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Medieval PeriodMedieval Period
1066-14851066-1485
Medieval PeriodMedieval Period
• Also called– The Middle Ages– Dark Ages
• People believed in the “divine order”– God destined man’s role in society
• God . . . Angels . . . Man . . . Animals . . . inanimate objects . . . Satan
Beginning of the PeriodBeginning of the Period
• William of Normandy defeats King Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king
• The Normans brought administrative abilities, law and order, cultural unity
• This intertwined with the Anglo-Saxons democratic and artistic tendencies
• Domesday Book – William inventoried nearly every property in England
• Brought feudalism to England
RulersRulers
• William I• William II • Henry I• Stephen• Henry II • Richard I• John • Henry III• Edward I• Edward II
• Edward III• Richard II• Henry IV• Henry V• Henry VI• Edward IV• Edward V• Richard III• Henry VII
• Bubonic Plague– Killed 40% of the population
• Rise of cities and towns creates new “free” group of people
• Development of classes– Middle – Upper-middle– Lower
People of the Medieval People of the Medieval PeriodPeriod
Feudal Feudal Class Class SystemSystem
Women during the Medieval Women during the Medieval PeriodPeriod
• Always subservient to men• Peasant women – childbearing,
housework and field work• Society women – childbearing,
household supervision• NO political rights
ChivalryChivalry
• A system of ideals and social codes, centering around knights
• Loyalty • Page…Squire…Knight (Sir)• Breaking these “codes” was a
disgrace to the person and the institution of knighthood itself
• Helped to develop literature form “romance”
Medieval ChurchMedieval Church
• Unifying factor• Continued to be a center of
learning• Organized Oxford & Cambridge• Church had right to tax
The CrusadesThe Crusades
• 1095-1270• Series of wars waged by
Christians against Muslims over the Holy Lands
• Exposed Europeans to the Middle East’s civilization
• Lasted over 200 years
End of the PeriodEnd of the Period
• Marked by the marriage of King Henry VII bringing the houses of York and Lancaster together.
• By ending the War of the Roses
Language–Middle EnglishLanguage–Middle English
• 1385 English becomes official language of all the people
• Grammar from old English + influence of rich French vocabulary
• Hundred Years War – intensifies patriotic feeling for the language
LiteratureLiterature
• First great work of this period Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
• Printing press invention at the end of the period allows common man access to books
• Ballads• Romances - Arthurian legend• Mystery and Miracle plays• Morality plays
Canterbury TalesCanterbury Tales
• Gives an idea of life in the Medieval Period
• Story of a group of people on a pilgrimage from London to the shrine of martyr Thomas a’ Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
• Pilgrims on this journey from all walks of life
BalladsBallads
• Literature of the common people• Often about death, relationships• Composed to commemorate
events of importance• Intended to be sung• Often the tabloids of the time
Ballad StanzaBallad Stanza
• Four lines per stanza• abab or abcb rhyme scheme• Four accented syllables in 1st & 3rd • Three accented syllables in 2nd & 4th • May contain refrain at the end of
each stanza• Often anonymous• Contains incremental repetition • Question/answer, dialogue
Arthurian Legend Arthurian Legend
• Legends usually begin with a historical fact.– Arthur – may have been a King who
fought the Anglo-Saxons
• Most important source for the legends– Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas
Mallory
• “the once and future king”
The EndThe End