The Middle Ages

1
The Middle Ages

• 1066-1485

2
Norman Invasion

• Battle of Hastings
• Duke William of Normandy, William the Conqueror
  defeats King Harold of England
• Start of the Medieval Period

3
Norman Influence

• Emphasis on law and order
• Cultural unity
• Inventory of land
• Doomsday Book
• Taxes based on what people owned

4
William the Conqueror

• Provided order
• Merciless soldier
• Efficient ruler and administrator
• Able to conquer entire country
• Ruled for twenty-one years

5
History of the Normans

• The Normans
• Descended from the Vikings
• Seized and remained in northwestern France
  (Normandy)
• Adopted many French customs

6
THE NORMAN CONQUEST

• The Fusing of the Norman and Anglo-Saxon Cultures
• Neither dominant
• Anglo-Saxons adapted to the Norman ways
• Realized they could raise their place in society
  through the Church or through the court
• Began to mingle with the Norman overlords

7
THE NORMAN CONQUEST

• Thomas Becket
• Henry IIs Lord Chancellor
• Archbishop of Canterbury
• Defended the claims of the Church against the
  interests of the King
• Murdered by several of Henrys knights
• Became a saint of the Church and a hero of the
  people

8
LAND THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

• William took land of fallen English -had a great
  deal of land at his disposal
• Retained much for himself
• Divided rest to his followers
• Felt he was free to deed land due to conquest
  (royal charter)
• Expected obedience and service in return
• Introduced into England the feudal system

9
LAND THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

• The Doomesday (Doomsday) Book
• 1086 by William
• Disputes over vague property lines
• Complete inventory of all property
• Listed all landowners and showed the extent of
  their claims
• Taxes could now be based on real property
• Previously, there had been a uniformed tax for all

10
The Medieval Church

• 11th-15th Century people of Western Europe
  belonged to one society with common beliefs and
  culture
• Latin became the language of educated people
• Everyone was responsible to the church,
  regardless of standing or where they resided
• Main force in preserving and conveying the
  culture

11
Medieval Life

• Knights
• Important and respected position
• Chivalry
• Code of conduct
• First obligation to defend the king and Christian
  faith
• Also treatment of women and help others- how to
  behave
• Courtly love

12
Medieval Life

• People move to towns and cities
• Began a merchant class
• Focus on herding not farming
• Gave the people actual wages
• Formed the guilds
• System of workers regulating wages and prices
• Fair to all in the profession
• Created and extended family
• Stonecutters, masons, carpenters, glass blowers

13
MEDIEVAL LIFE

• Life in the Middle Ages was difficult and
  challenging
• The difficulty of life was balanced with
  religious festivals, magnificent tournaments, and
  brilliant pageantry

14
English Law

• William the Conqueror instituted written public
  documents for most government actions
• Common Law
• Refers to law common to the whole country and all
  its people, instead of laws applying only to
  certain classes of persons

15
ENGLISH LAW

• Ordeals
• Innocence or guilt was settled by tasks
• In 1215, Pope Innocent III declared that the
  ordeal system was irrational
• Jury system

16
The Crusades

• 1095-1270
• Series of holy wars waged by European Christians
  against the Muslims
• Pope Urban II began Crusades
• Goal was to conquer Jerusalem

17
The Hundred Years War

• 1337-1453
• First national war waged by England against
  France
• Claims to the throne Edward III and Henry V
• Focus away from the knight and on the yeoman
• Small land owner
• Yard-long arrows

18
The Black Death

• 1348-1349
• Contagious - spread by fleas
• Reduced population by a third
• Shortage of labor
• Gave lower classes more power against their
  overlords
• Serfs gained freedom and ended Feudalism

19
MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

• Romance
• Tales of chivalry with a love interest and all
  sorts of wonders and marvels
• Fairy enchantments
• Giants
• Dragons
• Wizards
• Sorceresses

20
MEDIEVAL LITERATUREThree Principal Sources

• Britain
• King Arthur and his knights
• Based on Celtic folklore
• Almost no historical basis
• Illustrate chivalric ideals of honor, courage,
  courtesy, and service to women

21
MEDIEVAL LITERATUREThree Principal Sources

• France
• The Court of Charlemagne

22
MEDIEVAL LITERATUREThree Principal Sources

• Rome
• Classical stories such as the conquest of Troy

23
FOLK POETRY AND DRAMA

• Drama
• Originated in Middle Ages
• Miracle Plays
• Performed by guilds during holidays celebrating
  religious festivals
• Rough dramatizations of Biblical stories

24
FOLK POETRY AND DRAMA

• Drama (cont.)
• Morality Plays
• Took the place of miracle plays toward the end of
  the Middle Ages, during the dark and troubled
  times of the 15th century
• Elaborate dramatic allegories in which characters
  representing various virtues and vices confronted
  one another
• Most famous was Everyman