1. The Middle Ages

2. Timeline Old English (450-1066) Middle English (1066-1485)
Anglo-Saxon
Beowulf
Middle English ( )
Norman Conquest
The Canterbury Tales
The Renaissance ( )
Shakespeare

3. Middle English-Norman Conquest
Duke William of Normandy, France defeated & killed King Harold of England (last of Anglo-Saxon kings)
VS.
King Harold
Duke William

4. Middle English (cont’d)
Radically affected English history, character, and language
Added French or Norman to Anglo-Saxon English
More democratic & artistic
More emphasis on law & order & cultural unity

5. Feudalism Replaced old Nordic social structure from Beowulf
Resulted from Norman conquest
Is a caste, property, and military system that is based on a religious concept of hierarchy with God as supreme overlord (pyramid power)

6. Feudalism (cont’d) Bound to person above him Castes Kings Nobles
Knights
Serfs & Peasants
Bound to person above him

7. Knighthood
Primary duty of males above serf class was military service to their lords (trained at early ages to be warriors)
Then “dubbed” (ceremonially tapped on shoulder) as a Knight (title= “sir”)

8. Knighthood Chivalry- social code of conduct Loyalty to overlord
Rules of warfare (never attack unarmed opp.)
Adoring a particular lady
Made knight braver & better (courtly love)
Courtly love in ideal form (nonsexual)
Knight wore lady’s colors in battle to be inspired by her
Brought about idealized attitude toward women

9. Women- No Voice, No Choice
No political rights
Subservient to a man (husband, father, brother)
Social standing from husband or father = respect
Peasants= childbearing & housework Nobles= childbearing & household supervision

10. New City Classes
As population grew, people moved into towns & cities (not feudal system)
Development of city classes
Upper-middle
Middle
Lower

11. Great Happenings
The Crusades – series of wars waged by European Christians against Muslims. (prize=Jerusalem) result = rich, varied life
Martyrdom of Thomas á Beckett – was assassinated because he sided with the pope against the king; resulted in weak govt.

12. Great Happenings (cont’d)
The Magna Carta – document that gave democratic power to (some of ) the people. Result = basis for English constitutional law
The Hundred Years War – war between England and France; resulted in yeoman (small land owners) replacing knight as icon

13. Great Happenings
The Black Death – bubonic plague spread by rats; killed 1/3 of population of England; result = labor shortage, so serfs gained freedom and feudalism ended.