The Medieval Time Period

1
The Medieval Time Period
2
Historical Background

• 1066 Normans gained control of England
• Normans (North Men) were originally the Vikings
• Settled into Normandy, adopting French ways

3
William Duke of Normandy

• Most significant contribution was Feudalism
• William also ordered first comprehensive land
  survey called The Doomsday Book

4
Feudalism

• Political and economic system of government
  established by William
• Based on hierarchy
• King is at top...owns all the land
• King kept a forth of the land for himself, gave a
  fourth to the church
• Rest went to noblemen, mostly noble loyal Norman
  barons

5
Feudalism

• Noblemen swore an allegiance to the king and
  supplied him with knights to protect the kingdom
• The knights swore an allegiance to the barons

6
Feudalism

• At the bottom of the system were the conquered
  Anglo-Saxons, now known as serfs/peasants
• Serfs were indebted to the barons... worked the
  land
• Everyone was directly/indirectly
  responsible/loyal to the Kings

7
Role of Women

• Position of a woman depended on that of her
  husband or father
• A woman and her property were always under the
  custody of a man

8
Role of Women

• If widowed, her eldest son would be in charge or
  her husband's overlord
• Held the same rank as her husband
• If husband absent at war, woman in charge of land

9
Role of Women

• Primary job was homemaker
• Common duties included sewing and spinning

10
Death of William

• After William died, he appointed Henry I
• When Henry I died, anarchy in England (1135)?

11
Death of William

• Eventually, Matilda (Henry's daughter) and
  Stephen (Henry's nephew) were battling for
  control.
• The battle continued for years, but in the end,
  Matilda's son took over and became Henry II.

12
Henry II

• Established juries, English common law, and royal
  courts
• Famous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (former French
  queen who owned vast land)?

13
Eleanor of Aquitaine

• Eleanor brought the idea of chivalry
• Henry II and Eleanor parented the legendary king,
  Richard the Lionheart

14
Code of Chivalry

• Code was based on four element
• Piety
• Loyalty
• Bravery
• Strength
• Code encouraged knights/men to honor and protect
  ladies
• Holy quests (Crusades)?

15
The Crusades

• 1096-1270
• Eight major crusades
• Christians attempting to reclaim Jerusalem from
  Turkish rule

16
The Crusades Richard the Lionheart

• Established leadership of the Roman Catholic
  Church
• Richard the Lionheart spent several years
  fighting in France

17
The Crusades

• Knights originally took part in The Crusades as a
  testament of their piety, but later it was for
  personal gain
• Crusades fostered the development of money economy

18
Prince John

• While Richard was away, his brother, John (the
  villain in Robin Hood legends) plotted against
  him.
• When Richard died, John became king.

19
Magna Carta

• Because of The Crusades, the royal treasury was
  empty.
• John signed The Magna Carta (Great Charter) which
  limited royal authority and granted more power to
  the barons.

20
Henry III/Edward I

• Under John's son, Henry III, an advisory council
  of barons was formed called Parliament.
• Under Edward I, commoners were allowed to
  participate in Parliament, introducing the House
  of Commons and the House of Lords (still in
  existence today in modern Britain).

21
The House of Commons
22
Decline of Feudalism

• Due to the House of Commons, growth of medieval
  towns resulted in an increased trade that was
  stimulated in part by The Crusades.

23
Decline of Feudalism

• Merchants and craftspeople formed guilds
• Controlled the flow and price of goods
• Apprentice to master
• Wealth no longer was based solely on land
  ownership

24
Decline of Feudalism

• Commerce centers
• University learning
• Oxford University
• Advanced study of science and math
• Effort to end church corruption
• Ideas spread to Europe (Martin Luther)?

25
The Hundred Years' War

• The church reform efforts took place during a
  struggle between England and France, known as The
  Hundred Years' War.
• This happened during the reign of Edward III.

26
The Hundred Years' War

• Lasted over a century
• Several domestic crises
• Black Death, 1348
• Peasant's Revolt, 1381
• Richard II's forced abdication (which brought
  Henry IV the throne), 1399

27
The Hundred Years' War

• Victories
• Henry V's victory over the French at Agincourt
• French army lifting siege over Orleans (Joan of
  Arc)?
• Ended in 1453
• England had lost nearly all its French possessions

28
War of the Roses

• Two families vied for the throne at the end of
  The Hundred Years' War
• House of York (white rose)?
• House of Lancaster (red rose)?
• Ended in 1485
• Henry Tudor (L) killed King Richard III (Y)?
• Henry Tudor began Henry VII