Sept. 30 - Chapter 3, Middle English
Oct 2. - Chapter 3, Middle English
Oct. 7 - Chapter 4
Oct. 9 - Chapter 4
Oct. 14 - Chapter 5
Oct. 16 - Chapter 5
Oct. 21 - Midterm Exam
The lecture on September 30 began with a discussion of the political organization at the time of the onset of Middle English. In England, there existed a hierarchy with a few rich and many poor. Few people owned lands. Tribal organization existed within an Anglo-Saxon heptarchy. There were seven kingdoms and seven kings, including Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Wessex, Essex, Kent, and Sussex. King Alfred of Wessex attempted to make a treaty with the Vikings who were invading England from the North and East. The line which delineated the territories was the Danelaw. It was not a firm boundary and there were many skirmishes fought along it. In 1066, the Norman conquest began. Edward the Confessor, the West Saxon king, died and power was up for grabs. Edward was succeeded by King Harold, but there were problems. William, the Duke of Normandy, was EdwardÕs second cousin. He wanted the West Saxon throne. William did many things to insure his successful conquest of England. He got the Pope to agree that his claim was legitimate. Harold had been WilliamÕs prisoner at one time. While imprisoned, Harold had admitted that William had a legitimate claim to the throne. Planning ahead helped to secure WilliamÕs claim. King Harold, in the meantime, had to send troops to fight the Vikings at Danelawnote from SMH: not quite accurate--see your text on the Danelaw. The troops won but returned home tired. It was fall which was harvest time. The troops dispersed to go to their individual fields. This is the time William picks to invade England. Harold calls his troops together, but theyÕre not happy about going back into to battle so soon. When King Harold is killed in the Battle of Hastings in October of 1066, the Normans under William gain the advantage. From October through December, William ransacks the English countryside until London finally decides to surrender. William, the Duke of Normandy, is crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066. At that time, there were 10-20,000 Normans co-existing in England with 1.5 million Englishman. King William wanted to insure his kingdom. He took the land of English nobles whoÕd been killed in battle and rewarded his supporters. That land stayed in those families until the mid-1300Õs. The French noblemen also retained their lands in France, spent time in France, and married in France. Thus, the English and French did not merge through marriage. The church also had a hierarchy. The best jobs went to French clergy. Priests who didnÕt speak French could not advance. By 1190, there were no English in powerful positions inside the Church. Between 1066 and 1400, approximately 10,000 French words entered English. However, only 10% of the words came into English between 1066 and 1250. The other 90% were in the later 150 years. Words that were first borrowed indicate something of the relationship between the French and English. These words include: castle, tower, catapult, and messenger.