The Medieval Period

1066-1485

In the beginning…. The Normans invade England

in 1066. William the Conqueror takes the crown.

He brings Feudalism to England Feudalism: Political and

economic system in which the king owned all of the land in the kingdom

William gave ¼ of land to himself, ¼ to the church, and the rest to loyal nobles (barons)

Barons give William warriors called knights

Barons swear their allegiance to the king, knights swear their allegiance to the barons, etc.

Defeated Anglo-Saxons are reduced to serfs (peasants), bound to the land

Then… William’s successors were less organized

than he was, which resulted in barons fighting for land and power.

In 1154, Henry II takes over the crown

He is one of England’s most memorable rulers

Reformed the judicial system—instituted royal courts and initiated the formation of English Common Law.

His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought the Code of Chivalry with her from France.

Code of Chivalry

Code by which knights lived by

The ideal knight respected and defended the church, his king, his country, and stood up to injustice

The qualities of a knight included:

Faith, modesty, loyalty, courtesy, bravery and honor

To honor and respect women

To go on quests, like the Crusades

Successors Richard the Lion-Hearted

Fights in the Crusades

John (Richard’s brother)

Signs Magna Carta in 1215

Limits the funds royalty can spend and gives more authority into the hands of barons

John’s son, Henry III

Created an advisory council of barons that met regularly.

Edward I

Established the inclusion of commoners (House of Commons) as well as barons (House of Lords) in the council. (Parliament)

Decline of Feudalism Medieval towns begin to grow, which leads to a decline of

feudalism since wealth was no longer based on land ownership.

Commoners are now getting more and more power.

The flipside to this is that the growth of towns meant crowding and poor living conditions which resulted in disease.

Strife in England

Black Death killed one third of England’s population

1.5 million killed between 1348-1350

Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

Abdication of Richard II

Supporter of Chaucer (Canterbury Tales)

Wars of the Roses

Civil War between the House of Lancaster and the House of York over the rightful heir to the throne

Medieval Literature

Romance emerges – imaginative adventure story concerned with noble heroes, gallant love, chivalric code of honor, and daring deeds

Idealized world of castles, heroes, courtly love, and spells

This countered the real world of plagues, battles, and civil unrest

Religious faith was a vital element of the literature of the time period

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table become the medieval heroes

                                                                                                  

Author is anonymous Written c. 1400 in Middle

English (language spoken after the Norman invaston of 1066 thru 15th century)

Important because:Alliterative poetryEpic poemMedieval romance

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight