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The Medieval Period. (1066-1485). The Norman Conquest of 1066. Normans descendants of the Vikings Invaded France and adopted French customs William, Duke of Normandy Promised throne by King Edward but Council elected Harold II, so William conquered and killed Harold in Battle of Hastings
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The Medieval Period (1066-1485)
The Norman Conquest of 1066 • Normans • descendants of the Vikings • Invaded France and adopted French customs • William, Duke of Normandy • Promised throne by King Edward but Council elected Harold II, so William conquered and killed Harold in Battle of Hastings • Became King of England on Christmas day at Westminster Abbey • Overthrew Anglo-Saxon England / instituted French culture
Norman England • Roman Catholicism became focal point of culture, including govt • French words replaced Anglo-Saxon words, as they were deemed more elite • govt instituted Feudalism William, Duke of Normandy
Feudalism • Land was granted by the lord to the vassal in exchange for service during the Act of Homage in 3 ways: • personal use • to the church • to barons (lord’s supporters) • Land was called fiefs, and taxes & knights were supplied in retribution. • Land given to the knights was called the manor, and serfs worked this land.
The Plantagenet Reign (1154) • Henry II • knowledge of govt & law • wanted to change church’s rule in govt • Richard I • put country in debt due to overseas fighting • John • signed Magna Carter (no taxation w/o rep) • beginning of constitutional govt in England • Henry III • Instituted parliamentary govt (The Great Council of Elders) • Edward I • Included free men into Parliament via election
Decline of Feudalism • trade created the growth of towns • towns organized into labor unions, which overtook govt’s rule over the people THEREFORE • wealth no longer based on land ownership
Bubonic Plague • “Black Death” (1348-49) • killed 1/3 of population of England • WHY? • People lived so close together that disease festered and spread rapidly – land ownership was a privilege of the wealthy • RESULT? • Labor shortage increased value of peasant work
The Later Middle Ages (14th- 15th centuries) • Lancasters replaced Plantagenets • Henry IV, V, and VI • (subjects of Shakespeare’s history plays)
John Wycliff • Believed: • church exploited the Bible • church shouldn’t be the wealthy • Directed the translation of the Bible from Latin to English • Hoped more people would read it and understand it and agree with his thought
War of the Roses(1453) • Richard of York was appointed temporary King when Henry VI was sick • Would not step down when Henry VI recovered • Civil war broke out (Lancasters vs. Yorks) • Red rose vs. White rose • Yorks won in 1461 • Richard’s son Edward IV took throne
House of York • Richard I • Edward IV (1461-1483) • Edward V • Just a boy • He and his brother died “mysterious” deaths in Tower of London while under protection of his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, who proclaimed himself King Richard III • Richard III
End of the War of the Roses • Henry Tudor (Lancaster) • led rebellion against Richard III, killing him • King Henry VII • married Richard III’s niece, uniting the two houses • end of the civil war and the Middle Ages
Chivalry • code of Knightly behavior • respected way of life for all citizens • Examples: • Loyalty and valor on/off battlefield • Pledge service to a lady • Joust for her favor • Rescue damsels in distress
Chivalry in Literature • Troubadour • French poet • wrote stories about chivalrous knights • Romance • stories about chivalrous knights • written in Romance-influenced languages • French • Spanish • Italian
King Arthur • Legendary king who instituted the Knights of the Round Table and code of chivalry • Made famous through • Tales of the Celts • Geoffrey of Monmouth • Norman scholar who wrote about K.Arthur
Poetry of the Middle Ages • reflected the changes of English society and the English language • Poets: • William Langland • Geoffrey Chaucer • Types: • Lyrics – versus sung with accompaniment of a lyre • Ballads – folk songs that told a story
Drama of the Middle Ages • Miracle plays (mystery plays) from the Bible • Cycle plays – presented a Biblical history of human kind • Morality plays – taught moral lessons in the form of allegory