Anglo-Norman

Poetry

Middle Ages Overview

Wars: Norman conquest

People & Society: Feudal system

Religion: Catholic Church

Architecture & Tools: cathedrals & castles

Arts & Entertainment: tapestries & literature

Language: Middle English

The Norman Conquest

Middle Ages dates from about

1066 to 1450

Started in 1066 with the

Norman Conquest

William the Conqueror, Duke

of Normandy (which is now
France) conquered Harold, the
king of England

The Norman kings spent much

of their time in France and
other parts of Europe,
managing England from afar

Feudal System

In 1066, after the war, William

created a great shift in land
ownership.

He deeded large plots of land to

those who fought faithfully with
him in battle.

Nobody owned the land

independentlyonly as a vassal
of an overlord (some great noble
or the king)

These landlords essentially paid

rent to the overlords through
military service.

Feudal System

Most people lived on the

manorsmall communities
consisting of a castle, church,
village and surrounding farmland

They first farmed and then

herded sheep for wool

Later on, merchants arose and

formed guilds (societies to
regulate prices and standards)

The Church

The Catholic Church reigned

supreme

People were unified by having

them share religious beliefs
everyone belonged to the
Christian community

The church was the main

center for learning and the
arts

Architecture

With the prosperity of the

people, English turned to
the building of large
cathedrals

Some took hundreds of

years to build

Yorkminster began in 1070

and was finished in 1472!

Guilds were founded for

the workers (stone cutters,
masons, carpenters, etc.)

Arts & Literature

The Anglo-Normans during

the Middle Ages were
artistic

Created beautiful
tapestries

Monks created illustrated

manuscripts

They loved songs, ballads,

and romantic literature

Arts & Literature

Their literature told the

tales of chivalry, wonders
and marvels including
fairy enchantments,
giants, dragons, wizards,
and sorceresses

King Arthur and his knights

They also began to have

drama which began in
churches and were based
on biblical stories

Language

The language spoken during this time is

known as Middle English

It is closer to our Modern English than was

the Anglo-Saxon Old English

Some of the variety and complexity of Old

English was lostthe language became
simplified

The Norman Conquest also introduced

French vocabulary into the language

The Anglo-Norman Period (10661350)

England started being invaded by the Germanic

Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Anglo-Saxons
themselves were invaded by the Danes in the 10th
century.

Thus for nearly a thousand years, England had no

national unity, but was a country of many small
kingdoms, and recurrent battles. But in 1066, a
final and decisive conquest put an end to all that.

The Norman Conquest:

The French-speaking Normans under Duke

William came in 1066. After defeating the
English at Hastings, William was crowned as
King of England. It was called the Norman
Conquest.

William the Conqueror ruled England with a

high hand. He confiscated the lands of the
English lords and, regarding whole England as
his own. bestowed large patches of land to his
Norman barons. The Norman barons in turn
divided their lands among their own knights.
The Norman Conquest marks the established of
feudalism in England.

The Doomsday Book

his new acquisition, England,
William the Conqueror made a
vast inventory of all property in
England called the Doomsday
Book.

Bayeux Tapestry

The famous Bayeux

Tapestry narrating the
Battle of Hastings and
Williams Conquest of
England.

Unlike the AngloSaxons who built

wooden meadhalls,

the AngloNormans built

stone castles

William the Conqueror took the lands of

most Anglo-Saxon kings and thegns, and
he gave them to Norman noble warriors
who helped him in his conquest. Thus
feudalism came to England.

Thus the ordinary Anglo-Saxon people,

the ceorls, villagers, became villeins
subjected to a lord who had every right
over them.

The Norman lords built manors (castles)

and lived in them.

The Anglo-Norman brought with them

the concept of courtly life style and

etiquette,

romance literature,

the concept of chivalry,

and

courtly love.

