MID - Middle Ages Literature - Code of Chivalry Module Overview

Middle Ages Literature - Code of Chivalry Module Overview

Introduction  Middle Ages Literature Code of Chivalry Stories of knights Medieval Romances Political Orders Religious Ideas Chivalry

The Norman Conquest by the Norman, Breton, and French soldiers in 1066 brought an end to the Anglo-Saxon time period and gave way to the Middle Ages. Part of why this occurred was due to the French influence on the previously used Old English language. The new inhabitants (a mainly Germanic society) had to learn to communicate with each other. Along with the French influence introducing new words to the language that historians coined "Middle English" for this time period, the Normans brought the French stories of knights, medieval romances, chivalry, religious ideas, and political order. Although a system of Feudalism was in place during the Anglo-Saxon time period, William the Conqueror solidified the system of a hierarchical order based on rank in society. In the Middle Ages literature module, we will trace the changes occurring in English language and literature in order to understand the development of the language used today. In addition, we will examine how the modern day romances and political structures appearing today blossomed from the literary and societal structures of the past.

Essential Questions

  1. How does word choice and phrasing impact meaning and tone in literature and writing?
  2. How do a complex set of ideas and/or sequence of events contribute to meaning in literature?
  3. How do individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text?
  4. How can I use informative/explanatory writing to convey complex ideas, concepts, and information through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content?

Key Terms

  1. Norman Conquest - The Norman conquest of England was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled as William the Conqueror.
  2. Battles of Hastings - The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman conquest of England and ending in a Norman victory.
  3. Feudalism - The dominant social system in medieval Europe where the nobility owned lands and the peasants lived and worked on the noble\'s lands and shared the produce in exchange for military protection Middle Ages began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 1066-1485.
  4. Code of Chivalry - A moral system which combined a warrior character, knightly piety, and courtly manners, all conspiring to establish a notion of honor and nobility.
  5. Courtly Love - A medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing various services for ladies because of their "courtly love."
  6. Domesday Book - A manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror.
  7. The Black Death (The Plague) - A bubonic plague pandemic, which reached England in 1348, and killed perhaps half the population, dying down in 1349.
  8. Hundred Years War - A series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between the rulers of England and France for control of Western Europe The war marked both the height and decline of chivalry.
  9. War of the Roses - A series of wars for the throne fought between the House of Plantagenet and the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England.
  10. Romance - A literary genre of fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight portrayed as having heroic qualities, who goes on a quest.
  11. Allegory - A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
  12. Crusades - Military campaigns sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the Holy Land leading to an intermittent 200-year struggle.

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