1066 A.D.
This guy dies!

Edward I, King of
England

He’s an alright guy:

Conquered Wales
Since Edward I dies,
The Normans enter the scene…

William the Conqueror
Duke from Normandy, France
 Claimed the throne of England
was promised to him
 Once Edward dies, William
earns his nickname—
WILLIAM THE CONQUERER!
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The Norman Invasion!
Zut! The French Are Coming!
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Some English shmoe
(Harold II) tried to
claim the throne once
Edward died
William would have
none of that, so he
conquered, crossing
the English Channel,
invading England
1066 A.D.
So…
IN 1066

Edward I dies,

The Normans invade,
leading to the …..
The Battle of Hastings


The decisive battle in
the short war
William wins

After the battle William
secures the English
Nobles’ allegiance in a
radical way:

HE ASKS
As for Harold
the Shmo…
He gets an arrow in
the eye
His wife identifies his
body by the tattoo
Which is on his chest,
and read her name,
“Edith.”
The Normans Change England
• land divided among William’s
followers from Normandy
• more contact with European
civilization
• a new language—French
• a new social system—
feudalism
Feudalism in a nutshell
• A social hierarchy
based on a religious
concept of rank
• some vassals
appointed by king in
return for loyalty
• lords (powerful
vassals) appoint
their own vassals
King
Lords
powerful
landowners
Vassals
did work or military
service for feudal lords
in exchange for land
Serfs
servants to lords and vassals,
bound to their master’s land
Enter… the Knights
(vassals)
• provided military
service to lords
• often the sons of
nobles
• began training at an
early age
• wore very heavy
armor into battle
• followed a code
of chivalry
Code of Chivalry
A code of conduct that
covered:
• whom to defend—knight’s
lord, the king, and the
Christian faith
• how to treat a lady—
courtly love
• how to help others
• Courage under pressure
Chivalry promoted the knightly
virtues of:





Friendship/loyalty
Generosity
Courage
Chastity/courtesy
Piety

Part of the Code of
Chivalry was how to
treat a lady or…
Courtly Love
The knight
• adored the lady and
was inspired by her
• glorified the lady in
words
The lady
• remained pure and out
of reach
• was set above her
admirer
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
Courtly Love???
Courtly love
Vs.
Courtney Love
????
Romance
What is it?
The Romance during the middle
ages…

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A new genre of
literature
inspired by legends of
chivalrous knights
Stages:




Dangerous quest
Test of honor/courage
Return to point of origin
Characteristics:



Hero on a quest
Magical help
Courtly love
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Feudalism starts to decline
Growth of Cities and Towns
• townspeople not tied to a
master’s land - the can
make a living wherever
they go
Then came the plague…

In the 14th century, the
world was hit by a terrible
outbreak of the bubonic
plague -

As much as 60% of the
world’s population died.

In Europe alone, it took
almost 200 years for the
population to recover
Think about it:
How do I know if I’ve got the
Black Death?
The symptoms of the bubonic
plague included:
• blotches on the skin
• hardening and swelling of
the glands under the
armpit or in the groin
• delirium
• insanity
The Plague’s effect in England
England’s
population
is reduced
by one-third.
Labor shortage
gives lower
classes more
bargaining
power.
Over time,
serfs gain
freedom.
The Hundred Years’ War: 1337–1453
• war between England and
France
• England unsuccessful
• leads to British national
consciousness-- nationalism
Yo to the Yeoman
• small landowners with
longbows
• begin to become dominant
force (instead of knights)