Upload
gladys-price
View
224
Download
4
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Medieval Period
1066-1485
In the beginning…. The Normans invade England
in 1066. William the Conqueror takes the crown.
He brings Feudalism to England Feudalism: Political and
economic system in which the king owned all of the land in the kingdom
William gave ¼ of land to himself, ¼ to the church, and the rest to loyal nobles (barons)
Barons give William warriors called knights
Barons swear their allegiance to the king, knights swear their allegiance to the barons, etc.
Defeated Anglo-Saxons are reduced to serfs (peasants), bound to the land
Then… William’s successors were less organized
than he was, which resulted in barons fighting for land and power.
In 1154, Henry II takes over the crown
He is one of England’s most memorable rulers
Reformed the judicial system—instituted royal courts and initiated the formation of English Common Law.
His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought the Code of Chivalry with her from France.
Code of Chivalry
Code by which knights lived by
The ideal knight respected and defended the church, his king, his country, and stood up to injustice
The qualities of a knight included:
Faith, modesty, loyalty, courtesy, bravery and honor
To honor and respect women
To go on quests, like the Crusades
Successors Richard the Lion-Hearted
Fights in the Crusades
John (Richard’s brother)
Signs Magna Carta in 1215
Limits the funds royalty can spend and gives more authority into the hands of barons
John’s son, Henry III
Created an advisory council of barons that met regularly.
Edward I
Established the inclusion of commoners (House of Commons) as well as barons (House of Lords) in the council. (Parliament)
Decline of Feudalism Medieval towns begin to grow, which leads to a decline of
feudalism since wealth was no longer based on land ownership.
Commoners are now getting more and more power.
The flipside to this is that the growth of towns meant crowding and poor living conditions which resulted in disease.
Strife in England
Black Death killed one third of England’s population
1.5 million killed between 1348-1350
Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
Abdication of Richard II
Supporter of Chaucer (Canterbury Tales)
Wars of the Roses
Civil War between the House of Lancaster and the House of York over the rightful heir to the throne
Medieval Literature
Romance emerges – imaginative adventure story concerned with noble heroes, gallant love, chivalric code of honor, and daring deeds
Idealized world of castles, heroes, courtly love, and spells
This countered the real world of plagues, battles, and civil unrest
Religious faith was a vital element of the literature of the time period
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table become the medieval heroes
Author is anonymous Written c. 1400 in Middle
English (language spoken after the Norman invaston of 1066 thru 15th century)
Important because:Alliterative poetryEpic poemMedieval romance
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight