Middle English Period

Feudalism
Feudalism was a system of government.
William the Conqueror owned all the land
and gave it to his barons, and in return they
paid taxes and supplied soldiers. The estate
held by a baron in return for a military
service was called fief.
• According to feudal theory, every landlord
was the tenant of a greater landlord.
• In the early Middle Ages, there were three
classes: nobles, clergy, villeins
• The castle was a vital part of the feudal
system
• The hall was the most important part of the
castle
• The son of a nobleman was sent to
another nobleman’s house as a page at
the age of 7 or 8. Later he became a
squire and his training continued. If he had
necessary qualifications, he became a
knight.
• Women had a secondary place in
medieval society. Marriage were either for
title or for land.
• In the 13th century the development of
trade and towns continued.
• In this century there was an attempt to
civilize the knights’ code of ethic and way
of life called chivalry.
Chivalry had three main aspects
1- Chivalry in warfare
2- Knight as a good Christian
3- Knight as a lover
14th century was an age of decline of the
feudal and medieval systems
Black death
 Characteristic of Medieval
Literature
• It’s a literature of three languages: Latin
for learned, French for aristocrats, English
for common people
• There was a transition from epic to
romance