Stages of Courtly Love

Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance

Worship of the lady from afar

Declaration of passionate devotion

Virtuous rejection by the lady

Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty

Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire

(and other physical manifestations of lovesickness)

Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart

Consummation of the secret love

Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection

Chivalric Code

Fight fairly

Show mercy to a defeated knight

Be religious

Dedicate all warlike actions with prayer

Obey noblemen

Be polite to a lady and defend her

Be well-mannered and brave

Rescue ladies in distress

The Influence of the Norman Conquest on the

English Language

After the Norman Conquest, the general relation of Normans and

Saxons was that of master and servant. The Norman lords spoke
French, while their English subjects retained their old tongue: For
a long time the scholar wrote in Latin and the courtier in French.
There was almost no written literature in English for a time,
Chronicles and religious poems were in Latin. Romances, the
prominent kind of literature in the Anglo-Norman period, were at
first all in French.

By the end of the fourteenth century, when Normans and English

intermingled, English was once more the dominant speech in the
country. But now it became something different from the old
Anglo-Saxon. The structure of the language remained English,
and the common words were almost all retained, though often
somewhat modified in form. But many terms employed by the
Normans were adopted into the English language. The situation is
typified by the use of the English "calf", "swine" and "sheep for
the animals when tended by the Saxon herdsmen, and of the
French "veal", "pork" and "mutton" for the flesh served at the
noble's table.

Ballad

A narrative poem written in fourline stanzas, characterized by swift

action and narrated in a direct
style. Two forms: the folk ballad
and the literary ballad

The Folk Ballad

The anonymous folk ballad (or

popular ballad), was composed to
be sung. It was passed along orally
from singer to singer, from
generation to generation, and from
one region to another. During this
progression a particular ballad
would undergo many changes in
both words and tune.

Primarily based on an older legend or romance, this

type of ballad is usually a short, simple song that
tells a dramatic story through dialogue and action,
briefly alluding to what has gone before and
devoting little attention to depth of character,
setting, or moral commentary. It uses simple
language, an economy of words, dramatic contrasts,
and frequently refrain.

The Literary Ballad

The literary ballad is a narrative poem created

by a poet in imitation of the old anonymous
folk ballad. Usually the literary ballad is more
elaborate and complex; the poet may retain
only some of the devices and conventions of
the older verse narrative. Literary ballads
were quite popular in England during the 19th
cent. Literary ballads are meant to be read
rather than sung.

Romance
Romance

meant:

The

French vernacular
language of the middle ages.

Poetry

in this language.

Narratives

love.

about adventure and

The Romance
I. The Content of Romance:
The most prevailing kind of literature in feudal England
was the romance. It was a long composition, sometimes
in verse, sometimes in prose, describing the life and
adventures of a noble hero. The central character of
romances was the knight, a man of noble birth skilled
in the use of weapons. He was commonly described as
riding forth to seek adventures, taking part in
tournaments, or fighting for his lord in battle. He was
devoted to the church and the king. The code of
manners and morals of a knight is known as chivalry.
One who wanted to be a knight should serve an
apprenticeship as a squire until he was admitted to the
knighthood with solemn ceremony and the swearing of
oaths.

II. The Romance Cycles: The great majority of the

romances fall into groups or cycles, as the" matters of
Britain" (adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table), and the "matters of France
(Emperor Charlemagne and his peers), and the
matters of Rome" (Alexander the Great and so forth).
The romance of King Arthur is comparatively the more
important for the history of English literature. It has its
origin in Celtic legends, its beginning in Geoffrey of
Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain" and
Layamon's "Brut , its culmination in Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight", and its summing up in Thomas
Malorys "Mort DArthur"(in English prose).

The theme of loyalty to king and lord was

repeatedly emphasized in romances. The romances had
nothing to do with the common people. They were
composed for the noble, of the noble, and in most
cases by the poets patronized by the noble.

However, the heroic adventures of the Matters

of Britain were carried out for adventures
sake than a truly worthy cause, and in this
sense they fall short of a poem like Beowulf
where the heroic deeds were performed to help
the heros kinsfolk out of their distress or to
protect them from disaster.