Transcript Introduction to the Middle Ages (1066

Introduction to the
Middle Ages
(1066-1485)
A.k.a. The Dark Ages or the Medieval
Period
William the Conqueror & the
Norman Influence
• Battle of Hastings was said to change the
course of human history.
– It began the Norman Conquest
• This radically affected English history, character, &
language
Who is William the Conqueror?
• William was the illegitimate son of the
previous Duke of Normandy – The Duke
was a cousin to the current king-King
Edward the Confessor
– Edward died childless & Harold, earl of
Wessex was crowned the next day
– William said the old king had promised the
throne to him.
William the Conqueror & the
Norman Influence
• William the Conqueror was determined to
seize the throne –seized the English
Channel in 1066 which began the Battle of
Hastings.
William the Conqueror
• William’s other names:
– William, Duke of Normandy
– William the Bastard
– William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror & the
Norman Influence
• William created a book that went down in
history as the first time in European history
that people were taxed on what they
owned
– Domesday Book
• Just as Christians must account for the sins they
committed in life on Earth, the European people
had to account for what they owned and pay taxes
on it. – Domesday or Last Judgment
William the Conqueror & the
Norman Influence
• William brought the new social system of
feudalism to England.
Feudalism: From the Top Down
• Feudalism is a new social system based
on putting people into certain levels or a
hierarchy.
– Based on the religious concept of hierarchy• The Great Chain of Being
Great Chain of Being
• Definition: It was an order given to the
universe from God to the soil and rocks.
– Every link represented every aspect of earthly
life and heavenly life – “a place for everything
and everything in its place.”
– Macrocosm (big world) – Universe
– Microcosm (smaller worlds) – Individual
communities
Great Chain of Being:
Order of the Universe
God
Angels
Spiritual Temporal
Man_____________Man
Pope
King
Cardinals
Nobles
Bishops
Merchant/Craftsmen
Priests
Peasants/Serfs
Faithful
Animals
Plants
Inanimates
Feudal System
• God was the supreme overlord
– King was chosen by God – He had Divine
Right – His laws were infallible because he
spoke in the name of God.
• Barrons were his vassals (people who served and
answered to the king)
• The king gave them portions of land in return for
military/economic allegiance
– Barrons appoint vassals of their own – Landless Knights
» Serfs (not free to leave the land they work)
Feudal System Pyramid
GodKingBaronsLandless KnightsSerfsWomenChildren-
Knighthood
• Primary duty of serf males – military
service
– Trained at an early age to be warriors
• “Dubbed” – ceremonially tapped on the shoulder
with a sword by the king (who is the agent of God
on Earth). Originally they received a hard blow to
the face to test their strength and bravery
• Title of “Sir” was given to them – Now he has full
rights of the warrior caste
Knighthood
• Oaths of Fealty – Solemn & unbreakable
vow sworn by a vassal to a chosen lord –
usually the higher classes participated in
the actual ceremony
– Lord promises expected faithfulness & service
without deception
– Vassals made pledges over religious relics
• Sealed with a kiss
Holy Relics
• These are physical proof of religious faith
in the everyday world
– “Souvenirs” of holy people thought to have
religious significance & the power of God to
heal
Three Types of Relics
• 1st Degree: Actual body part of a saint or holy
person
– Ex.: finger, skull, hair, entire skeleton, etc.
• 2nd Degree: Item that was touched by and
belonged to the saint or holy person
– Ex.: clothing, shoes, jewelry
• 3rd Degree: Item that came in contact with the
saint or holy person
– Ex.: piece of his/her home, book, crucifix or rosary
Economics of Feudalism
• Basic economic unit, property system –
Manor
– Lord of manor owns a piece of property with a
manor house and smaller plots reserved for
serfs to live on and farm. The entire property
was usually protected by a castle &/or
defensive wall.
• Serfs give a large percentage of what they produce
to the lord and he offers them a place to live and
protection from invaders.
Economics of Feudalism Continued
• Serfs could not leave the land they worked
– Indentured servants
• Serfs could not be sold like slaves.
The Role of Women
• They were subservient to men
– Husband, father, brother, uncle
– His class determined how she was treated
 Higher class women – responsible for childbearing,
supervising housework
 Lower class women – responsible for childbearing,
executing the household chores, and may even work
in the fields.
• Without a man who was responsible for their
well-being, women would die of starvation,
alone.
Chivalry
•
Definition: System of ideals and social codes
governing the behavior of knights and
gentlewomen.
