medieval england outline - miami university · medieval england the history of western civilization...
TRANSCRIPT
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Medieval England
The History of Western Civilization to 1500 Prof. Dr. George S. Vascik
Outline
• Roman Britain • Anglo-Saxon institutions
• Norman innovations
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Roman Britain • The Pretani • Conquest
– Julius Caesar – Claudius, 43 AD
• Control – Always 3 legions – Road system
• Why? – Granary – Precious metals
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Roman Britain
• Colonization – Administrators,
merchants, and soldiers
– British nobles were “Romanized”
• Legions left in 410 • Local British nobles
and Romans tried to maintain old system – Arthurian legend
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Germanic invasions • Germans came by boat in
family groups • Using river system, they
sailed inland until they found an area unsettled by other Germans
• Set up their homestead and drove out or subdued locals
• Organized into “hundreds” or townships
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Anglo-Saxon settlement
Pre-Roman
Roman
Sub-Roman
Romanized
Post-Roman
Germans
Anglo-Saxons
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Characteristics of Saxon society • Fierce, warlike • All free men
– Degrees of obligation • Leader of each boat was
a warrior - thegn (degen = knife)
• War leaders with the allegiance of many thegns and owners of vast amounts of land were called Eorls
• Possessed own written language
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Anglo-Saxon kingdoms • The first Saxon kingdom
was established in 519 • By 650, seven kingdoms
had been established – Major kingdoms were
Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria
• These kingdoms were Christianized by missionaries from Rome
• Danish invasion and settlement after 800
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Alfred of Wessex • Alfred (ruled 871-899)
– united the seven Saxon kingdoms into one
– Subdued the Danes • Impact of Danish
population on modern English
– Unique institutional development by Saxons could read and write
• Alfred’s family became the ruling dynasty
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Saxon institutions • Shires
– Shire reeve - administrator • Sheriff duties
– Taxes – Justice – Hundred rolls
• Jury lists • Fyrd - militia
• Writs – Administrative order – To be legal, it must be
written down • Witan
– Large secular and church landowners
– Should be consulted
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The end of Saxon England
• Danish invasion (1013) – Aethelred the Unred – Canute
• Saxon restoration (1042) • Edward the Confessor
– Last heir to Alfred
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The Conqueror as conservator • William realized the virtues of the Saxon system
– Originally left Saxon landowners in place – Retained Saxon institutions
• Shires • Sheriffs • Writs • Witan
– Only replaced Saxon personnel after repeated revolts between 1067 and 1076
• New landowners (barons) pledged direct fealty to William – Even then, he retained Saxon forms and language for
documents
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The Conqueror as Innovator • In 1085, William
decided to go to war with King of France
• His witan convinced him to survey his resources
• He sent out census takers to assess all the realm
• Peasants called this the “Domesday Book”
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Domesday England • Census takers went to each village and asked
– Who owned land in neighborhood? – How much tax did they pay? – How many soldiers did they provide king? For two dates, 1066 and 1086
• First nobles, then commoners • Results were collated and discrepancies
corrected • William knew more about his realm, and
controlled it more tightly, than any contemporary monarch
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Further Norman innovations • William’s sons tried to buy
loyalty of barons with gifts of land
• Needed to exploit remaining resources more efficiently
• Henry I - exchequer – Annual accounting of
revenue
• Henry II - law – Legal fees
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A little too much • King John pushed to far • Over 150 years, barons
had come to think that they had rights
• In 1215, they forced John to sign the “Great Charter” magna carta acknowledging their rights
• Every subsequent monarch must pledge to observe these rights
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