The Medieval Period

1. The Medieval Period 1066-1485

2. Essential Questions for the Unit • Who or what shapes society? • How important is power? • What does one’s code of living consist of? • How does one express love for another? • Who or what is worth fighting (and perhaps dying) for? • Who is ultimately in control of one’s life?

3. William the Conqueror’s Legacy After William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066: • He wanted to rule the Anglo-Saxons, not eliminate them. • He brought law and order to the land. • He encouraged the combining of cultural elements, including language. • He commissioned The Domesday Book, an inventory of property and land, used for taxation.

4. “The Middle Ages” • Cultural blending • Feudalism • Knighthood • Chivalry • Courtly love • Romance literature and ballads • Crusades • Church power, dissension, intrigue, and corruption • The rise of the middle class • War and innovation in fighting techniques • The Plague

5. Key Leaders of the Period • King Henry II (took over in 1154) – created courts system and English common laws • Richard I (Henry’s son) – absent from England during much of his reign, fighting abroad • John (Richard’s younger brother) – plotted against Richard; quarreled with noblemen; raised taxes until threatened with rebellion; was forced to sign the Magna Cartain 1215, which limited royal power

6. Feudalism • Caste, property, and military systems all rolled into one socio-political-economic system

7. More About Feudalism • Vassals took an oath of fealty during the ceremony of homage, which bound them to be loyal to the lord (or the king) • Vassals provided goods, money, or military service to the lord when he required it. • Serfs, the lowest class, were never able to own the land they lived on • There was virtually no movement from class to class

8. Classes at the Beginning of the Medieval Period Nobility Clergy Serfs

9. Classes at the End of the Medieval Period Nobility Clergy Professionals Craftsmen Laborers/Servants

10. The Church • Roman Catholic • Outside of the hierarchy of feudalism • Immense power • Had its own laws and courts • Kept the powerful nobility in check with the threat of excommunication • Rampant corruption • Most positive aspects: it fostered cultural unity through one system of belief; it was a center of learning • Power led to conflicts with the king

11. Death of Thomas à Becket • Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral • Friend of King Henry • “Began favoring the Church’s interests over those of the crown” (Allen et al. 26). • King Henry declared, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” (Probst et al. 78-79). • Four of the king’s knights took him at his word: They killed Thomas à Becket in his own cathedral. • Thomas was declared a saint.

12. Knights • Training took place from a young age until a squire was dubbed a knight • Lived by a Code of Chivalry—an honor code to guide knights in how to live • Practiced courtly love • Encouraged to go on holy quests (such as The Crusades)

13. Code of Chivalry • Loyalty to overlord • Observing rules of warfare • Adoring a particular lady • Defending the weak • Battling evil • Upholding good • Displaying at all times • Generosity • Bravery • Honesty • Piety • Honor

14. Courtly Love • Nonsexual • Adoring a lady from afar • Wearing a lady’s colors at tournament • Seen in tales of King Arthur and music of the time • Represented ideal love, which was “rarely met in real life” (Allen et al. 26).

15. Courtly love "... whatever knight of that country was famous for prowess wore clothing and arms of one colour. The women, too, fashionably attired in the same colours, would have nothing of the love of any man, unless he had been proven three times in battle. The women, then, were made chaste and more virtuous, and the soldiers more brave for the love of them.... The knights planned an imitation battle and competed together on horseback, while the womenfolk watched from the top of the city walls and aroused them to passionate excitement by their flirtatious behaviour." (Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historiaregumbritannie IX.14)

16. The Crusades • “Military expeditions in which European Christians attempted to wrest the holy city of Jerusalem from Muslim control” (Allen et al. 26). • Muslims won. • Europeans benefitted from contact with Eastern mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and crafts (broadened European knowledge).

17. Medieval Literature • Romances – characterized by adventure, gallant love, chivalry, heroism • Tales of King Arthur – good king, sword Excaliber, Queen Guinevere, Merlin the magician, Sir Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table (very unlike real Medieval England). • Welsh legends (pseudo-history ) produced about 1135 by monk Geoffrey of Monmouth.

18. Characteristics of Medieval Romance Literature An evil enemy A quest A test of the hero Supernatural elements Good vs. evil Female figures who are usually maidens (in need of rescue), mothers, or crones Probst et al. 166)

19. Two Famous Medieval Romances • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - written by an anonymous English poet about 1375. Popular with “troubadours and their audiences” (Allen et al. 29). • Le Mort d’Arthur (“The Death of Arthur”) – written by Sir Thomas Malory about a century after Sir Gawain and is about King Arthur’s life and adventures. Its publication coincided with the real-life end of the Medieval Period

20. Status of Women in the Medieval Period • A woman was under the control of a male family member (father or husband primarily) • A woman’s worth was tied to the land she brought to a marriage • Chivalry did little to improve a woman’s social position • The Church welcomed women as brides of Christ (some power for those in high positions in abbeys but ultimately under control of men still)

21. What Caused the End of the Medieval Period? • The Black Death (Plague) • Caused by fleas on rats • Killed 1/3 the total population of England • The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) • between England and France • evolution from sword and armor to longbow • The Wars of the Roses (1453-1485) • House of York (symbol-white rose) vs. House of Lancaster (symbol-red rose) • Henry Tudor (Lancaster) killed Richard III (York) in 1485. He then took the crown as Henry VII.

22. Works Cited Allen, Janet et al. Literature: British Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Little, 2009. Bailey, Roger Blackwell. “Outline of the Literature of the Middle Ages.” http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.accd.edu/Sac/English/bailey/knight.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.accd.edu/Sac/English/bailey/medieval.htm&usg=__mAUXU7rSikPu2ebkwKjLow--kLY=&h=300&w=446&sz=35&hl=en&start=78&tbnid=V0oPqJqDnUZeJM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmedieval%2Bromance%2Bliterature%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60 Echârd, Sian. “Courtly Love.” http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/graphics/lovedrap.JPG&imgrefurl=http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/344love.htm&usg=__-YK-KV3nUXX9P8KMs4UGWYDjGeY=&h=281&w=480&sz=48&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=phhseoUwcyw9fM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcourtly%2Blove%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den Probst, Robert E. et al. Elements of Literature: Sixth Course. Austin, TX: Holt Rinehart Winston, 2000.