Irish B.

Cacliong BSED-3A 10-27-2022

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Learning Activity 1. The Early Middle Ages (The Dark Ages)

1.1. List 3 characteristics that are peculiar to the medieval era.
 Medieval literature reflected their civilization and mentality.
 They placed a high value on oral transmission, with much of it conveyed through
recitation, especially since the majority of the populace was illiterate.
 The works' authorship is generally anonymous, it emerges from the collectivity,
and it is transformed by those who transmit it.
 Literature was utilized to affect listeners in an instructional or moralizing manner
as a result of religious influence. It acted as propaganda for a king's or people's
values. The typical method of writing was in verse, which facilitated recitation.

1.2. Why was the medieval period referred to as the „Dark Ages‟?
 The 'Dark Ages' were between the 5th and 14th centuries, lasting 900 years. The
timeline spans the time period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the
Renaissance. The period has been called the "Dark Ages" because many believe it have
seen little scientific and cultural progress. Feudalism was the main political system of the
time.

Learning Activity 2. The High Middle Ages (1066 – 1272)

2.1 What led to the dissolution of friendship between Henry II and Thomas Becket?
 The main issue that caused the quarrel between Henry and Beckett was over the issue
of clergy who had been accused of secular crimes, such as theft, murder, rape, and so
on. Henry wanted the chance to try clergy accused of secular crimes in secular tribunals.
However, it was a prerogative of the clergy to be charged only in church courts. Even at
the time, church courts were thought to be significantly more merciful than secular ones
(since, among other reasons, they couldn't sentence someone to death), and men
accused of crimes would frequently try to claim to be clergy in order to receive less
severe sentences. The most severe punishment meted out by church courts to clerics
convicted of secular crimes was the loss of their clerical status. That, according to
Henry, was a threat to law and order. However, Becket would not yield on this point
because protection from secular prosecution was a long-held privilege of clerics. As their
relationship deteriorated, Becket also refused to support a request for a dispensation to
allow Henry's brother, William, to marry their heiress, Isabel de Warenne. Soon later,
William died of a broken heart, and Henry blamed Becket for his brother's death. After a
brief period of exile, Becket went on a rampage of excommunicating Henry's royal
officials, culminating in the Archbishop of York, for anointing Henry the Young King and
intruding on his rights as Archbishop of Canterbury. It was around this time that Henry II
allegedly said, "What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my
household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born
cleric!" Four of his knights overheard him and immediately fled Normandy for
Canterbury, where they brutally assassinated him in his own cathedral.

2.2 What do you think was responsible for the English Barons strong political stance?
The Barons ruled over large sections of land known as fiefs. They were immensely powerful and
reported directly to the king. Their territory was divided among Lords who ruled distinct manors.
Their task was to keep an army at the king's disposal. In ancient England, the king was the sole
lawmaker and frequently operated above the law. But, in 1215, King John lost a war against his
powerful barons, who forced him to sign the Magna Carta. This medieval constitution primarily
granted specific rights to barons, who comprised the majority of the landowning elite.
Learning Activity 3. A Century of Crusades
3.1 Identify 2 characteristics each of the First and the Third Crusades.
 One of the major differences between the First and Third Crusades is that by the time of
the Third Crusade, and to a certain degree during the Second, the Muslim opponents
had unified under a single powerful leader. At the time of the First Crusade, the Middle
East was severely divided by warring rulers. Without a unified front opposing them, the
Christian troops were able to conquer Jerusalem, as well as the other Crusader states.
But under the powerful force of the Seljuq Turks during the Second Crusade and the
even more unified power of Saladin during the Third, the Europeans were unable to
achieve their ultimate aim of holding Jerusalem.
 Many historians contend that the motivations for the Third Crusade were more political
than religious, thereby giving rise to the disagreements between the German, French,
and English armies throughout the crusade.

