1. The Middle Ages

2. Feudalism Class hierarchy – social and economic ranking King
Lords –given land from King; supplied knights
Serfs—farmed on Lords’ land

3. Code central to medieval social values
Chivalry
Code central to medieval social values

4. New Language French—used by nobility and courts
Latin—for church, business, and scholarship

5. New Language English—for the common people
Middle English emerges as the new language

6. The Crusades 1095-1270—Roman Catholic Church
Military expeditions to the Middle East
Wanted Jerusalem and the Holy Land
Ultimately, failed to win these lands

7. Church vs. State (1162)
Sir Thomas a Becket named Archbishop of Canterbury
Becket opposed the king’s attempts to control the Roman Catholic Church
Henry II had 4 knights kill Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
Becket is canonized as a saint

8. The 100 Years’ War 1337-1453— series of France vs. England wars
France was victorious
Allowed England to break completely from France

9. The Black Death (1348) Bubonic plague
Infected fleas carried by rodents
Swelling, high fever, and body aches (die in about 5 days)
Kills 1/3 of England’s people

10. Labor shortage Laboring class can now demand higher wages
Move to the cities
Breaking down the feudal system

11. The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer’s masterpiece
1st writer to use English in a major literary work
Provides a cross section of society during the 1300s
17,000 lines of vivid poetry

12. The Canterbury Tales 29 pilgrims
Frame tale—story that provides a vehicle for telling other stories
29 pilgrims
Feudal system
Religious life
Trades/Professions

13. Pilgrimage: the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury
The Canterbury Tales
Pilgrimage: the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury