Name ______Class Period ______

Medieval Background Notes

Directions: Read pages 28-33 in your literature book to answer the following questions.

Historical Context

With the Norman Conquest, England entered the medieval period, a time of innovation in the midst of war.

  1. The Monarchy
  2. What kind of king was William the Conqueror after he took full control of England?

He was a powerful, well-organized, and determined to exert his authority down to the smallest detail

  1. What is the Domesday Book? Tax record of every piece of property owned
  1. What 3 things did Henry II do to England that made a lasting impression?

1. Set up royal courts throughout the country / 3. Form English law out of centuries-old practices
2. Establish a series of juries
  1. What did John try to do to Richard the Lion-Hearted? He plotted against him
  1. Describe the kind of king that John was. He was treacherous, bad-tempered, quarreled with nobles, and raised taxes
  1. What is the Magna Carta (Great Charter) and when was it signed? Document that limited royal authority by granting more powers to the barons. It was signed in 1215.
  1. War and Plague
  2. What countries fought the Hundred Years’ War? France and England
  1. What did the Black Death or bubonic plague do to England? Killed off 1/3 of the population
  1. Who are the two rival families that laid claim to the English throne? The Yorks and the Lancasters
  1. What name was used for the fighting and what was the symbol for each family?
  2. Name: War of the Roses
  3. House of York symbol: White Rose
  4. House of Lancaster symbol: Red Rose
  1. What ended the fighting between the two families and marked the end of the Medieval Period or Middle Ages? The War of the Roses when Henry Tudor, House of Lancaster, killed Richard III

Cultural Influences

Medieval literature is best understood in the context of three powerful influences on medieval society: feudalism, the church, and a code of conduct called chivalry.

  1. The Feudal System
  2. Define feudalism: Political and economic system that William the Conqueror introduced To England after Norman Conquest
  1. What is the premise or idea of feudalism? King owns all of the land in the kingdom
  1. How was the land divided according to William? ¼ goes to William; ¼ goes to the Church; rest divided among the barons
  1. Describe the role of the warriors or knights. Loyal to the barons
  1. What is the order of the social ladder?

KINGS à BARONSà KNIGHTS à SERFS

  1. The Power of the Church
  2. What was the one exception to the hierarchy of the feudal system? The Church
  1. List all of the powers that the Church possessed.

1. Imposed taxes / 3. Ran its own courts
2. Made its own laws / 4. Kept kings and nobles in line
  1. Who is Thomas a Becket and what happened to him? Archbishop to Henry II who was more interested in the affairs of the Church instead of monarchy
  1. Chivalry and Courtly Love
  2. During what king’s reign was chivalry and courtly love popular? Henry II
  1. Who brought courtly love and chivalry to England and where did it originate? Eleanor of Aquitaine from France
  1. Define chivalry: Code of honor intended to govern knightly behavior
  1. List all of the things that knights are supposed to possess.

1. generous / 5. honorable
2. brave / 6. defend the weak
3. honest / 7. battle evil
4. pious (devout, religious) / 8. uphold good
  1. What were the Crusades? Military expeditions by European Christians who attempted to take Jerusalem from Muslim control
  1. Describe courtly love: proper conduct of a love affair
  1. Did chivalry and courtly love exist in real life? YES or NO

Literature of the Times

Medieval works, such as The Canterbury Tales and the Arthurian romances, drew from many sources, historical and contemporary, while reflecting the society and ideals of their time.

  1. The Age of Chaucer
  2. Who is known as the “Father of English literature”? Geoffrey Chaucer
  1. What is Chaucer’s best known piece of work? The Canterbury Tales
  1. What 3 abilities did The Canterbury Tales show of Chaucer?

1. storyteller / 3. sharp eye detail
2. keen sense of humor
  1. Describe the premise of the story. Stories of a group of pilgrims going on a journey to Canterbury who tell tales on the way

e.  Define frame story (p. R111): a frame story exists when a story is told within a narrative setting or frame—story within a story

  1. How do we find out about the different characters in the story? Revealed through the stories they tell and their reactions to one another’s tales
  1. What kind of characters are in the tales? They represent all members of British society
  1. Why is it important that The Canterbury Tales were written in everyday English? It elevated English to level of Latin or Greek
  1. Medieval Romance
  2. What represent the social order and ideals of the Middle Ages? Medieval romance
  1. What were the events that plagued England during the Middle Ages? Plaques, political battles and civil unrest
  1. Who is the character of King Arthur most likely modeled after and what did this person do? Arturius and he fought Caesar’s army
  1. Why were the stories of older folk legends updated during this time period? To reflect current notions of chivalry
  1. What did the “new tales” focus on? Used Arthur and his court as a backdrop for stories about knights who go through trials and perform great feats in the service of a lady

Chaucer Style (p. 140-141)

§  Key Terms

1.  Define narrative (p. R115): any type of writing that is primarily concerned with relating an event or series of events

2.  List the types of Medieval narratives: ballads, romances, allegories, moral tales

3.  What are the themes of these narratives? Religious, love, exemplary life and behavior, political and society issues

4.  Define imagery (p. R112): words or phrases that create vivid sensory experiences for the reader

5.  Define figurative language (p. R110): Language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meaning of words

6.  How does Chaucer use imagery and figurative language effectively in The Canterbury Tales? To describe his characters’ physical appearance

7.  Define irony (p. R115) contrast between expectation and reality

8.  How does Chaucer use irony in The Canterbury Tales? Calling attention to his characters’ faults while emphasizing their humanity

9.  Define characterization (p. R107) techniques that writers use to develop characters

10.  How does show the difference between his characters in The Canterbury Tales? By the type of story he or she tells and the voice in which each tale is told


Ballads (p. 216)

  1. Define ballad (p. R106) narrative poem that was originally intended to be sung
  1. Why were ballads popular? Because many people could not read or write
  1. How were ballads passed from generation to generation? Orally
  1. What were the subjects of ballads?

1. tragic love / 5. exploits of enterprising outlaws
2. domestic conflicts / 6. historical events
3. disastrous wars and shipwrecks / 7. romantic heroes of an earlier chivalrous age
4. sensational crimes
  1. What were the themes of ballads?

1. revenge / 4. betrayal
2. rebellion / 5. superstition
3. envy
  1. List the conventions of ballads.

1. tragic or sensational subject matter
2. a simple plot involving a single incident
3. dialogue
  1. Define quatrain (p. R118) a four-line stanza
  1. Define dialect (p. R108) particular variety of language spoken in one place by a distinct group of people