The Middle Ages

1. The Middle Ages 1066-1485 Mrs. Pace/Mrs. Buehler – English 12CP

2. The Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages or Medieval Times, begins with the Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conqueror - a.k.a. – Duke William from Normandy {France}, defeated King Harold of England, the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings. This victory began the Norman Conquest, an event which radically affected the development of English history, the English character, and the English language. The Bayeux Tapestry The Battle of Hastings occurred on October 14, 1066. Harold II was killed in the battle The famous Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events before and during the battle.

3. One of William’s greatest accomplishments was the creation of The Doomsday Book, which was the first record or inventory of every piece of property in England – including land, cattle, buildings, etc. Now people could be taxed on what they owned.

4. With William coming from France, many French customs begin to blend with the Anglo-Saxon customs already discussed. One new way of life was feudalism. Feudalism was a caste system, a property system, a military system, and a system of social behavior. Ultimately it was based on a religious concept. God was the “supreme overlord, or “landowner,” then came the kings (supposedly appointed by “divine right”), then came the barons and the vassals, then the knights, and finally the serfs (or working class).

5. Here is another chart to help explain the feudal system that existed in England during the Middle Ages.

6. The primary duty of a male above the serf class was to fulfill military obligations to his lord. Boys were trained from very young ages, often outside of their home, in “military training institutions.” The culmination of this training resulted in “dubbing” or a tapping ceremony, in which a boy became a “sir” with all the rights and privileges of the warrior caste. The institution of knighthood was firmly based in the feudal ideal of loyalty to one’s lord and king. This custom is not new. In fact, it is an adapted form of comitatus.

7. What is chivalry? Chivalry was a system of ideals and behavior codes that governed both knights and gentlewomen. An important aspect of chivalry was courtly love. Courtly love – was the adoration of a particular lady (usually one of high standing in society). The purpose of this “love” or adoration was self-improvement. The idea was that a knight would become braver and better as a result of his admiration and devotion to said woman. It was not a sexual thing. In fact, this concept probably comes from the idea of worship associated with the Virgin Mary.

8. To show a lady his devotion (or respect/admiration) a knight might wear the colors of his lady in battle or he might glorify her in a poem or song. One of the most famous examples of courtly love (gone too far) is that of Lancelot and Queen Guinevere.

9. Chivalry and courtly love help to dramatically improve attitudes towards women. Chivalry also gave rise to a form of literature known as the romance. The greatest English example of the genre is Sir Gawaiin and the Green Knight by an unknown author. The poem's chief interest for literary critics is its sophisticated use of medieval symbolism. Everything from the Green Knight, to the beheading game, to the girdle given to Gawain as protection from the axe, is richly symbolic and steeped in Celtic, Germanic, and other folklore and cultural traditions.

10. As the feudal system continues to evolve so do the people it governs. Many are moving to cities, or large towns, for the first time. These city folk are starting to create what later develops into the lower, middle, and upper middle classes that we are familiar with today. Chaucer’s pilgrims in Canterbury Tales are some of the first English characters outside of the exact feudal hierarchy.

11. A merchant class develops in the cities of Britain. These middle class workers were not tied to the land, and therefore they weren’t tied to the rules of knighthood or to the restrictions placed on landowners by the feudal lords. The people of the cities were “free” so to speak. In fact, many of the ballads sung in alehouses were written by and for the “middle class.”

12. Other events that radically influenced the course of English history and English life: The Magna Carta – 1215; Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English king by a group of his subjects (the barons) in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. The basis for English constitutional law; many of the same laws we know today (examples: trial by jury, taxation, etc.). The Magna Carta switched sole power from the Pope to the upper class. The Magna Carta influenced the development of common law and many constitutional documents, including The United States Constitution. The Crusades – A series of “holy” wars waged in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Christian Europe against the followers of Muhammad (is the founder of the religion of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of God), with Jerusalem and the Holy Land as the prize. The assassination of Thomas a` Becket also known as “the holy blissful martyr” (more on his story to come)

13. The story of Thomas a` Becket: Becket was a Norman who had risen to power as chancellor (or prime minister) under his friend Henry II. At this time all Christians belonged to one church – The Church of Rome. This meant that King Henry was technically under the Pope’s thumb. By appointing Becket to prime minister, Henry hoped to gain the upper hand in disputes between the Crown and the Roman Church. To his disappointment, Becket was a true believer and regularly sided with the Pope. The murder of Becket

14. In December 1170, while expressing his annoyance openly to those in his court, King Henry said, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Four of his knights took his words literally and murdered Becket in the cathedral at Canterbury. Becket's tomb, which was visited by Henry in an act of penance, became a site of pilgrimage. This rash deed caused an uprising against the king. This setback for Britain’s monarchy, was widely celebrated by the church. In their excitement, the church became arrogant and lazy. They didn’t keep an eye on “their own” like they should have. In turn many men in church positions became corrupt.

15. Another UNFORGETTABLE event that radically influenced the course of English history and English life: The Black Plague – a.k.a. “the bubonic plague” The Black Death, as it is also sometimes called, was a disease, which was highly contagious and spread by fleas from infected rats. It reduced the national population of England by a third. That means ONE out of every THREE people that was alive at the time, DIED.

