PGEG S1 01 (Block 1) PDF

PGEG SI 01
KRISHNA KANTA HANDIQUI STATE OPEN UNIVERSITY

Patgaon, Rani Gate, Guwahati-781017
SEMESTER 1
MA IN ENGLISH
COURSE I: ENGLISH SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY
SECTION 1: ENGLISH SOCIAL HISTORY
BLOCK 1: MEDIEVAL TO RENIASSANCE
CONTENTS
Unit 1: The Norman Conquest and Feudalism

Unit 2: Growth of English Towns and Urbanisation in London
Unit 3: Christianity, Reformation and Growth of the Church
Unit 4: Renaissance Humanism
REFERENCES : For All Units
Subject Experts
Prof. Pona Mahanta, Former Head, Department of English, Dibrugarh University
Prof. Ranjit Kumar Dev Goswami, Srimanta Sankardeva Chair, Tezpur University
Prof. Bibhash Choudhury, Department of English, Gauhati University
Course Coordinator : Dr. Prasenjit Das, Assistant Professor, Department of English, KKHSOU
SLM Preparation Team
Units Contributors
1 Dr. Nizara Hazarika, Sonapur College
&
Dr. Prasenjit Das
2 Dr. Prasenjit Das
3 Dr. Nizara Hazarika
4 Dr. Manashi Bora, Gauhati University
Editorial Team
Content : Prof. Bibhash Choudhury
Structure, Format and Graphics: Dr. Prasenjit Das
May, 2017
ISBN : 978-81-934003-0-2
This Self Learning Material (SLM) of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State University is
made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike4.0 License
(International) : http.//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Printed and published by Registrar on behalf of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University.
Headquarters: Patgaon, Rani Gate, Guwahati-781017

City Office: Housefed Complex, Dispur, Guwahati-781006; Web: www.kkhsou.in
The University acknowledges with strength the financial support provided by the Distance
Education Bureau, UGC for preparation of this material.
SEMESTER 1
MA IN ENGLISH
COURSE I: ENGLISH SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY
SECTION 1: ENGLISH SOCIAL HISTORY
BLOCK 1: MEDIEVAL TO RENIASSANCE
DETAILED SYLLABUS
Unit 1 : Norman Conquest and Feudalism Page 7 - 26

The Norman Conquest, Consequences of the Norman Conquest:
Replacement of the English, English Emigration, The System of
Government, Changes in Language and Society, Ideas of
Feudalism: Feudalism and Literature, Decline of Feudalism: Black
Death, Peasants’ Revolt, Other Factors
Unit 2 : Growth of English Towns/Urbanisation in London Page 27 - 36

Growth of English Towns, Urbanisation in London
Unit 3 : Christianity, Reformation and Role of the Church Page 37 - 52

Idea of Christianity, Role of Medieval Church, The Church and
Medieval Culture, Theology and Intellectual Activities
Unit 4 : Renaissance Humanism Page 53 - 67

History of the Renaissance, Humanism and Renaissance
Thought, The Renaissance Literature, Renaissance and the
Exploration of New Worlds
COURSE INTRODUCTION
This is the first Course of the Revised and updated MA English Programme. This Course introduces the
learners to English Social, Cultural and Literary history. This Course is divided into Two Sections that
comprise total 4 Blocks. Each Block contains four units. The two Sections will roughly cover the period
after the Norman Conquest until our own times in the 20th century in English Social and Cultural history.
Thus, this Course has to be understood in terms of the ideas, cultural formations and politics, as well as
the literary practices, all of which shaped the large gamut of English literature.
Section A: English Social History introduces you to the larger social and historical issues related to
the emergence of literature so that you can make connections between the works of the authors and
their contexts. This section will thus give you an idea of the significant developments in English social
and cultural history. The purpose is to familiarise you with the conditions under which the English authors
were constrained to write and publish their works. You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with
the significant socio-historical and cultural events as well as concepts that became instrumental in
bringing in certain marked changes in the intellectual pursuits of England.
Section B: English Literary History, in order to explore how every work has a proper historical context,
seeks to discuss how writers at a given period tend to have certain similar concerns and attitudes. An
awareness of the historical and social contexts of the writer tells us what we expect to encounter in a
particular literary age. This section will help you to make a brief overview of the different periods of
English literary history with references to the important authors and their works.
Section A comprises two Blocks—Block 1: Medieval to Renaissance and Block 2: Enlightenment

to Imperialism. Similarly, Section B also comprises two Blocks—Block 3: Literature: Medieval to
Neo classical, and Block 4: Literature: Romantic to Modern
Block 1: Medieval to Renaissance, contains four units, which are as the following:
Unit 1: Norman Conquest and Feudalism deals with the Norman Conquest of England in 1066,
under William the Duke of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings, and the way this event foreshadowed
significant changes in the social life, literature and language of the English people, Special mention has
been made to Feudalism and its impact on early English literature.
Unit 2: Growth of English Towns and Urbanisation in London deals with the growth of English
towns as well as the processes of urbanisation in the economic and cultural developments in England
in the medieval age following the decline of Feudalism. This unit shall particularly help the learners to
understand how such developments contributed to the emergence of literary practices during that time
and in future.
Unit 3: Christianity, Reformation and Role of the Church deals with the idea of Christianity, and the
role of the Medieval Church. Christianity, through the Church, became organised and marked its
dominance all over Europe by the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This unit intends to
tell the learners about the importance of the church in the lives of the people of Medieval England as
reflected in the literatures of that period.
Unit 4: Renaissance Humanism deals with the ideas of Renaissance and Humanism, which are perhaps
the most important intellectual and cultural developments in the Western World that roughly dates from
1500 to 1660. The learners will read that being a trans-national phenomenon, the Renaissance profoundly
affected life and thought in different parts of Europe. This unit shall also help to locate the connections
between Renaissance and Humanism, which added great impetus to Renaissance scholarship.
While going through a unit, you may also notice some text boxes, which have been included to help you
know some of the difficult terms and concepts. You will also read about some relevant ideas and concepts
in “LET US KNOW” along with the text. We have kept “CHECK YOUR PROGRESS” questions in each
unit. These have been designed to self-check your progress of study. The hints for the answers to these
questions are given at the end of the unit. We advise that you answer the questions immediately after
you finish reading the section in which these questions occur. We have also included a few books in the
“FURTHER READING” list, which will be helpful for your further consultation. The books referred to in
the preparation of the units have been added at the end of the block. As you know, the world of literature
is too big and so we advise you not to take a unit to be an end in itself. Despite our attempts to make a
unit self-contained, we advise that you should read the original texts of the writers as well as other
additional materials for a thorough understanding of the contents of a particular unit.
UNIT 1: NORMAN CONQUEST AND FEUDALISM
UNIT STRUCTURE
1.1 Learning Objectives

1.2 Introduction
1.3 The Norman Conquest
1.4 Consequences of the Norman Conquest
1.5 What is Feudalism?
1.6 Decline of Feudalism
1.7 Let us Sum up
1.8 Further Reading
1.9 Answers to Check Your Progress (Hints Only)
1.10 Possible Questions
1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:

• have some ideas on the Norman Conquest of England
• explain the consequences of the Norman Conquest on the English
life and society of the Medieval times
• gain some ideas on Feudalism that refers to a particular social
structure in medieval England
• tell how Feudalism had taken a declining trend
• discuss the impact of Feudalism on literature
1.2 INTRODUCTION
This is the first unit of this course, and it will familiarise you with
some of the important aspects of the Social and Cultural History of Medieval
England. In this unit, you will also get to read about the Norman Conquest
of England in 1066, under William the Duke of Normandy at the Battle of
Hastings that foreshadowed not only a change of dynasty, but also a
revolution in social life, literature and language of the English people.
William’s victory led to the fall of the Anglo-Saxon nobility and the
Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1) 7

Unit 1 Norman Conquest and Feudalism
establishment of Feudalism in England of the Norman type. One significant

aspect of this conquest is that the Normans brought to England the richness
of the French language and literature, which the English absorbed so
beautifully. Although, following the Battle of Hastings, French became the
language of the upper classes, of courts as well as of schools; the common
people adhered to English speech so persistently that finally English
absorbed a whole range of French words and became the language of the
land. In this unit, an attempt is made to describe the great changes in the
life and society of the English people of the Medieval England following the
Norman Conquest with special reference made to Feudalism. However,
for our present purpose in this unit, we shall mostly stick to our discussion
of The Norman Conquest and Feudalism, and their impact on English
literature.
1.3 THE NORMAN CONQUEST
Source: http://www.timeref.com/episodes/norman_conquest.htm
8 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

Norman Conquest and Feudalism Unit 1
The Norman conquest of England commonly refers to the 11th

century invasion and occupation of England by a Norman army led by Duke
William II of Normandy, who later became popular as the William the
Conqueror. William was previously having a familial relationship with the
childless Anglo Saxon King Edward or ‘Edward the Confessor’ and was
dreaming to ruling England. However, when he died in January 1066, the
succession of his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson might have encouraged
William to invade England. Harold’s army was defeated by that of William
on 14th October in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. Following this win, the
lands of the resisting English elite were confiscated. Some even fled into
exile. To control his new kingdom, William granted lands to his followers
and built castles commanding military strong points throughout the land.
Some of the important effects of the conquest included the establishment
of the court and government, the introduction of Norman French as the
language of the elites, and changes in the composition of the upper classes
and so on. Subsequent changes affected the agricultural classes and village
life, while the major change being the formal elimination of bonded slavery.
There was little alteration in the structure of government, as the new Norman
Government system took over many of the forms of Anglo-Saxon
government. The following is a brief description of who the Normans were,
what they did and how exactly the Norman Conquest took place.
In around 911, France was ruled by King Charles who as part of the
treaty called “Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte” allowed a group of Vikings under
the leadership of Rollo to settle in Normandy. In exchange for the land, the
Norsemen under Rollo were expected to provide protection along the coast
against other Viking invaders. Their settlement proved successful, and they
came to be known as the “Northmen” from which the term “Normandy” and
“Normans” are derived. The Normans quickly adopted the indigenous
culture, renounced Paganism and converted to Christianity. They adopted
the language of the land, and also added features from their own Norse
language into that.
In 1002, King Alfred II of England married Emma, the sister of Richard
II, Duke of Normandy. Their son Edward succeeded to the English throne
in 1042. This was the beginning of a powerful Norman interest in English

politics, as Edward greatly depended on the Normans, brought Norman
courtiers, soldiers, and clerics; appointed them to positions of power,
particularly in the Church. But, Edward was childless and was often
embroiled in conflict with the formidable Harold Godwinson, the Earl of
Wessex over the throne of England. When Edward died at the beginning of
1066, the lack of a clear heir led to a disputed succession in which several
contenders laying claim over the English throne. Edward’s immediate
successor was Harold Godwinson, the richest and most powerful of the
English aristocrats. However, he was immediately challenged by two
powerful neighbouring rulers. One of them was the Duke William who
claimed that he had been promised the throne by King Edward and that
Harold had sworn agreement to this; the other being King Harald III of Norway.
King Herald’s claim to the throne was based on an agreement between his
predecessor Magnus I of Norway and an early English king, Harthacnut,
whereby if either died without heir, the other would inherit both England and
Norway. Both William and Harald finally set about assembling troops and
ships to invade England.
King Harald of Norway invaded Northern England, leading a fleet of
more than 300 ships carrying perhaps 15,000 men. Harald’s army was
further augmented by the forces of Tostig, the brother-in-law of Harold, who
supported the Norwegian king’s bid for the throne. In the Battle of Fulford,
the Norwegians defeated a northern English army under Edwin and Morcar.
The result was that their forces were devastated and unable to participate
in the rest of the campaigns of 1066, although the two earls survived the
battle. Harald moved on to York, which surrendered to him. King Harold
Godwinson probably learned of the Norwegian invasion in mid-September
and rushed north, gathering forces as he went. The English then marched
onto the invaders and took them by surprise, defeating them in the Battle of
Stamford Bridge. Both Harald of Norway and Tostig were killed. But, the
English victory too was costly.
Meanwhile, William too assembled a large invasion fleet and an
army gathered from Normandy and all over France. His army assembled

during the summer while an invasion fleet in Normandy was constructed.

The Normans crossed to England a few days after Harold’s victory over the
Norwegians at Stamford Bridge on 25 September, following the dispersal
of Harold’s naval force. They landed in Sussex on 28 September and erected
a wooden castle at Hastings from which they raided the surrounding
area. This ensured supplies for the army, and as Harold and his family held
many of the lands in the area, it weakened William’s opponent and made
him more likely to attack to put an end to the raiding. Harold, after defeating
his brother Tostig and Harald in the north, marched the rest of his army
south to deal with the threatened Norman invasion.
The battle between Harold and William began on 14th October 1066.
William had both cavalry and infantry, including many archers, while Harold
had only foot soldiers and few archers. Although at first the English soldiers
succeed in defending, the Norman cavalry soon attacked and killed the
pursuing troops. The most decisive event was the death of Harold, which
finally inaugurated the Norman rule on the English soil.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 1: What are the most noticeable effects of the

Norman Conquest?
Q 2: Who were the Normans?
Q 3: Who was William the Conqueror? How did he invade England?
1.4 CONSEQUENCES OF THE NORMAN CONQUEST
The debate over the consequence of the Norman Conquest depends

on how changes after 1066 are to be measured. Historians often tend to
state that Anglo Saxon England was already evolving before the Norman
invasion, with the introduction of Feudalism; castles or other changes in
society, then the Conquest, did not represent a radical reform in the English
soil. But, the changes were dramatic if measured by the elimination of the
English nobility or the abolition of Old English as a literary language. Thus,
the Normans seen either as the persecutors of the English or as the rescuers
of the country from a decadent Anglo-Saxon nobility. The following are

some of the important consequences of the Norman Conquest.
Replacement of the English:
A direct consequence of the invasion was the almost total elimination
of the old English aristocracy and the loss of English control over the Catholic
Church in England. William systematically dispossessed the English
landowners and conferred their property on his continental followers. The
Domesday Book meticulously documents the impact of this colossal
programme of expropriation, revealing that by 1086 only about 5 per cent of
land in England was left in the English hands. Natives were also removed
from high governmental and ecclesiastical office. After 1075, the Normans
held all earldoms, and the Englishmen were only occasionally appointed
as sheriffs. Likewise, in the Church, senior English office-holders were
either expelled from their positions or kept in place for their lifetimes and
replaced by foreigners when they died.
English Emigration:
Following the Conquest, many Anglo-Saxons, including groups of
nobles, fled the country for Scotland, Ireland, or Scandinavia. Members of
King Harold Godwinson’s family sought refuge in Ireland and became
involved with unsuccessful invasions of England. The largest single exodus
occurred in the 1070s, when a group of Anglo-Saxons in a fleet of 235 ships
sailed for the Byzantine Empire, which became a popular destination for
many English nobles and soldiers, as the Byzantines were in need of
mercenaries. Some of the English migrants settled in Byzantine frontier
regions on the Black Sea coast, and established towns with names such
as New London and New York.
The System of Government:
Before the Normans arrived, England was divided into administrative
units called shires, with subdivisions; the royal court was the centre of
government, and a justice system based on local and regional tribunals
existed to secure the rights of free men. Officials known as reeves or sheriffs
ran shires. Most medieval governments were always on the move, holding
court wherever the weather and food or other matters were best at the

moment; England had a permanent treasury at Winchester before William’s

conquest. One major reason for the strength of the English monarchy was
the wealth of the kingdom, built on the English system of taxation that
included a land tax, or the gold. English coinage was also superior to most
of the other currency in use in North Western Europe, and the ability to mint
coins was a royal monopoly. The English kings had also developed the Writs were either in-
system of issuing writs to their officials, in addition to the normal medieval structions to an official or
practice of issuing charters. group of officials, or noti-
This sophisticated medieval form of government was handed over fications of royal actions
to the Normans and was the foundation of further developments. By the such as appointments to
end of William’s reign, most of the officials of Government and the royal office or a grant of some
household were Normans. The language of official documents also changed sort.
from Old English to Latin. The forest laws were introduced, leading to the
setting aside of large sections of England as the Royal Forests. The
Domesday survey was an administrative catalogue of the landholdings of
the kingdom, and was unique to medieval Europe. It is important to note
that in the Feudal system, the central authority was the King. But, at the
same time, Feudalism provided the local lords with a sense of independence
and responsibility. Although feudalism in England was primarily based on
the question of economic power, William the Conqueror succeeded in
bringing political stability all over the country. Because, the medieval period
in Europe, including England, was dominated by regular conflicts between
the different warring groups. The Norman King asserted himself as the
controller of the nation’s wealth, distributed it among the nobles, and made
them answerable to the King. This had been an effective strategy in avoiding
any threat of revolt against a new administration like his.
Language:
One of the most obvious consequences of the conquest was the
introduction of Anglo Norman—a Northern dialect of Old French, as the
language of the ruling classes in England that replaced Old English. French
words entered the English language, and the names common in France
replaced Anglo Saxon names. Male names such as William, Robert, and
Richardson soon became common.
Immigration and Intermarriage:

An estimated 8000 Normans and other continentals settled in
England because of the conquest, although the exact figures cannot be
established. Some of these new residents intermarried with the native
English women. However, most Normans continued to contract marriages
with other Normans or other continental families rather than with the
English. Within a century of the invasion, intermarriage between the native
English and the Norman immigrants had become common.
Change in Society:
The major change that occurred following the Norman Conquest
was the elimination of slavery in England which almost disappeared by the
middle of the 12th century. There were about 28,000 slaves listed in
The Domesday Book in 1086, fewer than had been enumerated for 1066.
The main reasons for the decline in slaveholding appear to have been the
disapproval of the Church and the cost of supporting slaves, who unlike the
serfs, had to be maintained entirely by their owners. Many of the ‘free’
peasants of Anglo-Saxon society appear to have lost status and become
indistinguishable from the non-free serfs. Whether this change was due
entirely to the conquest is unclear, but the invasion and its after-effects
probably accelerated a process already under way.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 4: How did the Norman Conquest ‘replace’ the

English?
Q 5: Who were the people in New London?
Q 6: How was the system of Government in England before and after
the Conquest?
Q 7: Why did the custom of slave holding decline due to the Conquest?
1.5 WHAT IS FEUDALISM?
Feudalism has its origin in the Latin word ‘feodum’ meaning simply
an ‘Estate in land’. It is described as a political and economic system in

th th
Europe from the 9 to about the 15 century, based on the holding of land
in fief or fee and the resulting relation of lord to vassal characterised by
homage, legal and military service of tenants, and forfeiture. It also meant a
contract where two parties exchanged service for some form of material
value. This material value could be land, or revenue collected in various
ways through taxation, or an annual amount given in return for service
rendered. However, Feudalism does not connote a single way of perceiving
a definite structure of a society, but suggests a variety of social, political,
cultural, and economic structures at work. During the early middle Ages,
the tribes, which invaded the Roman Empire, seized a large part of its
territory. Though, in the beginning, land was a common property, gradually
the tribal chieftains acquired these properties and gave birth to a monarchical
form of government. Large part of the land also went to the hands of the
church, which became staunch supporters of monarchy. The King
distributed the land among the retinue only on the ground that they would
render military services to the King. Individual serfs, who became dependent
on their new masters, cultivated the land. The land held on these conditions
were called ‘feuds’ and their owners were called ‘feudal’, hence the name
‘Feudalism’.
Source: http://www.timeref.com/life/socialrank.htm

