Unit 2: The Medieval Period

1066-1485

Classwork

Read: “Intro to Medieval Lit”

pages 73-88

Do: Study Guide

The Norman Conquest-1066

Norman = north men = Vikings

Former Vikings from

France

The Battle of Hastings

The Normans

defeated the Saxons

Rise of Feudalism

exchange of property of personal service

• lord/overlord: granted property

• vassal: promised service to his lord

• All land belongs to the ruler

Rise of Feudalism

A Shifting Language

Normans spoke French, so French became the official language.

Old English was for the common (Saxon) person.

The winner makes the rules.

The Growth of Towns

Trade with Europe and the

Middle East

moneydisease

Anddeath

crowdedtowns

Crusades

Later Middle Ages

• 14th-15th centuries

• The feudal system suffered

• The Plague killed every third person

• Few serfs

Chivalry

Learning and Literature

1st University

Cambridge 2nd University

Poetry of the Middle Ages

• Geoffrey Chaucer “The Canterbury Tales”

• Reveal the changes that were taking place in the English language and society as a whole

Lyrics and Ballads

• Lyre: harplike instrument

• Lyric Poems– Secular

• love and nature

– Religious• praise God or prayer of supplication

• Ballads: folk song that tells a story– Robin Hood

Drama of the Middle Ages

• Part of religious services

• Miracle & Mystery Plays– Retold Bible stories

• Morality Plays– life of an ordinary person– teach a moral lesson