The Middle Ages

The Battle of Hastings In October 1066, a daylong battle known as the Battle of Hastings ended the reign of the Anglo- Saxons and began the Norman Conquest.

William the Conqueror In the battle, Duke William of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, defeated King Harold of England, the last of the Anglo Saxon kings. William did not want to kill the Anglo Saxons, he just wanted to rule them. The new group under William’s reign became known as the Anglo-Normans.

The Feudal System The Anglo-Normans brought a new language, French, and a new social system, feudalism, to the country. Feudalism was not just a social system, but also a caste system, a property system, and a military system. Vassal-a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant

FEUDALISM

The Feudal System The basic chain of feudalism was as follows: 1. God 2. Kings 3. Nobles (Barons, Bishops, etc.) 4. Knights- who did not own land 5. Serfs or peasants- who did not own land

The Three Estates The three estates (social classes) in the Middle Ages were Aristocracy (kings and their vassals) Clergy (Those who prayed- priests, monks, nuns, friars, etc.) Commons (everyone else- doctors, lawyers, clerks, yeomen, etc). Traditional Division Those who fight Those who pray Those who labor

Knighthood The primary duty of males above the serf class was military service. Boys were trained at an early age to become warriors. After training was complete, the boy was “dubbed” or ceremonially tapped on the shoulder. He was then a knight, had the title or sir, and had full rights of the warrior caste.

Knighthood Knighthood was grounded in the feudal ideal of loyalty. Knights had a system of social codes that they were not permitted to break.

Women in the Middle Ages Women had no political rights because they were not soldiers in a primarily military system. Women were always subservient to men. A woman’s husband or father’s position in the feudal system determined her position.

Chivalry Chivalry was a system of ideals and social codes governing the behaviors of knights and gentlewomen. Chivalry codes included oaths of loyalty to the overlord, observing certain rules of warfare and courtly love. Courtly love was nonsexual. Chivalry brought about an idealized attitude about women, but did not improve their actual position in life. Chivalry gave rise to a new form of literature- romance.

The Effect of Cities and Towns Eventually, the increasing population in cities and towns made the feudal system close to obsolete. The city classes were lower, middle and upper-middle.

The Crusades The Crusades ( ), a series of wars waged by European Christians against Muslims, were waged during the period. The prize of The Crusades was Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

St. Thomas a Becket Thomas a Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his own cathedral by four knights because he too often sided with the pope instead of the King Henry who had appointed him to the position. Becket’s murder enraged the common people who deemed him a martyr and they lashed out against King Henry which weakened the kings power in his struggle with Rome.

The Magna Carta The Magna Carta was signed by King John in The Magna Carta was a document that limited the Church’s power. Also known as “The Great Charter.”

The Hundred Years’ War The English and French entered into the Hundred Years’ War ( ) because two English kings were claiming they were to take the French throne. This war showed that England was no longer represented by the armor clad knight but by the green clad yeoman. Common people were taking up the fight for their country.

The Black Death The Black Death, or bubonic plague, struck England in The Black Death was highly contagious and killed approximately one third of the population. The Black Death caused the end of feudalism.

Leaving French Behind Even though French was the language of the court and upper class for several hundred years, several factors caused English to eventually dominate. –Most people spoke English. –Because of England’s Hundred Years’ War with France, people patriotically embraced English and rejected French. –Parliament passed a bill in 1362 requiring all law cases to be conducted in English not French.

Middle English and Chaucer –Before Geoffrey Chaucer, Middle English was considered unworthy as a language for science, diplomacy, and religion—Latin and French were used instead unfashionable for serious poets to write in insufficient to convey all the nuances and complexities of serious literature

Middle English and Chaucer –Chaucer helped Middle English gain respectability. He was a well-respected government official for three kings. Even though he knew Latin and French, Chaucer chose to write in English. Chaucer’s poetry was greatly admired by educated people of his time. © Stapleton Collection/CORBIS

Chaucer Connects to Modern English Chaucer often used iambic pentameter—a ten-syllable line in which an u nstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. –This rhythm most closely matches the way English is spoken today. ˇ ´ ˇ ´ ˇ ´ ˇ ´ ˇ ´ That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde from the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales (mostly in verse, although some are in prose) are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.Middle English Geoffrey ChaucerSouthwarkSaint Thomas BecketCanterbury Cathedral

lluman/14_02.html 14th Century The Ellesmere Canterbury Tales