Therefore, the feudal society was strictly divided into classes, i.e.
nobility, clergy and peasantry. The King was the absolute ‘owner’ of land.
Immediately below him were the vassals—nobles, knights and other tenants,
a hierarchy of nobles, who held land directly from the king and were called
the tenants-in-chief. Thus, the most important nobles used to hold land
directly from the king, and the lesser lords from the vassals down to the
seigneur who held a single manor. The Peasants or the Serfs were placed
in the lowest rank in the feudal pyramid. They worked for the seigneur, who
permitted them to use his land in return of which they had to secure his
protection and provide necessary help on demand. Feudalism, thus, had
brought a hierarchical order into existence in society.
Feudalism and feudal practice did not extend uniformly throughout
Europe. Northern France and the Low Countries were the most thoroughly
feudalised areas. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, William’s
strategic devise to survey the land of England in the form of Domesday
Book came handy to give him full details of the land, the people and the
amount of taxes and dues to be paid to the Normans. William claimed all
the land in England and divided the land between him (about 20%), the
church (about 25%) and the remainder was given to Norman soldiers and
nobles (barons). William’s adoption of the feudal structure for the English
society was meant to dissolve the potential rivalries among his own lords.
The feudal structure rendered him a viable measure to make strategic deals
with his compatriots through land resources that pacified the lords and
gave him the power to distribute. Initially, the nobles’ feudal relation with the
king was based on military function. Under the Feudal system, the vassals
who were awarded land swore an ‘Oath of Fealty’ to their lord, and provided
fully equipped soldiers under the Feudal Levy. You should note that many of
the nobles who came with William from Normandy were fully conversant
with the functioning of the feudal system, as Feudalism was a flourishing
social and political system in Normandy. Thus, you might very well
understand that the people, who introduced the feudal system in England,
were well aware of its functioning. The only difference was that in England
they had to deal with a new people and culture.

LET US KNOW
Domes Day Book:

The Domes day Book is the name of the primary record
of the English property conducted during William’s reign
in 1086. William commissioned surveys with seven panels of
commissioners functioning in different counties to gather information
about the estates of the nobility and property, which technically belonged
to the king. The commissioners finally compiled and submitted the
accounts to the king. The summary of these accounts, compiled by
the royal clerks as a book of records, is known as the Domesday Book.
The Medieval Church also played prominent role in shaping the feudal
structure. The church hierarchy paralleled the feudal hierarchy. The church
owned much land, held by monasteries, church dignitaries and by the church
themselves. Most of the land that was given by nobles as a bequest or gift
carried feudal benefits. The English bishops and abbots, who possessed
landed property, were allocated free knight service allowance for their assets.
Thus, William involved all sections of society from whom he could have
potential resistance towards his kingship. William and his lords felt the
importance of securing the support of the church to gain the confidence
and allegiance of the people. Hence, a huge portion of the land was given to
the church as gifts. Though, as an institution, the church was free from the
control of the monarchy, the officials of the clergy was connected to the
King in the same way, as the vassals were if he had fief under him. This
was extremely beneficial for the church also to grow, gain and have control
over land property. In this way, King William very strategically devised the
English version of Feudalism. The monarchical system for the next four
centuries after the Norman Conquest was more or less based on Feudalism.
The feudal system in England, although had an underlying political
motive, rendered heavy influence on the life and society of the English
people. The first impact was that it brought a discernible order to a chaotic
society. The feudal structure was such that all the stakeholders of the ‘feudal-
pyramid’ like the serfs, villeins, vassals and their lords were contracted to
one another. The contract was based on the notion of return for the service
rendered. A close relationship and bonding developed between them
although this was not there in the original design. This bonding further helped
the king to centrally control the land at a time when the administration was
mostly controlled by independent lords. Most of the lords were extremely
powerful, yet they held their allegiance to the king. Thus, you can understand
that King William’s Feudal system provided a feeling of independence to
the nobles, while also maintaining the supremacy of the monarch.
Feudalism and Literature
The Feudal system had considerable impact on the literature of the
time. It encouraged courtly writing that favoured the king and the feudal
lords, which were reflected in many of the verses of the era. The Medieval
romances idealise the hero-knight and his noble deeds. Medieval romances
typically recount the marvellous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight
often of super-human ability, who abides by the strict codes of honour and
demeanour, embarks upon a quest and defeats monsters, thereby winning
the favour of a woman. As you may note that, an important element of the
medieval romance is the knight’s love for his woman. Thus, the Medieval
romances focus not on love and sentiment (as the term “romance” implies
today), but on chivalry and adventure. Such literary endeavour valorised
the feudal pyramid where the lord or knight always had a privileged status
compared to that of the common masses.
You have read that the church too gained a respectable position in
the feudal system. Therefore, devotional writing under the patronage of
various religious groups also developed during this era. Thus, the literature
of medieval England was occupied by both a religious concern and the
need to deal with the contemporary developments. The religious lyrics,
allegories with Christian undertones were written and made popular. The
religious lyric was the commonest of all types of religious poems, which
gained popularity in an age where clerics were in charge of preservation of
the records. The Medieval religious lyric ranges from moral to the devotional
and even mystical. However, the most celebrated among them were the
ones dedicated to Virgin Mary. The other type of poetry was mainly allegorical.

Allegorical interpretations of parts of the Scripture were always integral to

the Christian Biblical Commentaries. Gradually, Christianity also encouraged
contemporary writers to objectify their mental and spiritual struggles by
personifying their desires and aims, the appetites and qualities.
However, encouraged by the development of towns and a change
in life style a third kind of writing also developed. This kind of writing often
called ‘The fabliau’ that developed subsequently, protested against the
nobles, and greedy tax collecting rulers. ‘The fabliau’ that came from France
became popular side by side with the romances. It is associated with the
new middle class who slowly grew in importance as the feudal system
took a declining trend. The newly emerged town folk sponsored this kind of
humorous and satirical verses that were the antitype of the idealising vision
of courtly knight or pious churchmen. The best example of a writer’s
response to feudalism is evident in the writings of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
His preference for the London dialect of English rather than Norman-French
language is to be seen as a political act challenging Norman predominance.
Many of the tales in The Canterbury Tales demonstrate Chaucer’s
recognition of the inherent social structuring that characterised the English
Middle Ages. In this long poem, Chaucer makes use of this verse form in
the stories of the Miller, Reeve, Merchant and the Shipman—classes of
people that emerged. Several variations of this genre emerged in the
Medieval England that dealt with indecent stories of town life, satirical
account of contemporary life, and moralistically inclined exempla. The social
structure that can be seen in “The Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales,
exemplifies the influences of religion and social hierarchy on society.
However, you will note that Chaucer was writing at a time when feudalism
was declining.
The feudal experience was not just evident in the works of Chaucer,
Gower, and Langland but also in works such as John Mandeville’s Travels.
Mandeville referred to faraway lands, which had societies very different from
the feudalised structure that the English people were familiar with. By offering
such an account of cultural difference, Mandeville opened up a new world
before the English people.
LET US KNOW
1. You should note that Feudalism did not occur in

England suddenly. What is known as feudalism in
England was largely influenced by similar social
structures already a part of medieval life in different parts of Europe.
Feudalism was a phenomenon that affected the life, society and culture
in different parts of Europe, and its impact can be seen in various
developments in arts and culture both inside and outside of England.
2. You will find that most of the literary compositions during the early
years of the Norman reign are marked by imitations of models available
in French or by the attempts to come to terms with the growing impact
of Christianity. Therefore, one can find many versions of similar
narratives in the Middle English period. One of the examples is Reynard
the Fox, which appears in Chaucer’s “The Nun Priest’s Tale”. Such
examples were experimented across the Continent, including England.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 8: What do you mean by the term Feudalism?

