LITERATURE OF MEDIEVAL AGE

Normans conquered England

Jan 1, 1066

Normas invade England during the reign of King Edward.
They bring love for their land, scandinavian vitality and love for adverture.
Started Feudalism in England

Middle age English literature

Period: Jan 1, 1066 to Apr 13, 1485

Feudalism

Jan 1, 1070

System based on the relashionship between the Lord and the vassal.
The Lord rules and the vassals live under his rules.
DUkes, barons, clergy, knights and last the villeins some free that have to work and serve the Lord to won the land they use to live.

SCRIBE

Jan 1, 1100

This illumination shows a seated scribe writing with his quill, surrounded by monstrous creatures. Illuminated manuscripts are a precious source for learning about medieval visual culture, especially since they tend to be much better preserved than, for example, paintings on panels or walls. In the early Middle Ages, most illuminated manuscripts were produced in monasteries.

HENRY THREE CROWNED IIN 1154

Jan 1, 1154

HE BRINGS A JUDICIAL SYSTEM, ROYAL COURTS, JURIES AND CHIVALRY TO BRITAIN.

THE OWL AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Jan 1, 1189

The fashion for writing in short rhyming couplets, as shown here, was imported from 12th-century French poetry. The nightingale begins the verbal attack. Lines three to six of column two can be translated as ‘My heart sinks, and my tongue falters, when you are close to me. I’d rather spit than sing about your awful guggling.’
 
Shelfmark: Cotton MS Caligula A.ix., ff. 233–46.

THE CARTA MAGNA

Jan 1, 1215

Magna Carta is often seen as the basis of liberty and justice as we know it in the west. The 39th clause of the charter is still part of British law today. It states that: 'No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.'

THE LAST CRUZADE

Jan 1, 1271

The Results of the end of the Medieval Crusades
The crusades, judged by what they set out to accomplish, must be accounted an inglorious failure. After two hundred years of conflict, after a vast expenditure of wealth and human lives, the Holy Land remained in Moslem hands. It is true that the First Crusade did help, by the conquest of Syria, to check the advance of the Turks toward Constantinople. But even this benefit was more than undone by the weakening of the Roman Empire in the East as a

THE DIVINE COMEDY

Jan 1, 1308

DANTE STARTS WRITING IT

LANGUAGE CHANGES. 100 YEARS WAR

Jan 1, 1330

In the Middle Ages, the majority of the population lived in the countryside, and some 85% were peasants. Peasants worked to produce food, fuel, wool and other resources. The countryside was divided into manorial estates, run by a lord or an institution, such as a monastery or college.
 
Shelfmark: Add. 42130 f.17v

THE BLACK DEATH REACHES LONDON

Jan 1, 1348

The catastrophic plague known as the Black Death hit Europe in 1348 and swept through the continent rapidly. It would eventually kill between a third and half of the population. These huge death tolls sparked off a chain of events that would change the position of the peasant in England forever. Because so many had died, there were far fewer people to work the land: peasants were therefore able to demand better conditions and higher wages from their landlords. Many advanced to higher positions i

THE PEASANTS' REVOLT

Jun 12, 1381

Resentment among these workers was simmering when, between 1377 and 1381, a number of taxes were levied to finance government spending. This prompted a violent rebellion in June 1381, known as the Peasants' Revolt. A large group of commoners rode on London, storming the Tower of London and demanding reforms from the young King Richard II. The rebellion would end in failure. A number of important rebels were killed, including their leader Wat Tyler, pictured here. Richard quelled the rebellion by

CHAUCER DIES, THE CANTERBURY TALES

Oct 25, 1400

The Canterbury Tales is one of the best loved works in the history of English literature. Written in Middle English, the story follows a group of pilgrims who are travelling the long journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. Setting off from a London inn, the innkeeper suggests that during the journey each pilgrim should tell two tales to help pass the time. The best storyteller, he says, will be rewarded with a free supper on his return.