The Medieval Period

Time Period of the Medieval Period

455 CE - 1485 CE

The Old English (Anglo-saxon) Period

(428-1066 CE) also called the “Dark Ages” was the time period after Rome fell and barbarian tribes moved into Europe. In the ruins of Europe settled Franks, Ostrogoths, Lombards, and Goths. Angles, Saxons, and Jutes emigrated into Britain which displaced native Celts to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Middle English Period

(c. 1066 - 1450 CE) Norman French armies invaded and conquered England with William I, marking the end of the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy and the emergence of the Twelfth Century Renaissance

Notable authors of the Medieval Period

Chretien de Troyes, Marie de France, Jeun de Meun, Geoffrey Chaucer, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Dante, and Christine de Pisan

Famous Works of the Medieval Period

Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Seafarer (encyclopedias and medieval grammars created in this period)

Common Style of Medieval writing

Textura script; primarily Latin languages; different genres (like religious texts, poetries, romances, and moral tales); common themes of chivalry, religion, moral lessons, and courtly love

Typical tropes of the Medieval Period

Adding new lyrics or music to existing chants or texts