Q 9: In what ways, did William tackle the rivalry
among his own Lords?
Q 10: How did William maintain his good relationship with the Church?
Q 11: What was the impact of Feudalism on the social structure of
England?
Q 12: Mention the types of Medieval literature that developed under
the feudal system?
1.6 DECLINE OF FEUDALISM
The Medieval feudal system worked well for four centuries when
finally it started to take a declining trend. The decline of Feudalism occurred
due to a number of events and change that took place during the Medieval
era as well as in the wake of the Renaissance. As you know, land was the
main source of economy and it was dependent on the peasant who worked
on the land. However, gradually England started to move from land-based
economy to a money-based economy. This transformation came due to
the new trade options that became available. The ‘Crusades’ and travel
during the Middle Age opened new avenues for trade and commerce in
England. With the development of new trades, there could be found a
mushroom growth of towns. The Peasants started moving from the country
to the towns, and eventually were allowed to get their freedom from
bondage. You might understand that Feudalism was rooted in ‘natural
economy’, which was gradually thwarted by the growth of trade and
financial dealings. These dealings caused labour services to be commuted
to money rent. The same labour services encouraged commodity
production for a wide market. Thus, there appeared a gradual shift from
‘natural economy’ to ‘money economy’.
Black Death:
One of the main factors of the decline of Feudalism was ‘Black
Death’, a bubonic plague that occurred in the middle of the 14th century at
around 1348. The immediate consequence was depopulation. It reduced
the population of England by one third. Labour became a valuable commodity.
Because of ‘Black Death’ there was a change in the demographic pattern
as well. The people had to leave their native villages or towns, as they were
the worst affected areas. As the agricultural products were badly affected
due to paucity of labourers, the market value increased manifold. They
started demanding more wages. On the other hand, the villeins tried to set
themselves free from the clutches of the feudal system. Villages were
deserted and there was no one to work on the fields. Hence, the agricultural
land turned to pasture lands, and the interest of the landowners too changed.
They started using their land for sheep pasturing which gave them a boost
to opt for trade of woollen materials. As a result, cloth and woollen industries
flourished. But, in the process, the feudal structure got affected immensely.
As peasants moved to look for better job opportunities, there developed the
urban centres equipped with new economic possibilities. All these finally
led to a loosening of the grip of the feudal structure.
Peasants’ Revolt:
The other main factor was the emergence of the ‘Peasants’ Revolt’
of 1381. The Peasants realised their worth and demanded changes. As
there was a dearth of peasants, the landowners had to take resort to hired
labourers. As the hired labourers were at a demanding position, there was
a big hike in the wages. The landowners felt a threat, as they could not
cope with this situation. Therefore, they sought the help of the Parliament
to solve this crisis. As a result, the ‘Statute of Labourers’ was passed in
1351, which introduced oppressive measures to control the labourers. Many
taxes were levied on the labourers and their condition worsened. As a
reaction to this, ‘Peasants’ Revolt’ for the abolition of the villeinage system
started. The revolt had a far-reaching effect as the peasants became aware
of their own worth and position and it was difficult for the landlords to re-
install them in the folds of the feudal structure.
Other Factors:
Another factor for the decline of Feudalism was that the rich nobles
were allowed to pay for soldiers rather than to fight themselves. This brought
immense change as mercenaries were hired from all over Europe. These
mercenaries had little loyalty, except to money, and these paid army men
were feared throughout Europe. This threat of the mercenaries led to deploy
professional, trained soldiers-the Standing Armies, and finally, it brought a
decline to the feudal order. Again gradually, the Feudal Levy was getting
unpopular, and as time went by, the nobles preferred to pay the king rather
than to fight and raise troops. Armed men were paid a wage and Medieval
warfare was financed by taxes and loans. Since the allegiance of the nobles
to the king gradually waned off, and as they denied military service to the
king, it affected the whole feudal structure. Land was rented and the rights
of the lords over their labour also decreased. After the ‘Black Death’ and
‘Peasants’ Revolt’, the nobles became weaker which made the king to
reclaim their lands and power. You should note that in the process, a
centralised government was established and this had resulted in weakening
the feudal form of governance.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 13: State some of the main reasons for the

decline of Feudalism. (50 words)
Q 14: How were ‘Black Death’ and ‘Peasants’ Revolt’ responsible
for the decline of Feudalism? (100 words)
1.7 LET US SUM UP
By now, you must have had a good idea about the Medieval society
of England and how a marked change emerged following the William the
Conqueror’s invasion of England. But, the most significant aspect of the
Medieval English society was the emergence of the feudal system into the
English society. You have learnt that, because of Feudalism a hierarchical
system came up where all the land was owned by the king. You must be
aware that life lived under Feudalism demanded that everyone owed
allegiance to the king and their immediate superior. However, gradually,
Feudalism took a declining trend as the land economy was replaced by
money economy. Moreover, the Black Death and the subsequent Peasants’
Revolt had adverse affect on Feudalism. Further, we learnt about the growth
of London as the significant urban centre of Medieval England. You will be
able to have more ideas about social and cultural life of Medieval London
when you will read the unit dealing with Medieval Literature in Block III of this
course in the light of what we have learnt from this unit.
1.8 FURTHER READING
Brown, Peter. (ed). (2007). A Companion to Medieval English Literature

and Culture. 1350–1500. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Choudhury, Bibhash. (2005). English Social and Cultural History: An
Introductory Guide and Glossary. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India.

Sanders, Andrew. (2000). The Short Oxford History of English Literature.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Scanlon, Larry. (ed). (2009). The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English
Literature 1100–1500. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Trevelyan, G. M. (1994). English Social History: A Survey of Six Centuries.
Hyderabad, Orient Longman.
1.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR

PROGRESS (HINTS ONLY)
Ans to Q No 1: The establishment of court government… …introduction of

Norman French as the language of the elites… …changes in
agricultural class set-up and village life… …formal elimination
of bonded slavery etc.
Ans to Q No 2: King Charles of France in around 911, allowed a group of
Vikings under the leadership of Rollo to settle in Normandy… …in
exchange for the land, these people were expected to provide protection
along the coast against other Viking invaders… … they became known
as the “Northmen” from which the term Normans are derived.
Ans to Q No 3: William the Conqueror was actually the Duke William who
claimed that he had been promised the throne by King Edward as he
was childless… …but King Harald of Norway invaded Northern
England as part of his claim over the English throne… …both met
with a battle on 14th October 1066… …the defeat of Harald finally
inaugurated the Norman rule on the English soil.
Ans to Q No 4: William dispossessed the English landowners and conferred
their property on his followers… …Natives were removed from high
governmental and ecclesiastical office… …senior English office-
holders in the Church were either expelled from their positions.
Ans to Q No 5: Following the Conquest, many Anglo-Saxons fled to other
countries… …in the 1070s, a very large group of Anglo-Saxons sailed
for the Byzantine Empire… …those English migrants who settled in
Byzantine frontier regions on the Black Sea coast, came to be known
as the New Londoners.

