The Middle Ages The Tales They Told 1066-1485
Norman F. Cantor “The medieval world we know was far from perfect. Life expectancy was short, and disease was mostly incontestable. It was a world burdened by royal autocracy and social hierarchy inherited from ancient times. Its piety and devotion were affected by fanaticism and a potential for persecution. Its intellectuals were given to too abstract and not enough practical thinking. But it exhibited as elevated a culture, as peaceful community, as benign a political system, as high-minded and popular a faith as the world has ever seen.”
Timeline p. 90-91 While you look at the timeline answer these questions: What are some of the major literary accomplishments during this time? What were some of the conflicts during this time? (war, invasions. Etc.)
Political and Social Milestones Norman Conquest Crowned Kind of England on Christmas Day in 1066 Had to deal with numerous rebellions from the Saxons Made everyone pledge loyalty to him instead of their immediate superiors: feudal system Age of Feudalism Everyone was assigned a position at birth Peasant answers to farmer who answers to knight who answers to lord who answers to baron who answers to king who answers to God Decline of Feudalism English people were introduced to other influences Trade created a merchant class People used their skills to make money
Read over p. 94-107 Answer the following questions while you read: What effects did the Norman invasion have in the way English were governed? What were the main features of feudalism? How did feudalism change the social structure of Anglo-Saxon England? What developments in the 14th and 15th centuries began to undermine the feudal system?
The Norman Influence and William the Conqueror Claimed that King Edward offered him the throne so he went to take it Normans brought administrative ability, law and order, and cultural unity William had an inventory of every piece of property in England Feudal system Not like the Romans, the Normans never withdrew from England
Feudalism Caste system, property system, and military system God as supreme Lord Knights in shining armor=loyalty Manners and formality
Women No rights, no voice Husband or father determined social standing
Chivalry and Courtly Love Chivalry: system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentle women Courtly love: being inspired by a woman but the woman always remained pure and out of reach
New City Classes Population increase required expansion from castle New classes formed: lower, middle, and upper People were free, not tied down by land or chivalry Affected art and literature
The Great Happenings Crusades (1095-1270): holy wars where Christians fought against Muslims Thomas Becket (1170): took the pope’s side and four knights of Henry II murdered him in the cathedral—considered a martyr
The Great Happenings Continued Magna Carta (1215): signed to restore democratic tendencies—basis for English Constitutional law The Hundred Years War (1337-1453): First national war of England on France—Based on weak claims to the throne of France
The Great Happenings Continued The Black Death (1348-1349): bubonic plague—highly contagious spread by fleas of rats; reduced the nation’s population by 1/3