Middle Ages Notes

2. The oldest known story written in Old English was Beowulf.
3. Famous stories from medieval Islamic literature were the 1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights.
4. Monks were important during the Dark Ages, because they were the only educated people in Europe. They taught people the teachings of the catholic Church; they printed bible, recording scripture; they also preserved the literature of the classical Greek and Roman civilizations, in their libraries.
5. The Vikings were the dangerous raiders of Western Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries.
6. The Battle of Hastings was important in the history of Europe, because it was the first successful victory by armoured knights on horseback. These knights were from Normandy (France). In the battle of hastings, William the Norman defeated Harold the Saxon. As a result, England came under French control.
7. Knights of medieval times were required to obey the Code of Chivalry, which was based on the legends of King Arthur and his court at Camelot. Lancelot was a famous knight from the Arthurian legends.
8. The purpose of jousting tournaments was to develop a knights’ battle skills on horseback which is called chevallery. These tournaments also provided entertainment for medieval people, romantic events for women, and fame and fortune for the knights that won these tournaments.
9. Lords gave sections of land called fiefs, to knights, as reward for their military protection and loyalty.

During medieval times, the largest and richest city in Europe was Constantinople. The Holy City of Christianity at this time was Jerusalem. The Medieval popes lived in Vatican City, which was the center of Catholic Church. This was located in Rome. During the Dark Ages, a Holy War was fought between Muslims ( Islam) and Christians. These battles were known as the Crusades. Heraldry was the medieval custom of designing Coats of Arms for knights and royal families. A medieval sport for knights was called jousting. A knights skill with a horse during battle was called chevallery. Notre Dame was the most famous medieval cathedral in Europe. It was designed in the Gothic style of cathedrals. It was famous for its gargoyles, which were stone carvings designed to protect the cathedral against evil spirits. The Medieval Age ended with the Black Plague, a disease that killed off almost half the population of Europe.

Trebuchet - a siege weapon used for firing flaming arrows at castles Catapult - a siege weapon that hurls rocks or stones at castle walls. Siege - the invasion of a castle by enemy armies.

The Feudal System and the Medieval Pyramid of Power: Ranking highest social status down to the lowest social status: King / Bishops / Lords / Knights / Townspeople / Serfs.

Medieval game of chess was an imitation of the Feudal Pyramid. In the Late Middle Ages, two groups of townspeople became very wealthy and powerful , creating a new level of society called theMiddle Class.: These were the Craftsmen and merchants.