Ans to Q No 6: Before the Conquest, England was divided into administrative

units called shires and the royal court was the centre of government…
…by the end of William’s reign, most of the officials of Government
and the royal household were Normans… …the official language also
changed from Old English to Latin.
Ans to Q No 7: As mentioned in Domesday Book, there were about 28,000
slaves… …but slave trade declined due to the disapproval of the
Church and the cost of supporting slave.
Ans to Q No 8: A political and economic system in Europe from the 9th to
about the 15th century… … mainly based on the holding of land in
fief… …also based on the resulting relation of lords and vassals
characterised by homage, legal and military service of tenants, and
forfeiture… … The king is the absolute owner of land… Nobles,
Knights, Tenants held land from the king.
Ans to Q No 9: William’s feudal structure enabled him to make strategic deals
with his compatriots through land resources that pacified the lords and
gave him the power to distribute… …the nobles’ feudal relation with the
king was based on military function… … the vassals had to swear an
‘Oath of Fealty’ to their lord to avoid any sort of feuds or rivalry.
Ans to Q No 10: The church hierarchy paralleled the feudal hierarchy…
…The church owned much land, held by monasteries, church
dignitaries and by the church themselves… …William gave a huge
portion of the land to the church as gifts, maintained good relationship
and avoided any potential resistance towards his kingship.
Ans to Q No 11: Feudalism brought a discernible order to a chaotic society…
… the ‘feudal-pyramid’ was based on the notion of return for the service
rendered… …A close relationship and bonding, previously unavailable,
developed among them which helped the king to centrally control the
land… …Feudalism provided a feeling of independence to the nobles,
while also maintaining the supremacy of the monarch.
Ans to Q No 12: Medieval romances idealising the Knights and Barons…
…courtly writings favouring the king and the feudal lords… …devotional
writing in the form of religious lyrics and allegories under the patronage
of the church… …fabliau written against the nobles, greedy tax

collecting rulers etc.
Ans to Q No 13: A shift from ‘land-based’ economy to ‘money economy’…
…the Crusades and travels during the Middle Ages… …the growth of
towns… …peasants migrating from countries to towns… …the
consequent scarcity of man power… …The Black Death… …The
Peasants’ Revolt.
Ans to Q No 14: Because of Black Death English country sides were
depopulated… …changes occurred in demographic patterns…
…peasants moved to look for better earning opportunities… …there
was a change in the social structure… …peasants revolted realising
their worth and demanded change against unwanted taxes.
1.10 MODEL QUESTIONS
Q 1: How did the Norman Conquest take place? What was the effect of
the Norman Conquest on the life and society of Medieval England?
Q 2: Trace the consequences of the Norman Conquest in light of the social
and political changes started by William.
Q 3: Why is feudalism also considered a system determined by
relationships of power? In what ways, did King William devise the
English version of Feudalism?
Q 4: Why did feudalism succeed as an economic and social structure in
medieval English society?
Q 5: What do you understand by the term Feudalism? Describe the feudal
system in England during the medieval period.
Q 6: Discuss the causes of the decline of Feudalism.
Q 7: Trace the development of literature under the feudal set up in England.
Q 8: How did feudalism and religion dominate literary activities of that time?
Q 9: How did the feudal system contribute to the maintenance of balance
in medieval English society? In what ways, was the King the absolute
ruler of the land?
*** ***** ***
UNIT 2: GROWTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS/
URBANISATION IN LONDON
UNIT STRUCTURE
2.1 Objectives
2.2 Introduction
2.3 Growth of English Towns
2.4 Urbanisation in London
2.5 Let us Sum up
2.6 Further Reading

• describe the nature of an English town in the early stages of its
development.
• explain the reasons behind the growth of the English towns
• have some ideas on the processes of urbanisation in London
• describe how an urbanised London brought in noticeable changes
in socio-cultural parameters of the society
2.2 INTRODUCTION
This is the second unit of this Block. We hope that from this unit,
which should be read along with previous unit on Feudalism, you will be
able to understand the significance of the growth of English towns as well
as the processes of urbanisation in the economic and cultural developments
in England in the medieval age. You will find that such developments were
gradually contributing to the emergence of literary practices during that time
and in future.

Unit 2 Growth of English Towns/Urbanisation in London
2.3 GROWTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS
The English society of the Medieval era was mainly agrarian. Hence,
the English townsmen were still rural communities. However, during the middle
Ages, a new class called-the middle class emerged. Following the Norman
Conquest, there could be seen a surge of towns as the new King encouraged
an urbanised life style. Besides, with the establishment of monarchy, a stable
condition prevailed which helped the rise of English towns. The towns in turn
helped to create condition that is even more peaceful in the social set up with
far-reaching effects. There was a commercial hub at the centre of the town,
which was usually a market place, and where common people could make
economic and political transaction. Towns were built on trade-transactions,
and the elites of the towns were the usually the merchants. A successful
town attracted many merchants who dominated the commercial activities in
the towns. They even influenced the popular and administrative opinions.
You will be surprised to know that a lord owned many towns, and he ensured
that his town was popular among the merchants as they were the ones who
used to pay taxes. The increased order would encourage more towns, which
would generate more taxes for the king, and upper nobles, who could impose
even more law and order. The merchant guilds were responsible for the trade
and commerce of a town. However, these merchant guilds faced stiff
competition from the craft guilds. As the towns generated taxes in the form of
money, a new and more fluid kind of wealth, vastly superior to land, came
into being. All these led to two things: the rise of a class of townsmen and a
money-based economy, both of which would indirectly help lead to the rise of
kings.
From the discussion done above, it must be clear to you that
medieval towns developed around areas where people could easily come
and meet, such as crossroads or riverbanks. Thus, towns sprang up along
the sides of the roads on the trading routes. These towns needed water,
and hence, the towns grew near the rivers as they provided them water for
drinking, washing and to dispose of all the sewage. Village people used to
come to the towns for trade, and hence the people who were in charge of a

