Fundamentos Culturais da Literatura em Língua Inglesa

1. Fundamentos Culturais da Literatura em Língua Inglesa Hélcio Lanzoni Aula 2

2. Middle Ages in Britain Around the 11th Century, in the British Islands there were four kingdoms: Scotland, Wales and Ireland, composed of Celtic peoples, and England, composed of Angle-Saxons. In 1066, Duke William, from Normandy (North of France) invaded and conquered England. ifp2012ayo.blogspot.com

3. “William the Conqueror”, as he was known, obeyed the French king and divided England in counties, each ruled by a type of Governor, who represented the King and had full authority over both peasants and landlords. This way, William strengthened his power. www.returnofkings.com

4. Richard I, the Lionheart (1157-1199) King Richard I was called “the Lionheart” because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior From the ten years of his government (1189-1199), Richard was out of England for nine years, leading the Third Crusade and fighting on the European Continent to keep England’s domains. www.angus-donald.com

5. Richard I, the Lionheart (1157-1199) His long absence caused the weakening of the royal authority and the growth of the power of the Feudal Lords. That’s why now it is important to understand exactly what Feudalism is. www.angus-donald.com

6. Feudalism Feudalism consists of a group of practices involving economic, social and political matters. The maincharacteristicsofFeudalism are decentralizedpower, economybasedonsubsistencefarming, peasantry, andabsenceofcurrencyorcommerce (barter system).

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8. The retraction of commercial activities caused the retraction of the economy, the currencies lost their values, and agricultural production was basically for subsistence. In this period, the Roman Empire crisis had favored a process that sent to the fields those who could no longer live through commercial activities. imgarcade.com

9. The crisis of the Roman Empire occurred due to the constant wars caused by the barbarian invasions and the crisis in the urban centers that were constituted at the height of classical civilizations. www.usu.edu

10. The movement towards the fields also struck directly the social classes that were instituted within Rome. In the feudal system, a peasant would be linked for life to the rural life due to fear of the frequent conflicts during the Middle Ages and the personal relationship with the feudal lord.

11. Feudal Structure The feudal system wasbasedonthreelevels: • The Church • The Nobility • The Peasants

12. The Church The economy and socio-political relations were under great transformation during the Middle-Ages, but there was another force, maybe the most powerful of all: the Church. historymartinez.wordpress.com

13. The Church The clergy was of great importance inside the feuds at that time. Once they were the only literate class of that historical period, the Church had a great influence on the customs and actions during the medieval times.

14. The Church During that time, the clergymen had the power to interfere in politics and other areas and set deals with the nobility and the kings with the purpose of expanding the Christian ideals. It was not uncommon to see a feudal lord donate lands to the Church as a sign of his religious devotion. Because of this practice, the Church also became a great “feudal lord”.

15. The Nobility The nobility were represented by the feudal lord. Owner of the land, the feudal lord had authority within his properties. Due to the right of the first-born, many of the children of the feudal lord ended up occupying other functions. www.answers.com

16. The Nobility The other children of feudal lords became knights, determined to guarantee the protection of the feud. In other cases, a nobleman could administer the land of a feud or turn to a religious life, occupying a clerical position. www.medieval-life-and-times.info

17. The Peasants The servant class was composed of peasants, who were destined to work on the fertile lands of the feud. Among their obligations, a servant should work compulsorily on the land of the feudal lord and pay the feudal requirements, a group of taxes that should be paid to the feudal lord. www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk

18. The Peasants Among other requirements, a feudal lord could request part of the harvest of the servant, charge extra taxes according to the number of servants in the feud, charge for the use of the facilities and tools of the feud, etc. www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk

19. Decline of Feudalism In the 14th century the so-called “black death” spread among the population causing a great wave of deaths: approximately one-third of the European population died because of the disease. www.historytoday.com

20. The lack of available labor reinforced the rigidity observed in the relationship between lords and servants. Fearing that they could lose their servants, the feudal lords created several new obligations with the purpose of maintaining the link between peasants and land.

21. The increase of the obligations led peasants to promote a wave of violent protests along the 14th century throughout Europe. With the cessation of these revolts, there was a growth in population, agricultural production, and commercial activities. www.dailykos.com

22. Fundamentos Culturais da Literatura em Língua Inglesa Hélcio Lanzoni Atividade 2

23. Conforme vimos nesta aula, o sistema feudal era baseado em três níveis: • A Igreja • A Nobreza • Os Servos A maior parte das terras pertencia aos nobres. Quando o nobre morria, como era feita a partilha entre seus filhos?

24. Pelas regras feudais, apenas o primogênito tinha direito de herdar as terras. Os outros filhos tinham que buscar outras ocupações, como tornar-se cavaleiros, administradores ou coletores de impostos, ou assumir uma posição na Igreja.