The Middle Ages 1066 -1485

William the Conqueror
and the Norman Influence
Duke of Normandy, cousin of Edward the Confessor; believed Edward had promised throne of England to him
Harold, earl of Wessex crowned king after Edward’s death
Norman Invasion, October 1066—Battle of Hastings
Language—Norman and Anglo-Saxon elements ? Middle English
Established Domesday Book

The Normans Change England
William and his progeny remain dukes of Normandy and kings of England
French = language of aristocracy
Introduced feudalism, which displaced the comitatus

Feudalism

Vassals
“The bond between lord and vassal was affirmed or reaffirmed by the ceremony of homage. The vassal knelt, placed his clasped hands within those of his master, declared, ‘Lord, I become your man,’ and took an oath of fealty. The lord raised him to his feet and bestowed on him a ceremonial kiss. The vassal was thenceforth bound by his oath ‘to love what his lord loved and loathe what he loathed, and never by word or deed do aught that should grieve him.”
—Morris Bishop, historian

Knights in Shining Armor
Code of Chivalry: influenced life, art, and literature
Military service to lord
Trained from early age (page, squire, “knighted”)
Upon knighthood, titled “Sir”

Women in Medieval Society
No political rights
Subservient to husband, father, or brother
Husband or father’s social standing determined hers
Peasant women: childbearing, housework, hard field work
Noblewomen: childbearing and household supervision

Chivalry and Courtly Love
Chivalry: system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewomen
Oath of Loyalty to overlord
Observing certain rules of warfare
Adoring a particular lady = Courtly Love
Courtly Love
Non-sexual
Wear lady’s colors in battle
Glorify her in words, be inspired by her
Lady remains pure and out of reach; set above admirer

The Rise of the Romance
Women idealized, but position in society not improved
Romance: a new form of literature about a hero, who often has the help of magic, who undertakes a quest to conquer an evil enemy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Many other King Arthur stories

Major Events
The Crusades (1095-1270)
The Martyrdom of Thomas à Becket (1170)
The Magna Carta (1215)
The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)
The Black Death (1348-1349)

The Crusades
Series of holy wars between Christian Europe and Muslims over control of holy sites like Jerusalem
Pope Urban II: Christians had a duty to free Jerusalem and other holy cities from Muslim rule
Contact with Middle Eastern civilization:
Mathematics
Astronomy
Architecture
Crafts

Martyrdom of Thomas Becket
Thomas à Becket: c. 1118-1170
Norman chancellor (prime minister) to King Henry II (reigned 1154-1189)
King a vassal to Christian church; pope very powerful
Henry appointed Becket to Archbishop of Canterbury
Becket took his job seriously, sided with pope
Four knights of Henry’s murdered Becket in the cathedral at Canterbury
Becket canonized a saint

The Magna Carta
King John forced to sign in 1215
Granted certain rights to his barons
Basis for English constitutional law
Trial by jury
Legislative taxation
Restrictions on royal power

The Hundred Years' War
England and France
Based on weak claims to French throne by Edward III (reigned 1327-1377) and Henry V (reigned 1413-1422)
Unsuccessful for English, but fostered development of British nationalism
Representation shifts from knight to yeoman; chivalry lives on mainly in romances

The Black Death
Probably bubonic plague; highly infectious disease spread by fleas from infected rats
Reduced population of England by 1/3
Labor shortage
Lower classes ? more bargaining power
Freedom for serfs, end of feudalism
Peasant Revolt, 1381
Contributed to end of Middle Ages in England