Transcript Slide 1

The Middle Ages England
1066 -1485
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1066 William the Conqueror
and the battle at Hastings
Who was William the Conqueror?
William was the illegitimate
son of the previous Duke of
Normandy (France), who was, in
turn, a cousin of King Edward
the Confessor. Edward died
without an heir, and Harold, the
earl of Wessex, was crowned
king. But…
William claimed that Edward had promised
HIM the throne. So he crossed the English
Channel with an enormous army to take what
he believed was his. In October, near Hastings,
he defeated the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings.
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The Normans Change England
William wanted to rule the Anglo-Saxons, not eliminate
them, so the result was a combination of cultures. To the
Anglo-Saxons, the Normans brought administrative
ability, an emphasis on law and order, and cultural unity.
One administrative feat was to
inventory nearly every piece of
property in England—land,
cattle, buildings—in the
Domesday Book. For the first
time, taxes were based on what
people owned.
And while the Normans didn’t change everything (or
England today—and America for that matter—would
be parler Francais), they did bring about significant
governmental and social system changes.
William, as well as some of
his successors, remained
dukes of Normandy while
being kings of England. With
this power, William divided
the holdings of the fallen
English landowners among his
own followers.
But,
the biggest change was
to the social structure
itself. Enter…
Feudalism!
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So to recap…
King—all-powerful overlord and
landowner
Vassals—nobles (barons, dukes, earls)
who received land (a fief) from the king
or other lords, in exchange for loyalty
and military service.
Knights—armored warriors provided by
the vassals for their lords. The bigger
the fief, the more knights.
Serf—peasants who worked on and were
bound to the vassals’ land. They
provided food for everyone above them.
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Speaking of knights…
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During the early Middle Ages,
knights, in addition to carrying a
sword and shield, wore a
relatively flexible hauberk—a mail
shirt made of countless riveted or
welded iron rings. Later, with the
use of the crossbow, came the
need for more protection. Hence,
the suit of armor.
Knights were often the sons of noblemen, as a boy’s
parents needed to be wealthy enough to buy him a horse,
weapons and armor. Training for knights started early,
around the age of seven starting with good manners and
social skills, and continued for over 10 years.
Once a boy’s training was
completed, he was dubbed,
or ceremonially tapped on
the shoulder. Once
knighted, he was a man
with the title of “Sir” and
the full rights of the warrior
caste.
Chivalry and Courtly Love
Chivalry was a system of
codes and ideals governing
the behavior of knights and
gentlewomen. The rules of
chivalry included taking an
oath of loyalty to the
overlord and observing
honorable rules of warfare.
For the knights, adoring a particular lady (not necessarily
one’s wife), was seen as a means of self-improvement.
This aspect of chivalry was called courtly love, and was, in
its ideal form, non-sexual. He might wear his lady’s colors
in battle, glorify her in words, and be inspired by her, but
she always remained pure and out of reach.
Women in Medieval Society
A woman was always subservient to a man, whether
husband, father, or brother. Her husband or father’s social
standing determined the degree of respect she
commanded. For peasant women, life was a never-ending
cycle of child-bearing, housework, and hard fieldwork.
Women in higher positions were occupied with childbearing
and household supervision.
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The Church
During the Medieval period, all Christians belonged to
the Catholic Church. The pope was enormously powerful
and controlled most of the crowned heads of Europe. It
also fostered a cultural unity that transcended national
cultures of Europe with its system of beliefs and symbols.
It continued to be the center of learning.
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Thomas à Becket (c. 1118-1170)
Thomas had risen to great power under his friend King
Henry II (reigned 1154-1189). Henry appointed Thomas to
Archbishop of Canterbury (head of the Catholic Church in
England), so that Thomas would side with him in disputes
with the church.
When Thomas
didn’t do this, Henry
said “Will no one rid
me of this turbulent
priest?” Taking his
words literally, four
of Henry’s knights
murdered Thomas in
his own cathedral.
Public outrage at
Becket’s murder led to
devotion to Saint Thomas
the Martyr and created a
backlash against Henry, a
significant setback for the
monarchy in its power
struggles with Rome.
As a result, the
church was open to
corruption by clergymen
the state was in no position
to correct.
Changing Times
As the population grew, an increasing number of people
lived in towns and cities. In turn, the city classes
developed—lower, middle, and upper middle. These
merchants lived outside the feudal system, producing a
sort of freedom not seen before.
The introduction of commonly
accepted coinage, gave the peasants
more buying and selling power.
Peasants were able to save money
instead of trading their services for
goods, allowing them to escape their
lower class status.
The Chivalric Code and ideals of
knighthood, were undermined by the
emergence of guns and gunpowder,
changing the nature of warfare and the
necessity of knights.
.
Furthermore, the yeoman (small
landowner) with his long bow, which
could fly over castle walls and pierce the
armor of knights, began to replace the
need for knights during the HundredYears’ war.
Yeomen became the new
representatives of the English. The ideals
of knights and chivalry fell into antiquity,
along with the feudal system
The Final Death Blow
Finally, the Black Plague,
which took place in the middle of
the Hundred-Years’ War, struck
England in 1348-1349.
The plague was highly
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contagious and spread by fleas and
rats, and reduced the population of
England by a third, decreasing the
amount of available laborers and
increasing the bargaining power of
the lower classes .
England was now ready
for a Renaissance.
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