1. The Medieval Period

2. William the Conqueror Brings French customs to Britain
Feudalism: political and economic system in which the hierarchy of power was based on the premise that the king owned all the land in the kingdom
William claimed ¼; gave ¼ to the church; parceled rest to loyal nobles
Nobles repaid William with warriors call “knights”

3. The System Barons swear allegiance to king
Knights swear allegiance to barons
Continues down social ladder
Bottom are conquered Anglo-Saxons
Serfs- bound to land they could never own

4. Lord’s Rights
All land besides what was owned by the king and the church was owned by a lord
Towns formed on those lands had to follow the laws and pay the taxes that the lord imposed

5. The Language Spoke dialect of old French
Norman French became the language of the English court, government business, and new nobility (also the people the scholars, cooks, and crafts people they brought with them)
English became language of the conquered peasants

6. Middle English
English soon incorporated thousands of words and many grammatical conventions from Norman French
These additions created Middle English (much closer to what we speak today than Old English)

7. Women’s Roles
Social position depended on that of her husband or father
A woman and her property were always under custody of a man
Should a husband be absent from home, the woman controlled the household and property
Primary occupation=running their household
Activities included: spinning, weaving and sewing

8. Architecture
Barons encouraged to build large castles to ward off attacks
Great cathedrals and abbeys built on new church lands

9. Battle Abbey (Hastings)

10. Durham Cathedral

11. Peterborough Cathedral

12. Winchester Cathedral

13. Alnwick Castle

14. Warkworth Castle

15. After William Power struggles among barons
William’s son Henry I takes over
Upon his death barons divide over Henry’s daughter Matilda and his Nephew Stephen
In 1154 Matilda’s son Henry Plantagenet (Henry II) takes throne

16. Henry II One of Medieval England’s most memorable rulers
Reformed judicial system
Established royal courts
Established a system of juries
- HIS WIFE!!! Eleanor of Aquitaine

17. Eleanor Former French queen Dowry included large French landholdings
Locked in a tower by her husband for siding with her sons against him
From French court brought ideals of :
Chivalry
Code of honor which governed knightly behavior
Honor and protect ladies
Go on holy quests

18. Sons of Henry II Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted)
Spent much of 10 year reign fighting in the Crusades in France
John (his brother) plotted against him
while he was away
Becomes king upon Richard’s death

19. The Crusades
Christian response to the expansion of Islam

20. John’s Influence
Upon ascending the throne finds the royal treasury bankrupt from overseas warfare
1215 signs the Magna Carta
“Great Charter”
Limits royal authority by granting more power to the barons
John’s son Henry III sees the start of an advisory council of Barons (parliament)

21. Edward I Henry III’s successor
Establishes the inclusion of commoners (“House of commons”) as well as the barons (“House of Lords”) in the council
All earliest steps toward democracy

22. Decline of Feudalism Commoners grow in power along with towns
Merchants and craftspeople form “guilds” to control the flow and price of goods
Also set up rules for advancing from apprentice to master craftsman
Wealth no longer based exclusively on land ownership

23. Other effects of towns
Crowding of people in towns results in spreading of diseases
Center’s for learning
Oxford University

24. The Hundred Years’ War Begins in 1337 between France and Britain
Rough time; despite war had many hardships at home (Plague killing 1/3 of population)
Peasant’s revolt of 1381

25. The War of Roses Fight for throne between: House of York (white rose)
House of Lancaster (red rose)
Ends with Lancastrian Henry Tudor killing Yorkist King Richard III.
THIS EVENT MARKS THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES.