1. An Introduction: the Middle Ages (1066-1485) and Geoffrey Chaucer
& The Canterbury Tales

2. William I

3. The Last King of the Vikings
William, Duke of Normandy, built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066.
William defeated Harold (the last Anglo-Saxon king) at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066.
Reportedly, Harold died on the battlefield, supposedly shot in the eye by an arrow.
William was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066.

4. The First English History Book
The Venerable Bede wrote about the day to day life of the English people and the Church of England’s history in 700 A.D.

5. Doomsday (Domesday) Book
Was an inventory of every piece of British property to determine what taxes should be paid to William.
The first census of England in 1086.
Doomsday – means “Day of Judgment.”
Written in Latin, the language of the Church

6. A New Language
After the Conquest, Norman French became the language of the court and aristocracy, and it remained so until the end of the 14th century.
However, common people were still speaking Anglo-Saxon or Old English.
In just twenty years the Norman aristocracy dominated society in England.

7. Feudalism Social and economic system
Society divided into a clear hierarchy of
three estates: Aristocracy (King or liege)
Clergy (friars, nuns, monks)
Peasantry (serfs)
Fiefs – plots of land which were awarded to lords for their allegiance to the king or liege lord.
William redistributed the land of the English landowners to his followers.
Serfs- were tied to the land, belong to their lord. If the land was sold the serfs went with the land.

9. Knights Boys born of noble descent, could begin training at age 7
Followed a Chivalry Code of loyalty to the king or liege (lord)
They were expected to joust
Wore colors of their ladies, had to follow rules of courtly love

10. Medieval Romance
A new genre emerged about knights, their quests for glory, and true love
One of the most famous English examples would be the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

11. Chivalry Code (The Top Five)
1. Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, observe all its directions, and defend thy church.
2. Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
3. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
4. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
5. Thou shalt die with honour and valor.

12. Women of the Middle Ages
Expected to do housework and tend to the children
Many women died in childbirth
Relied on their husbands
Knights were to protect women and keep them pure at all costs.
The rules of courtly love elevated the importance of women

13. The Crusades (Holy Wars)
Between , the church sponsored a series of Crusades to the Middle East to win Jerusalem and the Holy Lands from the Muslims.
There were 4 major Crusades, but many smaller ones
The Crusades failed to win the Holy Land, but led to the weakening of feudalism and new exposure to science, mathematics, and architecture
Opened trade to the Middle East which allowed cities to grow and expanded the Merchant class

14. King Henry II
Struggles between the Church and England came about because the bishops were given too much power during the period of the Crusades.
One struggle was between King Henry II and his friend Thomas Becket. Henry named Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the head of the Catholic Church in England. (Becket and Henry had grown up together)
Henry believed that he could control his friend and would gain control of the Church in England.

15. St. Thomas a Becket Becket begins to doubt the king and opposes him
In a drunken rage, the king says, “Will no one rid me of the turbulent priest?”
Four of his knights took the words literally and murdered Becket on the alter at Canterbury, as he was praying.
The murder shocked Europe, Becket was canonized a saint, his name was changed to Thomas a’ Becket.
A shrine was dedicated to Becket, and this is the final destination for the 29 pilgrims in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

16. The Canterbury Cathedral and St. Thomas a Becket’s Murder

17. The New Merchant (Middle) Class
Fleas on rats spread the Bubonic Plague (the Black Death) in 1348; this disease killed 1/3 of the population in Europe and serfs gained freedom and power
Established Guilds that peasants with skills demand higher wages
The new middle class included doctors,
lawyers, shop owners, blacksmiths,
seamstresses, artists, etc…

18. Meet Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400 A.D.)
Considered the “father of English poetry” because he wrote in Middle English (the Vernacular) instead of Latin or French
Born in London to a middle-class wine merchant’s family, he became a page in the royal household as a teenager.
He was exposed to a world of fine manners and high-born people.
He was able to travel abroad, even serving in the English army, and was exposed to French and Italian literature and culture.

19. Chaucer was a prolific writer, penning 17,000 lines of poetry (The Canterbury Tales).
He died before finishing this masterpiece about life in the Middle Ages which gives insight
into the social classes in the 1300’s.
The Canterbury Tales
describes twenty-nine pilgrims
who tell stories (two on the way
to Canterbury, and two on the
way back)
Chaucer as Writer

20. The Canterbury Tales Written in Middle English, the language of the
common people, or the Vernacular
A frame story (story within a story)
Written in iambic pentameter- each line has 10 syllables, with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable – and rhyming couplets

21. Twenty-nine Pilgrims They represent society at all levels
Top of the feudal system: Knight, Squire
Religious: Nun, Monk, Friar, Cleric, Parson, Summoner, Pardoner
Trades: Merchants, Franklin, Yeoman (Robin Hood the symbol of the English army) Plowman, Miller, Reeve, Sergeant at the Law, Tradesmen, Cook, Skipper, Doctor, Wife of Bath, Manciple, Host.