2. The Middle Ages A Time of Knights, Ladies, and Literature

3. The Battle of Hastings October 14, 1066 William Duke of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxon King Harold. This defeat radically changed English history and the English language. The French language became a strong influence on the English language.

4. William the Conqueror Claimed that the English throne had been promised to him Efficient and ruthless soldier Made French the official language of the king’s court and of the government Great administrative feat was an inventory of nearly every piece of property – land, cattle, buildings – recorded in the Domesday Book People could be taxed based on what they owned.

5. The Norman Influence Brought administrative ability Emphasis on law and order Encouraged cultural unity Brought England into mainstream European civilization Borrowed French words and incorporated them into the English language

6. Feudalism A pyramid system based on a social system. It also was a caste system, a property system, and a military system. The king appointed vassals and then allotted them portions of his land in exchange for their loyalty. Those vassals appointed vassals under them, who they required to take an oath of fealty, and so on. Serfs were landless peasants who were not free to leave the land they worked.

7. People of the Feudal System At the top of the pyramid is the king who held land as a vassal by “divine right.” Next were the barons who pledged allegiance to the king. The system worked its way down to the landless knights and serfs.

8. The Knights Expected to serve as warriors, males above the serf class were trained as knights. Primary duty - military service to their lords Knights lived by a code of chivalry that governed their conduct in all situations. Loyalty was the most important code of the knights

9. The knight carried an array of weapons: lance, dagger, sword, battle-ax, and club-headed mace. A suit of armor could weigh as much as 120 pounds. Battle during hot weather was extremely dangerous for the knight. Heatstroke, heart failure, suffocation, and even drowning were always a possibility. Only aristocratic knights could afford the cost of armor and the other trappings that were necessary. The knight and his horse were considered invulnerable. The invention of the longbow and later the musketball drastically changed medieval warfare, and the knight’s role became a courtly one instead of one of a combatant.

10. The Code of Chivalry A code of conduct A knight’s first obligation was to defend his lord, the king, and the Christian faith. The code also included how to treat a lady, how to help others, and how to resist the urge to run away if captured. The word chivalry comes from French and is related to cheval, the word for “horse.” Riding was an important skill for any knight.

11. Women: No Rights Women in the Middle Ages had no political rights. A woman’s social standing depended completely on her husband’s or father’s status. Even the Church viewed women as inferior to men.

12. For peasant women life was a ceaseless round of childbearing, housework, and hard fieldwork. Women of higher station were occupied with childbearing and household supervision. When the husband was away, the wife might manage the entire estate until his return. Chivalry brought about an idealized attitude towards women, but it did little to improve their actual position.

13. The New City Classes Development of city classes – lower, middle, and upper-middle Emerging merchant class had its own tastes in the arts plus the ability to pay for what it wanted (people’s art) Expression of their point of view (merchant class) of life was evident in the mystery and miracle plays

14. The Crusades A series of wars waged by Eastern Europeans against the Muslims with Jerusalem and the Holy Land as the prize. Exposed the Crusaders to a more sophisticated culture than they knew at home Introduced the Crusaders to new foods, spices, academics, and medical techniques Also, the Crusaders discovered that Arab universities were established before their European counterparts.

15. The Magna Carta In 1215, the English barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in an effort to curb the Church’s power. The signing was a defeat for central papal power. The document later became the basis for English constitutional law.

16. Important Events The Hundred Years’ War – England fought with France over the French throne. The English lost, but with this war came the yeoman (small landowner) being held as the ideal instead of the knight. This ideal led to a more democratic England.

17. Important Events The Black Death - The bubonic plague killed a third of the English population. It was spread by fleas from infected rats and was highly contagious. The plague caused a labor shortage and helped bring feudalism to an end.