–
•
It was a complete code of conduct
Knight’s Obligations:
1. Defend his lord, king, & Christian faith
2. Treat women with respect & modesty
3. Defend the helpless (women, children,
the poor) from bandits and scoundrels
Knight’s Obligations
• Rules of warfare:
– Never attack an unarmed man
– Resist the urge to run away if captured
Definition: Platonic (nonsexual)
love for a particular lady
• Definition: Platonic (nonsexual) love for a
particular lady
– Would wear her colors in battle
– Would glorify her in words
– Would fight to win her favor
• He would adore a lady as a means of
achieving self-improvement.
• Lady must remain pure and “out of reach.”
Cult of the Virgin
• Stems from the Cult of the Virgin
– Cult of knights or warriors who considered the
Virgin Mary as the perfect woman; therefore,
they would fight in her name and try to
improve themselves in her name
• She was often depicted in statues on pedestals;
therefore, we get the idea of “putting a woman on a
pedestal” or raising her above other women.
Courtly Love Continued…
• The only time we know that the “line was
crossed” between the knight and the woman he
adored was Sir Lancelot and Guinevere (wife of
King Arthur)
– He adores her, goes to far, they have an intimate
relationship and are “caught in the act”
• As a result, the marriage dissolves, the friendship is
destroyed, and the Arthur’s Round Table crumbles.
• Chivalry idealizes women; however, her value
was placed on the lands she brought into the
marriage. (dowry)
Boom of Cities
• Population grows – people move into
towns and cities – Feudalism becomes
obsolete.
– City classes develop (lower, middle, uppermiddle) based on feudalism
• Seen in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
– Emerging merchant class
Drama
• Began in the Church – most of the
population was illiterate and plays taught
stories of the Bible
– Miracle Plays – Based on the legends of
saints
– Mystery Plays – Based on Biblical stories
• Passion Plays- reenacted the last week and
crucifixion of Christ’s life
–Morality Plays – personified virtues and vices
Drama
• Performances of the plays was taken over
by the trade guilds
– Groups of men of the same trade
– Pageant wagons or carts were movable
stages on wagons that depicted different
scenes of a skit and processed through the
town
• Modern-day parades are modeled after this
Thomas a’ Becket
• Chaucer’s pilgrims are on a pilgrimage to
the shrine of Thomas a’ Becket
• Thomas was the Prime Minister under
King Henry II (1118-1170)
– King Henry was a vassal to the Pope
• At this point all Christians are Catholic
• Pope was powerful and controlled most of the
crowned heads of Europe.
Thomas a’ Becket
• Thomas was appointed Archbishop of
Canterbury – Head of the Catholic Church
in England
– Thomas takes the side of the Pope a lot
• Makes King Henry angry
– Henry shouts, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome
priest?”
– Henry’s knights take him seriously and murder Thomas
in his own cathedral
Thomas a’ Becket
• Public outrage made Thomas a martyr
– Backlash against King Henry
– Monarchy as a constant struggle with the
Catholic Church
– Corruption in the Church ensues
Good Things About the Church at
the Time
• Fosters cultural unity
• Continues to be a center for learning
– Monasteries- libraries and publishers
– Latin – international language of educated
Europeans
– Pope- “King of Kings” – his kingdom had no
boundaries
Magna Carta- “Great Charter”
• King John was backed by the Pope but
English barrons forced him to sign the
document to curb the Church’s power
– Later it becomes the basis for English
constitutional law
• Trial by Jury
• Legislative taxation
Hundred Years’ War
1337-1453
• 1st national war between England &
France
• 2 British kings (Edward III & Henry V)
claimed the throne of France
– English lost
– English yeoman- small landowners form
nucleus of the army – replace knights
• Yeoman class, modern democratic England is born
Joan of Arc
1412-1431
• Young French girl who had visions of Christ as a
child
• Persuaded King of France to allow her to lead
the French army into battle – was told by God
she would be victorious
– Captured in Burgundy and sold to the English
– English turned her over to the Catholic Church for trial
– tried for heresy (speaking out against the Catholic
Church and her beliefs), witchcraft, and wearing
men’s clothes
• Burned to death and canonized as a saint
Black Death:
Bubonic Plague or “Bring out your
dead!”
• 1348-1349
• Spread by fleas and rats
• Reduced England’s population by a 1/3
– Caused labor shortage
– Feudalism dies – serfs are freed
End of the Middle Ages
• King Henry VII’s marriage reconciles
warring houses of York and Lancaster
– War of the Roses-over which house would
rule England
• York – red rose
• Lancaster-white rose
• Lancaster won – strong king started the
Tudor line – King Henry VIII’s family –
England’s Renaissance begins