History of Literature
Lesson 1: Middle ages
Battle of Hastings
o 1066
o 1 day
o Battle between Harold II (England) and William (Duke of Normandy)
o Reason: Death of Edward the Confessor – several claimants
Edward the Confessor was childless
o Harold II won, but William attacked when Harold was weak
o William won and Harold died
o William lived in Tower of London and attacked 14th of October.
o Crowned on Christmas day 1066
Systems: Anglo-Saxon & Feudal
o Anglo-Saxon (original)
Liberal values: self-sustainability, private initiatives, freedom, and less involvement
of the government
German identity
Based on honour, fraternity & solidarity
Inhabited England from 450-1066
Kingdom of England established in 927
7 anglo-saxon kingdoms formed 1 Kingdom of England
In 1066 Normans take over Feudal system
o Feudal (import)
Based on economic self-interest and division of classes
Structuring society around relationships derived from holding land in exchange for
service and labour
More land = more power = more money
Classes: Nobility, Clergy (church), Peasantry
Normans continued to speak French
Norman Feudal system:
Monarch (King)
Barons: was given land by king
Knights: formed army
Peasants: worked at land, got paid very little
Upper classes speak French, the rest a sort of English
Magna Carta
o Magna Carta Libertatum = great charter of freedoms
o 1215 drafted by arts bishop of Canterbury
o Didn’t like the king, so it was more of a peace treaty
o Signed by King John of England (1199-1216) (but put under pressure by barons)
o Promised protection to church rights, illegal imprisonment, and limitation of feudal
payments to the Crown
o Still Symbol of Liberty today and held in great respect by British and American legal
communities
o Neither party stuck to agreement pope figuratively tore document apart
o ‘Greatest constitutional document of all times’
Hundred Years’ War
o 1337-1453
Series of conflicts in this period questioned around question: who should rule
France?
Lesson 1: Middle ages
Battle of Hastings
o 1066
o 1 day
o Battle between Harold II (England) and William (Duke of Normandy)
o Reason: Death of Edward the Confessor – several claimants
Edward the Confessor was childless
o Harold II won, but William attacked when Harold was weak
o William won and Harold died
o William lived in Tower of London and attacked 14th of October.
o Crowned on Christmas day 1066
Systems: Anglo-Saxon & Feudal
o Anglo-Saxon (original)
Liberal values: self-sustainability, private initiatives, freedom, and less involvement
of the government
German identity
Based on honour, fraternity & solidarity
Inhabited England from 450-1066
Kingdom of England established in 927
7 anglo-saxon kingdoms formed 1 Kingdom of England
In 1066 Normans take over Feudal system
o Feudal (import)
Based on economic self-interest and division of classes
Structuring society around relationships derived from holding land in exchange for
service and labour
More land = more power = more money
Classes: Nobility, Clergy (church), Peasantry
Normans continued to speak French
Norman Feudal system:
Monarch (King)
Barons: was given land by king
Knights: formed army
Peasants: worked at land, got paid very little
Upper classes speak French, the rest a sort of English
Magna Carta
o Magna Carta Libertatum = great charter of freedoms
o 1215 drafted by arts bishop of Canterbury
o Didn’t like the king, so it was more of a peace treaty
o Signed by King John of England (1199-1216) (but put under pressure by barons)
o Promised protection to church rights, illegal imprisonment, and limitation of feudal
payments to the Crown
o Still Symbol of Liberty today and held in great respect by British and American legal
communities
o Neither party stuck to agreement pope figuratively tore document apart
o ‘Greatest constitutional document of all times’
Hundred Years’ War
o 1337-1453
Series of conflicts in this period questioned around question: who should rule
France?
