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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’.
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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.
Introduction • Three main things influenced the society at the medieval times Feudalism Church Chivalry ( a code of conduct)
Feudalism • A political and economic system. • Was introduced to England by William the conquer.
Feudalism • In return to the land, the barons paid him money or supplied him with warriors= Knights The Barons swore to the king The knights swore to the barons At 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 Chaucer Who 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—acollection 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.