The Middle Ages 1066-1485

England ( and the world) would forever be changed… After the Norman Invasion England ( and the world) would forever be changed… This was due to one man…

William, Duke of Normandy also known as William the Conqueror

His Claim to the English Throne… William, Duke of Normandy claimed the English throne Promised to him by King Edward the Confessor However, William’s half brother, Harold, was crowned after Edward’s death.

William, cont. Learned that his throne had been taken; began preparing for invasion. Attacks England at Hastings; defeats the Anglo-Saxons and Harold William crowned King William I on Christmas Day in 1066

William’s Reign Ruled England for 21 years Fused a strong French government and military with culture of Anglo-Saxons William wanted to rule the Anglo-Saxons; not eliminate them. Because of this, England had, and still has, a culture influenced by both Norman and Anglo-Saxon culture and language.

The Feudal System William introduced the Feudal System system based on landholding by a lord or king, rented land in return for allegiance and military service. It was a caste system

Feudal Relationships, cont. King: all powerful overlord and landowner Lord: noble who had power to grant land to vassals Vassal: aristocratic dependent tenant who received land from a lord in exchange for military service Knight: armored warrior. Vassals provided their lords with military service; the larger the land grant, the more knights a vassal had to supply the king Serf: peasant who worked on, and were bound to vassals’ lands

The Feudal System, cont. The Feudal System led to many disputes over property; in 1086 an inventory of every piece of property ( this included the number or cattle, chickens, etc. that a man owned) was created This inventory was the Domesday Book. Settled disputes over property.

Domesday, cont. Title represented William’s judgment of his subject’s financial worth and God’s judgment on their moral worth First time in European History that taxes were based on what an individual owned. ( this book still exists in London)

The Domesday Book http://clearlyexplained.com/answers/domesday-book.jpg

Knighthood Boys trained at early age for knighthood ( began around 7 years). Training usually took place in a home other than their own for stricter environment. Parents had to be wealthy enough to buy horse, armor, and weapons.

Knighthood, cont. Knights often sons of noblemen Instructed in good manners, social skills, such as singing, dancing, and playing chess Learned to use a sword and shield At about age of 14, a boy would become a squire personal assistant to a knight) When training was completed, was ceremonially tapped on the shoulder; youth was a man with the title “Sir” and had all the rights of the warrior caste

The Burden of Armor Some suits weighed up to 120 pounds The armor could be as fatal as the enemy. Death from suffocation, heart failure, and drowning were as common as wounds from the enemy. Battles usually scheduled to allow knights time to dress

1. Helm (Helmet) 2. Gorget 3. Pauldrons 4. Spaulders 5. Chainmaille (Gussets) 6. Vambrace 7. Gauntlets 8. Breastplate 9. Faulds (Tassets) 10. Kneecup 11. Greaves 12. Sabatons (Solorets) 13. Coif 14. Arming Cap 15. Gambeson 16. Haubergeon (Hauberk)

Code of Chivalry Chivalry: a system of ideals and social codes ruling behavior of knights and gentlewomen. The rules included: 1) taking oath of loyalty to the overlord and observing certain rules of warfare, i.e. not attacking an unarmed man, loyalty to one’s land of birth, being honest… 2) adoring a particular lady ( this was not always one’s wife) 3) seen as a means of self improvement

Chivalry, cont. The introduction of Chivalry resulted because of three ideas: 1) more emphasis on Christian ideologies 2) women’s place in society a bit more elevated, although this was only socially 3) refinement of royalty; more emphasis on the royal class

Medieval Literature Chivalry brought new literature, the Romance. A narrative that traces adventures of a brave knight or other hero; has to overcome danger for the love of a noble lady or some other high ideal/ morals Idealized heroes fight and always conquer evil. Examples: King Arthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight A romantic hero is larger than life figure, usually of mysterious origins, who performs extraordinary deeds with the aid of magic.

Literature, cont. The Ballad background: Medieval population grew; larger number of people began living in towns and cities; developed the city classes - lower, middle and upper middle; a “people’s art” began to emerge. City people were free, not tied to land; their point of view expressed in ballads

Literature, cont. Ballads are songs, or songlike poems that tell a story in a rhythmic language. There is a regular rhythm and rhyme, language is simple and direct. Every ballad includes certain features: *tragic subject matter *omitted details, *supernatural events * a refrain, or a repeated word, line, or group of lines. From French word meaning “dancing song”

Courtly Love Court: the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler The ideal form of courtly love was non-sexual A knight might wear his lady’s colors in battle, or compose poetry, song Lady always was “pure and out of reach.” This lady represented the ideal.

Courtly Love, cont. She is in complete control of the love relationship, while 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, cont. Poets and story tellers used idea of courtly love for plots. Example: The King Arthur Saga When Lancelot and Guinevere cross the line of courtly and physical love, the whole social system represented by the Round Table begins to collapse. Camelot collapses because the code was broken.

And the Assignment Is… You will get into groups of 3 You have a choice: 1) Create a Recruitment Sign for joining the knighthood (using the requirements listed in your guided notes) OR 2) Create a Rules of Courtly Love (dating) in the 21st Century poster **Must be school appropriate rules of dating or you will receive an automatic zero **

Individual Coat of Arms Obtain a Coat of Arms handout from the podium Create your own COA including: An important place A hobby/activity An animal Other symbol Write your personal motto in the ribbon at the top Must have some color Write a paragraph to explain your selections (there are five) on the back of your COA.