The Middle Ages

1
The Middle Ages

• 1066-1485

2
The Battle of Hastings

• In October 1066, a daylong battle known as the
  Battle of Hastings ended the reign of the
  Anglo-Saxons and began the Norman Conquest.

3
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
  Williams reign became known as the Anglo-Normans.

4
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.

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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

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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.

7
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).

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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.

9
Knighthood

• Knighthood was grounded in the feudal ideal of
  loyalty. Knights had a system of social codes
  that they were not permitted to break.

10
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 womans husband or fathers position in the
  feudal system determined her position.

11
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 literature-
  romance.

12
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.

13
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.

14
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.
• Beckets 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.

15
The Magna Carta

• The Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215.
• The Magna Carta was a document that limited the
  Churchs power.

16
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.

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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.

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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.

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Literature

• 3. Lyrics/Ballads - sung with the lyre (harp-like
  instrument)
• Ex. Robin Hood
• 4. Secular(Worldly) and Religious Tales.
• Ex. Canterbury Tales

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Rulers

• I. 1066 - Death of Edward the Confessor. Saxon
  witan chose Harold II.
• William, Duke of Normandy (Eds cousin) takes the
  area by force at Battle of Hastings - kills
  Harold.
• Known as William the Conqueror.

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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

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Rulers

• III. Richard I - Creates debts for England with
  various military expeditions overseas.
• IV. John - ordered new taxes. B/c of Richs
  legacy, he conflicted with barons - resulted in
  the Magna Carta - beginning of constitutional
  government.

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Rulers

• V. Henry III - created Parliament (kings
  advisors)
• VI. Edward I - changed Parliament (to include
  free men)

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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King Arthur - The Romance
Merlyn (magician) Uther (King)
Egraine Cornwaille (Baron)
Arthur
Morgana (Morgan Le Fay) Sir Ector
(foster father) Mordred Sir Kay
(foster brother) Gwynevere

Launcelot Arthur may have come from magical
origins.
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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

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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 barons piece of land?
  A knights?

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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?)

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Medieval/Arthur Quiz 1

• (5 points each)
• EC 1 What is Arthurs nickname?
• EC 2 What century did Arthurs story actually
  take place in?

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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.

36
King Arthur Quiz 2

1. Female Woads are allowed to _________, but Roman
   women are not.
2. The Saxon leader says Arthur is __________ after
   they finally meet.
3. Arthur says history should remember that
   __________.
4. At Baden Hill, _______ was the common cause
   fought for.
5. Guinevere and Arthurs marriage
   symbolized___________.

37
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 Arthurs knights have we read
  about in a separate legend?