The Medieval Period

The Normans Remember 1066? That was the year William the Conqueror invaded Britain, ending the “Anglo-Saxon” Period. Here’s what happened: The Normans were descendants of Vikings living in France. William, Duke of Normandy, had close ties to the English king, Edward the Confessor. When Edward died in 1066, William claimed Edward had promised the throne to him, and with a few thousand troops took power from Edward’s publicly- named successor. That is how he became known as “William the Conqueror.”

Language In Chaucer’s time, French was the language of law, business, and culture. Think about it: The Normans were French(ified), and they imposed their language as the “official” one as another way of asserting their dominance. English retains some of those words today; “bail” and “sergeant” are two of them. Believe it or not, the Normans discriminated against the Saxons (“race” in those days was synonymous with tribe or lineage—not just with skin color or facial features). Swine, sheep, ox (Saxon words) v. pork, mutton, beef (French words)

Reign of the Plantagenets Norman rule ended in 1154 when Henry Plantagenet came to the throne as Henry II ( ). Henry is known as one of the ablest English kings ever to reign. He butted heads with the Catholic Church, which had grown quite powerful by then. The conflict had to do with the jurisdiction of secular courts over clergymen. Henry appointed his friend Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury when that position became vacant. Becket ran afoul of Henry over the question of royal v. clerical authority, and Henry became angry. Henry’s knights murdered Becket in his cathedral, thinking that’s what Henry would want them to do. However, that’s not what Henry wanted them to do, so he made a pilgrimage to Becket’s shrine at Canterbury. Thereafter, a pilgrimage to Becket’s shrine was “the thing to do” during the period. War of the Roses: A Bloody Crown

Murder of Thomas Beckett (1170)

Social Organization Social organization during the Medieval Period was comprised of three classes or “estates”: The nobility, a small hereditary aristocracy whose mission on earth was to rule over and defend the body politic The church, whose duty was to look after the public’s spiritual welfare The commoners, who were supposed to do the work to provide for everyone’s physical needs

The Growth of Towns In the thirteenth century (1400s), towns were becoming increasingly important in English life. The Crusades (1000s to 1200s) had stimulated trade between Europe and the Middle East, and as trade expanded, so did Europe’s trading centers. Townspeople organized themselves into guilds of various sorts. The two most significant were craft guilds (something like modern-day unions) and merchant guilds (formed to promote business). The growth of towns meant that wealth was no longer restricted to land ownership and powerful connections. The downside was that living so close together created unsanitary conditions.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer was the son of a wealthy wine merchant. Instead of becoming an apprentice to his father (as would have been expected), he became a page in a wealthy aristocratic household, due apparently to his father’s influence. This was the beginning of a long career as a civil servant, which included service in the household of King Edward III. Chaucer married a knight’s daughter; Chaucer’s granddaughter Alice officially married into the aristocracy. Chaucer’s social and professional experiences would have exposed him to high culture, including poetry, which was all written in French. Chaucer’s great contribution to literature is that he wrote in English at a time when English was considered inferior.

The Canterbury Tales Chaucer started writing The Canterbury Tales in The Canterbury Tales is about the stories told by 23 pilgrims as they journey to Canterbury. Chaucer’s original plan for The Canterbury Tales had 30 pilgrims and about 120 stories, two for each pilgrim to tell on the way to Canterbury, and two more on the way back. Chaucer actually completed only 22 stories, because he died before he could finish.

The Canterbury Tales The pilgrims had stayed a night at the Tabard Inn, and the HOST accompanies them on the journey. Throughout, he plays moderator for their stories. The structure of the tales is such that some are told “in response” to others. Each tale is an interesting piece of rhetoric. Each carries a message and reveals something about its teller.

Topics for Research Hundred Years’ War Feudalism/knighthood/code of chivalry Richard I (“Coeur d’ Lion”)/ Magna Carta Richard II  Henry IV  Henry V Germ theory