1. The Middle Ages
Lit Book pg.74

2. How and when did the Middle Ages start?
The Normans brought administration, emphasis on law, and cultural unity
The conquest combined Norman and Anglo-Saxon cultural elements
Old English (AS) + French (Normans) + Latin (Church) = Middle English
The Domesday Book: a complete inventory of all land, cattle, and buildings for the purpose of accurate taxes
Ouch.

3. Feudalism and Knighthood
The Normans brought in a new social hierarchy called feudalism. It incorporated three systems:
Caste system (who was where, socially)
Property system (who owned what)
Religious system (who had what church power)
God was overlord; monarchs derived their power/authority from God (“divine right”); a king was born a king because God chose that person to rule
The primary duty of males above serf status was military service (knighthood):
Strict training (usually fostered in another lord’s home)
Once knighted, he gained the title of "sir" and full rights of his status
Chivalry: a code of conduct/manners for knights derived from this system:
A knight’s first duty was to defend lord, king, and Christ
A knight would treat women respectfully
A knight was brave and honorable (ie, he did not attack an unarmed opponent)
A drawback of the feudal system? Any system based around militarism and wealth meant that greed could easily lead to violence (corrupt vassals/lords)

4. The Feudal Pyramid GOD The POPE The KING NOBLES/VASSALS KNIGHTS
POWER
POPULATION
GOD
The POPE
The KING
NOBLES/VASSALS
KNIGHTS
MERCHANTS/
TOWNSFOLK
SERFS

5. Women in Medieval Society
Did women in the Middle Ages have any rights?
No. They had no political rights (couldn’t be soldiers)
A woman’s status was determined by the men in her life (father, brother, husband); she was subservient to them
A woman’s worth was measured by the value of land she would bring to new husband
The lives of peasant women consisted of child bearing, house work, field work, and usually death before age 40

6. Chivalry & Courtly Love
Some rules/benefits to chivalry involved a knight adoring particular lady: Winning her favor meant self-improvement; acting in her name made a knight braver
Courtly love
a knight adhered to a particular lady (usually not his wife)
wore her colors in battle/tournaments, glorified her in words.
However, the lady was always out of reach, set above her admirer (built-in drama for story tellers).
Courtly love was never physical.
Chivalry brought about an idealized attitude towards women (romance literature)

7. King Arthur
Who was he?
Son of the previous king raised in obscurity
Tutored by the wizard Merlin
Pulled a sword from the stone
Ruled the kingdom of Camelot
Knights of the Round Table known for great deeds (quest for the the Holy Grail)
Embodies the ideals of English society in any time period (especially this one…Epic Hero):
Strong, fair ruler
Promoter of bravery and equality
Advocate of chivalry and courtly love
Kingdom fell apart because the rules of courtly love were violated (Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere)

8. Towns and Cities: Out from Under the Overlords
Medieval society originally centered around the feudal castle, but as populations grew, people shifted to growing towns and cities
This made the feudal system obsolete since towns/cities allowed people to be free and independent of a feudal lord in the isolated countryside
The city classes:
Lower
Middle
Upper-middle
Merchant class
The “people’s art”: Freedom from feudal lords led to free expression in the songs, ballads, plays of ordinary people

9. Big Events in the Middle Ages!
The Crusades ( ):
A series of holy wars waged between European Christians and Middle Eastern Muslims over rights to Jerusalem and Holy Land
Europeans benefitted from contact with the Middle East through mathematics, astronomy, architecture, crafts
Murder of Thomas Becket (1170):
Friend of King Henry II, who appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury
Sometimes sided with the Pope over the King, angering his friend
Murdered by some of the king’s knights (later made a saint)
After Becket’s murder, king and state had less authority/involvement with church affairs, so bishops became corrupt with free reign

10. Big Events in the Middle Ages!
The Magna Carta (1215):
Signed by King John
Heralded a return to older, democratic tendencies
Leaders were uncomfortable with too much central power
Ensured that all free men have rights of due process and trial by their peers
Led to current laws like trial by jury and legislative taxation
The Black Death (1300s, recurring)
Known simply as The Plague
Spread by fleas from infected rats
1/3 of all of England died
So many deaths created a labor shortage. Serfs’ status rose, ending the feudal system
The End of the Middle Ages:
The collapse of feudal system
The rise of the Tudor Family (1485)
The Renaissance (to be continued….)
Look how happy King John is!
Spread of the Plague