The
Middle
Ages
1066-1485
Mrs. Pace - English 12CP
The Middle Ages, also known as the
Dark Ages or Medieval Times, begins
with the Battle of Hastings, in which
William the Conqueror - a.k.a. – Duke
William from Normandy {France},
defeated King Harold of England, the
last of the Anglo-Saxon kings. This
victory began the Norman Conquest, an
event which radically affected the
development of English history, the
English character, and the English
language.
The Bayeux Tapestry
The Battle of Hastings occurred on October 14, 1066. Harold
II was killed in the battle The famous Bayeux Tapestry depicts
the events before and during the battle.
One of Duke William’s greatest accomplishments
was the creation of The Doomsday Book, which was
the first record or inventory of every piece of
property in England – including land, cattle,
buildings, etc. This meant that people could be taxed
on what they owned.
With William coming from France, many French customs begin to blend
with the Anglo-Saxon customs previously discussed. One new way of life
was feudalism. Feudalism was a caste system, a property system, a military
system, and a system of social behavior. Ultimately it was based on a
religious concept. God was the “supreme overlord, or “landowner,” then
came the kings (supposedly appointed by “divine right”), then came the
barons and the vassals, then the knights, and finally the serfs (or working
class).
Here is another
chart to help
explain the
feudal system
that existed in
England during
the Middle Ages.
The primary duty of a male above the serf
class was to fulfill military obligations to his
lord.
Boys were trained from very young ages,
often outside of their home, in “military
training institutions.” The culmination of
this training resulted in “dubbing” or a
tapping ceremony, in which a boy became a
“sir” with all the rights and privileges of the
warrior caste.
The institution of knighthood was firmly
based in the feudal ideal of loyalty to one’s
lord and king. This custom is not new. In
fact, it is an adapted form of comitatus.
What is chivalry?
Chivalry was a system of ideals and behavior
codes that governed both knights and
aristocratic women(examples: Lady Marion –
Robin Hood or Lady Mary Crawley – Downton
Abbey).
An important aspect of chivalry was courtly
love. Courtly love – was the adoration of a
particular lady (usually one of high standing
in society). The purpose of this “love” or
adoration was self-improvement. The idea
was that a knight would become braver and
better as a result of his admiration and
devotion to said woman. It was not a sexual
thing. In fact, this concept probably comes
from the idea of worship associated with the
Virgin Mary.
To show a lady his devotion (or respect/admiration) a knight
might wear the colors of his lady’s house (think Game of
Thrones) in battle or he might glorify her in a poem or song.
One of the most famous examples of courtly love (gone too
far) is that of Lancelot and Queen Guinevere from the King
Arthur legend.
Chivalry and courtly
love help to
dramatically improve
attitudes towards
women. Chivalry also
gave rise to a form of
literature known as the
romance. The greatest
English example of the
genre is Sir Gawaiin and
the Green Knight by an
unknown author.
As the feudal system continues to evolve so
do the people it governs. Many are moving
to cities, or large towns, for the first time.
This new city folk is starting to create what
later develops into the lower, middle, and
upper middle classes that we are familiar
with today. Chaucer’s pilgrims in
Canterbury Tales are some of the first
English characters outside of the exact
feudal hierarchy.
A merchant class develops in the cities
of Britain. These middle class workers
were not tied to the land, and therefore
they weren’t tied to the rules of
knighthood or to the restrictions placed
on landowners by the feudal lords. The
people of the cities were “free” so to
speak.
Other events that radically influenced the course of
English history and English life:
• The Crusades –
A series of “holy” wars waged in
the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by
Christian Europe against the
followers of Muhammad (is the
founder of the religion of Islam
and is regarded by Muslims as a
messenger and prophet of God),
with Jerusalem and the Holy Land
as the prize.
•
The assassination of Thomas a` Becket
also known as “the holy blissful martyr”(more
on his story later)
• The Magna Carta
1215; Magna Carta was the first
document forced onto an English
king by a group of his subjects
(the barons) in an attempt to
limit his powers by law and
protect their privileges. It is the
basis for English constitutional
law; many of the same laws we
know today (examples: trial by
jury, taxation, etc.). The Magna
Carta switched sole power from
the Pope to the upper class. The
Magna Carta influenced the
development of common law and
many constitutional documents,
including The United States
Constitution.
