Download Medieval Period Lecture Outline—1066 to 1485

Medieval Period Lecture Outline—1066 to 1485
With the Conquest of William the Conqueror, England entered the Medieval Period.
Historical Context
A. Monarchy
1. William the Conqueror—from France/Normandy
 Brought law & order to England/Anglo-Saxons—1066
 He was very well-organized
 Anglo Saxons became serfs
 William the Conqueror introduced “divine right”—a king has the right to rule because God chose
him.
2. Doomsday Book:
 Tax record of everything that William the Conqueror owned
 Also a source of resentment in England because all that stuff belonged to the Anglo-Saxons
3. Magna Carta:
 “Great Charter”—signed in 1215
 Limited the king’s power
 Gives nobles more rights
 King can’t raise taxes except in cases of war.
B. War and Plague: Both were a constant part of English life
1. Hundred Year’s War (1337-1453)
 Started by Edward III because they were fighting over a region in France called Guienne.
 England lost all French possessions.
2. Black Death
 Killed 1/3 of England’s population
 Allowed for upward mobility
 Serfs started filling in as workers
3. Wars of the Roses (1455-1485)
 Fighting for the throne
i. House of York (white rose)
ii. House of Lancaster (red rose)
 Settled with Lancastrian family (Henry Tudor) took the throne in 1485
 This also marks the end of the Middle Ages/Medieval Era
Cultural Influences: Medieval literature is best understood in the context of three powerful influences on
Medieval society:
A. Feudal System: form of government introduced by William the Conqueror
Feudalism:
 Lasted about 300 to 400 years
 Political & economic system that is based on the idea that the king owned everything
o King owned ¼ of land
o Church owned ¼
o Rest of the land ½ divided amongst nobles
 King→Barons→Knights→Serfs
B. The Power of the Church:
 Catholic church didn’t fit in the feudal system
o It was its own separate institution
 Could levy taxes
 Make its own laws
 Hold its own court
 Had power over the king and nobles because they had the threat of ex-communication
 Church owned the most land of anyone
C. Chivalry and Courtly Love:
 Chivalry
o Concept brought from France by Henry II’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine
 Henry II
 Part of the Pantagenant Family
 Reformed judicial system
 Set up royal courts
 Set up juries
 Established English common law
 Eleanor wrote “The Art of Love”
o It is a code of conduct for knightly behavior
o Knights are suppose to be:
 Generous
 Brave
 Honest
 Honorable
 Pious—live a life devoted to God
 Defend the weak
o Knights also went on quests called the Crusades
 Courtly Love
o Where men and women gather to talk about relationships
Literature of the Times: Reflects the society and ideals of their time
Geoffrey Chaucer: (1340?-1400) “FATHER OF ENGLISH LITERATURE”
1. Historians estimate that he was born in the year 1340
 He was very well educated
 Diplomat and writer
 He made English language respectable
 He came from an upper-middle class family
2. Death
 Monarch buried him at Westminster Abbey
o Huge honor because a lot of other poets like William Shakespeare and John Milton are
also buried there
o Buried in a place called “Poet’s Corner”
3. Chaucer hated the fact that priest/monks/the Church to rich because they accepted money from the
rich to pardon or absolve them from their sins/indulgences
4. He wrote The Canterbury Tales as a satire against the Church
The Canterbury Tales:
1. Chaucer’s most well-known piece
2. Shows his ability to be a good storyteller→sharp eye for detail
3. Gives you an idea of his sense of humor
4. Frame tale/narrative [story within a story]
5. About pilgrims who take a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury (hence the
title)
 Pilgrimage—a journey that an individual takes
 Becket—Murdered by Henry II and the Church
o Made him a saint, so he became a martyr
 Martyr—someone who dies for their religious beliefs
o Built a shrine for him at Canterbury
6. Died before he could complete 30 tales—only finished 24 tales
7. Clothing/appearance tells the character’s personality or character trait
Satire
 A piece of literature that makes fun of something to evoke change.