16. The Black Plague (continued) This caused a labor shortage and inevitably gave the lower class more bargaining power over their “landlords.” One long time result of the Black Plague was the freedom of the serfs. This effectively ends feudalism and soon thereafter the Tudor family takes over the monarchy, which soon leads to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and the Renaissance period.

17. Literary Terms to know in relation to The Middle Ages: Ballad – Poetry of the common people; passed down orally from generation to generation; originally intended to be sung along with music; known for simplicity and repetition; the themes or topics of most ballads was based on common everyday problems, love, and tragedy. Satire – A kind of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform/change. Satires often try to persuade the reader to do or believe something by showing the opposite view as absurd. Iambic Pentameter – 10 syllables per line with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

18. More information on Satire: On occasion, satire can cause social change when used to make a political or social point (although simply revealing absurdities to the public, as opposed to the quality of the satire, may be the actual cause of any consequences). Modern satires include: South Park - An animated television program that depicts children coming of age to learn that the real world is just as crude as middle school. The Daily Show and The Soup satire the American new media. Many modern comedy TV shows use satire to some extent, and many are animated comedies as well. These include: The Simpsons, Father of the Pride, Family Guy, Futurama, and King of the Hill.

19. Literary Terms (continued) – Symbolism – A device in literature where an object represents an idea Frame Story – A story within a story; a story that contains another story in it. The Tales, such as The Knight’s Tale or The Miller’s Tale are frame stories of the larger Prologue of The Canterbury Tales. Moral – A story that teaches the concept of right behavior

20. More literary terms: Meter – a regular pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in a line or lines of poetry; the beat Rhyme – in poetry is a pattern of repeated sounds. Couplets are a type of rhyme; a stanza of two lines, which exhibit end rhyme The Canterbury Tales is written in iambic pentameter. This is the meter of the work. The rhyme scheme of TCT is said to be rhyming couplets. Pictured here - Canterbury Cathedral, which is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England.

21. Chaucer – Background Information Geoffrey Chaucer’s most glorious achievement was the writing of The Canterbury Tales. His Prologue gives us a snapshot view of life in The Middle Ages: what people looked like, what their flaws were, what their more redeeming qualities were, etc. Chaucer is known as “the father of English literature.” He is credited by some scholars as the first author to demonstrate the artistic legitimacy of the vernacular English language, rather than French or Latin. Chaucer

22. Chaucer – Fast Facts • Born in 1343 in London (exact date unknown) • His surname (or last name) is of French origin and means shoemaker • Son of a prosperous wine merchant; family is upper middle class, if not part of the elite upper echelon • Not only a writer but held numerous diplomatic positions in the king’s court; a writer but also a very important government worker • Died in London on October 25, 1400; death = mystery • Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the part of the church which afterwards came to be called Poet's Corner.

23. Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey The first person to be interred in Poets’ Corner was Geoffrey Chaucer, whose burial in the abbey (at the time) owed more to his position as government diplomat than to his fame as a writer. However, the erection of a magnificent tomb by Nicholas Brigham to Chaucer in the middle of the sixteenth century and the nearby burial of Edmund Spenser in 1599 started a tradition that is still upheld.

24. Another picture of Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey

25. Certain knowledge was assumed by Chaucer. For example, he expected his audience would know that the clergy took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. Medieval monks, for instance, rose at midnight to say a prayer, ate a simple dinner, worked much of the day farming, gardening, and building, then went to bed by 8:00. When Chaucer’s monk in The Canterbury Tales does not follow these typical rituals, he is making a serious comment about monks/men of the clergy. Chaucer does this in a satirical way. Canterbury Cathedral – main entrance

26. Why is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales considered to be such a great literary work? It is the first serious literary work to be written in English, in the vernacular or everyday language of the people. It is written entirely using rhymed couplets predominately in iambic pentameter. This is a remarkable achievement. The work shows the strength of Chaucer’s spirit and personality and more than that, shows the strong faith that Chaucer himself had throughout his life. The frame story approach to the telling of Canterbury Tales also makes it a great work. The “snapshot” of life in the Middle Ages makes his work not only significant in the literary world, but also historically. Each of Chaucer’s characters is a pilgrim/storyteller. Each representing all social classes and all walks of life. Each pilgrim presumably is searching for some kind of renewal at the shrine of Thomas a’ Becket. This speaks to the overall archetypal theme: the search for forgiveness.

27. We will be reading the following works from The Middle Ages: Various ballads Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – “The General Prologue” (in lit book) “The Pardoner’s Tale” (in lit book) “The Miller’s Tale” (handout) and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” THE END

28. The great literary works of the Middle Ages have spawned many great contemporary literary mimics, songs, and films. The lyrics, "As the miller told his tale" sounds like a reference to "The Miller's Tale," from Chaucer's English novel The Canterbury Tales. This tale is well known to English students as a vulgar or bawdy story, told by the miller. Given this, the line, "And so it was that later as the miller told his tale, that her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale" is an attempt by a young man, who has just caused a girl to turn pale by telling some vulgar story, to explain away her signs of disgust as due to other things. Such as the dancing, the drinking. The Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

29. THE END