Period Overview

Norman Conquest (1066)

William the Conqueror of Normandy defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Norman rule brought: • Castles, feudalism and new aristocracy • Changes in language (Norman French + Old English = Middle English) • The Domesday Book (1086), a survey of land and people • A range of new French family names

High and Late Middle Ages (1066 - 1485)

Government and Society

England became a feudal monarchy: king at the top, followed by nobles, knights and peasants. Lords controlled land and had local power. The Church owned vast lands and was central to every community.

Religion and the Church

• The Catholic Church was the dominant institution. • Monasteries were centres of learning and charity. • Church courts handled many legal matters.

Key Events

1170: Archbishop Thomas Becket murdered in Canterbury Cathedral. 1215: King John forced to sign the Magna Carta, limiting royal power. 1348 - 49: The Black Death kills about 1/3 of the population, causing social and economic upheaval. 1381: Peasants' Revolt challenges feudal oppression. 1455 - 1485: Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.

Daily Life in Medieval Britain

For most people: • Lived in villages, farming small plots of land. • Life was hard: disease, hunger and labour dominated. • Homes were small, dark and smoky. • The Church was central to social and religious life. For the elite: • Nobles lived in manors or castles. • Knights followed codes of chivalry. • Children of nobles might be trained in other noble households.

Art, Language & Culture

• Middle English became the spoken language, with influences from French and Latin. • Famous texts include Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. • Gothic cathedrals like York Minster and Canterbury were built. • Universities like Oxford and Cambridge were founded in the 12th and 13th centuries.

End of the Middle Ages in Britain

• The Wars of the Roses ended in 1485 when Henry Tudor (Henry VII) defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. • This marked the start of the Tudor dynasty and the early modern period in England.

The Middle Ages in Britain spanned from the end of the Anglo Saxon period to the beginning of the Tudor period in 1485. This was a time of invasion, warfare, religious change, and the foundations of modern British society.

The Middle Ages

html5 menu by Css3Menu.com