3.2 Who was the military leader called Saladin?

 Saladin is the Western name of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Muslim sultan of
Egypt and Syria who famously defeated a massive army of Crusaders in the Battle of
Hattin and captured the city of Jerusalem in 1187. At the height of his power, he ruled a
unified Muslim region stretching from Egypt to Arabia.

Learning Activity 4. The Late Middle Ages

4.1 Discuss “Edward III brought stability to England”.
 Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor
before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until
his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority
after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Edward III built the
Kingdom of England into one of Europe's most powerful military forces. His fifty-year
reign was one of the longest in English history, and he witnessed important changes in
legislation and government, including the evolution of the English Parliament, as well as
the horrors of the Black Death. His eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, died before
him, and the throne passed to his grandson, Richard II.
After his father was ousted by his mother, Isabella of France, and her lover Roger
Mortimer, Edward was crowned at the age of fourteen. At the age of seventeen, he
conducted a successful coup against Mortimer, the country's de facto monarch, and
began his personal reign. In 1337, following a victorious war in Scotland, he declared
himself rightful heir to the French throne. This marked the beginning of the Hundred
Years' War. Following some early defeats, England fared extraordinarily well in the first
phase of the war, with wins at Crécy and Poitiers leading to the relatively favorable
Treaty of Brétigny, in which England gained territory and Edward abandoned his claim to
the French crown. The Edwardian War would be named after this period. Because of his
idleness and bad health, Edward's final years were defined by international failure and
domestic discord.
Edward was a volatile character with extraordinary compassion. In many ways, he was a
traditional monarch whose primary concern was battle. He was admired in his own time
and for generations after, but subsequent Whig historians such as Bishop William
Stubbs criticized him as an irresponsible adventurer; current historians recognize him
with some notable achievements.

Learning Activity 5. The Hundred Years War

5.1 Highlight 3 major reasons that led to the Hundred Years War.
 The seizure of English-held Gascony (Aquitaine, south-west France) by Philip VI of
France.
 The claim by the English king Edward III to be the rightful king of France.
  The expedition of Edward III to take by force territories in France, protect international
trade and win booty and estates for his nobles.

5.2 Discuss the role of 3 characters in the Hundred Years War.

 Philip VI of France (1293 – 1350)
Known as the ‘Fortunate’, Philip VI was the first king of France from the House of Valois. His
position as king came about due to the consequences of a succession dispute after Charles IV
of France died in 1328. Instead of Charles’ nephew, England’s King Edward III, being made king
of France, the throne went to Charles’ paternal cousin Philip. The appointment caused a series
of disagreements that evolved into the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War.
 Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376)
The eldest son of King Edward III of England, the Black Prince was one of the most successful
military commanders during the conflicts of the Hundred Years' War. As the eldest son of King
Edward III, he was heir apparent to the English throne. The Black Prince took part in King
Edward’s expedition to Calais during the Hundred Years’ War. After the English victory there, he
negotiated the Treaty of Bretigny, which ratified the terms of agreement between King Edward
III and King John II of France.
 Sir James Audley (1318 – 1369)
James Audley was one of the first knights of the original Order of the Garter, the order of
chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. He fought at the Battle of Crecy (1346) and
at the Battle of Poitiers (1356), two major victories for the English against French forces during
the Hundred Years’ War. It was at Poitiers that Audley was severely wounded and carried from
the battle scene. Edward of Woodstock greatly admired Audley’s courage and rewarded him
with an annuity of 600 marks. He later became governor of Aquitaine.

