Medieval Period Notes

 

Medieval Period Notes

Fullerton

Honors English IV

 

The Medieval Period – (1066-1485)

 

Norman Conquest

William, Duke of Normandy was related to King Edward the Confessor – the English King

§ Edward died in 1066 &Harold II was coronated.

§ William claimed that Edward had promised him the throne

§ William brought his troops across the channel and fought Harold’s forces in The Battle of Hastings.

§ Normans defeat the Anglo-Saxons

§ Christmas Day 1066 William was crowned King William I

§ William then suppressed the Anglo-Saxon nobility and confiscated their lands

§ He made sure that Normans controlled all levels of government.

 

Feudalism

§ Feudalism arose on the European continent at a time when no central government was strong enough to keep order.

§ Nobles had to rely on their own warriors to keep order

Overlord/Lord - granted property to his warriors in exchange for service

Vassal – received property and promised service to his lord in a ceremony called the Act of Homage.

 

All land belonged to the ruler. The King would kept some of it, granted some to the Church, and handed out the rest to his powerful supporters (Barons)

 

Fiefs – parcels of land granted to Barons by King

 

Vassals were expected to pay fees to the king and supply them with knights.

Knights usually received smaller parcels of land called manors.

Serfs (peasant class) worked the manors. Serfs were the lowest class in the feudal system.

 

Community life revolved around the manors. They were usually self-sufficient.

 

William and the Norman kings who followed him had reign over feudal domains in both England and France, which gave them more responsibility than the Anglo-Saxon kings.

 

Language Shifts

Normans spoke French and thought themselves vastly superior to the Anglo-Saxons.

§ They felt the language spoken in England at the time they conquered it was beneath them.

§ In courts of law, the aristocracy, and business, French became the preferred language.

An example of Norman discrimination that still exists today: domestic animals are often referred to by their Anglo-Saxon name in the barnyard (swine, sheep, and oxen.) However, when the animals are taken to the table they are referred to by their French name (pork, mutton, or beef.) Raising farm animals was considered a Saxon activity while Normans presided over the more elegant activity of dining.

 

Plantagenet Reign

 

1154 – Norman rule ended.

Henry Plantagenet ascends to the throne in the same year and becomes known as Henry II.

§ Establishes the House of Plantagenet

§ Establishes a record as one of England’s ablest kings.

§ Had a deep interest in government and law

 

Henry II’s legal matters led to a conflict with the Church. By the 12^th century the Church has grown increasingly powerful and corrupt.

§ Henry wanted to curb these abuses of power.

§ When the Archbishop of Canterbury’s position was vacated, he appointed Thomas a Becket into the position.

§ Becket was Henry’s friend and Henry expected him to go along with royal policy.

§ Becket defied the King and appealed to the Pope concerning Henry’s desire to remove some power from the Church.

§ The Pope sided with Becket which angered Henry.

 

1170 – Henry mentioned at court that he wished someone would do something about Becket. Some rogue knights took that to mean that they should murder him.

Becket was murdered at Canterbury in the Cathedral after preaching mass.

 

Henry II quickly condemned the crime. To atone for it, he made a pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb in Canterbury.

 

From that point a pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb became a common way for the English to show religious devotion.

 

Crusades (1095-1291) – The Christians believed that the Holy Land was inhabited by infidels (Muslims). The intent was to drive them out of the Holy Land. They were unsuccessful.

 

King Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) – spent a great deal of England’s money on the Crusades.

 

His successor King John inherited Richard’s debts. To attempt to pay off the debts, John tried to raise money by ordering new taxes on the Barons and saved money by ending services such as courts.

 

The Barons resisted and England came to the brink of a civil war.

 

To avert a war, John agreed to the Baron’s conditions by signing the Magna Carta.

 

In the Magna Carta the King promises not to tax land without first meeting with his barons.  He also promises to choose as his officers only those who know the law of the land and mean to observe it.

 

Many historians believe that this document’s restrictions on royal powers mark the beginning of constitutional government in England even though this document did not produce any changes in English government at the time it was put into effect. Constitutional government continued to develop under subsequent kings. During Henry III’s reign the barons came to be called Parliament.  Henry’s successor Edward I became the first king to have a Parliament with a House of Commons and a House of Lords.

 

The Growth of Town Life

§ 13^th century towns became increasingly important

§ The Crusades had stimulated trade between Europe and the Middle East. As trade expanded so did Europe’s trading centers.

§ London, originally built by the Romans, was England’s largest trading center. It was four times as big as any other English community.

 

Guilds – associations of merchants or craftsmen, formed with an effort to promote business within a town. As guilds became more powerful some took over town government.

Purpose of guilds – they protected the interests of the members yet also tried to ensure the quality of work from the craftsmen.

 

The Black Death (1348-1349) bubonic plague the spread through Europe in the mid 14^th century. It killed a third of the population. Sufferers would have very high fevers and large boils on their necks. The fever would case victims’ cheeks to redden. The children’s game “Ring around the rosy” is referring to the Black Death. Because people lived in closer conditions than ever before, the disease spread rapidly among the people.

 

The Later Middle Ages

§ Beginning of the 14^th century to the end of the 15^th century

§ House of Plantagenet fell

§ House of Lancaster replaced the Plantagenets, Lancaster kings: Henry IV, V, VI

§ House of York replaced the Lancasters

 

War of the Roses?

 

During the later Middle Ages, the feudal system declined as new towns appeared. Feudal notions of land ownership seemed outdated. After the Black Death, a huge labor shortage increased the value of a peasant’s worth.

 

Church Reforms

 

John Wycliffe (1320-1384) felt that religion had strayed too far from its roots

§ He opposed all forms of wealth among the clergy

§ Believed that all religious authority came from the Bible not the Church

§ Directed the translation of the Bible into English to make it more accessible to the common man

§ Organized an order of poor priests called Lollards

§ Archbishop of Canterbury called the Lollards “heretics” – meaning they attacked Church doctrine and Church authority

§ Lollards continued to spread Wycliffe’s teachings for quite awhile after he died.

 

Chivalry

 

The idea of chivalry first arose during the Crusades. Even though the Crusades were bloody and violent, they encouraged warriors to search for higher rules of conduct. The code dealt with loyalty and valor both on and off the battlefield.

 

Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1340–1400) – English poet, one of the most important figures in English literature.  Wrote The Canterbury Tales which was considered his masterpiece. The poem was never finished although it is 17,000 lines long. The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the most brilliant works in all of literature.