The Medieval Period

 A period in European history marked by the fall of the Western Roman Empire and lasting until the beginning of the Renaissance. (roughly 500 – 1500 AD)  Divided into three periods: Early, High, and Late  “Medieval” is an adjective used to describe things associated with the Middle Ages.  Some scholars, especially those during the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, viewed the Middle Ages as the Dark Ages, a time when civilization was mired in superstition and ignorance

 The idea of estates, or orders, was encouraged during the Age, but this ordering was breaking down.  Clergy  Latin chiefly spoken, those who pray, purpose was to save everyone’s soul  Nobles  French chiefly spoken (after Norman Invasion), those who fight, purpose was to protect—allow for all to work in peace—and provide justice  Commoners  English spoken, those who work, purpose was to feed and clothe all above them

Latin -- church, schools French -- court, castle English -- commoners The White Tower in London… part of William’s legacy Chartres Cathedral

 The economic system of much of the Middle Ages ( )  Commoners (peasants) lived on a feudal manor. The lord of the manor gave his vassals (the peasants) land to farm.  In return, the vassals received protection from roving bandits. Yet they were taxed and had to surrender a portion of their crops to the lord.  Feudalism is important as it created ties of obedience and fostered a sense of loyalty between the vassals and their lord.

 A product of feudalism, chivalry was an idealized system of manners and morals  The Medieval knight was bound to the chivalric code to be loyal to…  God  his lord  his lady  Chivalric ideals include...  benevolence (acts of kindness)  brotherly love  politeness

 Provided guidance through well known commandments:  Seven Deadly Sins  Pride (vanity)  Greed  Wrath (anger)  Envy  Gluttony  Sloth (laziness)  Lust

 Chastity  Temperance  Charity  Diligence  Forgiveness  Kindness  Humility

 The medieval philosophy that fate is capricious (constantly changing). One minute you could be up and then the next minute you’re down.  Believed to be turned by the goddess Fortuna (Fate). Notice again the mixture of pagan and Christian beliefs.

 The pervading philosophy of the Middle Ages. Also known as the “Geocentric Model”, meaning that the universe is centered on the earth.  People of the Medieval period loved order! Remember the Three Estates, the Seven Deadly Sins—a place for everyone and everyone in that place.

 spreads along trade routes  kills much of the population  the plague outbreaks occur through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance  People believed it was the wrath of God.  Paradoxically, the Plague provides for continued growth in cities  Afterwards, hundreds of new jobs available  Many debts “died off” with creditors  also contributed to society’s culture

 Latin was the language of the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated Europe  The Church was the only source of education  Thus, Latin was a common language for Medieval writings.

 Catholic clerics were the intellectual center of society in the Middle Ages, and it is their literature that was produced in the greatest quantity.  A notable amount of Medieval literature is anonymous. Medieval authors often tended to re-tell and embellish stories they heard or read rather than invent new stories.

 An allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal.  Much of Medieval literature relied on allegory to convey the morals the author had in mind while writing--representations of abstract qualities, events, and institutions are thick in much of the literature of this time.

 This relationship was modeled on the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege lord.  The knight serves his courtly lady with the same obedience and loyalty which he owes to his liege lord.  She is in complete control; he owes her obedience and submission

The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds, in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor.

 “Courtly love" was not between husband and wife because it was an idealized sort of relationship that could not exist within the context of "real life" Medieval marriages.  In the Middle Ages, marriages amongst the nobility were typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love.

 Chivalry is the code of conduct observed by a knight. It is a set of principles they live by.  Attributes of Chivalry: honor, courtly love, protecting others who cannot protect themselves

 A quest is a hero’s journey towards a goal. The objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and the overcoming of many obstacles.  The hero's must obtain something, or someone, by the quest and with this object return home.

 Heroism  from both Germanic and Christian traditions, sometimes mingled  Divine decent or accomplished  Presentations of idealized behavior  literature as moral lesson  loyalty to king  chivalry  use of kennings (especially in Beowulf )  A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun. Example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle.

 Romance  Knights/Chivalry  A narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes  exploits of knights  often a supernatural element involved  Christian message  concern with salvation and the world to come  no interest in social change  until the late 14th century  Chaucer signals new thinking, up-ending social order

Fact, Fiction, Literature, and Pop Culture

 Most scholars believe that a King named Arthur did defeat the Saxons in the 5 th or 6 th century. This is outlined in one of the oldest accounts of English History Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th- century Historia Regum Britanniae  There are ruins of a castle in Cornwall that many believe to belong to Arthur  Not much else is known, accounts of Arthur seem to be mysteriously missing from all Anglo-Saxon chronicles and other such history books.

 Another school of thought believes that Arthur had no historical existence; the Arthur of legend is a composite; tales of the real Arthur's exploits may have been confused and merged with that of other war leaders of the time

 The Welsh historian Nennius first mentioned Arthur by name in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum ( History of the Britons )  A full account of his life appears in the Historia Regum Britanniae (1136?; History of the Kings of Britain ) by Welsh writer Geoffrey of Monmouth  The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes  He wrote in Champagne, France, during the last half of the twelfth century

 The Vulgate Cycle, a series of tales written in French from 1215 to 1235, devotes thousands of pages to the Arthurian story  In English, one of the most important Arthurian achievements is Le morte d'Arthur ( ; The Death of Arthur ) by Sir Thomas Malory  American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in The Mists of Avalon (1982)  She explores the Arthurian world from the point of view of the female characters, paying attention to the relationships the women have with one another

 Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a comedic parody of the traditional King Arthur legend. Later adapted into a musical called Spamalot, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical of the season

 First Knight, with Sean Connery (Arthur), Richard Gere (Lancelot), Julia Ormond (Guinevere)  King Arthur, 2004, claiming (despite historical inaccuracies) to be more historically accurate

 Disney’s the Sword in the Stone 1963  Camelot 2011  Merlin 2008

33  Arthur: legendary king of the Britons; expelled foreigners from Britain, brought peace to the country, established a kingdom based on justice and morality  Held court at his castle at Camelot and instituted an order known as the knights of the Round Table  Son of King Uther Pendragon and the lady Ygraine; Merlin gives him to a man named Hector to be raised with Hector's son, Kay  Marries lady Guinevere, but she and Lancelot, one of Arthur's favored knights, eventually fall in love, and their relationship divides Camelot  Grievously wounded by his illegitimate son Mordred

34 Lancelot  The greatest and most trusted of Arthur's knights, and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories  Arthur's eventual downfall is also brought about in part by Lancelot, whose affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere destroys the unity of Arthur's court  Once Arthur discovers Lancelot and Guinevere's love affair, his own system of justice requires that he condemn his wife to death  Lancelot rescues her, but initiates a war between his forces and those of Arthur and the knight Gawain

 Arthur and Guinevere are married  Lancelot is Arthur’s Loyal Knight  Lancelot and Guinevere are having affair  Gawain doesn’t like Lancelot  Arthur is Gawain’s Uncle  Mordred is Arthur’s son  Mordred hates Arthur