Learning Activity 6. Black Death

6.1 Discuss the economic impact of the Black Death plague on medieval England.
 The plague had widespread social and economic consequences, many of which were
documented in the introduction of the Decameron. People abandoned friends and family,
fled cities, and isolated themselves from the rest of the world. Funeral ceremonies
became ceremonial or ceased entirely, and employment ceased. Some people believed
that God's vengeance was falling on them, so they fought the disease with prayer. Some
believed they should follow the adage, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may
die." The community underwent upheaval on a scale usually seen only in controlled
situations such as carnival. Faith in religion decreased after the plague, both because of
the death of so many of the clergy and because of the failure of prayer to prevent
sickness and death.
The economy experienced rapid and severe inflation. Because it was so difficult (and
risky) to obtain and make items through commerce, the costs of both locally produced
and imported commodities increased. Workers became extremely scarce as a result of
disease and death thus even peasants felt the impact of the new salary increase. The
demand for laborers to work the land was so great that the manorial holdings were
threatened. Serfs were no longer bound to a single master; if one left the area, another
lord would engage them right away. The lords had to make improvements to make
things more profitable for the peasants and keep them on their land. In general, wages
outpaced prices and the standard of living was subsequently raised.
As a result of the beginning of blurring financial divides, social distinctions became more
pronounced. The nobility's styles got increasingly elaborate in order to highlight the
social standing of the person wearing the clothing. When the aristocracy endeavored to
fight the changes brought about by the plague, the peasants became significantly more
empowered and revolted. Northern France's peasantry rioted in 1358, and
disenfranchised guild members revolted in 1378. Europe's social and economic structure
has been irreversibly altered.
6.2 In what way(s) did medieval England contribute to the spread of the plague?
 The medieval Silk Road delivered a large range of products, spices, and new ideas to
Europe from China and Central Asia. In 1346, the trade also most certainly transported
the fatal bubonic plague, which killed as many as half of all Europeans in 7 years,
termed the Black Death. Later outbreaks throughout Europe were supposed to have
come by a similar route from the east.
6.3 Write a 5-minute drama sketch of a family that survived the disease.
 The family of Richard’s in London. A poor family who survived the plague which killed a
million of people.
Richard – the Father
Melissa – the Mother
Ronde – the first born
Melva – the youngest child

Ronde: The Lord Mayor has taken it upon himself to put in to immediate effect the destruction
of all domestic animals. Cats and Dogs are to be rounded up and destroyed immediately.
Melissa: It is true then the Lord Mayor is blaming domestic animals for the plague.
Ronde: Yes, all cats and dogs are to be destroyed.
Richard: Well hoping it stops this disease from spreading.
Melissa: I think, it’s only us poor who are suffering.
Richard: huh… you’re right! All the gentry will be fine as usual as they’ve gone.
Ronde: What do you mean gone father?
Richard: All the nobility has left the City for the country estates. If you can pay you can escape
the Black Death. (All look at him.)
Melva: What will happen to us then father? Do we have a money to pay too? For us, to get
away from the disease.
Richard: I thought the Lord Mayor had closed the city gates.
Ronde: He has but if we got a certificate of good health then were ok.
Melissa: Oh… I see.
Richard: Or if we can buy a certificate.
On the other side…
Rat 1: Did you hear that London City will be ours and nobody will be able to stop us.
Rat 2: Come on lets’ go and tell King Rat the good news.
Woman 1: Argh
Woman 2: What is it.
Woman 1: A rat
Woman 3: Is that all I thought it was something serious. London is over run with rats.
Woman 4: And it’ll get worse now they’re destroying all the Cats and Dogs.
Woman 2: I never thought of that.
Woman 5: What’s happening at woman 1?
Woman 3: She’s got the fever, thinks it’s a cold.
Woman 2: It doesn’t look good she’s got swellings.
Woman 4: Black Swellings.
Woman 5: The disease
All: No
Back to the family…
Richard: We have to be alert! I heard that it’s not the cat and dog who is spreading the disease
it is the rats and fleas. We have to clean our house and make sure there is no rat that can enter.
Melissa: Okay… I also heard that we can caught disease having in personal contact with the
people affected by the disease. We have to be careful.
Richard: We have to stuck food. We need to buy goods so we don’t have to go out if it isn’t
necessary. Ronde, you will come with me. Your mother and Melva will stay here to clean our
house.
Ronde: Okay! Father. Gladly we still have a stock of grain.
Melva: Be careful there outside father and brother.
Richard: Yes, we will dear.
The father and son practice social distancing with people and they arrived to their destination
and gets home safely.
In their house:
Melva: Father and brother you back! (with a wide smile)
Richard: No, don’t get close to use, we might have caught a disease from our way back home.
Let us clean ourselves first.
Melva: Okay! Father.
Ronde: You can just check the fruits we brought home. You have to be healthy so, you will not
caught disease.
That was the routine of Richard’s family. That continued until the plague disappear. The
pandemic eased with better sanitation, hygiene but never completely disappeared.

