1. Medieval Britain

2. Medieval Britain
Time span between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance is called the Middle Ages. 
The Middle Ages was a period of enormous historical, social, and linguistic change, despite the continuity of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Anglo-Saxon invaders, who began their conquest of southeastern Britain around 450, transcribed and transliterated works into Old English. 

3. Medieval Britain
Linguistic and cultural changes in Britain were accelerated by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, when words from French began to enter the English vocabulary.
Over the course of the Middle Ages, three mutually dependent estates developed.
Christian society was comprised of those who pray (the clergy), those who fight (the nobility), and those who work (the laborers).

4. Medieval Britain
The clergy see to it that the souls of all may be saved;
Laborers see to it that the bodies of all may be fed and clothed;
The nobility see to it that the other two estates may carry out their functions in peace and with justice.
Although the three estates were supposed to work together for the common good, their actual history is one of constant friction and conflict.

5. Medieval Britain Mutual hatred of the lower and higher estates.
Britain was largely Christian during the Roman occupation.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, peoples belonging primarily to three Germanic tribes invaded Britain: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes.
Christian missionaries were sent from Kent in southern England and from Ireland to consolidate religious control of Britain

6. Medieval Britain The conversion of the people was completed in 731.
Before the Christian conversion, there had been no books.
Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry was part of an oral tradition.
The Normans, an Anglo-Saxon tribe of Germanic ancestry whose name is a contraction of "Norsemen," conquered England in the Battle of Hastings.
They adopted the French language and Christian religion of the land.

7. Medieval Britain
Linguistic and cultural exchange characterized the period of a French-speaking ruling class in England.
Latin remained the "international" language of learning, theology, science, and history.

8. The Feudal System Definitions of the term "Feudalism"
The system of government based on the tenure of land.
The system of land tenure and of government in which the landholders are the governors.
The term "tenure" means the right of the person to hold the property.
This is not necessarily the ownership of the land. The person is allowed to live on the land in return for services.

9. The Feudal System
The structure of the feudal system was like a pyramid, where the king was at the top and the common people of the country were at the base.
In between the two were different kinds of lords whose position was defined by their social class.
There were the powerful barons near the top and the tenants-in-chief nearer the bottom.

10. The Feudal System
Each person in the pyramid was a vassal of the person above.
This meant that they swore loyalty to the person above them in return for the right to live on the land and have protection in times of crisis.
A form of the feudal system existed in Anglo-Saxon times even before the Norman Conquest.
Each area of land was administered by the earl who ensured laws were enforced.
The earl was given the full right to govern as he saw fit.

11. The Feudal System Norman Feudalism
When William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066 he introduced a new kind of feudal system into Britain.
William confiscated the land in England from the Saxon lords and allocated it to members of his own family and the Norman lords who had helped him conquer the country.
These people were known as tenants-in-chief.

12. The Feudal System Norman Feudalism
Unlike the older Anglo-Saxon form of feudalism these people did not own the land because the ownership remained with William the Conqueror himself.
The land allocated to a tenants-in-chief was known as a manor and tended to be dispersed across the country rather than being one big area.
The tenant-in-chief had to provide for himself and his family and to support a number of knights.

13. The Feudal System Norman Feudalism
To do this the lord sub-let his land to other lords lower on the social ladder.
At the bottom the common people worked on the land growing crops and raising animals.
The tenants-in-chief did not get the land for free, they rented it from the king in exchange for services. 
If the services were not provided the tenant-in-chief would be removed, by force if necessary.

14. The Feudal System Norman Feudalism
This was an important change to the older Anglo-Saxon form of feudalism as it meant William could keep control of his land as bad tenants could be removed.
The most important service a tenant-in-chief had to supply was a number of knights.
The king would request the knights in time of conflict or war. They could also be used for defending the king's many castles.

15. The Feudal System Norman Feudalism
The tenants-in-chief would have passed the request for knights on to their tenants and so on down the feudal structure.
Knights could be requested to serve the king for up to forty days at a time.
Religious houses were granted land in return for saying prayers for the lord's family members, caring for the sick and other general charitable functions.

16. The Feudal System Chivalry
Chivalry defined the way in which a knight was supposed to behave.
The knight was to show loyalty, morality and generosity.
The knight should always support his king or lord and be prepared to put his life on the line to protect him.
The knight should always do the right thing and should be prepared to provide his time and energies for free.

17. The Feudal System Chivalry
Chivalry is possibly best known for the courtly love between the knight and his lady.
Chivalry became so engrained in society that all the sons of the nobles either became members of the orders of knights or became members of the Church.
Boys at the age of seven were sent by their family to the home of a wealthy noble were the training would begin.

18. The Feudal System Chivalry
At the age of fourteen or fifteen the boy would become a squire, looking after the lord's armor and horses and possibly accompanying the lord into battle.
At the age of twenty-one he would then become a knight.
In a ceremony he would swear an oath of loyalty and bravery and to defend God, the church and ladies.
Kneeling before his lord, the lord would place his sword on his shoulder and declare him a knight.

19. Religious Life Importance of Religion
Religion was important for people in medieval times and was part of the daily for many of them.
Each village had a church and many monasteries were built all across Europe.
Kings, Queen and nobles of the time gave donations to the Church in exchange for blessings and for forgiveness for their wrong-doings.
The Church looked after the poor and the sick were taken care of in monasteries.

20. Religious Life Importance of Religion
Without books and the ability to read, preachers were the only source of information about God and the scriptures.
It was common for people to choose to dedicate their lives to the Church.
Saint Benedict (A.D. 500 ? A.D. 550), an Italian monk, devised a series of rules that had to be followed by his monks.

21. Religious Life These rules became known as the Benedictine Order.
The monks had to obey three vows:
poverty
chastity
obedience
This protected them from the deceits of the World, the lust of the flesh and the snares of the devil.

22. Religious Life
Saint Augustine introduced Christianity into southern England in 597 and he introduced the Benedictine Order to the country.
Augustine converted the Pagan king Ethelbert to Christianity.
Ethelbert gave Augustine an ancient building in Canterbury which had been a church belonging to earlier British Christians.
Augustine restored and rebuilt sections of the church and it became the centre of Christianity in Britain.

23. Religious Life Pilgrimage
Medieval people used pilgrimages to confirm their faith in their religion.
The most important pilgrimages for Christians were to visit Jerusalem and Rome.
Pilgrimage to shrines in England were also important, such as Canterbury.

24. Religious Life Pilgrimage
Miracles were reported to occur at the shrines of saints.
The sick were supposed to have been cured or the blind made to see again.
Having a shrine or relic was very important for a church because pilgrims would come and spend their money in and around the church and leave donations.