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The
Medieval
Period
in England
The Medieval Period
(aka the Middle Ages)
1066-1485
I. The Norman Invasion
II.Effects of the Norman Conquest
III.The Effects of the Church
IV.Rise of the Common People
V.Literature of the Middle Ages
The Norman Invasion
The Battle of Hastings-1066
•William (Duke of Normandy) and
Harold fought over the throne of
England after Edward the Confessor died
childless.
•Outcome—William’s forces killed
Harold and his family; William claimed
title to the crown and became known
as William the Conqueror.
Effects of the Norman Conquest
New Language
•Rulers and Aristocrats > French
•Clergy (church) > Latin
•Commoners > Old English (later ME)
Change in Living Conditions
•Rise in the growth of towns
•Stability in religion
•Stability in administering of justice
The Feudal System
A Landholding and Military System
• All land belonged to king by divine right.
• Land was distributed in large estates to
king’s friends.
• Knights and serfs did not own land.
• All men pledged military allegiance
to an overlord.
Hierarchy of the Feudal System
God
King
Lord
Subject
Knighthood
Boys received formal training from
an early age.
1st Step—Page (age 7)
2nd Step—Squire (age 14)
3rd Step—Knight (age 21)
After demonstrating bravery, trainees
became knights and received the title
of “Sir” during a dubbing ceremony.
Code of Chivalry
•Loyalty to God (the church) and the
king and reverence for women
•Important concepts were honor,
humility, and bravery.
•Courtly love—knights put women
(especially unattainable women such as
the queen) on a pedestal and performed
great deeds in their honor.
The Effects of the Church
•The church became a hierarchal
institution.
God
Pope
Archbishops
Bishops
Priests
•The church was the center of education;
monks learned of Greek and Roman
scholars as well as teachings of the church
(the beginnings of Oxford and Cambridge
Universities)
Crusades
•Series of wars supported by the
church around 1100-1300
•People traveled widely and had
contact with higher civilizations of the
Middle East
•Led to a richer, more varied life
(a step toward the modern world)
Succession of Kings
William I
William II
Henry I
Stephen
Henry II
Thomas a’ Becket
Life—appointed by Henry II, his friend, to
Archbishop of Canterbury so Henry could win
disputes between church and crown; Becket sided
with Pope, not Henry
Death—Henry nonchalantly mentioned that
he’d like to get rid of Becket; four of Henry’s
knights killed Becket in the Canterbury
Cathedral
Result—SAINT Thomas a’ Becket, the martyr;
people built a shrine for him at Canterbury and
it became a favorite place of pilgrimage
Rise of the Common People
Middle Class
• formed as trade and industry increased
• merchants and craftsmen formed guilds
(unions)
Magna Carta (1215)
•King John was forced to sign it
•Took some power from the king and gave
it to the people
•Middle class began to be heard in
government
Rise of the Common People
BLACK DEATH
•A severe epidemic of plague in the 14th
century
•Left black patches on the skin of its victims
•Killed 40 % of the population of England
•Caused a labor shortage which resulted in
the freedom of many serfs
•Gave lower class leverage over their overlords
Rise of the Common People
English Language
•Once again heard and taught
•Had changed considerably due to Latin
and French influences (Middle English)
Nationalism (Pride in One’s Country)
•People had shaken off depression of the
Norman Conquest
•Hundred Years War-England v. France;
England militarily unsuccessful but
developed national consciousness
Literature of the Middle Ages
•Early literature was lost in
Norman Invasion
•First surviving pieces are
religious (c. 1200)
•Secular poets began to appear,
many writing about King Arthur
Literature of the Middle Ages
Folk ballads
Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Le Morte d’ Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory