English 1060 England to 1500

English Civilization in Three Steps Feudal economy (500-1500) Land is valuable. Population is rural. Society is organized around kings, lords/knights, and peasants, by ties of loyalty. Capitalist / Industrial economy (1500-1968) Production and goods are valuable. Population is urban. Society is organized around owners and workers, by ties of economic benefit. Knowledge economy (1968-) Information is valuable. Population is online. Society is organized around multiple and temporary arrangements of sharing and controlling information.

West & East: the “Grain vs. Rice” theory

It’s of course a useful generalization There is no such thing as human races—this was proven in 2000 with the mapping of the human genome. Obviously, “western” and “eastern” are terms used for discussion, but are cultural simplifications– a Thai & Korean don’t think the same, and a Greek & Canadian don’t think the same.

Rome At its height in 117, Rome held almost all of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of northern Africa and western Asia. Oversized and racked by power disputes, the empire was divided into east and west in 293 and was ruled by two emperors and Caesars.   Rome never ‘fell.’ The eastern part of the empire continued until being overcome by Muslim Turks in 1453, and the west deteriorated over centuries. Rome itself was sacked in 410, but there were still emperors until 476, and barbarian kings often saw themselves as the heirs of Rome. Charlemagne was crowned in 800 as Emperor of the Romans.

The Empire over-expands and splinters A problem in late Rome was the difficulty of defending such a large area with sufficient Roman soldiers. The empire thus began to hire German barbarians as mercenaries. While this initially worked well, land pressures, corruption, and cultural differences caused the German chiefs and settlers to break away from Rome. With no legions to enforce its edicts, central authority withered and Europe broke up into petty kingdoms.

The Origins of England One of these former Roman territories was England. After Roman soldiers abandon it around 400, Germanic Angle and Saxon chieftains take control. Angle-land  England

The Normans Invade, 1066 In 1066, William the Conqueror, a French-speaking Viking from northern France, invades England with an army and seizes the country. Politically, England has already been ruled by Danes for a century, but William imports French language, government, and culture to the island.

Anglo-Saxon Culture Political power lies in the folc Kings are merely good fighters chosen by the people The highest value is loyalty and love to one’s lord Women could own property and had some rights Land was a common good owned by everyone Simple buildings and architecture Norman French Culture Political power lies in the king Kings rule under divine right, chosen by heaven The highest value is romantic service and love for a woman A ‘chivalrous’ culture, but women had little legal standing Land was owned by the king, who permitted or rented its use Castles and stone works

The Normans Become English The early Norman kings of England spoke French and spent more of their lives in France than in England. Over the centuries their rule over northern France declined. King John (1166-1216) lost most of Normandy after 1202 and was almost deposed himself, being forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 by rebellious barons. By 1337 the rift had grown into war. Although England was initially victorious in several key battles such as Agincourt (1415), the French would rally under leaders such as Jean d’Arc (1412-31), driving the English out in 1453. English resistance and the Robin Hood legends

Feudalism The middle ages cannot be understood without understanding Feudalism, an economic and cultural system where the king owns all the land, which is given to aristocrats and church officials. These lords fight as knights for the king and in turn rent their land to peasants, who work the land and provide taxes and services to their lord. Medieval culture presents this relationship as one of love and duty, with the ideal warrior fighting to the death for his lord.

What was medieval peasant life like? Probably rather boring Farms, governments, churches, schools, and universities… just like now Vita brevis; ars lenga “Those who work; those who pray; those who fight.”

Medieval History 1066: French Vikings (Normans) conquer England. French becomes the court language of England for about 200 years. 1215: King John of England accepts the Magna Carta. 1337-1453: The Hundred Years’ War. As the English war with the French, the prestige of French as a language declines. 1348: The Black Plague kills about 1/3 of European citizens. 1453: The Eastern Roman Empire ends as Muslim Turks occupy Constantinople (Istanbul). Gutenberg's printing press begins to produce books. 1470: Leonardo da Vinci begins work as an artist in Florence as the Italian Renaissance develops. 1492: Columbus discovers America for the Europeans.

Europe was less developed than China or the Middle East England was a backwater in the Middle Ages. High culture was to be found in Italy or the Middle East. Christian crusaders were impressed by Islamic culture, architecture, and food– bringing home ideas and spices.

Why did Europe rise and not China? Zheng He’s ships (1405-33) compared to Santa Maria (1492) Jared Diamond’s theory: Civilisations arose differently, at various speeds, because of their physical geography, not biological differences Chinese court politics Mongol attacks and growing insularity Technological changes from manpower shortage Luck

The Black Plague (1348-51) The origins of the Black Plague are somewhere from central Asia or Africa. By 1348 it reached England, where over three years it killed between 30-60% of Europe, 40% of Egypt, and one-third of China. But plagues also helped cause the renaissance and industrial revolution. Labor shortages encouraged labor-saving devices and social changes leading to humanism and capitalism. The printing press might be explained as a result of labor shortage.

Late Medieval England Feudalism was increasingly obsolete by the 1400’s with the growth of cities, trade, and technology. The rising urban middle class was often richer than the aristocracy and grew powerful. As trade and capitalism became more valuable than farmland, as new humanist ideas reduced the control of church and aristocracy, and as gunpowder made knights on horses useless, feudalism and royal courts declined as early modern financial capitalism began—the society Shakespeare is born into in 1565.

Medieval English Literature English literature begins with Germanic poems and stories, usually grim and warlike, but sometimes vulgar and funny. Post-conquest poetry, written in Middle English, becomes more concerned with French and Latin themes of love and romance. It reaches its height with Geoffrey Chaucer (1330-1400).

Beowulf (c. 800) Beowulf is the first great poem of the English language, about a young prince, Beowulf, and his battle to help the Danish king Hrothgar to kill the evil monster Grendel, who has been attacking his hall and eating his men. Beowulf then must battle Grendel’s mother, who is angry about her son’s death, as well as a fire-breathing dragon.

Medieval English Romance Medieval English literature was often religious, but there was a popular trend to fantastic romances about knights, ladies, and dragons. Often these romances were bad-quality translations from French originals, but some were well-made, exciting stories. They directly lead to modern romances.

Geoffrey Chaucer, 1330-1400 Chaucer began as a French poet and translator, but became basically the father of English literature, strengthening and giving respectability to English as a literary language. He wrote love poems, dream visions, adventures, dirty stories, and even the first scientific article in English (on the astrolabe, a navigational aid).