The Medieval Times

The Monarchy

• William the conqueror was a powerful king.• He took control all over England.• He was very organized and brought law and

order to his kingdom.• Demeday Book- tax record of every property

owned in the kingdom.

The Monarch Cont’

• After he died in 1154- his great grandson took the throne as Henry II.

• Henry II set up the legal system- he established courts throughout the country, a system of juries and he began forming Britain’s common law based on old practices.

Richard the Lion-Hearted•Was Henry’s son•He spent the first 10 years of reign fighting abroad.•His younger brother John plotted against him.•King John was very greedy and he kept raising the tax so he could have more money.•King John was the villain ( the bad guy) in Robin Hood legends.

The Magna Carta

• In 1215 King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta which limited the power of the king and gave more power to the Barons

• This was the first step on the road to democracy.

War and Plague

• War was a fact of life during the medieval times

The 100 Year War

• Occurred between England and France.• Began in 1337 and ended in 1453

The Black Death

• War wasn’t the only crisis England had to face.• wiped out about 40% of England’s population.

• Death then becomes a central theme in everyday life and literary works.

• Here’s an awesome explanation of what the black death was: http://www.history.com/topics/black-death/videos#coroners-report-plague

The Wars of the Roses The End of the Medieval Time

• After the 100 year war, two rival (enemy) families were fighting over the throne: the house of York ( their symbol was a white rose) and the house of Lancaster ( their symbol was a red rose)

• The war of the roses ended when Henry Tudor from the house of Lancaster, killed king Richard III from the house of York.

• He took over the throne as king Henry VII• This event marked the end of the Medieval

Times.

Cultural Influences of the Medieval Times

Introduction

• Three main things influenced the society at the medieval times

FeudalismChurchChivalry ( a code of conduct)

Feudalism

• A political and economic system.• Was introduced to England by William the

conquer.

The Loyal Barons

The King

The Church

Feudalism

• In return to the land, the barons paid him money or supplied him with warriors= Knights

The Barons swore to the kingThe knights swore to the baronsAt the bottom of the social ladder were the Anglo

Saxons who were usually serfs- peasants( farmers) who are bound (tied) to a land they could not own.

The Power of the Church

• The church was led by the pope in Rome • It was run independently: it had its own laws,

charging its own taxes..• The kings had to listen to the church.• It owned more land than anyone in Europe.

• Its power caused many conflicts with the monarchy.

Discussion Question

• What do you think were the reasons to the conflict between the church and the monarchy? Explain your answer!

• For more information read the first paragraph of page 30 in your text book.

Chivalry and Courtly Love• To improve the cruel reality of feudalism

the code of chivalry was created.

• Chivalry comes from the French word, chevalier, which means knight.

• A knight was suppose to be fair to his opponents, loyal to his lord, and honorable in all things.

• He was to show Christian humility to his peers, kindness to those beneath him, and generosity to all.

• These ideas were expressed in the romances (long poems about knightly adventures that were recited by traveling poets).

Geoffrey ChaucerWho was Chaucer? Was he only a big man on a little horse? Let’s find out…

Quick Biographical Sketch• Born 1340-1343 in London.• Was not born into nobility, however

was of the higher middle class and therefore could read which is a good thing for us.

• Became an “assistant” for the King’s son and quickly was schooled in the ways of the elite.

• In 1377 he became a member of Parliament and became knight of the shire.

• Between 1380-1390 he wrote The Canterbury Tales which became the first English work of importance.

• Was captured and held for ransom while fighting in the Hundred Years’ War.

Who Murdered Chaucer?• Chaucer died on October

25, 1400 from unknown causes (grounds for a conspiracy theory).

• A recent book, Who Murdered Chaucer?, suggests that Chaucer may have been killed by Richard II’s enemies (aka Henry IV) for his political affiliations.

The Tales

• Frame story—a collection of narratives woven together to produce one story.

• Story is made up of 30 pilgrims traveling to the shrine(Temple) of Canterbury.

• They agree to have a storytelling contest as a means to pass the time.

• The group consists of farmers, townsfolk, clergy, saints, and sinners.