Learning Activity 7. The Peasants’ Revolt

6.1 Enumerate 3 similarities between the Peasants‟ Revolt of medieval England and the
Aba Women’s Riot of Nigeria.
 The first similarities between the Peasants Revolt of Medieval England and the Aba
Women’s Riot of Nigeria is their revolt against the injustice policies imposed by the
higher-ups.
 Both rebellions become and contributed to history.
 Both rebellions killed a lot of people who just want justice and fair policy.

6.2 In your own estimation, how did the Peasants‟ Revolt come to an end?
 I think the revolt come to an end when the king met Tyler and the Kentishmen at
Smithfield. And when Tyler was treacherously cut down in Richard’s presence by the
enraged mayor of London. And the King, with his great intelligence, appealed to the
rebels as their sovereign, and with his promised reforms, persuaded them to disperse.
The London situation was then over. Furthermore, on or around June 25, the rebels in
East Anglia led by John Litster were crushed by the vigorous bishop of Norwich, Henry
le Despenser. The revolt lasted less than a month and failed as a social revolution
utterly. The promise of King Richard's at Mile End and Smithfield was quickly forgotten,
and manorial anger was shown in local riots. However, the insurrection was successful
as a protest against taxation of the poorer classes insofar as it stopped the poll tax from
being imposed again.

Learning Activity 8. Wars of the Roses

8.1 Discuss the economic impact of the Black Death plague on medieval England.
 THE BLACK DEATH CHANGES EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE
 Prior to the plague, the large population prevented salary increases. Most peasants had
no intention of leaving their villages in search of work elsewhere. Following the epidemic,
laborers demanded higher wages and improved working conditions.
Many lords consented to these requests, and those who didn't quickly discovered that
other lords would. Lords realized they had less power over their subjects and began to
adjust what they produced. Because growing and harvesting grain required a large
number of laborers, some lords decided to cultivate sheep instead. Sheep farming
required fewer labor, and there were more clients for meat and woolen clothes. People's
salaries increased, allowing them to purchase more veggies, fruits, and apparel. These
commodities' production rose. Peasants were eventually free to leave lords' estates, and
some were even able to purchase their own land. The Black Death was a huge tragedy.
However, the plague's reduction in population raised peasants' earnings. Peasants
began to enjoy a higher standard of living and more freedom as a result.

8.2 In what way(s) did medieval England contribute to the spread of the plague?
This question is already answered in number 6.2 (In what way(s) did medieval England
contribute to the spread of the plague?)

8.3 Write a 5-minute drama sketch of a family that survived the disease.
This activity is also the same in number 6.3 (Write a 5-minute drama sketch of a family that
survived the disease.)

Learning Activity 9. Cultural and Intellectual Revival

9.1 In what ways was the Church instrumental to the origin of crusades in medieval
England?
 The unexpected rise of the Crusades as a significant preoccupation of Europe revealed
the papacy's rising authority and the emperor's relative decrease in power. Gregory VII
hoped to lead an army to defend Eastern Christians following their terrible defeat at
Manzikert in 1071 by the Seljuq Turks. Faced with the loss of Asia Minor and the Turks'
ongoing expansion, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus (1057-1118) appealed to
Pope Urban II for assistance in 1095. Urban's famous call to the Crusade in Clermont
(France) in 1095 was surprisingly effective, putting him at the head of a massive army of
volunteers driven by religious enthusiasm as well as more mundane reasons. Despite
disasters and quarrels, the pope earned immense prestige and enhanced its position in
regard to the emperor and Germany, which avoided involvement in the first of many
Crusades due to the ongoing Investiture Controversy. For more than two centuries, the
Pope led a powerful movement known as the Crusades. There were numerous
Crusades in the Holy Land, and the Crusading ideal was extended to military and
religious efforts in Spain and eastern Europe. Later popes launched Crusades against
heretics and opponents of papal authority and sanctioned the emergence of military
orders. The Crusades thus reflected the widespread devotion to the church and to its
leader, the pope.

VII. EVALUATION: Essay

1. Write at least 5 significant notes about:

1.1 The Peasants’ Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was the most serious of all the revolts that Medieval England had
seen. It was an attempt to break free from a futile governing system, as well as a fight to abolish
the never-ending injustice and oppression that the lower class faced on a daily basis. During
their oppression, peasants endured high taxes and fees that made life nearly miserable, a lack
of reforms promised by the king, and the use of god and religion to justify the church's and
government's decisions. When the Black Death swept over Europe from 1348 to 1351,
approximately 30% of the population died, and many manors were left without workers. At the
conclusion of the Black Death, the English parliament passed "The Statute of Labourers," which
forbade peasants from demanding higher salaries or taking advantage of a labor shortage.
Another cause for the revolution was that peasants were obliged to work for free on the
Church's land two days a week, which meant they couldn't work on their own land to feed their
families. This burden benefitted the church while impoverishing the serfs and peasants. This act
of injustice lit a fire in the minds of lower-class inhabitants for years to come, and it would not go
forgotten as time and people passed.
The rebellion was concentrated in the southeastern counties and East Anglia, with minor
disruptions in other areas. It began in Essex in May 1381, surprising the authorities of the
youthful King Richard II. Rebels from Essex and Kent marched on London in June. On the 13th,
Kentish troops led by Wat Tyler stormed London, slaughtering several Flemish merchants and
razing the house of the king's uncle, the unpopular John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster. The
government was forced to bargain. Richard visited the men of Essex outside London on the
14th at Mile End, promising economical land, free trade, and the elimination of serfdom and
forced labor. During the king's absence, Kentish rebels in the city forced the surrender of the
Tower of London; the chancellor, Archbishop Simon of Sudbury, and the treasurer, Sir Robert
Hales, both deemed accountable for the poll tax, were both killed. The next day, the king met
Tyler and the Kentishmen at Smithfield. Tyler was assassinated in Richard's presence by an
enraged mayor of London. The monarch, with amazing intelligence, addressed the rebels as
their sovereign and persuaded them to disperse after promising improvements. The crisis in
London was over, but the insurrection in the provinces reached a climax in the following weeks.
On around June 25, the rebels in East Anglia led by John Litster were destroyed by the
aggressive bishop of Norwich, Henry le Despenser. The revolt lasted less than a month and
failed as a social revolution completely. King Richard's promises at Mile End and Smithfield
were quickly forgotten, and manorial displeasure was shown in local riots. However, the
insurrection was successful as a protest against taxation of the poorer classes insofar as it
stopped the poll tax from being imposed again.
To summarize, the Peasants' Revolt did not bring down the dictatorship as many claimed.

