The Medieval Period
1066-1485
In the beginning….

The Normans invade England in
1066. William the Conqueror
takes the crown.

He brings Feudalism to England

Feudalism: Political and
economic system in which the
king owned all of the land in
the kingdom

William gave ¼ of land to
himself, ¼ to the church, and
the rest to loyal nobles (barons)

Barons give William warriors
called knights

Barons swear their allegiance to
the king, knights swear their
allegiance to the barons, etc.

Defeated Anglo-Saxons are
reduced to serfs (peasants),
bound to the land
Then…

William’s successors were less organized than he
was, which resulted in barons fighting for land and
power.

In 1154, Henry II takes over the crown

He is one of England’s most memorable rulers

Reformed the judicial system—instituted royal
courts and initiated the formation of English
Common Law.

His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought the
Code of Chivalry with her from France.
Code of Chivalry

Code by which knights lived by

The ideal knight respected and
defended the church, his king, his
country, and stood up to injustice

The qualities of a knight included:

Faith, modesty, loyalty, courtesy,
bravery and honor

To honor and respect women

To go on quests, like the Crusades
Successors

Richard the Lion-Hearted


Fights in the Crusades
John (Richard’s brother)

Signs Magna Carta in 1215


John’s son, Henry III


Limits the funds royalty can spend and gives more authority
into the hands of barons
Created an advisory council of barons that met regularly.
Edward I

Established the inclusion of commoners (House of
Commons) as well as barons (House of Lords) in the
council. (Parliament)
Decline of Feudalism

Medieval towns begin to grow, which leads to a decline of
feudalism since wealth was no longer based on land ownership.

Commoners are now getting more and more power.

The flipside to this is that the growth of towns meant crowding
and poor living conditions which resulted in disease.
Strife in England

Black Death killed one third of England’s population

1.5 million killed between 1348-1350

Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

Abdication of Richard II


Supporter of Chaucer (Canterbury Tales)
Wars of the Roses

Civil War between the House of Lancaster and the House
of York over the rightful heir to the throne
Medieval Literature

Romance emerges – imaginative
adventure story concerned with
noble heroes, gallant love,
chivalric code of honor, and daring
deeds

Idealized world of castles, heroes,
courtly love, and spells

This countered the real world of
plagues, battles, and civil unrest

Religious faith was a vital element
of the literature of the time period

King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table become the medieval
heroes
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight



Author is anonymous
Written c. 1400 in Middle
English (language spoken
after the Norman invaston
of 1066 thru 15th century)
Important because:
Alliterative poetry
Epic poem
Medieval romance