Notes on Medieval Times & Canterbury Tales
The Medieval Period (1066 – 1485)
The Anglo-Saxon period is typically considered to have ended in ______________, with the Norman
invasion. William the Conqueror was crowned king of England after the Battle of
___________________________________.
With the invasion of Normans (Vikings who settled in the area France known as Normandy), came
an introduction of ______________________________ ways into the formerly Anglo-Saxon society.
Feudalism - A political and economic system in which the _______________________________ of power is
based on the premise that the _________________________ owns all the land in the kingdom.
Rulers of the Medieval Period
Henry II – instituted royal courts throughout the country, established system of ____________________
and formed English common law.
– His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (former French queen) brought from France the
_________________________ __________ ________________________________
 Code of Chivalry – ethics governing ____________________ behavior. Encouraged knights to honor
and protect ladies and go on holy quests, like the Crusades (military expedition that European
Christians used to wrest the holy city of Jerusalem from Muslim control).
Richard I – a.k.a Richard the __________________________________________________
- spent most of his 10 year reign fighting in the Crusades
- While gone, his brother John (the villain of the ________________________ _____________________ tales)
plotted against him.
- When Richard died and John became king, he discovered that the royal treasury had been
bankrupted by overseas ______________________________.
 In 1215, King John signed the ________________________ _______________________, which limited royal
authority by giving more power to the barons.
Henry III - under him, _________________________________________ was officially established from the group
of barons who served as an advisory council to the king, per the Magna Carta
Edward I, the next king, included ________________________________________ in the parliament (House of
Commons) as well as barons (House of Lords), and the British Parliament became a
___________________________________ body of the people of the country.
Trivial Pursuit of Medieval Times:
1. As a result of the Crusades, a money economy developed. Thus, the government established a
_____________________________ system to finance society.
2. Merchants and craftspeople formed guilds to help control the flow and price of goods. Today,
guilds are more commonly known as ______________________________.
3. As a result of the growth of towns on lords’ lands, ______________________________ as a way of
governing declined.
Notes on Medieval Times & Canterbury Tales
4. The downside to the formation of towns was the onslaught of widespread diseases, called
_______________________________.
5. With the advancement of society came the desire for more education. Thus,
_______________________________ were formed for higher studies.
The End of the Medieval Era

The _________________________ ____________________ War began in 1337 between England and
France, battling on and off for over a century. The Hundred Years’ War was fraught with
notable episodes, such as the French army’s lifting of the siege of Orleans under the inspired
leadership of a young peasant woman, _________________________ ______ __________________.

At the same time, England experienced several domestic crises such as the
_______________________ _________________________, a plague that killed 1/3 of the population, the
Peasants’ Revolt o f1381, and Richard II’s forced abdication in 1399, which brought Henry
IV to the throne.

When the war finally ended in 1453, England had lost nearly all of its __________________________
possessions, including speaking the language.
The War of the Roses

In 1485, 2 rival families claimed rights to the throne – the ____________________________,
whose symbol was a white rose, and the Tudors, whose symbol was a
____________________rose. The fighting, known as The War of the Roses, ended in 1485, when
Henry Tudor killed the Stuart king, Richard III, and took throne as Henry VII.
Thus, the Medieval period ended, and a dramatic shift into the Renaissance took place.
Notes on Medieval Times & Canterbury Tales
Who were the characters in Canterbury Tales?

They were travelers making a religious road trip called a _____________________________________ a religious journey undertaken for penance and grace.

Pilgrims traveled to visit the remains of ______________________________________________,
archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in 1170 by knights of King Henry II.

Soon after his death, he became the most popular _________________________ in England.

The pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales is not only solemn, but offers the travelers a
vacation.
Importance of Social Class in Medieval Society

The pilgrims represent a ________________________ cross section of 14th century English society.

Medieval society was divided into three broad classes called “_________________________________”:
the military, the clergy, and the laity.

In the portraits in “The Prologue,” the Knight and Squire represent the military estate. The
clergy is represented by the Prioress (and her nun and three priests), the Monk, the Friar,
and the Parson. The other characters, from the wealthy Franklin to the poor Plowman, are
the members of the laity.
Literary Style: Romance

A style of _________________________ prose and verse narrative written in Europe from the
Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

The term originally distinguished popular material from ___________________________________ and
___________________________________ literature.

Romance deals with traditional ________________________________: the adventures of a chivalrous,
heroic knight, who, abiding chivalry's strict codes of honor and demeanor, fights and defeats
monsters and giants, thereby winning favor with a beautiful princess.

In later romances, particularly those of French origin, there is a tendency to emphasize
themes of ________________________________ love.
Romance may or may not be realistic depending on the story and its events.
Poetic Form: ___________________________________ ________________________________ - two successive lines of
poetry that rhyme.
Tone: ______________________________ - Chaucer often says the opposite of what he means, and he uses
understatements to criticize his subjects.
For further review, check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/launch_tl_ages_english.shtml