1. The Middle Ages
( )

2. The Middle Ages began in 1066 with the Norman Invasion.
The Normans were originally Viking raiders who had settled on the coast of France.
William, Duke of Normandy, led Norman and French troops across the English Channel to fight for the English throne.

3. Battle of Hastings
William defeated King Harold of England at the Battle of Hastings.
At Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, William “the Conqueror” took the throne of England as King William I.

5. Feudalism King William I introduced Feudalism to England.
The King owned all the land
w/1/4 going to the
Catholic Church.
It was a hierarchy
King
Nobles /barons
Knights
Serfs/peasants

6. Feudalism Feudalism was an exchange of property for personal service.
The Lord granted property to the vassel.
Knights – professional soldiers – received small parcels of land called manors.
Serfs/peasants -- the lowest class – worked on the manors

7. Feudalism
Barons were encouraged to build strong castles to dominate the countryside and defend their realm from attack.

8. Feudalism Great cathedrals and abbeys were built on the new
church lands.

9. Chivalry
A code of honor intended to govern knightly behavior.

10. Chivalry Loyalty and valor on and off the battlefield
Pledge to serve and protect ladies
Go on holy quests – Crusades
French Poets – troubadours
popularized this tradition in songs
of gallant knights
King Arthur – Celts told stories of
this great hero
His tales are considered legend

11. Crusades
Military expeditions in which European Christians attempted to regain the holy city of Jerusalem from Muslim control.

12. LANGUAGE Latin – the language of the Church
French – government and education
Both of these languages contributed to Middle English

13. Language
The Norman Invasion caused the English language to change from its Anglo-Saxon (Old English)form to Middle English.

14. EDUCATION
Universities became the chief centers of learning; scholars flocked to these religious communities
Oxford – first English University
Cambridge

15. Great Plague 1314- First introduction of this pandemic
Peaked during the years 1348 and 1350
The Great Plague known, also as the Black Death, killed 1/3 of the population in Europe.

16. King Henry and the Church
Catholic church was growing in power; it dictated even the smallest details of an individual’s life.
A misunderstanding took place between Henry II and his guards, resulting in the unintended death of Thomas A’Becket.

17. Thomas A’Becket was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury
Becket made an appeal to the Pope
Followers of Henry II killed Thomas A’Becket in his cathedral

18. Henry II condemned the crime; he made a personal pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb.

19. Major Invention 1454 – Johann Guttenberg invented the printing press
The first book to be printed on this printing press was the BIBLE

20. Later…in England…
In 1476 William Caxton set up the first movable-type press in England.
He did NOT invent the printing press but was the first to use it in England.
THE CANTERBURY TALES was the first work to be printed on Caxton’s printing press.
The CANTERBURY TALES was the first work to be printed in Middle English

21. The Middle Ages ended in England in 1485 with the War of the Roses.

23. GEOFREY CHAUCER
Chaucer is considered the 2nd greatest English writer; Shakespeare is considered the first.

26. Chaucer is the first person to be buried in the “Poet’s Corner” of Westminster Abbey.