An Introduction to the Middle
Ages and Geoffrey Chaucer
English 12 & English 12 Advanced
Woodland Hills High School
Dr. Moschetta
Literature from This Unit
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The Canterbury Tales
By Geoffrey Chaucer
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“Father of English Poetry”
First author to write in English (Middle English)
[previously Latin]
Educated
Government official – work took precedence over
writing
Worked on Canterbury Tales for 22 years; never
finished
The Middle Ages – Norman
Invasion
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1066 – Duke William of Normandy
One-day long battle
Defeated and killed King Harold of England
William felt entitled to the English throne
(Edward, previous king, left no heirs)
Combined Norman emphasis on law and
order with Anglo Saxon democracy and
culture
Feudalism
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Caste system (social class)
Military system
Property system
System of social behavior
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Top of the Ladder: William the Conqueror
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Barons, vassals, lower vassals, landless knights,
serfs
City Classes
Eventually many people left the country
and moved to the cities
 City classes not defined by the feudal
system
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Upper, middle, lower
Middle class = merchant class who could
afford what they wanted
Knighthood and Chivalry
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Chivalry was a system of ideals that
governed knights
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Loyalty to overlord
Rules of warfare
Adoration of a lady
Crusades & Hundred Years’
War
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Crusades:
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Series of religious wars
to spread Christianity
throughout Europe
Struggle against Muslims
Ultimately a failure
Europe benefited from
contact with higher
civilization of Middle East
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Hundred Years’ War
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Battles between
England and France
Lasted over 100
years (1337-1453)
Feud stemming from
Norman Invasion
Militarily
unsuccessful for
Britain; did increase
sense of nationalism
Black Death
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Highly contagious plague
Spread through cities from fleas of infested
rats
Killed 1/3 of people in England
Gave more power to people in lower classes
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Caused labor shortage
Lower class workers willing to work could
negotiate wages and working conditions
Martyrdom of Sir Thomas a
Becket
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Thomas was a Norman who had great power
in England as well as Catholic church (prime
minister and Archbishop)
Sided with the Pope rather than the King
King Henry II (half joking) said he wanted
Thomas put to death
Henry’s knights killed Thomas in the cathedral
at Canterbury
Martyrdom of Sir Thomas a
Becket
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Saint Thomas the Martyr
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Made a saint and martyred by a cult following who
opposed the king
People made pilgrimages to Canterbury to
honor Saint Thomas’s memory
The Canterbury Tales are a fictional collection
of stories from a group of people making this
pilgrimage to Canterbury
Worst Jobs in History
Middle Ages jobs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZrE1
mVcB2k (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPgkf
xuyBgM&NR=1 (part 2)
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