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Medieval Period (1066-1485) Historical Background

Medieval Period (1066-1485) Historical Background. The Norman Conquest. Edward the Confessor died in 1066. He has no heir. Harold II is named as his successor by a council of elders. William of Normandy claims that Edward promised him the throne.

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Medieval Period (1066-1485) Historical Background

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  1. Medieval Period (1066-1485)Historical Background

  2. The Norman Conquest • Edward the Confessor died in 1066. • He has no heir. • Harold II is named as his successor by a council of elders. • William of Normandy claims that Edward promised him the throne. • William was the illegitimate son of Edward’s cousin. • William sailed across the English channel with his army to take what he saw as rightfully his. • William the Conqueror is named king of England after he defeats Harold’s army at the Battle of Hastings.

  3. Feudalism • Legal, social, and political system of the Medieval era. • “…an exchange of property for personal service” (70). • A Lord (King) granted parcels of land (fiefs) to a Vassal (Baron) who then granted smaller parcels of land (manors) to knights, who provided military service in return. • Serfs, tethered to the manors, were the lowest social class of the feudal structure. • Taxes flowed back up the ladder. • Feudalism, in conjunction with the Crusades, brought England into mainstream Europe.

  4. Retrieved from https://scholar.vt.edu/osp-presentation-tool/viewPresentation.osp?id=733BD71C4391C6CF1AAC44B0839D2B84

  5. Roman Catholic Church • Members of the clergy enjoyed powerful positions in the governance of medieval England. • This promoted many instances of abuses of that power. • Henry Plantagenet appointed his friend, Thomas Becket, as archbishop of Canterbury to curb the influence of the Pope in English government. • Becket sided with the Pope, which enraged Henry. • “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

  6. Chivalry • System of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewomen • Precepts: • Adhere to oaths of loyalty • Observe honorable rules of warfare • Honoring and revering women • King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

  7. Rise of the Middle Class • Magna Carta (The Great Charter) is signed in 1215 • Required the king to meet with his barons before raising taxes • Led to the establishment of Parliament • Towns and cities grow as the population grows • The Crusades stimulated trade between Europe and the Middle East. • Feudal system weakens as population centralizes. • Leads to the Black Death (1348-1350) and labor shortage • Merchant/Craft guilds • William Caxton—sets up the first printing press in England in 1476.

  8. Middle English • After the Norman Conquest, Old English mixed with Latin and Norman French , which led to the development of Middle English. • Churches and Universities: Latin • Law and Government: Norman French • These eventually merge with the vernacular, increasing the overall vocabulary of the language, and developing into a new form. • “Whan that Aprill with his shouressote / The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, / And bathed every veyne in swichlicour / Of which vertu engendered is the flour;”

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