The Middle Ages in British history is a very complex time that spans roughly from the end of the 5th century to the early Modern Age, set approximately around 1485.

A comprehensive outline of the major characterising events allows students to understand better the powerful impact it had on its history and literature affecting also social life, economic development, and deep language changes.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The Normans of Nordic descent had settled in the North of France and although Christians they maintained their fierce military skills allowing them to overpower the Anglo-Saxons and conquering them despite their great superiority in number.

THE NORMAN CONQUEST

Outcome

All those Anglo-Saxons who swore loyatly to William I became part of the new aristoricracy alongside his French supporters, the others were reduced to serfdom.

FEUDALISM: A NEW ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL SYSTEM

The Anglo-Saxon system was based on Kinship (family and blood ties). The system introduced by the William I was based instead on the Chain of Agreements, meaning land and a title of nobility.

The Chain of Agreemnts was a new aristocratic order established by William I. According to this policy the land belonged to the King who let it to his loyal French and Anglo-Saxon supporters along with a title of nobility. In exchange they assured him their military service becoming his Tenants-in-Chief.

The Feudal Society

This new social order comprised lords, knights and peasants, or serfs.

Tenants-in-Chief	Knights	Peasants or Serfs
They were lords and high clergy who had special privileges. In fact: – They could sublet the land to lesser tenants, the Knights; – They could pass on to their first-born male the land and the title.	They could detain their land insofar they provided military service to their lords.	They were not free, they could not own property and could not leave the land in which they were born; their role was to farm and provide food for the entire community. They received protection from their lord.

LANGUAGE CHANGES

After the Norman conquest three languages were regularly used in England. The Anglo-Saxon or Old English resisted among the conquered natives, French was used by the Norman aristocrats and Latin by the clergy and in written documents, along as being the language of learning.

THE DOMESDAY BOOK

As the wealth of his Tenants-In-Chief increased, William I summoned a survey through loyal officials who inspected the land collecting valuable information that was gathered in a document, completed approximately in 1086.

This precious data allowed the king to establish the amount of wealth and income his tenants-in-chief possessed and thus establishing, for his lords and clergy, a property tax, the geld.

This document later came to be known as the Domesday Book because it prevented tenants-in-chief to avoid paying the property tax they owed the king.

This document is of great importance for us today as it provides us with key information regarding the social structure of those times.

William I’s succession

At the death of William I both his sons came to the throne. William II from 1087 to 1100, followed by his brother Henry I from 1100 to 1135. They both contributed to narrowing the gap between the old Anglo-Saxon and conquering French nobility.

However at the death of Henry I a civil broke out.

Civil War

CAUSE	EFFECT
Henry I’s daughter, Mathilda, was in line of succession, however not all the barons supported her.	A compromise was needed to end the war. Mathilda’s cousin, Stephen, was king from 1135 to 1154 and her son would become king as Henry II at Stephen’s death.

THE PLANTAGENET DYNASTY

The Civil War, known as The Anarchy, that broke out at the death of Henry I, was ended by a compromise that saw Mathilda’s cousin, Stephen, take over the succession till his death. The throne of England then was taken by Mathilda’s son, Henry II who was also the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou.

Henry II was thus, the founder of the Plantagenet Dynasty and the first king to unite both the crowns of the England and France.

HENRY II (1154-1189)

Major historical achievements

• To avoid future civil wars he significantly reduced the barons’ power by introducing the scutage;
• He implemented Royal Justice and strongly encouraged the development of Common Law;
• Thanks to the Constitution of Clarendon he also reduced the bishops’ power and replaced the trial by ordeal with the trial by justice;
• Martyrdom of Thomas Beckett

Richard Lionheart and John Lackland

They were the sons of Henry II and both succeeded their father to the throne.

King Richard, also known as Lionheart (1189-1199) was mainly concerned with Crusades and for most of his reign England was ruled by his brother John who became king at his death in 1199 till 1216. He was called John the Lackland because of his many unsuccessful military campaigns meant to hold his French territories. Due to the many taxes he imposed on his subjects he eventually lost their support and, in 1215 he was forced to sign the Magna Charta, which was implemented in 1225.

Henry III (1216-1272) was King John’s heir, he was only nine years old when his father died and a Great Council of noblemen ruled in his place till he came of age. Their meetings were called “parliaments“.

Edward I (1272-1307) called the “Model Parliament” to collect taxes for his wars, this was the seed planted for the future two Houses of Parliament (the House of Lords and the House of Commons)

Edward III (1327-1377) claimed the crown of France because his mother was the French king’s sister and in 1337 the Hundred’s Year War broke out and lasted till 1453, when England lost all its French possessions except for Calais. England defended the Flanders’ independence for economic opportunity during this conflict.

THE 14th CENTURY SOCIETY

• 1348 The Black Death: a terrible pestilence that affected all of Europe. It decimated the population causing the prices of food to rise significantly.
• End of Feudalism: the depopulation of the countryside allowed peasants to negotiate their salaries, request higher wages and buy their freedom.
• All of these elements also contributed to the rise of urban and rural middle class, the ‘guilds’: a new society was developing.
• Lollardy and the Church: many believed that the Black Death was due to a divine punishment and that the Church because of its growing secular power did not protect the people. Therefore, a new religious movement, led by John Wycliff, became popular and attacked the Church.
• 1381 Peasants Revolt: was the outcome of the “Poll Tax”. However, the peasants’ rebellion was once again crushed violently by the Barons.

LITERARY CONTEXT

• Allegory: the visual minds of medieval people, the reality they saw
• Religious and secular lyrics, lives of saints and Prose Romances
• Medieval Ballad: was generally sung at public or private gatherings, it had a rhyming pattern that along with repetition was meant to provide rythm. Moreover, some characters were fairies, wizards and other fantasy features.
• Medieval Narrative Poem: it was entertaining but it also had didactic purposes. It was meant to convey the morality of the time, or illustrate social changes. It had deeper psychological insight.
• Medieval Drama (Miracle Plays, Morality Plays, the Interlude)

THE AUTHOR: GEOFFREY CHAUCER (ca. 13-40-144)

• Father of English Literature, first secular poet, laid basis of Modern English
• His works can be divided in three periods: The French  – The Italian – The English
• The Canterbury Tales, his masterpiece

© L. R. Capuana