Ms. Warnberg

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MIDDLE AGES

Lead an invasion of England after his cousin once

removed, King Edward the Confessor, dies.

Claimed he was the rightful king.

United the Anglo-Saxons.• Doomesday Book• Law & Order• Cultural Unity

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

What was William’s title before he conquered the Anglo-Saxons?

God

The King

Vassals & Lords

Knights

Serfs

FEUDALISM: CHAIN OF BEING

The king owned all the land. Lords were appointed by the king. They could grant land to vassals or be vassals themselves.Vassals received land from a lord in exchange for military service or other loyalties. They could be lords by distributing portions of their land to others.Knights served lords in battle. Vassals had to provide them.Serfs were peasants who worked the land that others owned.

• Only wealthy knights could afford armor.

• They received the title “sir”.

• Chivalry and Loyalty• Loyalty to their lord was

sealed with a kiss

KNIGHTS

What do knights have to do with The Lion King?

Could not serve as soldiers, therefore they had no

political power

Subservient to all men (fathers, husbands,

brothers)

Roles were to bear children and to take care of the

house and fields

WOMEN DURING THE MIDDLE AGES

How do women in the United States live compared to women in the Middle Ages?

Chivalry: system of ideals & social codes governing the

behavior of knights and gentlewomen

Oaths of loyalty to the king and lords were part of it

Adoring a lady would make one braver and nobler

Courtly love: means of self-improvement, nonsexual

Guinevere and Lancelot broke the code and ruined

the system

CHIVALRY AND COURTLY LOVE

What famous knight is represented on this slide?

Dulcineahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayz50HeFJUU&feature=related

• These are physical proof of religious faithin the everyday world– “Souvenirs” of holy

people thought to havereligious significance &

the power of God toheal

Three Types of Relics

• 1st Degree: Actual body part of a saint or holy

person

– Ex.: finger, skull, hair, entire skeleton, etc.

• 2nd Degree: Item that was touched by and

belonged to the saint or holy person

– Ex.: clothing, shoes, jewelry

• 3rd Degree: Item that came in contact with the

saint or holy person

– Ex.: piece of his/her home, book, crucifix or rosary

HOLY RELICS

A woman’s value was tied to the land she brought into a

marriage

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Romance: a hero undertakes a quest to conquer an evil enemy (often with the help

of magic)

ROMANCE

Can anyone think of a modern day romance?

As people moved to the city, a new class system

developed that made the feudal system obsolete.

Upper, middle, lower

We see evidence of this in Chaucer’s work

THE FALL OF FEUDALISM

• Began in the Church – most of the

population was illiterate and plays taught

stories of the Bible

– Miracle Plays – Based on the legends of

saints

– Mystery Plays – Based on Biblical stories

• Passion Plays- reenacted the last week and

crucifixion of Christ’s life

–Morality Plays – personified virtues and vices

• Performances of the plays was taken over by the trade

guilds

– Groups of men of the same trade

– Pageant wagons or carts were movable stages on

wagons that depicted different scenes of a skit and processed

through the

town

• Modern-day parades are modeled after this

DRAMA

Archbishop of Cantebury

Prime Minister under King Henry II

• “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”

• King Henry’s knights murder Thomas.

Public outrage

Thomas a martyr

Tension between Catholic church and England

THOMAS A’ BECKET

• Fosters cultural unity• Continues to be a center for learning

– Monasteries- libraries and publishers

– Latin – international language of educated Europeans– Pope- “King of

Kings” his kingdom had no boundaries

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

• King John was backed by the Pope but

English barrons forced him to sign the

document to curb the Church’s power

– Later it becomes the basis for English

constitutional law

• Trial by Jury

• Legislative taxation

MAGNA CARTA- “GREAT CHARTER”

• 1st national war between England &

France

• 2 British kings (Edward III & Henry V)

claimed the throne of France

– English lost

– English yeoman- small landowners form

nucleus of the army – replace knights

• Yeoman class, modern democratic England is

born

HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR1337-1453

• Young French girl who had visions of Christ as a child

• Persuaded King of France to allow her to lead

the French army into battle – was told by God

she would be victorious– Captured in Burgundy and sold to the

English– English turned her over to the Catholic

Church for trial– tried for heresy (speaking out against the Catholic Church and her beliefs), witchcraft, and wearing men’s clothes• Burned to death and canonized as a

sainthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=6gv2p2WZoUE

JOAN OF ARC1412-1431

• 1348-1349

• Spread by fleas and rats

• Reduced England’s population by a 1/3

– Caused labor shortage

– Feudalism dies – serfs are freed

• (Bring out your dead)• http

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFACHNd_AWs

THE BLACK DEATH:BUBONIC PLAGUE

• King Henry VII’s marriage reconciles

warring houses of York and Lancaster

– War of the Roses-over which house would

rule England

• York – red rose

• Lancaster-white rose

• Lancaster won – strong king started the

Tudor line – King Henry VIII’s family –

England’s Renaissance begins

END OF THE MIDDLE AGES