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The Middle Ages
1066-1485
The Battle of Hastings
• In October 1066, a
daylong battle known
as the Battle of
Hastings ended the
reign of the AngloSaxons and began
the Norman
Conquest.
William the Conqueror
• In the battle, Duke
William of Normandy,
known as William the
Conqueror, defeated King
Harold of England, the
last of the Anglo Saxon
kings. William did not
want to kill the Anglo
Saxons, he just wanted to
rule them. The new
group under William’s
reign became known as
the Anglo-Normans.
The Feudal System
• The Anglo-Normans
brought a new language,
French, and a new social
system, feudalism, to the
country.
• Feudalism was not just a
social system, but also a
caste system, a property
system, and a military
system.
The Feudal System
• The basic chain of
feudalism was as
follows:
1. God
2. Kings
3. Nobles (Barons,
Bishops, etc.)
4. Knights
5. Serfs or peasants
Feudalism Structure
God - “appointed” kings, ruler of all.
King - owned all land, gave some to church.
Barons - given some land to control. Had to pay taxes
to king and provide him with knights. (land = fiefs)
Knights - received land for military services. (land =
manors)
Peasants - (serfs) worked the land.
The Three Estates
• The three estates (social
classes) in the Middle
Ages were Aristocracy
(kings and their vassals),
Clergy (Those who
prayed- priests, monks,
nuns, friars, etc.), and the
Commons (everyone
else- doctors, lawyers,
clerks, yeomen, etc).
Knighthood
• The primary duty of males above the serf
class was military service. Boys were
trained at an early age to become
warriors.
• After training was complete, the boy was
“dubbed” or ceremonially tapped on the
shoulder. He was then a knight, had the
title or sir, and had full rights of the warrior
caste.
Knighthood
• Knighthood was
grounded in the
feudal ideal of loyalty.
Knights had a system
of social codes that
they were not
permitted to break.
Women in the Middle Ages
• Women had no political
rights because they were
not soldiers in a primarily
military system.
• Women were always
subservient to men.
• A woman’s husband or
father’s position in the
feudal system determined
her position.
Chivalry
• Chivalry was a system of ideals and social
codes governing the behaviors of knights and
gentlewomen.
• Chivalry codes included oaths of loyalty to the
overlord, observing certain rules of warfare and
courtly love.
• Courtly love was nonsexual.
• Chivalry brought about an idealized attitude
about women, but did not improve their actual
position in life.
• Chivalry gave rise to a new form of literatureromance.
The Effect of Cities and Towns
• Eventually, the increasing population in
cities and towns made the feudal system
close to obsolete.
• The city classes were lower, middle and
upper-middle.
The Crusades
• The Crusades (1095-1270), a series of
wars waged by European Christians
against Muslims, were waged during the
period.
• The prize of The Crusades was Jerusalem
and the Holy Land.
St. Thomas a Becket
• Thomas a Becket, the archbishop of
Canterbury, was murdered in his
own cathedral by four knights
because he too often sided with the
pope instead of the King Henry who
had appointed him to the position.
• Becket’s murder enraged the
common people who deemed him a
martyr and they lashed out against
King Henry which weakened the
kings power in his struggle with
Rome.
The Magna Carta
• The Magna Carta was
signed by King John
in 1215.
• The Magna Carta was
a document that
limited the Church’s
power.
The Hundred Years’ War
• The English and French
entered into the Hundred
Years’ War (1337-1453)
because two English
kings were claiming they
were to take the French
throne.
• This war showed that
England was no longer
represented by the armor
clad knight but by the
green clad yeoman.
Common people were
taking up the fight for
their country.
The Black Death
• The Black Death, or
bubonic plague,
struck England in
1348-1349.
• The Black Death was
highly contagious and
killed approximately
one third of the
population.
• The Black Death
caused the end of
feudalism.
Literature
1. Romance - tales about
the adventures of
knights, including
chivalry, magic, and
love.
Ex. King Arthur
2. Drama - mystery and/or
morality plays that
taught moral lessons.
Performed on wagons
or scaffolds.
Literature
3. Lyrics/Ballads - sung
with the lyre (harp-like
instrument)
Ex. Robin Hood
4. Secular(Worldly) and
Religious Tales.
Ex. Canterbury Tales
Rulers
I. 1066 - Death of Edward
the Confessor. Saxon
witan chose Harold II.
• William, Duke of
Normandy (Ed’s
cousin) takes the area
by force at Battle of
Hastings - kills Harold.
• Known as William the
Conqueror.
Rulers
II. 1154 - Norman rule
ends when:
• Henry II comes to the
throne - he orders the
death of Thomas a
Becket (archbishop of
Canterbury)
• Friend + Betrayal =
Death & Pilgrimage
Rulers
III. Richard I - Creates
debts for England with
various military
expeditions overseas.
IV. John - ordered new
taxes. B/c of Rich’s
legacy, he conflicted
with barons - resulted in
the Magna Carta beginning of
constitutional
government.
Rulers
V. Henry III - created
Parliament (king’s
advisors)
VI. Edward I - changed
Parliament (to include
free men)
Rulers
Other Notable Kings:
• Henry VI - suffered
mental illness
• Richard III replaces
Henry, but Henry is later
reinstated.
• This confusion results in
the War of the Roses.
• Richard - House of York
(white rose)
• Henry - House of
Lancaster (red rose)
Rulers
Other Notable Kings:
• Edward V - 1483 (boy)
died mysteriously in the
Tower of London. Did his
uncle, Richard III, do it?
• Henry VIII (Tudor) cousin of Lancasters.
Killed Richard III and
married his niece,
therefore joining both
houses - symbol is a rose
with both colors.
Growth of Towns
• Increased trade between Europe and the
Middle East.
• London becomes a major trading center.
• The organization of the guilds (merchant
and craft).
• Children learn trades.
• Wealth is no longer restricted to lords.
Growth of Towns
• Children join the labor unions.
• Loss of feudalism - land is less important.
• Crowding in cities leads to unsanitary
conditions.
• Black Plague spreads, killing 1/3 of the
population.
King Arthur - The Romance
• The story takes place in
the early 6th century.
• It came from the Celts,
the native islanders.
• Arthur was a Celtic
Chieftan who saved
Britain from Saxon
invaders.
• Initially told by word of
mouth (became a blend
of fact and fiction).
King Arthur - The Romance
• The entire story is a
tragedy because of the
disaster ending.
• The hero, Arthur, is
larger than life.
• He lives by the code of
chivalry.
• He is concerned with
the virtues of: courtesy,
endurance, self-control,
intelligence, and
imagination.
King Arthur - The Romance
Merlyn (magician)
Uther (King)
Arthur
Sir Ector (foster father)
Sir Kay (foster brother)
Egraine
Cornwaille (Baron)
Morgana (Morgan Le Fay)
Mordred
Gwynevere
Launcelot
*Arthur may have come from magical origins.
King Arthur - The Romance
• Lady in the Lake or
Sword in the Stone? Excalibur
• Camelot - name of his
kingdom
• Round Table - to
show the equality
Arthur shared with the
knights who served
him
Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1
1. What years did the Medieval period
cover?
2. Who invaded England in 1066?
3. What was the political/economic system
of that time called?
4. List the classes of feudalism in
descending order (highest to lowest).
5. What was the name for a baron’s piece of
land? A knight’s?
Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1
6. List two of the four types of literature of this
time.
7. Who is King Arthur? Why are there stories
about him?
8. Where are Sir Ector and Sir Kay headed?
What is the conflict once they get there?
9. What happens when Arthur touches the sword
in the stone?
10. What is special about the sword in the stone?
(What is the prophecy associated with it?)
Medieval/Arthur Quiz #1
(5 points each)
EC 1: What is Arthur’s nickname?
EC 2: What century did Arthur’s story
actually take place in?
King Arthur Quiz #2
1. King Arthur actually lived in the period known
as the _________.
2. ________ was a major difference between
Arthur and his men.
3. _________ is the leader of the Woads/Celts in
the film version.
4. The _______ invaded Britain after Rome left.
5. In the film, Excalibur is pulled out of
___________ instead of an anvil.
King Arthur Quiz #2
6. Female Woads are allowed to _________, but
Roman women are not.
7. The Saxon leader says Arthur is __________
after they finally meet.
8. Arthur says history should remember that
__________.
9. At Baden Hill, _______ was the “common
cause” fought for.
10. Guinevere and Arthur’s marriage
symbolized___________.
King Arthur Quiz #2
EC 1: Lancelot said that the souls of slain
knights lived on in their ________, and
their lives become the stuff of legends.
EC 2: Which of Arthur’s knights have we
read about in a separate legend?