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1066-1485 Slide 2 October 1066 Day-long battle near Hastings, England William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold of England, the last Saxon king Beginning of the Norman Conquest Slide 3 The illegitimate son of the previous duke of Normandy Cousin to Edward the Confessor (the king before Harold) Slide 4 Edward died childless early in 1066. Harold of Wessex was crowned the following day. William claimed that the King Edward had promised him the throne. William gathered a huge army and sailed across the English Channel to seize what he felt was rightfully his. Slide 5 William did not want to conquer the Anglo-Saxons; he just wanted to rule them. Because of that, we have a culture and a language that is a combination of Norman and Anglo-Saxon elements. The Anglo-Saxons provided more democratic and artistic elements. The Normans provided administrative ability, emphasis on law and order, and cultural unity. Slide 6 One of Williams greatest feats was the Domesday Book an inventory of nearly every piece of property in England land, cattle, and buildings. For the first time, people in Europe were taxed on what they owned. The survey helped to solidify the feudal system. Slide 7 Feudalism is a social hierarchy that was recognized for centuries. It was a social system, a caste system, a property system, and a military system. (A caste system is a system based on birth or wealth.) Based on a religious concept of rank with God as the supreme overlord. Slide 8 God supreme overlord King all-powerful overlord and land owner Lord had the power to grant land to vassals. A vassal received land from a lord in exchange for military service or other expressions of loyalty; they could distribute land which had been allocated to themselves. Knight armored warrior; Lords provided military service to their lords in the form of knights; the larger the fief (land), the more knights a lord had to provide Serf peasants who worked on and were bound to vassals lands; not involved in the complicated oaths of loyalty between vassals and lords Slide 9 By requiring that nobles swear loyalty to him, William was establishing the principle of centralized government in England. The feudal system did not always work. Occasionally, a vassal might choose not to honor his obligations, and battles between iron-clad knights would break out. Slide 10 A system of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights and gentlewomen Included taking an oath of loyalty to an overlord and observing certain rules of warfare, such as never attacking an unarmed opponent Language French Slide 11 Primary duty of males above serf class was military service to their lords Page young boys (around age 7) were sent to the home of a lord to begin training. They were trained in other homes to ensure the training was strict. Taught to read, write, sing, dance, play the harp, play chess, and rules of good manners by the ladies and the clergymen Taught to ride, wrestle, joust, and use a sword by squires. Slide 12 Squire around age 14; personal servant to a knight Helped the knight dress, served meals, made his bed, carried armor Courtly love the idea that adoring a lady would make a knight braver and nobler; in its ideal form, courtly love is nonsexual A knight might wear his ladys colors in battle, glorify her in words, be inspired by her, but she was always pure and remained out of reach. Slide 13 Knight around age 21; huge ceremony; he held an all-night vigil in full armor Accolade 3 strokes with the flat side of a sword (dubbed); originally a hard blow meant to test the courage of the person Largess gifts given to the knight from his patron knight and gifts from the new knight to his companions and inferiors Title of Sir Duty of a knight service to God, his lord, and his lady Slide 14 Advantages: Made for refinement in a rough age Encouraged loyalty and courage Exalted the position of women Disadvantages: Took no account of the common people Took some virtues to absurd lengths Slide 15 Joust 2 knights ride at each other with lances; if either is unhorsed, they continue to fight on foot with swords (think of this as maybe a wrestling match) Tourney proper several knights on horseback with swords until one party was defeated or the herald stopped the contest (think of this as a football game) Slide 16 List oval enclosure surrounded by two rows of seats (think of this as a stadium) Pavilion located at each end of the list for the opposing knights (think of this as the locker room) Heralds presided over tournaments and enforced rules (think of this as the referee) Slide 17 Armor in the early Middle Ages consisted of a helmet, a shield, and a mail shirt. As weapons became more deadly, the need for more protection of heavier armor led to compromised flexibility and mobility. Slide 18 Armor was held together by rivets, leather straps, hinges, turning pins, buckles, and pegs. A heavily padded undergarment of leather and a mail shirt were worn under the armor. Plate arm, leg, and foot pieces were also worn. Some suits weighed 120 pounds and had 200 custom-fitted iron plates. The knight also carried a dagger, a lance, a sword, a battle-ax, and a club-headed mace. Slide 19 In addition to the threat of battle, the armor itself could be fatal. Knights could die from suffocation, heart failure, heat stroke, even drowning. Knights were unable to dress themselves. Battles were scheduled to give the knights time to dress. Servants stood nearby in order to help knights who had been unhorsed. Slide 20 Similar to todays unions Language -- English Merchant Guild organized to include all those who sold good in the town Main purpose monopolize the trade of its particular city Crafts Guild organization of artisans of various trades Main purpose securing competent workmen and honest products Slide 21 Levels of Craftsmen: Apprentice lived with a master craftsman for 7 years; received no pay, but he was instructed in the art by the master craftsman; supplied with all his necessities; morals guarded Journeyman if apprentice lacked money to become a master, he could continue to live and work with the master; did receive pay Slide 22 All land except that which was farmed for the lord was treated as one big farm Determined to a large extent the life of the peasantry Language English Slide 23 The church concerned itself with almost every act of every man, regardless of rank Language Latin