Introduction to the Middle Ages 1066-1485

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Introduction to the Middle Ages 1066-1485
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Medieval Period 1066-1485 AD

• Decay of Roman Empirebeginning of Middle Ages
• Roman empire split into two empires
• Western ruled from Rome
• Eastern ruled from Constantinople.
• Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxons) began to invade
  and set up individual kingdoms throughout the
  Western empire, ending Roman rule.
• Introduced the feudal system

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William the Conqueror

• Invaded from Normandy in 1066
• Changes England through
• A new language (French)
• A new social system (Feudalism)

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Feudal System
King receives Divine Right from GOD!
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Knights in Shining Armor

• From mail shirts to a suit of armor

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Knights in Shining Armor

• Change came about as a result of the crossbow
• Some armor suits weighed upwards of 120 pounds
• Small slits in the helmets limited vision and
  ventilation
• Heatstroke, suffocation, and
• drowning
• Upside-down turtles

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Code of Chivalry

• Idealistic code of honor followed by knights
• Values
• Loyalty (to God, King/Lord, and country)
• Brotherhood
• Bravery
• Duty and Honor
• Virtue

• Must follow rules of courtly love when looking
  for a wife

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Courtly Love

• Combination of physical and spiritual desire
• Object of love
• Love is war
• Cupids arrows
• Object as fortress

• Love is a sickness.

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How to be a Courtly Man

• Be courteous and polite.
• Be mildly flirtatious
• Put your beloved on a pedestal.
• Show emotions through acts of strength and
  bravery.
• Do not love someone from below your social class.

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How to be a Courtly Woman

• Remain coy and aloof
• Resist advances
• Follow courtly manners and behavior
• Give tokens of affection

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Role of Women

• No political rights
• Subservient to men
• Mostly uneducated
• But
• Gained power through courtly love tradition
• Could have power as a merchant, healer, Church
  leader (nun), or wife of an important man
• Managed estates while husbands were at war
• After marriage, her land became his land

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Peasants

• Paid taxes (tithes) to church
• Obeyed lord who owned land
• Followed Church leaders in everything
• nasty, brutish, and short lives

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Population

• Due to rise in commerce, population grew in
  cities
• Growth in middle class
• More merchants and artisans
• More money for art and education
• Less power for landowners!

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Christianity

• Many kingdoms adopted the Roman religion,
  Christianity (Roman Catholicism).
• Adopted the language of the church Latin
• Romance languages descend from Latin and Germanic
  dialects.

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The Power of the Church

• Centers of communities
• Church officials were civic leaders
• Heresy having ideas different from church
  doctrine

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The Crusades1095-1270

• Moors (Muslims) had the Middle East in a
  stronghold.
• Leaders in Europe felt the need to protect the
  Holy Land and keep it under Christian rule.

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Pope Urbans Speech

• Pope Urban II preached a sermon in France that
  inspired European knights to join a crusade to
  win back the Holy Lands.

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The Crusades

• Pros
• Allowed crusaders to bring new spices, textiles
  and products back to Europe.
• Inspired commerce
• Created new social class merchant class

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The Crusades

• Cons
• Failed to maintain European rule over the Holy
  Land

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Catholicism vs. Nationalism

• Nationalist feelings began to fuel tension
  between various kingdoms and the Catholic church.
• Heresy resulted in punishment

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The Magna Cartasigned in 1215

• Power to (some of) the people
• Heralded a return to older, democratic tendencies
  in England
• Became the basis of English constitutional law
• Trial by jury

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The Hundred Years War1337-1453

• England vs. France
• King Edward III and King Henry V try to claim the
  French throne
• Invention of the long bow
• Green-clad yeoman take the place of knights in
  shining armor in battle

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The Bubonic PLAGUE

• 1348
• Highly contagious spread by fleas from infected
  rats
• Reduced population of Europe by one-third
• Mostly poorest people
• Caused a labor shortage
• Peasants compete for wages
• Get more money
• Get more power!
• Apocalyptic

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Literature of the Middle Ages

• Romances
• Adventure stories of kings, knights, damsels
• Quests and battles

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Literature of the Middle Ages

• Medieval Epics
• Originated in the great halls of the Germanic
  tribes and focused on ideas such as loyalty and
  valor, which bound societies together.
• Defined and expressed character of a people.

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Literature of the Middle Ages

• Medieval Epics
• Based on historical events but prized adventure
  more than accuracy.
• Were performed long before they were written down.

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Literature of the Middle Ages

• Medieval Epics
• Exemplified feudal values
• Title and rank
• Military prowess
• Loyalty
• Honor