Middle Ages Background Notes p.28-33

Norman Conquest

The event in 1066 when William the Conqueror won at Hastings, marking the beginning of the medieval period in England.

Domesday Book

A tax record compiled around 1086 that detailed property ownership throughout England.

Magna Carta

The 'Great Charter' signed by King John in 1215 that limited royal power and established certain rights for the barons.

Feudalism

A political and economic system introduced by William the Conqueror where the king owned all the land and granted it to barons in exchange for loyalty and service.

Chivalry

A knightly code of honor encouraging knights to be generous, brave, and honorable, and to protect the weak.

Black Death

The epidemic in the mid-1300s that killed one-third of England's population, leading to significant social and economic changes.

Henry II

The English monarch who reformed the judicial system and established royal courts and English common law.

The Canterbury Tales

A collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer featuring a group of pilgrims traveling to Becket's shrine.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

An anonymous Arthurian poem written around 1375, featuring a knight's challenge by a green giant.

Wars of the Roses

A series of civil wars in England between the houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose) over control of the English throne.

Magna Carta

A document signed by King John in 1215 that limited royal power by giving more power to the barons, serving as an early step toward democracy.

Feudalism

A political and economic system introduced by William the Conqueror where the king owns all land and distributes it to barons in exchange for loyalty and military service.

Thomas à Becket

Henry II's archbishop who was murdered by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral after favoring the church over the crown.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Known as the 'father of English literature,' he wrote The Canterbury Tales in Middle English.

Black Death

A mid-1300s plague that killed one-third of England's population, creating a labor shortage that helped end feudalism.

Chivalry

A knightly code of honor introduced in court circles that required knights to be brave, generous, pious, and defenders of the weak.

Le Morte d'Arthur

A precursor to the modern novel written by Sir Thomas Malory in Middle English, retelling Arthurian legends.

Domesday Book

A detailed tax record created around 1086 under William the Conqueror, listing property and livestock across England.

Wars of the Roses

A conflict between the House of York (white rose) and the House of Lancaster (red rose) that ended in 1485 with Henry VII's victory.

Middle English

The language that developed after the Norman Conquest as Old English absorbed thousands of French words and grammatical structures.

William the Conqueror

The Norman duke who won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, introduced feudalism to England, and ordered the creation of the Domesday Book.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Wife of King Henry II who brought concepts of chivalry and courtly love to England from French court circles.

Courtly Love

A set of ideals applied to romance, popularized by Eleanor of Aquitaine and her daughter Marie, featuring rules for conduct in love affairs.

Frame Story

A narrative technique used in The Canterbury Tales where individual stories are told within the overarching plot of pilgrims traveling to Becket's shrine.

William Caxton

The first English printer, who published early printed editions of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

An anonymous Middle English romance poem written around 1375 featuring a knight of King Arthur's court tested by a giant green challenger.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

A 12th-century monk who wrote a Latin 'history' of King Arthur around 1135, helping popularize Arthurian legend across Europe.

Hundred Years' War

A conflict between England and France (1337–1453) that fostered English national identity and led the nobility to re-embrace the English language.

Serf

A peasant legally bound to work on a lord's land in exchange for protection, unable to own the land themselves.

Richard I "the Lion-Hearted"

English king who reigned for ten years, spending most of his time fighting wars abroad while his brother John plotted against him.

William the Conqueror

The Norman leader who conquered England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and introduced feudalism.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Wife of King Henry II who brought chivalry and courtly love ideals from French court circles.

Hundred Years' War

A conflict between England and France (1337–1453) that led English nobles to embrace the English language again.

Courtly Love

Romantic ideals applied to nobility, where lords and ladies followed formal rules of conduct in love affairs.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

An anonymous Middle English romance written around 1375 featuring a green giant who survives beheading.

Serf

A peasant bound to land owned by a baron or lord, occupying the lowest social tier in feudalism.

William Caxton

The first English printer, who famously published Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

A monk who wrote a Latin history of King Arthur around 1135, helping popularize Arthurian legend.

Battle of Bosworth Field

The 1485 battle where Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, ending the Wars of the Roses and the Middle Ages.

Frame Story

A narrative technique used in The Canterbury Tales where an overarching story binds together individual pilgrims' tales.