The Middle Ages

By:Stephen Riley, Aaron Rataj, Ryan Task

Jake Gambatese

Role/Development of Language and Its Effects

• Language until the sixteenth century was Latin.

• The common people (aka, the Vulgar) created dialects in different regions. This is called vernacular language.

• Vernacular language grew more popular in each region and this caused more people, from outside these regions, to not really understand those that spoke a different dialect.

•Eventually, vernacular language became so popular that it surpassed Latin itself. The language was majorly used in the desire to spread Christianity.

•Paper was a rarity in the beginning of the Middle Ages and students who were learning to write had written on wooden tablets.

•Books were also rarities and were never seen open in a public library, but kept locked somewhere within the library.

•Eventually, the cost of books decreased when the supply of them increased when Gutenberg invented the Printing Press in 1445.

• The invention of the printing press also introduced more use of paper, which was made of animal skin that was scraped until it was smooth.

• The introduction of paper and the press resulted in many works of manuscript later on during the Renaissance.

Impact of the Church

• in the middle ages the church played a massive role in all aspects of life, they had a lot of control in daily life of the government

• churches were built in a roman style with a rounded arch roof

• the Catholic Church was the only church that was around during the middle ages

• the church would also enforce punishment upon those who were against the church or those believed to take part in any sort of witch craft.

• non-Catholics are treated as infidels and raise suspicion

• Priests had a very strong influence, – they could force people to go to church and punish them

in the court of the church if they refused – they could also collect ten percent of and money that

peasants made from their land.• although the priests had a very large amount of

control they were controlled themselves by bishops• Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat

on the king's council and played leading roles in government decisions

• -Bishops would often come from wealthy families of nobles

• -both bishops and priests lived very strict life styles not allowing for things like marriage

• -both priests and bishops were also held in very high regard due to their role in the government

Daily Life• The Middle Ages did not erase the Anglo-Saxon

culture, but it did bring change. – For example, Duke William divided the holdings of the

fallen English Landowners among his followers. He also brought in a new language (French) and a new social system (feudalism which displaced the old Nordic social structure).

• The Middle Ages’ government was based off of a hierarchy with god as the overlord. The citizens acquired their land for their economic or military allegiance.

• The primary occupation of males above the serfs was military service to their lords. – Boys were trained from early ages.

• When the boys training was completed, he was "dubbed" on his shoulder ( a hard, testing blow).

• Once he was knighted, he became a man with the title "sir" and the full rights of the warrior caste. If any of the knights were to break any of the laws, it undermined the knight’s position.– A famous example of this is Sir Gawin                    and the Green Knight which Gawin accepted a challenge which he

believed would bring him death.

• Women had no political rights in the Middle Ages. – The women were always subservient to a man,

whether it be a husband, father, or brother. • The males social standing or class determined

the degree of respect the female commanded. – For peasant or serf women, the average life consisted

of childbearing, housework, and hard work out on the field.

– For the higher class women, it was childbearing and household supervisions.

– The higher class women might even manage the estate while the male was gone at war.

Historical Events• 1066: Duke William of Normandy defeats King

Herold of England (the last Anglo-Saxon king)• 1095: The Crusades begin– In an attempt to free Jerusalem from Turkish

control• 1119: Knights Templar formed

• 1171: Henry II conquers Ireland– England ruled for 800 years

• 1215: King John signs the Magna Carta• 1232: Under Pope Gregory IX, the Inquisition

starts• 1250: first commoners allowed into the

parliament• 1275: Marco Polo arrives in China• 1348: Black Plague strikes England

Work Cited

• Holt, , Rinehart, and Winston. Elements of Literature. 6th ed. Austin, Texas: Harcourt Brace and Company, 2000. Print.

• Faal, Sorcha. What Does It Mean?. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sep 2012. http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1478.htm

• "Marco Polo." yesnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sep 2012. <http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/marcopolo.html>.