1. Medieval Britain
In 1066, the Normans invaded and conquered England, marking the start of a new era.
The new Norman kings brought French culture and lannguage, binding England and France with strong political ties that lasted for several centuries.
The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England

2. Medieval Britain The Norman Conquest
Edward the Confessor, king of England dies suddenly in 1066, leaving no heirs.
There were three strong contenders for the throne: Harold, a powerful English lord; Harald, king of Norway; and William,
Duke of Normandy, in France.
Harold claimed that on his deathbed, Edward had named him as his heir, and so he was crowned.

3. Medieval Britain King: he ruled the country and chose
His most important knights to become lords
and officials (William sent them to every
country to find out who owned what (Domesday)
Nobility: Knights. They had noble qualities:
bravery, loyalty,…At the age of 7, a boy became a
page: he was sent to live with a family of a famous knight and learned about horses.
Then he became a knight’s personal assistant, or squire. He took care of the knight’s battle gear, and learned how to handle weapons. If he did well he was made a knight through a special ceremony.

4. Medieval Britain Peasants: blacksmiths, miller, carpenters…(90%)
They sold their goods to other peasants. Part was going to their landlords and pay church tithes (1/10)
Slaves
In 1087 William the Conqueror died:
He had three sons: Robert, William (king
Of England until 1100) and Henry I

5. Medieval Britain In 1154 Henry II
French was the language of government but the subjects spoke English.
During the Middle Ages almost everyone belonged to the Catholic church
Thomas Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church in England.
He stood in Henry’s way. Henry was exasperated and in 1170 four knights murdered him. He was delcared a saint by the Pope. Henry walked to Canterbury to visit his tomb and that won him forgiveness.

6. Medieval Britain Pilgrimage
Pilgrims visited churches and holy places were saints were buried, or where holy objects called relics were kept.
Learning was associated with the Church. First schools to educate monks and priests

7. Medieval Britain The Plague
In the late 1340s, a terrible swept out of Asia into Europe. It arrived in Britain in People died within 48 hours. It died down in 1349 and it killed more than a third of the population.

8. Medieval Britain Chaucer was born in 1340
Up to this time, most writing had been in
Latin, which only a few educated people
But now writers all across Europe
were starting to compose works in
their own languages.
Chaucer’s most famours poem, The Canterbury Tales
describes his journey with a rowdy group of pilgrims to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral