Download Medieval England

Medieval England
1066-1485
Bayeaux Tapestry
• The tapestry tells the story of
the Norman conquest of
England.
• The two combatants are the
Anglo-Saxon English, led by
Harold Godwinson, recently
crowned as King of England
(before that a powerful earl),
and the Normans, led by
William the Conqueror.
• The two sides can be
distinguished on the
tapestry by the customs of
the day. The Normans
shaved the back of their
heads, while the AngloSaxons had mustaches.
Bayeaux Tapestry
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A star with hair then appears: Halley's Comet. The first
appearance of the comet would have been 24 April,
nearly four months after Harold's coronation. Comets, in
the beliefs of the Middle Ages, warned of impending
doom.
The news of Harold's coronation is taken to Normandy,
where William then builds a fleet of ships. The invaders
reach England, and land unopposed.
The Battle of Hastings was fought on October 14, 1066.
The English fight on foot behind a shield wall, the
Normans are on mounted cavalry. The first to fall are
Harold's brothers.
Harold’s death is shown as the figure with the arrow in
his eye; but he could also be the figure just before with
a spear through his chest, the character just after with
his legs hacked off, or could indeed have suffered all
three fates.
The English then flee the field.
William the Conqueror
William I of England (1027– September 9, 1087),
better known as William the Conqueror, was
Duke of Normandy from 1035 and King of
England from 1066 to his death.
To claim the English crown, William invaded
England in 1066, leading an army of Normans to
victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold
Godwinson (who died in the conflict) at the Battle
of Hastings, known as the Norman Conquest.
His reign, which brought Norman culture to
England, had an enormous impact on the
subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages.
In addition to political changes, his reign also saw
changes to English law, a program of building and
fortification, changes to the vocabulary of the
English language, and the introduction of
continental European feudalism into England.
Reforms
In 1085, in order to ascertain the extent of his new
dominions and to improve taxation, William commissioned
all his counselors for the compilation of the Doomesday
Book, published in 1086.
The book was a survey of England's productive capacity
similar to a modern census. People were taxed according to
their property.
FEUDALISM
King William owns all the land and gives it to his loyal
followers
25% remains with the king
25% goes to the church
50% divided among the Barons – each receiving small parts
insuring the power of William
Classes: King – Barons – Knights – Peasants (Anglo-Saxons;
worked the land but did not own)
William also ordered the building of many castles, keeps,
and motes, among them the Tower of London.
• For safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed
small communities around a central lord or master.
• Lived on a manor, which consisted of the castle, the church,
the village, and the surrounding farm land.
• Manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers,
pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other
fiefdoms.
• In this "feudal" system, the king awarded land grants or "fiefs"
to his most important nobles, his barons, and his bishops, in
return for their contribution of soldiers for the king's armies.
• Lowest echelon of society were the peasants, also called
"serfs“. In exchange for living and working on his land, the lord
offered his peasants protection.
Peasant Life
• Peasant Life
Peasants worked the land and
produced the goods that the
lord and his manor needed.
• This exchange was not without
hardship for the serfs. They were
heavily taxed and were required
to relinquish much of what they
harvested.
• The peasants did not even
"belong to" themselves,
according to medieval law.
• The lords, in close association
with the church, assumed the
roles of judges in carrying out
the laws of the manor.
Role of Women
Women, whether they were nobles or peasants, held a
difficult position in society.
They were largely confined to household tasks such as
cooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving, and spinning.
They also hunted for food and fought in battles, learning
to use weapons to defend their homes and castles.
Some held other occupations. There were blacksmiths,
merchants, and apothecaries. Others were midwives,
worked in the fields, or were engaged in creative
endeavors such as writing, playing musical instruments,
dancing, and painting.
Some women were known as witches, capable of sorcery
and healing.
Others became nuns and devoted their lives to God and
spiritual matters. Famous women of the Middle Ages
include the writer Christine de Pisan; the abbess and
musician Hildegard of Bingen; and the patron of the arts
Eleanor of Aquitaine.
A French peasant's daughter, Joan of Arc, or St. Joan,
heard voices telling her to protect France against the
English invasion.
She dressed in armor and led her troops to victory in the
early fifteenth century.
"The Maid of Orleans" as she was known, was later
burned as a witch.
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Joan of Arc
Woman of Middle Ages
Religion
The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and
played leading roles in government.
Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from noble families, ruled over
groups of parishes called "diocese." Parish priests, on the other hand, came
from humbler backgrounds and often had little education.
The village priest tended to the sick and indigent and, if he was able, taught
Latin and the Bible to the youth of the village.
Pilgrimages
Pilgrimages were an important part of religious life in the Middle Ages.
Many people took journeys to visit holy shrines such as the Church of St.
James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the Canterbury cathedral in
England, and sites in Jerusalem and Rome.
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a series of stories told by 30 pilgrims as they
traveled to Canterbury.
Religion
• Monks and Nuns
Monasteries in the Middle Ages were based on the rules set down by St.
Benedict in the sixth century.
• The monks became known as Benedictines and took vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience to their leaders. They were required to perform
manual labor and were forbidden to own property, leave the monastery,
or become entangled in the concerns of society. Daily tasks were often
carried out in silence.
• Monks and their female counterparts, nuns, who lived in convents,
provided for the less-fortunate members of the community. Monasteries
and nunneries were safe havens for pilgrims and other travelers.
• Monks went to the monastery church eight times a day in a routine of
worship that involved singing, chanting, and reciting prayers from the
divine offices and from the service for Mass.
• The first office, "Matins," began at 2 A.M. and the next seven followed at
regular intervals, culminating in "Vespers" in the evening and "Compline"
before the monks retired at night.
• Between prayers, the monks read or copied religious texts and music.
Monks were often well educated and devoted their lives to writing and
learning.
• The Venerable Bede, an English Benedictine monk who was born in the
seventh century, wrote histories and books on science and religion.
Peasant Homelife
Most medieval homes were cold, damp,
and dark. Sometimes it was warmer and
lighter outside the home than within its
walls.
Floors strewn with rushes and herbs.
For security purposes, windows, when
they were present, were very small
openings with wooden shutters that
were closed at night or in bad weather.
Many peasant families ate, slept, and
spent time together in very small
quarters, rarely more than one or two
rooms. The houses had thatched roofs
and were easily destroyed.
Peasants
The Kitchen
No chimneys
Stone hearth in the center of the room. This was not only where
the cooking took place, but also the source of central heating.
In peasant families, the wife did the cooking and baking.
The peasant diet consisted of breads, vegetables from their own
gardens, dairy products from their own sheep, goats, and
cows, and pork from their own livestock. Often the true taste
of their meat, salted and used throughout the year, was
masked by the addition of herbs, leftover breads, and
vegetables. Some vegetables, such as cabbages, leeks, and
onions became known as "pot-herbs." This pottage was a
staple of the peasant diet.
Homes of the Wealthy
More elaborate than the peasants' homes.
Floors were paved
Tapestries were hung on the walls,
providing not only decoration but also an
extra layer of warmth.
Only the wealthy could afford panes of
glass; sometimes only churches and royal
residences had glass windows.
The kitchens of manor houses and castles
had big fireplaces where meat, even large
oxen, could be roasted on spits. These
kitchens were usually in separate buildings,
to minimize the threat of fire. Pantries
were hung with birds and beasts, including
swans, blackbirds, ducks, pigeons, rabbits,
mutton, venison, and wild boar. Many of
these animals were caught on hunts.
Wealthy Living
Garbage and Disposal
Current archaeological studies of sewage and rubbish pits
contribute to our understanding of what medieval people ate.
One of the most informative pits was found in Southampton,
England. This pit belonged to a prominent merchant. It
contained the remains of berries, fruits, and nuts, as well as
pottery, glass, and fabrics, including silk, from Europe and the
Near East. It also contained the remains of a Barbary ape.
Documents found at the site describe the family's consumption
of meat, use of pewter utensils, and love of music. Evidence
that butchery took place during this time was also found in
these documents.
Health
• As the populations of medieval towns and cities increased,
hygienic conditions worsened, leading to a vast array of
health problems.
• Medical knowledge was limited and, despite the efforts of
medical practitioners and public and religious institutions
to institute regulations, medieval Europe did not have an
adequate health care system.
• No antibiotics
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Health
• Myths and superstitions
• For example, that disease was spread by bad odors; sins of
the soul.
• Many people sought relief from their ills through meditation,
prayer, pilgrimages, and other non-medical methods.
• The body was viewed as a part of the universe, a concept
derived from the Greeks and Romans.
• Four humors, or body fluids, were directly related to the four
elements: fire=yellow bile or choler; water=phlegm;
earth=black bile; air=blood. These four humors had to be
balanced. Too much of one was thought to cause a change in
personality--for example, too much black bile could create
melancholy.
• Medicine was often a risky business. Bloodletting was a
popular method of restoring a patient's health and "humors."
Early surgery was often done by barbers without anesthesia
Who Was Treated & Who Treated
• Who was Treated and Who Did the Treating
Medical treatment was available mainly to the wealthy.
• Those living in villages rarely had the help of doctors, who
practiced mostly in the cities and courts.
• Remedies were often herbal in nature, but also included
ground earthworms, urine, and animal excrement.
• Many medieval medical manuscripts contained recipes for
remedies that called for hundreds of therapeutic
substances--the notion that every substance in nature held
some sort of power accounts for the enormous variety of
substances.
• Many treatments were administered by people outside the
medical tradition. Coroners' roles from the time reveal how
lay persons often made sophisticated medical judgments
without the aid of medical experts, some of the major
causes of death.
Health - Humor
• Natural functions, such as sneezing, were thought to be
the best way of maintaining health.
• When there was a build-up of any one humor, or body
fluid, it could be disposed of through sweat, tears, feces,
or urine.
• When these natural systems broke down, illness
occurred.
• Medieval doctors stressed prevention, exercise, a good
diet, and a good environment.
• One of the best diagnostic tools was uroscopy, in which
the color of the patient's urine was examined to
determine the treatment.
• Other diagnostic aids included taking the pulse and
collecting blood samples. Treatments ranged from
administering laxatives and diuretics to fumigation,
cauterization,
and the taking of hot baths and/or herbs.
Humor
Surgery
• Performed as a last resort.
• Known to be successful in cases of breast cancer,
hemorrhoids, gangrene, and cataracts, as well as
tuberculosis of the lymph glands in the neck (scrofula).
• The most common form of surgery was bloodletting; it
was meant to restore the balance of fluids in the body.
• Potions used to relieve pain or induce sleep during the
surgery were themselves potentially lethal. One of
these consisted of lettuce, gall from a castrated boar,
opium, henbane (poisonous plant), and hemlock juice-the hemlock juice could easily have caused death.
Medical Cures
• For toothache:
• Take a candle and burn it close to the tooth. The
worms that are gnawing the tooth will fall out into a
cup of water held by the mouth.
• For evil spirits in the head:
• For this, surgeons used trepanning. This was where a
surgeon cut a hole into the skull to release evil spirits
trapped in the brain. The operation might also
include cutting out the part of the brain that had
been ‘infected’ with these evil spirits. Incredibly,
people are known to have survived operations such
as these as skulls have been found which show bone
growth around the hole cut by a surgeon – a sign
that someone did survive such an operation if only
for awhile.
Medicine
• For general illnesses:
• People were told that a pilgrimage to a holy shrine to
show your love of God would cure them of illnesses
especially if they had some holy water sold at the place
of pilgrimage.
• After the death of Thomas Becket in 1170, Canterbury
Cathedral became a place of pilgrimage which brought
even more wealth to the city. However, more people
coming to the city also increased the risk of disease
being brought in.
• Blood letting:
• This was when blood was drained from a certain spot in
your body. The idea behind this was similar to
trepanning in that it released bad blood from your body.
The use of leeches was common for this but dirty knives
were also used which only increased the risk to the
patient.
Henry II (1154–1189)
• Legal reform
• Henry II's reign saw the establishment of Royal
Magistrate courts.
• Allowed court officials under authority of the Crown to
rule on local disputes, reducing the workload on Royal
courts and delivering justice with greater efficiency.
• Henry also worked to make the legal system fairer.
• Henry's support of juries was a great contribution to the
country's social history.
• Henry II was keen to dominate the church like the state.
• Sixteen constitutions, aimed at decreasing ecclesiastical
interference from Rome.
Henry
• Secular courts, under the King's influence, would have jurisdiction
over clerical trials and disputes.
• Henry's authority guaranteed him majority support, but the
newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury refused to ratify the
proposals.
• Henry was stubborn called the Archbishop, Thomas Becket,
before the Royal Council. Becket had fled to France and was
under the protection of Henry's rival, Louis VII of France.
• The King continued in his pursuit of control over his clerics, to the
point where his religious policy became detrimental to his
subjects.
• By 1170, the Pope was considering excommunicating all of
Britain. Only Henry's agreement that Becket could return to
England without penalty prevented this fate.
Canterbury Cathedral & Murder of St.
Thomas a Becket
Archbishop of Canterbury
who opposed Henry II over
the balance between royal
and religious power; was
murdered in the cathedral
• Considered a martyr and
later made a saint
• His blood was held to
contain great curative
qualities, restoring health to
the sick
• Small quantities of Becket’s
blood was given to pilgrims
for centuries after his death
Murder of Thomas Becket
• "What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and
promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with
such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric!" were the
words which sparked the darkest event in Henry's religious
tirades.
• This speech has translated into legend in the form of "Will no
one rid me of this troublesome priest?“
• Bitter at Becket, his old friend, constantly thwarting his
clerical constitutions, the King shouted in anger but most
likely not with intent. However, four of Henry's knights,
Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and
Richard le Breton overheard their King's cries and decided to
act on his words.
Becket’s Murder
• On 29 December 1170, they entered Canterbury
Cathedral, finding Becket near the stairs to the crypt. They
beat down the Archbishop, killing him with several blows.
• Becket's brains were scattered upon the ground with the
words; "Let us go, this fellow will not be getting up again."
Whatever the rights and wrongs, it certainly tainted
Henry's later reign. For the remaining 20 years of his rule,
he would personally regret the death of a man who "in
happier times...had been a friend".
Canonization
• Just three years later, Becket was canonized and
revered as a martyr against secular interference
in God's church; Pope Alexander III had declared
Thomas Becket a saint.
• This was yet another failure in Henry's religious
policy, an arena which he seemed to lack
adequate subtlety.
• And politically, Henry had to sign the
Compromise of Avranches which removed from
the secular courts almost all jurisdiction over the
clergy.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
• Wife of King Henry II
• Influence: Courtly Love
• Courtly love saw a woman as a
righteous spiritual and moral
force, a view that was in
opposition to the Church’s
attitude regarding the role of sex
in relationships. Marriage had
been declared a sacrament of
the Church, and within Christian
marriage, the only purpose was
procreation; any sex beyond
that purpose seen as unholy.
The ideal state of a Christian was
celibacy, even in marriage.
Courtly Love
• Courtly love had a civilizing effect on knightly behavior,
beginning in the late 11th century; it has been suggested that
the prevalence of arranged marriages required other outlets
for the expression of more personal occurrences of romantic
love.
• At times, the lady could be a far-away princess, and some tales
told of men who had fallen in love with women whom they
had never seen, merely on hearing their perfection described,
but normally she was not so distant. As the etiquette of courtly
love became more complicated, the knight might wear the
colors of his lady: where blue or black were sometimes the
colors of faithfulness; green could be a sign of unfaithfulness.
Courtly Love
• Originated with the troubadours of
the late eleventh century. The
troubadours, strolling minstrels,
flourished between 1100 and 1350
and were from various courts in the
south of France. They wrote almost
entirely about sexual love and
developed the concept and practice
of courtly love.
• They challenged the traditional
Christian ideals of love, marriage,
manhood, virtue, and femininity. By
the middle of the 13th century, their
philosophy had become practically
institutionalized throughout the
courts of Europe.
• Properly applied, courtly love
was a forbidden affair that was
characterized by five main
attributes:
• The doctrine of Courtly Love
was designed to teach
courtiers how to be lovely,
charming, and delightful. Its
basic premise was that being in
love would teach you how to
be loveable and pleasing. This
kind of love was designed for
communal living at a wealthy
court where people had
plentiful leisure and desired to
entertain and be entertained.
Aristocrats
• Ritualistic. Couples
engaged in a courtly
relationship, exchanged
gifts and tokens of their
affair. The lady was
wooed according to
elaborate conventions of
etiquette and was the
constant recipient of
songs, poems, bouquets,
sweet favors, and
ceremonial gestures.
• For all this attention, she
need only return a short
hint of approval, a mere
shadow of affection. She
was the commanding
"mistress" of the affair,
he was a lowly but
faithful servant. Feudal
nobility arranged
marriages to suit families'
advantages, often while
the children were still
infants.
Aristocrats
• A married woman was
the ward of her
husband, had limited
legal rights and was
subject to the will of
her husband, who had
the power to punish
her physically. This
ritual gave her the
upper hand.
• Secret. Courtly lovers
were pledged to strict
secrecy. The rest of the
world was excluded.
They composed a
universe unto
themselves--a special
world with its own
places, rules, codes,
and commandments.
Aristocrats
Adulterous. One of its
principle attractions was
that it offered an escape
from the dull routines and
boring confinements of
noble marriage, which was
typically little more than a
political or economic
alliance for the purpose of
producing royal offspring.
Literary. Courtly love first
gained attention as a
subject and theme in
imaginative literature.
Knights and their
passionately adored
ladies were popular
figures in song and fable
before there were reallife imitators in the
palace halls of medieval
Europe.
King Richard the Lionheart
(1189-1199)
• Reputation of great military man of the
Crusades
• Anti-Semitic
• Spoke French; minimal English
• Only 6 months in England during his 10-year
reign.
•
King John
(1199-1216)
• 1215- Signed the Magna Carta
– Nobles divided their land among the lesser
nobility,
who became their servants or "vassals."
– Many of these vassals became so powerful that
the kings had difficulty controlling them.
– By 1100, certain barons had castles and courts that
rivaled the king's; they could be serious threats if
they were not pleased in their dealings with the
crown.
– In 1215, the English barons formed an alliance that
forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. While it
gave no rights to ordinary people, the Magna Carta
did limit the king's powers of taxation and require
trials before punishment. It was the first time that
an English monarch came under the control of the
law.
– Magna Carta would become the source of
important legal concepts found in our American
Constitution and Bill of Rights. Among these are
the principle of no taxation without representation
and the right to a fair trial under law.
King Henry III (1216-1272)
• First child monarch since the Norman
invasion of England in 1066. He was 9.
• None of his father's executors was present,
and in the absence of a crown a simple
golden band was placed on the young boy's
head.
• In 1220, a second coronation was ordered by
Pope Honorius III who did not consider that
the first had been carried out in accordance
with church rites.
• Wanted the return of more power given to
the king.
• Formed the Council of Barons which would
later become the Parliament.
King Edward I (1272-1307)
• Formed the House of Commons and the House
of Lords
• Known as "Longshanks" for his extraordinary
height.
• A strong-willed, militaristic king. As Edward
exercised greater control over the barons, his
popularity waned. To combat his falling
popularity and to drum up support for his
campaigns against Wales and Scotland, Edward
united the country by attacking the Jews. In
1275, Edward issued the Statute of the Jewry,
which imposed various restrictions upon the
Jews of England; introduced to England the
practice of requiring Jews to wear a yellow
badge on their outer garments. In 1279, he
arrested all the heads of Jewish households in
England, and had around 300 of them executed
in the Tower of London. Others were executed
in their homes
King Edward II (1307-1327)
• First monarch to establish colleges in the
universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
• Considered to be . . ."the first king who
was not a man of business".
• His main interest was in entertainment,
though he also took pleasure in athletics
and mechanical crafts.
• He had been so dominated by his father
that he had little confidence in himself.
• Scotland gained independence from
England
• Poor harvests and livestock epidemics
• Forced to abdicate. Son (14) becomes
king.
• Murdered
– Red hot poker
King Edward III (1327-1377)
• One of the most successful English
monarchs of the Middle Ages.
Restoring royal authority after the
disastrous reign of his father, Edward
II.
• Transformed the Kingdom of England
into the most efficient military power
in Europe. His reign saw vital
developments in legislature and
government—in particular the
evolution of the English parliament—
as well as the ravages of the Black
Death.
• He remained on the throne for 50
years; no English monarch had
reigned for as long since Henry III,
and none would again until George
III.
• Began the 100-Years War with
France…only permanent gain- Calais
Geoffrey Chaucer
• ( 1343 – October 25, 1400)
• “Father of English Poetry”
– Chaucer is ranked as one of the
greatest poets of the late Middle
Ages He was admired for his
philosophy as well as for his
poetic talents
• Although he wrote many works,
he is best remembered for his
unfinished frame narrative The
Canterbury Tales.
• Sometimes called the father of
English literature, Chaucer is
credited by some scholars as
being the first author to
demonstrate the artistic
legitimacy of the vernacular
English language, rather than
French or Latin.
14th Century Times: moving away
from Medieval Times
• Population: 2.5 million
• Small market towns
– 150 persons each
– Monasteries, churches,
manor houses
• Travel was common;
towns connected by
stone-paved highways
that were built during
Roman times
• Medieval Times
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–
–
–
Knights
Chivalry
Dark ages
Belief in the spiritual and
the community, not the
individual
– Man had no right to
think for himself
– Church made decisions
for man.
Chaucer
Burial Crypt
Poet’s Corner at Westminster
Abbey
•
Richard II ( 1367-1400)
Became king at the age of 10
• During Richard's first years as
king, government was in the
hands of a series of councils. This
was preferred over a regency led
by the king's uncle, John of
Gaunt, yet Gaunt remained
highly influential.
• The first major challenge of the
reign was the Peasants' Revolt in
1381, during which the young
king comported himself well, and
played a major part in
suppressing the rebellion.
Richard to Henry IV
1387 control of government was taken over by a group of
noblemen known as the Lords Appellant.
1389 Richard regained control, the next eight years governed
in relative harmony. 1397, he took his revenge on the
appellants, they were executed or exiled. Richard's rule was
seen by many as tyrannous.
1399, John of Gaunt died, the king disinherited Gaunt's son,
Henry of Bolingbroke. Henry invaded England in June 1399
with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little
resistance, he deposed Richard and had himself crowned as
King Henry IV. Richard died in captivity early the next year; he
was probably murdered.
The Plague
• The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest
pandemics in human history.
• The pandemic is thought to have begun in Central Asia or India and
spread to Europe during the 1340s. The total number of deaths
worldwide is estimated at 75 million people, approximately 25–
50 million of which occurred in Europe. The Black Death is
estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population. It may
have reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million
to between 350 and 375 million in 1400.
• The 14th century eruption of the Black Death had a drastic effect on
Europe's population, irrevocably changing the social structure.
• Cause: rats which thrived on the city filth
• Result: decline of the feudal system; serfs ran away from their
masters to London and other cities.
Pictures
City Life and Social Conditions
• Castles and huge halls
• Elaborate food-cooked before huge fires by
naked cooks
• Walls covered with tapestries – beauty vs
ugliness
• Table manners – noisy; dogs; birds; screams
Booke of Courtesy
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•
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•
•
•
Don’t pick nose or nails
Don’t eat with a knife
Don’t spit or retch too loud
Don’t lick dishes with tongue
Don’t spit on table
Don’t clean teeth with the tablecloth
Don’t wipe hands on cloth after blowing nose
on it.
Lancasters vs Yorks
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Henry V – 1413-1422
Henry VI – 1422-1484
Edward IV – 1461-1483
Edward V - 1483-1483
Richard III – 1483 - 1485
Chivalry
• Knightly Conduct
• There are three points
of view regarding
chivalry:
• Military sense
• Social sense
• Religious sense
• History of Chivalry
• 1st Period: The Crusades
• The crusader was the pattern of the
perfect knight. His only objective
was the rescue of the holy places of
Palestine from Muslim domination
and the defense of pilgrims. In
return, the Church protected him,
gave him spiritual privileges, such as
the remission of all penances,
dispensation from the secular courts
and a tenth of all the Church
revenues. The vow of the crusader
was limited to a specified period.
The average time was two to three
years.
Chivalry
• Second Period: The Military
Orders
• In these orders, there was
the perfect fusion of the
religious and the military
spirit.
• The knightly vow bound
with common ties warriors
of every nation and
condition, and enrolled
them in a vast brotherhood
of manners, ideals, and
aims.
• Third Period: Secular Chivalry
• After the Crusades, chivalry gradually
lost its religious aspect. Honor
remained the worship of knighthood.
This spirit is manifested in the
knightly exploits between England
and France during the Hundred Years
War.
• The result was a useless shedding of
blood, waste of money, and misery
for the lower classes. Under the
influence of the romances, love now
became the mainspring of chivalry.
• As a consequence, there arose a new
type of chevalier, vowed to the
service of some noble lady, who
could even be another man's wife.
This idol of his heart was to be
worshipped at a distance.
Chivalry
• Fourth Period:
• In its last stages, chivalry
became a mere court service.
The Order of the Garter,
founded in 1348, by Edward
III of England, the Order of
the Golden Fleece of Philip of
Burgundy, dating from 1430,
formed a brotherhood, not of
crusaders, but of courtiers,
with no other aim than to
contribute to the splendor of
the sovereign. Their most
serious business was the
sport of jousts and
tournaments.
• They made their vows not
in chapels, but in banquet
halls, not on the cross,
but on some emblematic
bird. The "vow of the
Swan" of 1306, was
instituted during the feast
of the dubbing of the son
of Edward I. It was before
God and the swan that
the king swore with his
knights to avenge on
Scotland the murder of
his lieutenant.
Chivalry
• Literature which had in
the past contributed to
the exaltation of
chivalry, now reacted
against it. In the early
part of the 14th
century, this turning
point became evident
in the poetry of
Chaucer.
• The final blow was
reserved for the immortal
work of Cervantes, "Don
Quixote," which aroused
the laughter of all Europe.
With the advent of
gunpowder and the use of
firearms in battle, chivalry
rapidly disintegrated and
finally disappeared
altogether.
Trial By Ordeal
Medieval Times
•
•
•
•
•
God’s plan – peaceful
Duty of people- keep it
Reparation = money
Punishment = deterrent
Sinner – alive and able
to repent (chopped off
hands, feet, genitals)
• Guilt unclear
– Hot iron
• Nine-yards
• Festers -guilty
– Cold water
• Tied up and lowered into
water on a rope
• Sank = innocent
• Floats = guilty
– Battle
• Woman/man
– Man buried up to his waist
as a handicap
Trials
Cold Water. The defendant would take a sip of
holy water and then be thrown into a pool of
water. If the water "accepted" her as pure (i.e., if
she sank to the bottom), she was considered
innocent of the charges. If she floated to the
surface, she was considered guilty. (This
technique has lead to the modern myth about if
the defendant drowned she was considered
innocent--but the surviving records suggest that
court officials did not normally allow those who
sank actually to drown.
Hot Water
Court officials would heat a laundry cauldron to
the boiling point, then throw a stone into the
bottom. The plaintiff must pluck out the stone
to prove his innocence. In serious cases, she
must plunge in her arm up to the elbow.
Hot Iron
The defendant would be required to pick up and
carry a measure of iron weighing one pound after it
had been heated over a fire. He would have to carry
this nine feet, as measured by the length of his own
foot. (Thus, adolescents would have to carry the
heated metal less distance than a long-legged adult,
and so on.) If the case involved a serious crime such
as murder or betrayal of one's lord, the weight of
the iron would be three pounds rather than one.
Host- Priest – Special Category
A priest could prove his innocence by going before the
altar and praying aloud that God would choke him if
he were not telling the truth. Swallow the host. If he
swallowed it easily with no visible sign of discomfort supernatural proof of his innocence. If he choked or
had difficulty swallowing, this was thought to be
supernatural proof of his guilt or deceit. Possible
psychosomatic component might cause a guiltplagued priest to choke.
Medieval Numerology: the belief that particular numbers have mystical
significance, a concept of key importance in the Jewish tradition of the
Hebrew Bible (or, as Christians often call it, the Old Testament). Early
Christians continued the tradition in the New Testament and in medieval
literature.
This is only a partial list of the meanings associated with important numbers.
It does not give complete account for multiples such as 49 (7x7) or 144 (12x12),
which were thought to have elaborate meanings.
• 1–
– God, Spiritual Unity, Creation, the First Age of the World
• 2–
– Adam and Eve, the creatures of the Ark, the two-fold nature of Christ
(Christ as God and Man), the Flood, the Second Age of the World
• 3–
– The Trinity, the Heavens, Jonah (in the whale), Christ (in the tomb),
three elements in man (body, reason, spirit), three elements of faith
(knowledge, assent, confidence), three elements of repentance
(contrition, confession, and satisfaction/absolution), the three
Theological or Christian virtues (faith, hope, and charity), Abraham,
the three Magi, three periods in time before the Law (Adam to Noah, to
Abraham, to Moses), the Third Age of the World
• 4–
– The four corners of the earth with its four winds, the
physical elements of alchemy (earth, air, water, fire), the
four bodily humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile),
the Evangelists, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Four
Cardinal or Pagan virtues (prudence, temperance,
fortitude, justice), the Four Gospels, the four seasons, the
four rivers of Paradise, the Four Blessings (Clarity,
Impassivity, Knowledge, Delectation), the "Last Things"
(death, judgment, Heaven, Hell), King David, the Fourth
Age of the World.
• 5–
– The Flesh, the Physical Senses, sacrifice, the Five Wounds
of Christ, the Wise Virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), the Old Law
(Pentateuch), the five points of a star, the Babylonian
Captivity, the number of zones in the world, the Fifth Age
of the World.
• 6–
– The Incarnation, earthly imperfection, the sixth age of the
world, the six days of labor before God rested.
• 7– Completeness, perfection, the Universe (4, the earth, and 3,
the heavens), the day of rest after creation, the days of the
week, the seven churches, the seven sorrows of Mary, the
planets, the Sacraments, the Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtues
(3 Theological Virtues + 4 Pagan virtues), the final days
and end of the world, the seven trumpets and seven seals of
the Apocalypse, the 7th age, seven petitions of the Lord's
Prayer, seven journeys of Christ, seven parts of the mass,
seven ages of man, seven last words of Christ, seven tones
of a scale, the seven types of good works (and much more;
seven is the most frequently-occurring of all the symbolic
numbers).
• 8–
– The Resurrection, regeneration (seven days of creation plus
following time of grace), eight souls in Noah's ark, the Last
Judgment, Baptism, the Beatitudes, the Circumcision of
Jesus
• 9–
– The choirs of angel, the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy,
peace, patient endurance, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance), mystery, 3x3: the triple trinity
• 10 –
– Perfection and completion, the Ten Commandments,
Order, and the lost tribes of Israel. (3x3+1)
• 11 –
– The disciples between the death of Judas and the choice of
Mathias, transition, conflict, martyrdom, excess (10+1),
incontinence, sin
• 12 –
– The twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Prophets, the twelve
Apostles, the gates of the New Jerusalem, heaven and earth
(3X4), spirit penetrating matter (3x4), twelve parts of man,
twelve articles of the Apostle's Creed, the zodiac, cosmic
order, the months, the year
• 13– Thirteen attendants at the last supper, thirteen days for
three kings' journey to the Christ child
• 24 –
– Twenty-four elders seated around God's throne,
Twenty-four hours of natural day, (many other complex
interpretations based on 2x12, 3x8, 4x6, 10+8+6,
10x2+4, etc.)
• 30 –
– Christ's age when he began to preach.
• 40 –
– Forty days of Lent, Forty days of Moses on Mount
Sinai, Forty days of Christ in the wilderness, Forty
years to a generation, the years the Israelites wandered
in the wilderness, the number of days and nights the
flood covered the earth, the Old Testament law
perfected with Christian Virtues, (4x10)
• 49 (7x7)
• 72 –
– The number of followers Jesus sent out into the world to
preach during his ministry.
• 100 –
– Completeness (10x10)
• 168 –
– Hours of the week
• 248 – Number of bones in the body.
• 666 –
– Man's number, imperfection tripled. The number of the
Beast in Revelations
Finally….
• 1,000 –
– Perfection, 1000 acts of the Devil
• 7,000 –
– Universal perfection (perfection, 1000 x
universality)
• 144,000 –
– Number of the virgins in heaven. All of God's
created people receiving spiritual blessing,
(12x12x1000) = (Trinity x parts of the earth x
apostles or tribes x perfection).