murder enraged the common people who deemed him a martyr and they lashed out against King Henry which weakened the kings power in his struggle with Rome.

The Magna Carta

• The Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215.

• The Magna Carta was a document that limited the Church’s power.

The Hundred Years’ War

• The English and French entered into the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) because two English kings were claiming they were to take the French throne.

• This war showed that England was no longer represented by the armor clad knight but by the green clad yeoman. Common people were taking up the fight for their country.

The Black Death

• The Black Death, or bubonic plague, struck England in 1348-1349.

• The Black Death was highly contagious and killed approximately one third of the population.

• The Black Death caused the end of feudalism.

Literature

1. Romance - tales about the adventures of knights, including chivalry, magic, and love.

Ex. King Arthur

2. Drama - mystery and/or morality plays that taught moral lessons. Performed on wagons or scaffolds.

Literature

3. Lyrics/Ballads - sung with the lyre (harp-like instrument)

Ex. Robin Hood

4. Secular(Worldly) and Religious Tales.

Ex. Canterbury Tales

Rulers

I. 1066 - Death of Edward the Confessor. Saxon witan chose Harold II.

• William, Duke of Normandy (Ed’s cousin) takes the area by force at Battle of Hastings - kills Harold.

• Known as William the Conqueror.

Rulers

II. 1154 - Norman rule ends when:

• Henry II comes to the throne - he orders the death of Thomas a Becket (archbishop of Canterbury)

• Friend + Betrayal = Death & Pilgrimage

Rulers

III. Richard I - Creates debts for England with various military expeditions overseas.

IV. John - ordered new taxes. B/c of Rich’s legacy, he conflicted with barons - resulted in the Magna Carta - beginning of constitutional government.

Rulers

V. Henry III - created Parliament (king’s advisors)

VI. Edward I - changed Parliament (to include free men)

Rulers

Other Notable Kings:• Henry VI - suffered mental

illness• Richard III replaces Henry,

but Henry is later reinstated.

• This confusion results in the War of the Roses.

• Richard - House of York (white rose)

• Henry - House of Lancaster (red rose)

Rulers

Other Notable Kings:• Edward V - 1483 (boy)

died mysteriously in the Tower of London. Did his uncle, Richard III, do it?

• Henry VIII (Tudor) - cousin of Lancasters. Killed Richard III and married his niece, therefore joining both houses - symbol is a rose with both colors.

Growth of Towns

• Increased trade between Europe and the Middle East.

• London becomes a major trading center.

• The organization of the guilds (merchant and craft).

• Children learn trades.

• Wealth is no longer restricted to lords.

Growth of Towns

• Children join the labor unions.

• Loss of feudalism - land is less important.

• Crowding in cities leads to unsanitary conditions.

• Black Plague spreads, killing 1/3 of the population.

King Arthur - The Romance

• The story takes place in the early 6th century.

• It came from the Celts, the native islanders.

• Arthur was a Celtic Chieftan who saved Britain from Saxon invaders.

• Initially told by word of mouth (became a blend of fact and fiction).

King Arthur - The Romance

• The entire story is a tragedy because of the disaster ending.

• The hero, Arthur, is larger than life.

• He lives by the code of chivalry.

• He is concerned with the virtues of: courtesy, endurance, self-control, intelligence, and imagination.

King Arthur - The RomanceMerlyn (magician)

Uther (King) Egraine Cornwaille (Baron)

Arthur Morgana (Morgan Le Fay)

Sir Ector (foster father) Mordred

Sir Kay (foster brother) Gwynevere

Launcelot

*Arthur may have come from magical origins.

King Arthur - The Romance

• Lady in the Lake or Sword in the Stone? - Excalibur

• Camelot - name of his kingdom

• Round Table - to show the equality Arthur shared with the knights who served him

Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1

1. What years did the Medieval period cover?

2. Who invaded England in 1066?3. What was the political/economic system

of that time called?4. List the classes of feudalism in

descending order (highest to lowest).5. What was the name for a baron’s piece of

land? A knight’s?

Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1

6. List two of the four types of literature of this time.

7. Who is King Arthur? Why are there stories about him?

8. Where are Sir Ector and Sir Kay headed? What is the conflict once they get there?

9. What happens when Arthur touches the sword in the stone?

10. What is special about the sword in the stone? (What is the prophecy associated with it?)

Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1

(5 points each)

EC 1: What is Arthur’s nickname?

EC 2: What century did Arthur’s story actually take place in?

King Arthur Quiz #2

1. King Arthur actually lived in the period known as the _________.

2. ________ was a major difference between Arthur and his men.

3. _________ is the leader of the Woads/Celts in the film version.

4. The _______ invaded Britain after Rome left.

5. In the film, Excalibur is pulled out of ___________ instead of an anvil.

King Arthur Quiz #2

6. Female Woads are allowed to _________, but Roman women are not.

7. The Saxon leader says Arthur is __________ after they finally meet.

8. Arthur says history should remember that __________.

9. At Baden Hill, _______ was the “common cause” fought for.

10. Guinevere and Arthur’s marriage symbolized___________.

King Arthur Quiz #2

EC 1: Lancelot said that the souls of slain knights lived on in their ________, and their lives become the stuff of legends.

EC 2: Which of Arthur’s knights have we read about in a separate legend?