1. Song of Roland
Old French, Earliest version from c. 1100
Basque attack on rearguard of Charlemagne’s
army in Pyrenees in 778

2. Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1100-55),
History of the Kings of Britain, c. 1136
Chrétien de Troyes (fl ), various
romances about King Arthur’s knights,
incl. Lancelot, or the Knight of the Cart,
written for Marie de Champagne

3. Courtly Love
Honour through devotion to a lady, usually
someone else’s wife!
Generally unrequited
Difficult to assess actual impact of courtly love
values on knightly behaviour

4. Romance of the Rose (1230s-70s)
By Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun
Jean de Meun’s section incl. treatises on
various topics incl. love, sex, marriage,
women
Graphic “plucking” of Rose

5. Fabliaux:
Comic, often bawdy tales intended
to entertain and instruct

6. The Golden Legend (c. 1260)
By Jacobus de Voragine (1228/30-98)
Compilation of lives of saints, as well as
events in lives of Christ and Virgin
Mary

7. Religious Drama
Miracle Plays: based on saints’ lives
Mystery Plays: based on Bible stories
Morality Plays: incl. personifications of
virtues and vices (e.g. Wisdom, Anger,
Folly, Sloth, etc.)

8. Developments in religious music: vernacular,
polyphony
Increase in pilgrimages
Shepherds’ Crusade of 1251
Flagellants in Italy and S. Germany from
1260

9. Feast of Corpus Christi:
Originally promoted by mystic Juliana
of Cornillon (c )
1264 Instituted by papacy
By 1370 being celebrated with processions
and dramatic performances
Reports of miracles linked to Eucharistic
Hosts

10. 9th-10th c. Start of large-scale church building
in Middle Ages, starting in N. Italy
Builders following model of Byzantine
(Roman) basilicas = Romanesque
style
Nave Aisles Transept
Choir Apse Ambulatory

11. barrel vault groin vault/cross vault
Gothic style flying buttress