The story of Thomas a` Becket:
Becket was a Norman who had risen
to power as chancellor (or prime
minister) under his friend Henry II.
At this time all Christians belonged
to one church – The Church of
Rome. This meant that King Henry
was technically under the Pope’s
thumb. By appointing Becket to
prime minister, Henry hoped to gain
the upper hand in disputes between
the Crown and the Roman Church.
The murder of Becket
To his disappointment, Becket was a true believer and
regularly sided with the Pope.
In December 1170, while expressing his
annoyance openly to those in his court, King
Henry said, “Will no one rid me of this
meddlesome priest?” Four of his knights
took his words literally and murdered
Becket in the cathedral at Canterbury.
Becket's tomb, which was visited by Henry
in an act of penance, became a site of
pilgrimage. This rash deed caused an
uprising against the king.
This setback for Britain’s monarchy
(having a pope killed is apparently
FROWNED UPON), was widely celebrated
by the church. In their excitement, the
church became arrogant and lazy. They
didn’t keep an eye on “their own” like they
should have. In turn many men in church
positions became corrupt.
Henry II (Plantagenet)
Canterbury Cathedral
canonization = in the Roman Catholic
Church, to declare a deceased person to be a
saint
The best known event in the
Cathedral's history was the murder
of Archbishop Thomas Becket in
1170. Canterbury, always on the
medieval pilgrim route to Rome,
became an end in itself, as
thousands came to worship at
Becket's tomb, especially after his
canonization in 1173. Geoffrey
Chaucer's pilgrims in his poem,
The Canterbury Tales, were by no
means unique. They represented
the hundreds of thousands who
travelled to the Cathedral to pray,
repent or be healed at his shrine.
Another UNFORGETTABLE event that radically influenced the
course of English history and English life:
The Black Death–
a.k.a. “the bubonic plague”
The Black Death was a disease,
which was highly contagious and
spread by fleas from infected rats.
It reduced the national population
of England by a third. That means
ONE out of every THREE people
that was alive at the time, DIED.
The Black Plague (continued)
This caused a labor shortage
and inevitably gave the lower
class more bargaining power
over their “landlords.” One
long time result of the Black
Plague was the freedom of the
serfs.
This effectively ends feudalism
and soon thereafter the Tudor
family takes over the
monarchy, which soon leads to
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
and the Renaissance period.
Literary Terms to know in relation to The
Middle Ages:
Satire –
Ballad –
Poetry of the common people;
passed down orally from
generation to generation; originally
intended to be sung along with
music; known for simplicity and
repetition; the themes or topics of
most ballads was based on
common everyday problems, love,
and tragedy.
Iambic Pentameter –
10 syllables per line with an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable
A kind of writing that ridicules
human weakness, vice, or folly in
order to bring about social
reform/change. Satires often try to
persuade the reader to do or believe
something by showing the opposite
view as absurd.
More information on Satire:
On occasion, satire can cause social
change when used to make a political or
social point.
Modern satires include:
South Park - An animated television
program that depicts children
coming of age to learn that the real
world is just as crude as middle
school.
The Daily Show and The Soup satire
the American news media.
Many modern comedy TV shows use
satire to some extent. These include:
The Simpsons, Father of the Pride,
Family Guy, Futurama, and King of
the Hill.
Watch teacher cribs satire video
Literary Terms (continued) –
Symbolism –
A device in literature where an object represents an
idea
Frame Story –
A story within a story; a story that
contains another story in it. The Tales,
such as The Knight’s Tale or The Miller’s
Tale are frame stories of the larger
Prologue of The Canterbury Tales.
Moral –
A story that teaches the concept of right
behavior
More literary terms:
Meter – a regular pattern of
unstressed and stressed syllables in
a line or lines of poetry; the beat
Rhyme – in poetry is a pattern of
repeated sounds.
Couplets are a type of
rhyme; a stanza of two
lines, which exhibit end
rhyme
The Canterbury Tales is written
in iambic pentameter. This is
the meter of the work. The
rhyme scheme of TCT is said to
be rhyming couplets.
Pictured here - Canterbury
Cathedral, which is one of
the oldest and most famous
Christian structures in
England.
Chaucer – Background Information
Geoffrey Chaucer’s most glorious
achievement was the writing of
The Canterbury Tales.
His Prologue gives us a snapshot
view of life in The Middle Ages:
what people looked like, what their
flaws were, what their more
redeeming qualities were, etc.
Chaucer is known as “the father of
English literature.” He is credited
by some scholars as the first author
to demonstrate the artistic
legitimacy of the vernacular English
language, rather than French or
Latin.
Chaucer
Chaucer – Fast Facts
•Born in 1343 in London (exact date
unknown)
•His surname (or last name) is of French
origin and means shoemaker
•Son of a prosperous wine merchant;
family is upper middle class, if not part
of the elite upper echelon
•Not only a writer but held numerous
diplomatic positions in the king’s court;
a writer but also a very important
government worker
•Died in London on October 25, 1400;
death = mystery
•Chaucer was buried in Westminster
Abbey. His body was later moved to
what is now known as Poet's Corner.
Paul Bettany plays a fictionalized
version of Chaucer in the film,
A Knight’s Tale
Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey
The first person to be interred in Poets’ Corner was
Geoffrey Chaucer, whose burial in the abbey (at the
time) owed more to his position as government diplomat
than to his fame as a writer.
Westminster Abbey
Became the coronation site for all future kings
and queens of England; many royal weddings
held here as well TRIVIA: Prince William married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Middleton, on
29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. William’s mother, Princess Diana was also
married at Westminster Abbey.
Royal weddings at
Westminster Abbey – one of
which is most modern
Another picture of Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey
Chaucer’s Audience
Certain knowledge was assumed by
Chaucer. For example, he expected his
audience would know that the clergy
took vows of chastity, poverty, and
obedience. Medieval monks, for
instance, rose at midnight to say a
prayer, ate a simple dinner, worked
much of the day farming, gardening,
and building, then went to bed by 8:00.
When Chaucer’s monk in The
Canterbury Tales does not follow these
typical rituals, he is making a serious
comment about monks/men of the
clergy. Chaucer does this in a satirical
way.
Canterbury Cathedral – main entrance
Why is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales considered to be such a
great literary work?
1. It is the first serious literary work to be written in English, in the
vernacular or everyday language of the people.
2. It is written entirely using rhymed couplets predominately in iambic
pentameter. This is a remarkable achievement. VERY HARD TO DO!!
3. The work shows the strength of Chaucer’s spirit and personality and more
than that, shows Chaucer’s strong faith.
4. The frame story approach to the telling of Canterbury Tales also makes it a
great work.
5. The “snapshot” of life in the Middle Ages makes his work not only
significant in the literary world, but also historically.
6. Each of Chaucer’s characters is a pilgrim/storyteller. Each representing all
social classes and all walks of life. Each pilgrim presumably is searching
for some kind of renewal at the shrine of Thomas a’ Becket. This speaks to
the overall archetypal theme: the search for forgiveness.
We will be reading the following works from
The Middle Ages:
Various ballads
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales –
“The General Prologue” (in lit book)
“The Pardoner’s Tale” (in lit book)
“The Miller’s Tale” (handout)
“Frederigo’s Falcon”
and
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The great literary works of the Middle Ages have spawned many
great contemporary literary mimics, songs, and films.
The lyrics, "As the miller told his tale" sounds like a reference to "The
Miller's Tale," from Chaucer's English novel The Canterbury Tales.
This tale is well known to English students as a vulgar or bawdy story,
told by the miller. Given this, the line, "And so it was that later as the
miller told his tale, that her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter
shade of pale" is an attempt by a young man, who has just caused a
girl to turn pale by telling some vulgar story, to explain away her signs
of disgust as due to other things. Such as the dancing, the drinking.
The Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
THE END