1.2 Black Death

The "Black Death" is regarded as Europe's deadliest natural tragedy. From 1346 until 1352, the
plague swept over Europe. The epidemic known as the Black Plague killed between 75 and 200
million people. This pandemic had numerous severe aftereffects, forcing the world to rebuild
itself; this horrifying plague killed one-third of Europe. Many dreadful developments occurred,
including the rich and poor pitting themselves against one another, blaming one another for the
spread of this dreadful sickness. Because of the disease's capacity to spread quickly and the
horrible process of infection, the Black Plague was the worst epidemic in recorded history. The
implications of the Black Death have both short-term and long-term consequences for the global
human population. The short-term effects include a slew of commercial issues, a severe scarcity
of agricultural workers, and acute poverty for peasants. Long-term effects included a reduction
in population, a loss of faith in the churches, and a brutal persecution on Jews.
When trade increased, many favorable developments occurred, particularly when wider
commercial routes were formed. This had a significant impact on trade with the West. When
trade expanded, towns and cities sprouted up all throughout Europe; as trade expanded, so did
the population. Because they all lived so close together, cities and towns began to become
highly productive places, complete with fleas and rats. This all began when the population
began to grow. This caused the sickness to spread even further, increasing the potential
devastation to the world. Rats and fleas spread the Black Death over Asia and Europe, aided by
man's trade routes. In the end, the trading difficulties largely influenced the spread of the Black
Death.
When the labor force shrank, the land and farms did not improve as much as they should have.
When the majority of the workers and their animals perished, the remaining employees gained
access to more equipment and territory. They grew more productive and produced more goods
and services; as employees got more productive, employers were willing to pay higher wages.
Because a large number of laborers were required to gather grains, the employers chose to
care for sheep. Taking care of sheep required fewer workers. Workers were able to buy more
veggies, fruit, and apparel as their incomes began to grow. Workers were permitted to relocate
away from their employer's land and purchase their own to live on. The Black Death was literally
swamped by post-Plague inflation, resulting in a drop in real wages, followed by a sudden rise in
real earnings for both agricultural laborers and peasants. Because of the plague's drop in
population, workers' earnings increased, and they began to appreciate a better standard of
living and greater freedom.

2. In spite of the chains of wars, Medieval England could boast of cultural and intellectual
revival.
On the continent, the development of Medieval literature—resulting from the preservation of
culture and heroic adventures inside epic poems—is a direct outcome of Charlemagne's
ambition to educate his people in 800, which was only made feasible by a focus on Catholic
Church doctrines. The Catholic Church established schools with a rigorous curriculum based on
the study of grammar, rhetoric, Latin, astronomy, philosophy, and math. The Roman Empire
legalized Christianity during the Fourth Century, and as a result, education and laws were
regulated by the Church. The Church frequently possessed more influence than the medieval
society's often-weak feudal monarchs.
The chivalric code was a moral code, or rather, a code of conduct connected to duty, honor, and
justice, that originated in Medieval society in the Twelfth Century and quickly occupied the time's
literature. The chivalric code, as reflected in the writings of the time—the manner in which
characters are affected by loyalty, duty, and honor—was both a required platform for chivalry
and good moral standing. The image of a just and moral knight encountering temptation and
strife in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exemplifies the prominence of chivalry in Medieval
Culture. Because of the prominence of chivalry, courtly love promoted the creation and
contemplation of romantic writing. By the Sixteenth Century, Renaissance thinking had migrated
from Italy to England. The improvements in knowledge that marked the transition from Medieval
Writings to Renaissance Literature were based on a return to classical ideas in antiquity's
literature and philosophies. Humanism sprang from this return to classical concepts and
worldviews, which proclaimed the importance of man, his dignity, and his lack of constraints. As
a result, the emphasis shifted from the Medieval man's introspective life to the Renaissance
man's involved existence: well-rounded, active, and involved with the world around him.
Humanists, in particular, gave society a pervasive and all-encompassing concept of humanity.
Renaissance literature mirrored cultural shifts as well; shifting away from largely religious
thinking and emphasizing classical philosophy, Renaissance philosophers created new
ideologies based on Plato and Aristotle's teachings. In literature, sexual love was considered as
the presence of spiritual links, as a result of newly discovered knowledge of Platonic love. Some
Neoplatonists felt there was a link between acquiring knowledge (as scientific knowledge was
viewed as factual representations or comprehension of the world) and a relationship with God or
the Divine.