Christianity and The Canterbury Tales in Medieval England

British Events of the Early Medieval Period 1066: Saxons defeated at Hastings by Normans 1073: Canterbury becomes England’s religious center 1170: Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered by King Henry II’s men 1386: Chaucer begins writing The Canterbury Tales

Political Atmosphere in Medieval England Introduction of the French political and economic system of feudalism as a result of the Norman invasion King - center of government Lords/Overlords – landowners that owed military service to the King Barons/Vassals – sublet land from Lords Knights – given smaller manors by barons in exchange for military service Commoners or serfs - the lowest class of Medieval society provided the physical labor for the land in exchange for food and protection Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales incorporates all main levels of Medieval society – the Church, the Court, and the common people

Social Atmosphere in Medieval England Chivalry – code of knightly behavior Three ideals: God King Lady A period of cultural refinement through the discovery of luxuries from exotic lands The founding of Oxford and Cambridge gave rise to a broadening of intellectual horizons Life is centered around the castle

Religious Atmosphere in Medieval England During middle ages the church was the main focus of community life. The Parish Priest was assigned by the manor and was obliged to keep up the church and provide hospitality to travelers. The priest was a commoner by birth. Serfs were not allowed to become priests because they were tied to the land.

Parish Income The priest earned his living from the income for parish lands, fees for services, and the tithe money. Tithing was obligatory and it was divided between the priest, the church maintenance, the poor, and the bishop. Peasants had little money so they paid with what they produced; seeds, grain, etc.

The Church’s Wealth The church had great control over the people. The peasants worked for free on the church land. What the church collected was kept in tithe barns where a lot of the stored grain would be eaten by rats. If the peasants failed to tithe they were told by the church that their souls would go to Hell.

Church’s Wealth Continued People had to pay for baptisms, marriages and burials. This is one of the reasons why the church was so wealthy. This picture now a museum, was a tithe barn in Kent.

Monks’ Faults and Contributions In the 12th and 13th centuries there were many monasteries where monks or nuns lived a simple life of prayer and work. They were criticized for their laxity and involvement in worldly affairs. Monks printed and preserved many books. They kept ancient literature sometimes at a great cost to themselves.

Discover the answer by reading The Canterbury Tales. How do the writings of the Middle Ages represent the lives, loves, loyalties, and humor of humanity? Discover the answer by reading The Canterbury Tales.

1170: Murder of Thomas a Becket 1073: Canterbury Cathedral becomes England’s religious center Henry II appointed his friend Thomas a Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury Henry appointed Becket hoping that he would overlook some of the King’s abuses of power When Becket did not go along with the King, some of Henry’s more zealous knights murdered Becket in the cathedral at Canterbury In order to atone for Becket’s murder, Henry made a pilgrimage, a holy journey, to Becket’s tomb at Canterbury Thereafter, a pilgrimage to Becket’s shrine at Canterbury became a common English means of showing religious devotion Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, uses the vehicle of the pilgrimage to bring together people from the 3 main segments of Medieval society

Geoffrey Chaucer 1343? - 1400 In his own lifetime he was considered the greatest poet, and he is currently considered, by many, second only to Shakespeare in achievements He began as a page for one of King Edward III’s households, served in the army and held key government positions throughout his lifetime He married a lady-in-waiting to the Queen He began to write in his twenties and continued to do so for the rest of his life He was the first person to be buried in what is now the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey

The Canterbury Tales: Facts Written in Middle English verse It is a frame story – a story that includes, or frames, another story or stories Chaucer’s frame is the pilgrimage, which he originally planned as a round trip but remains incomplete Within this frame are 24 individual stories the pilgrims tell It is a series of verse stories told by different pilgrims, from many walks of life, on their pilgrimage to St. Thomas a Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral It is the most accurate depiction of the life and values of people in Medieval 14th Century England

Prologue Represent a wide range of 14th century English society 3 Groups Represent: Agricultural feudalism Landownership and service Knight’s yeoman Franklin Urbanization Change in feudal structure Doctor Guildsmen The Church One of the most powerful elements in medieval soceity 9 of pilgrims belong to clergy

Prologue Each pilgrim Teller of best tale is rewarded at the end tell two stories on the way to Canterbury two stories on the way back Plan proposed by Harry Bailey, host of the Tabard Inn Teller of best tale is rewarded at the end A dinner provided by his fellow pilgrims at the Tabard Harry Bailey is judge

Prologue Prologue sets the scene and introduces reader to the characters Between many of the tales Chaucer expounds upon the personalities of the pilgrims. Number of arguments that prepare for subsequent tales Some pilgrims introduce a tale with a commentary on his/her own personal life

Prologue Chaucer’s project was never finished Only 24 tales exist Tales were probably composed at various times in Chaucer’s life

Prologue Begins with a long, rhetorical sentence in “high style” describing spring. Gradually descends into a more “realistic” style of expository narrative.

Prologue Group is on its way to the holy shrine of St. Thomas ă Becket Archbishop of Canterbury opposed Henry II over the balance between royal and religious power was murdered in the cathedral Considered a martyr and later made a saint His blood was held to contain great curative qualities, restoring health to the sick

The Travelers to Canterbury

The Travelers to Canterbury

The Travelers to Canterbury

Chaucer’s Snapshot of the Middle Ages Population

Satire in The Canterbury Tales Satire – writing that shows the folly or evil of something through the use of wit and humor; a literary device employed to ridicule public or private abuses Chaucer uses satire to ridicule the corruptness of the Church in England in the Medieval Period

The 5 Main Religious Characters in The Canterbury Tales Prioress - the nun ranking just below the abbess in an abbey During the Medieval Period, this position was usually bought by women of the nobility Monk – religious men that secluded themselves from society to perform religious and intellectual duties Friar – a part of the clergy that used to beg for the poor Most friars were corrupt and surrounded by scandal in the Middle Ages Pardoner – one who sells papal pardons which were believed to take some time off of one’s stay in Purgatory There was an epidemic of illegitimate pardoners Parson – a priest in a rural village Considered the bottom of the social ladder

The Pardoner Also strongly satirized for despicable behavior He is an illegitimate pardoner who gets rich by selling fake religious relics and pardons to those wanting to atone for their sins “His wallet lay before him on his lap, Brimful of pardons come from Rome all hot” Even Chaucer’s physical description of him is harsh “In driblets fell his locks … like rat-tails” He even sells fake relics to “poor up-country parsons” who are fellow clergymen

Works Cited Babusci, Roger, ed., et al. Prentice Hall Literature: The English Tradition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989. Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Canterbury Tales.” Prentice Hall Literature: The English Tradition. Ed. Roger Babusci, et al. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989. http://classroomclipart.com http://members.easyspace.com/Brig/mca/clips.html http://www.britainexpress.com/History/TheMedievalChurch.htm http://www.godecookery.com/clipart http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_church.htm http://www.thelmaslibrary.com/classical/overview.html Other pictures were sent via email from Miss Parmigiani. Some material was obtained from notes taken in Dr. Patricia Michaels British Literature I class.