Download Medieval England

Introduction to
the
Middle Ages
1066-1485
Medieval Period:
1066-1485 AD
• Decay of Roman Empire=beginning of
Middle Ages
• Roman empire split into two empires:
– Western ruled from Rome
– Eastern ruled from Constantinople.
• Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxons) began to
invade and set up individual kingdoms
throughout the Western empire, ending
Roman rule.
– Introduced the feudal system
William the Conqueror
• Invaded from Normandy in
1066
• Changes England through:
– A new language (French)
– A new social system
(Feudalism)
Feudal System
King receives
Divine Right from
GOD!
King
Provide money
and knights to
Grants land to…
Lords
Provide protection
and military
service to
Provide food and
services on
demand
Grant land to…
Knights
Grant land to…
Peasants or
Serfs
Knights in Shining Armor
• From mail
shirts to a suit
of armor
Knights in Shining
Armor
• Change came about as a result of the
crossbow
• Some armor suits weighed upwards of 120
pounds
• Small slits in the helmets limited vision and
ventilation
– Heatstroke, suffocation, and
drowning
Upside-down turtles
Code of Chivalry
• Idealistic code of honor followed by
knights
• Values:
– Loyalty (to God, King/Lord, and country)
– Brotherhood
– Bravery
– Duty and Honor
– Virtue
• Must follow rules of “courtly love” when
looking for a wife
Courtly Love
• Combination of physical and spiritual
desire
• Object of love
• Love is war
– Cupid’s arrows
– Object as fortress
• Love is a sickness.
How to be a Courtly Man
• Be courteous and polite.
• Be mildly flirtatious
• Put your beloved on a
pedestal.
• Show emotions through
acts of strength and
bravery.
• Do not love someone from
below your social class.
How to be a Courtly Woman
• Remain coy and aloof
• Resist advances
• Follow courtly
manners and
behavior
• Give tokens of
affection
Role of Women
•
•
•
•
No political rights
Subservient to men
Mostly uneducated
But…
– Gained power through courtly
love tradition
– Could have power as a
merchant, healer, Church leader
(nun), or wife of an important
man
– Managed estates while
husbands were at war
– After marriage, her land became
his land
Peasants
• Paid taxes (tithes) to
church
• Obeyed lord who
owned land
• Followed Church
leaders in everything
• “nasty, brutish, and
short” lives
Population
• Due to rise in
commerce, population
grew in cities
• Growth in middle
class
– More merchants and
artisans
– More money for art
and education
– Less power for
landowners!
Christianity
• Many kingdoms adopted the
Roman religion, Christianity
(Roman Catholicism).
• Adopted the language of the
church: Latin
– Romance languages
descend from Latin and
Germanic dialects.
The Power of the Church
• Centers of
communities
• Church officials
were civic
leaders
• Heresy: having
ideas different
from church
doctrine
The Crusades
1095-1270
• Moors (Muslims) had the
Middle East in a stronghold.
• Leaders in Europe felt the
need to protect the Holy Land
and keep it under Christian
rule.
Pope Urban’s Speech
• Pope Urban II
preached a sermon in
France that inspired
European knights to
join a crusade to win
back the Holy Lands.
The Crusades
• Pros
–Allowed crusaders to bring new
spices, textiles and products back
to Europe.
–Inspired commerce
–Created new social class: merchant
class
The Crusades
• Cons
–Failed to maintain European
rule over the Holy Land
Catholicism vs. Nationalism
• Nationalist feelings began to
fuel tension between various
kingdoms and the Catholic
church.
• Heresy resulted in
punishment
The Magna Carta:
signed in 1215
• Power to (some of) the people
• Heralded a return to older, democratic
tendencies in England
• Became the basis of English constitutional
law
– Trial by jury
The Hundred Years’ War
1337-1453
• England vs. France
– King Edward III and King
Henry V try to claim the
French throne
• Invention of the long
bow
– Green-clad yeoman take
the place of knights in
shining armor in battle
The Bubonic PLAGUE
• 1348
• Highly contagious; spread
by fleas from infected rats
• Reduced population of
Europe by one-third
– Mostly poorest people
• Caused a labor shortage
– Peasants compete for wages
– Get more money
– Get more power!
• Apocalyptic
Literature of the Middle Ages
• Romances
–Adventure
stories of
kings, knights,
damsels
–Quests and
battles
Literature of the Middle Ages
• Medieval Epics
– Originated in the great halls of the
Germanic tribes and focused on
ideas such as loyalty and valor,
which bound societies together.
– Defined and expressed character of
a people.
Literature of the Middle Ages
• Medieval Epics
– Based on historical events
but prized adventure more
than accuracy.
– Were performed long
before they were written
down.
Literature of the Middle Ages
• Medieval Epics
– Exemplified feudal values:
• Title and rank
• Military prowess
• Loyalty
• Honor