The Medieval Period

1
The Medieval Period

• 1066 - 1485

• England in the Middle Ages saw linguistic,
  religious, literary and
• political shifts
• 11th to nearly the15th c. population boomed
• Black Plague 1348 population diminished
• Civic and cultural upheaval!
• Obvious and significant changes in literature
  reflected the
• disturbances of the people
• Question
• What will mark England as distinctly medieval
  during
• these years?

2
Historical Background

• Normans north men 9th c. invaded France
• Adopted French culture wholly
• Language a dialect of French
• Religion Christianity
• Political Economical feudalism
• William, Duke of Normandy
• kin to King of England, Edward the Confessor
• 1066 Edward died
• Council of Elders chose Harold II as King of
  England
• William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings
• Became William the Conqueror, King William I

3
William Conquers

• William spent five years instituting feudalism
• The Domesday Book records how much land a knight
  held, how many villages were there, how many
  buildings in the village, even the number of
  cattle and yield of grain.

• The Bayeux Tapestry is an invaluable source. It
  helps confirm the sequence of events. More
  importantly, it provides images of knights and
  ships at a time when we have very little visual
  evidence.

4
Shift in Language

• Normans substituted French dialect in English law
• Business conducted in Latin or French
• Normans thought French superior
• Example Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
• Animals in field called by Saxon names swine,
  sheep, ox
• Meat on dinner table called by French name pork,
  mutton, beef

5
Plantagenets

• 1154 Henry II - one of Englands most able
  kings
• Henry fought with Catholic Church
• Henry appointed Thomas Becket
• Becket sided with the Pope
• Henrys knights murdered Becket
• Henry makes Pilgrimage