Medieval Era Medieval Era starts at the year 1066 to 1485 England goes from turmoil to stability in a relatively short amount of time

Invasion and Conquest 1066 Harold II was the chosen ruler of England Battle of Hastings William of Normandy took power on October 14th 1066 William the Conqueror was crowned king on Christmas Day of 1066 and the Medieval Era came into being

Results of the Norman Conquest When the Normans took over they inherited a nation of 2million Anglo-Saxons They had a relatively well organized social and political structure Norman Conquest changed the social structure and ushered in feudalism

Results of the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxons lost all their land (it was given over to the king) Peasants were forced into unpaid labor Women lost any of the previous status that they once had (now seen as property)

Results of the Norman Conquest To their credit the Normans improved farming Put an end to Viking Raids Began to build stone cathedrals and churches Also began to build castles

Results of the Norman Conquest Feudalism- complicated system of landholding where no one actually owns any land except the king King grants land to lords to hold until the king needs the land for a purpose Nobles are the kings vassals, or servants

Results of the Norman Conquest Knights were young men of noble birth who were trained and committed to fighting for the lord Knights were the heart of the feudal system Serfs were the backbone of the feudal system: the produced all of the things that made the political system work

Results of the Norman Conquest As soon as lords occupied their lands the started a castle building program A castle was for family living, defense, and most importantly a secure base for the lords and vassals to control all their lands A castle tower and it surroundings were built in 10ft per year. Clearly taking a long time.

Results of the Norman Conquest Resented by lower classes Symbol of the substance and wealth of the ruling class. Were taxes were collected and grievances were settled

Establishment of Law and Order Normans began to codify their social and political structures DOOMSDAY BOOK In 1085 William decided to find out how much land and who owned what assets Sent out commissioners to find out and they were collected in what is known as the Doomsday Book

Establishment of Law and Order “Dom” is the Anglo Saxon word for “judgment” and the assessment was a judgment that was used to asses taxes

Primogeniture Primogeniture: an inheritance system Keeping large landholdings in tact was key to the Norman social-political system Primo means first First born son inherits the title and the estate Any other children do not have any legal claim to any property that their family owned

Primogeniture Second son would become a high ranking member of the clergy Third son would become a knight This system is still intact in England today

Magna Carta Document signed by King John in 1215 King John’s lords made him sign the document stating that they would have a say in what money the king would get from his people and how it would be used This document planted the seeds for a representative government in England

Magna Carta Because of this document, King John was completely abhorred by future monarchs and there were not any other kings named King John after that year

Catholic Church The Church was a unifying element in England All believed in the Church’s importance on earth, and looked forward in confidence, or fear, to the afterlife it promised The Church was the chief educator, historian, and librarian for the Church Because of monks we are now able to know what was going on in that time period

Bubonic Plague Between 1346 and 1349 the plague took one-third of the population of England No one knew that the disease was spread by fleas so the population could not protect itself Killed quickly and painfully: often with raised lumps called buboes and within hours or days the victim succumbed to death

Bubonic Plague Ring around the Rosies was a song that originated from this time period due to the plague The plague loosened the feudal system enough so that other classes began to develop

End of an Era The Medieval Era ended on 1485 with the coronation of King Hennery VII With the crowning of Henry VII the Renaissance was ushered into being