1066-1485

The Medieval Period

The Medieval Period

At his most characteristic, medieval man was not a dreamer nor a wanderer. He was an

organizer, a codifier, a builder of systems. He wanted “a place for everything and

everything in the right place.” Distinction, definition, tabulation, were his delight.

Though full of turbulent activities, he was equally full of the impulse to formalize by the

art of hierarchy and the rules of chivalry; sexual passion, by the elaborate code of love …There was nothing which medieval people liked better, or did better, than sorting out

and tidying up. Of all our modern inventions I suspect they would have admired the index

card.

The Middle Ages

William of Normandy defeated King Harold of England, the last of the Anglo-Saxon Kings.

So began the Norman ConquestWilliam the Conqueror wanted to rule the

Anglo-Saxons, not eliminate them.

October 1066

The French, Anglo-Saxon, and Latin languages were combined to create our English language.

Began an inventory of every piece of property and therefore could now tax what was owned. Domesday Book—tax record book

Influence of the French

Was a caste system, a property system, and a military system.

The king was the supreme ruler by “divine right.”

He appointed barons, allotting them land, and in return, they promised him their economic and military allegiance.

The system went all the way down to the serfs who could not own the land they tilled.

Feudalism

Males above the serf class went into military service for their lord.

Boys were trained from an early age to be warriors; when the training was completed, they were “dubbed” or “knighted.”

Once knighted, they received the title “sir” and the full rights of the warrior caste.

Knighthood was an idea of loyalty and entailed a complex system of codes.

Knights

Were always subservient to a man, whether to a father, brother, or husband.

The status of the male decided the degree of respect she received.

Peasant: childbearing, housework, and hard fieldwork

Women of a High Standing: childbearing and supervision of housework; they might even manage the estate if the husband was away

They had no rights.

Women

Chivalry was a system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewomen.

Examples: loyalty to one’s lord, observering certain rules of warfare—never attacking an opponent who is unarmed

Adoring a particular lady was seen as means of achieving self-improvement

Revering and acting in the name of the lady would make a knight braver and better ; was a central aspect to courtly love

Chivarly and Courtly Love

A non-sexual form of loveA knight might fight wearing her colorsOr glorify her in wordsAnd be inspired by herThe lady always remained pure and out of

reachSince this idea is fairly far-fetched, it has

provided much drama for Arthurian and Medieval stories

Medieval Romance—stories of adventure, gallant love, chivalry, and heroism

Courtly Love

After William the ConquerorNear anarcharyHenry IIRichard I—Richard the Lion HeartedKing John—while Richard was away his

brother, King John, plotted against him.Remember Robin HoodResulted in the Magna Carta: limited royal

authority by granting more power to the barons

The Monarchary

Between England and FranceBegan in 1337—during the reign of Edward

IIIContinued on and on for more than a centuryEventually the French defeated the EnglishA new social class emerged: yeoman class,

bringing with it modern democracy

Hundred Year's War

Brought the end of feudalism because it caused a labor shortage, leading the serf’s freedom

Killed around 1/3 of England’s population

The Black Plague: 1348-1349

At the end of the Hundred Year’s War, two families claimed right to throne

York: symbolized by a white roseLancaster: symbolized by a red roseAt the end of the war in 1485, Lancastrian

Henry Tudor killed the Yorkist king Richard III and took the throne as Henry III

This event marks the end of the Middle Ages or the Medieval Period

War of the Roses