Growth of English Towns/Urbanisation in London Unit 2
town had to ensure safety to all those people who came to their towns.
Many towns had large fences built around them, and usually the gates were
locked at night. Inside the walls, there were many narrow zigzag roads and
horse drawn carts loaded with goods to trade. There were small shops
alongside the narrow roads. In the early days, the towns used to be less
congested as there could be seen more of groupings of traders, each with
a permanent shop or traders who came together to protect themselves
from the outside attackers. Inns for the travellers and stables for the horses
were also set up. Although initially, the towns used to be small, with more
and more people thronging the towns, they grew bigger in size; gradually
they began to stink with the garbage and sewage. Much of the garbage was
strewn in the streets until it got rotten. People got sick every now and then,
which had finally culminated into the ‘Black Death’.
An important aspect of the medieval towns was the boroughs
(administrative divisions of a large city), which were sites where burgage
tenures (Tenure by which houses or lands were held of the king or lord of a
borough or city, at a certain yearly rent, or by services relating to trade or
handicraft) determined the holding of lands. This land holding was free as it
involved a fixed money rent and the tenants had the right to deal with it in
the way that suited them best. This transactional system was conducive
for the development of trade and commerce. You must know that all the
newly emerged towns were not equally advanced in its trade and commerce
as well. Towns like Birmingham were hardly larger than a village, though it
was important for its cloth industry, tanned leather, and fish trade. Thus,
around seven hundred towns flourished during 14th century. On the other
hand, urbanisation in England can be traced to centuries prior to Medieval
period, though the emergence of the mercantile class was significant during
the Medieval era for the growth of towns. Towns gained prominence and its
widespread growth was natural fallout of the changes that occurred during
that time. Towards the later part of the middle Ages, there emerged different
types of towns based on the extent, population, trade and cultural
prominence. At the top of the hierarchy was London town, which was
followed by towns like Bristol, York, Norwich, Exeter and Shrewsbury.
After conquering England in the battle of Hastings, William and his

army turned to London. However, they could not cross the London Bridge
at Southwark. William’s army made a clockwise march around London
and waited at Berkhamsted for the opportunity to penetrate. However, realising
that a resistance would be futile, a delegation from London arrived to
surrender the city and recognised William as the King. William soon granted
a charter for London, which upheld previous Saxon rights, privileges and
laws. Thus, London gained a special place in the history of England. It was
also one of the prominent cities of Medieval Europe, and was regarded as
a hub for trade and commerce. London exhibits the rapid expansion of the
towns that the King William proposed after the Norman Conquest. William
was crowned King at Westminster Abbey. Then he brought unprecedented
development to London by erecting new constructions. The most
remarkable construction was the castle built in the Southeast which was
later transformed to ‘The Tower of London’. This ‘Tower of London’ served
as the residence of the king. The importance of the Tower lies in the fact
that it was a multipurpose building housing the royal mint, treasury and
even a zoo in its early stage.
Another important feature of the Medieval London was the prevalence
of monasteries, which had bequeathed a legacy of place names such as
Grey Friars, White Friars and Black Friars. A new passageway developed
with the construction of the London Bridge in 1176. The houses in Medieval
London were made of half-timber or wattle and daub. A lime white wash was
common for the houses. The Lord Mayor and a Council elected from the
members of the Merchant Guilds, which became highly powerful
administrative and economic bodies, did policy making in the town. Their
own halls and coat of arms distinguished the guilds from one another.
The Guildhall functioned as the meeting place of the representative of the
different merchant guilds. However, one serious problem of the Medieval
London was its lack of sanitation facilities. There were as many as 16
plague attacks upon London since the Black Death of 1348 to the Great
Plague of 1665.

Guilds:
During the Medieval era, merchants, artists, bankers, artisan and
other professionals grouped themselves together in some business
association. They were called Guilds. The bankers belonged to the Bankers
Guild, the merchants to the Merchants Guild, and so on.
Merchant Guilds: They controlled and determined the policies of the trade in
a town. Merchant guilds regulated prices, quality, weights and measures, and
business practices. The power of the guilds was absolute in their domain, and
to be expelled from a guild made it impossible to earn a living. Each guild had a
patron saint; celebrated religious festivals together, put on religious plays, and
looked after the health and welfare of the members and their families.
Craft Guilds: Separate from the Merchant Guilds were the Craft Guilds,
which regulated the quality, working hours and conditions of its members.
There were three levels of craftsmen; masters, journeymen, and
apprentices. Parents paid a fee to place a boy with a master craftsman as
an apprentice. There he received food, lodging (often sleeping under the
counter in the shop itself), clothes, and instruction in the craft.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 1: How did the towns emerge in the medieval age?

Q 2: Where were the towns usually spring up?
Q 3: Why did the towns gain prominence? Which are some of the
important towns that sprang up?
Q 4: Briefly describe the significance of London as a medieval town.
2.4 URBANISATION IN LONDON
Usually the term Urbanisation refers to the population shift from the
rural to urban areas. It also means the “the gradual increase in the proportion
of people living in urban areas”, and the ways in which each society adapts
to the change. It is predominantly the process by which towns and cities
are formed and become larger as more people start living and working in
central areas.

Along with the growth of towns, urbanisation is considered one of

the most important aspects of the life and society in medieval England. You
will note that urbanisation was the result of economic growth and
development of the cities, which was broadly evident in the movement of
people from one trade-centre like London to the other. Thus, apart from
London, the other towns also functioned as key centres of human and
commercial mobility. People from other countries in Europe came to
England just as there was a corresponding movement from English towns
to other cities. It was already clear at the time of the Norman Conquest
that London was to become the seat of financial, military and political
power. William the Conqueror built the ‘White Tower’ of the Tower of
London. The Tower displays architectural styles of many periods because
virtually every reign added to its establishment, and because it was even
used as a royal residence. London also became a major city where urban
culture developed rapidly. This city was greatly instrumental in the rise of
a new individualism and social freedom. It is important to note that the
city dwellers learnt to regulate time by clocks, space by precise
measurements and value by money – all that can be seen as the direct
rise of the new economy.
However, you should pay heed to the fact that the rapid urbanisation
of London can be partly attributed to William the Conqueror, known for his
urbane lifestyle. Westminster was situated on one side of London, and the
Tower of London on the other. The Westminster Hall, the Abbey and the
Tower were recognised centres of royal administration and political activities
during the Medieval Age. By the end of the 15th century, London had a
population of 60,000, while Paris had a population of nearly 200,000. Norwich
in England had a meagre population of 12,000 and Bristol only 10,000.
However, in the field of textile industry, the English towns, particularly the
cloth centres of East Anglia and Yorkshire, achieved a great success. By
the 15th century, England had become an exporter of manufactured woollen
cloth rather than of raw wool.
The medieval towns and cities of England witnessed frequent civic
strife, both internal and external. The disputes of the big merchants with

small ones, the burghers with the outsiders, or with such officials as the
kings’ sheriff , lord’s or bishop’s bailiff or the monks, always made the socio-
political atmosphere rife with legal battles and open riot. The various towns
specialised in diverse trade fields like cloth, wool and coal. The towns were
surrounded by stonewalls or earth mounds. The roofing of the houses was
usually of thatch. But, after a major fire broke out in 1087 in London, causing
devastation to many straw-roofed houses with wooden walls, red-tiles and
stones were also used as preferable substitutes for thatch-roofing. The
cities and towns were comparatively less sanitised particularly in the
absence of a proper garbage-disposal and drainage-system. The frequent
occurrence of plagues in the cities can be attributed to the absence of such
civic amenities of life in the medieval English towns.
It will be wrong to assume that the activities of the medieval English
town were only economic in character. The town guilds organised, and its
members acted, in Miracle-play cycles, which also marks the beginning of
English drama. The market places were the centres for the community’s
festive celebrations. Medieval English plays were presented in the form of
cycles and were connected to the town guilds. A town like Coventry was
known not merely for its flourishing wool and cloth trade but for its association
with the performance of a cycle of play, now known as the ‘Coventry cycle’.
You will learn about them in detail when we discuss growth and development
of English drama later.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 5: What is urbanisation? What caused

urbanisation in London?
Q 6: Explain briefly William’s contributions to urbanisation in London.
Q 7: Mention some of the common problems of urbanisation in
London?
Q 8: What was the position of London in the medieval period?

2.5 LET US SUM UP
In this unit, you have learnt that the English society of the medieval
era was previously an agrarian society. However, there emerged a new
middle class people following the Norman Conquest, which could be seen
in the rise of the towns as the new rulers encouraged an urbanised life
style. Soon, the towns became commercial hubs, where common people
had economic and political transaction. Towns were built on trade, and the
elites of the towns were the merchants. Usually, a successful town attracted
many merchants who dominated the commercial activities in the towns.
They even influenced the popular and administrative opinions of the towns.
The merchant guilds were responsible for the trade and commerce of a
town. Along the growing importance of the towns, there began the processes
of urbanisation because more towns and cities meant a new economy for
the people in Medieval England. Subsequently, many people started
migrating to the cities from the countryside giving rise to urbanisation of
London.
2.6 FURTHER READING



Ans to Q No 1: The towns helped to create a peaceful condition in the

social set up… …there was a commercial hub at the centre of the
town… …towns were built on trade-transactions… …a successful
town attracted many merchants… …such transactions even
influenced the popular and administrative opinions.
Ans to Q No 2: Towns sprang up alongside the roads on the trading routes…
…towns grew near the rivers… …towns had large fences built around
them, and usually the gates were locked at night… …inns for the
travellers and stables for the horses too sprang up.
Ans to Q No 3: Towns gained prominence and due to the social and
economic changes that occurred during that time… …based on the
extent, population, trade and cultural prominence, there emerged
different types of towns… …London, Bristol, York, Norwich, Exeter,
Shrewsbury etc. were the most important towns.
Ans to Q No 4: London gained a special place as a town… …it was
considered a hub for trade and commerce… …London exhibits the
rapid expansion of the towns that the King William proposed after the
Norman Conquest.
Ans to Q No 5: Urbanisation refers to the population shift from the rural to
urban areas… …urbanisation occurred due to economic growth and
development of the cities… …it occurred in London mostly due to the
movement of people from one trade-centre like London to the other.
Ans to Q No 6: William the Conqueror showcased an urbane lifestyle…
…The Westminster Hall, situated in London and the London Tower
became centre of William’s administration.
Ans to Q No 7: Frequent civic strife… …disputes of the big merchants
with small ones, the burghers with the outsiders, lord’s or bishop’s
bailiff or the monks… …problem of sanitation in the absence of a
proper garbage-disposal and drainage-system… …frequent
occurrence of plagues and so on.
Ans to Q No 8: construction of Castle/The Tower of London… …importance

of monasteries in London and their role… …the layout of the city,
houses and living condition of the people were visibly different…
…Merchant Guilds played important role in the economic and political
life of London.
2.8 POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
Q 1: How did the emergence of the English towns lead to urbanisation in

Medieval England?
Q 2: What role did London play as an important town in the Medieval period?
Discuss with adequate references.
Q 3: Trace the growth of towns in Medieval England with special reference
to London.
Q 4: Discuss the relationship of interdependence between the rise of a
new economic order and the growth of cities and towns during
medieval England.
Q 5: Give a brief outline of the nature of commercial activities and
administration in the late Medieval English towns and cities.
Q 6: The towns and the cities played a major role in the collapse of the
feudal order and the beginning of a capitalist economy. Substantiate.
Q 7: Narrate in your own words the position of London in the Medieval period.
*** ***** ***

UNIT 3: CHRISTIANITY, REFORMATION AND
ROLE OF THE CHURCH
UNIT STRUCTURE

3.2 Introduction
3.3 Idea of Christianity
3.4 Role of Medieval Church
3.5 The Church and Medieval Culture
3.6 Theology and Intellectual Activities
3.7 Let us Sum up
3.8 Further Reading

• describe the society of the Medieval England
• trace the history of Christianity in Medieval times
• explain the role played by the Medieval Church
• trace the relationship between Church and Medieval culture
• grasp the socio-religious history of the Medieval England
3.2 INTRODUCTION
This unit introduces you to another important aspect of the Social

and Religious history of Medieval England i.e. the role of the Medieval Church.
You might probably know that Christianity started about 2000 years ago in
Judea (present-day Israel) with Jesus Christ and His faithful group of
disciples. It is important that Christianity has its root in scriptures related to
the life of Jesus and the teachings of His Apostles, which were later
documented in the Bible. Initially, Christianity was considered a threat to

Unit 3 Christianity, Reformation and Role of the Church
the Roman Empire as the Christians refused to worship the Roman Gods
or follow the dictates of the Emperor. During the reign of Emperor
Constantine (AD285-AD337), Christianity was legalised. Gradually, it became
the official religion of the Roman Empire replacing the polytheism (the belief
of multiple deities along with their own mythologies and rituals) of the earlier
Roman religion. Christianity, through the Church, became organised and
marked its dominance all over Europe by the time of the Norman Conquest
of England in 1066. By taking into consideration the different aspects of the
Medieval church, this unit intends to tell you the importance of the church in
the lives of the people of Medieval England. In fact, the church had
tremendous significance in the sense that the Medieval world offered very
limited scope for individual and social development. Thus, in this unit, you
will gain an overall knowledge of the Christian religion of the Medieval period,
which will help you to understand the literature of that period better.
3.3 IDEA OF CHRISTIANITY
You are already informed that Christianity started about 2000 years
ago in Judea with Jesus Christ and His faithful group of disciples. During
this period, Judea was a cross-cultural hub of bustling cities and farms. The
Emperor of Rome was the ruler. The Jews at that time hated the Roman rule
as they faced oppression in the hands of the Roman Emperor. The polytheistic
cultural beliefs of Rome were also pagan and intrusive to Jewish life. Some
Jews saw that their only hope was to conform to this change. Others became
religious extremists who resisted against the Roman oppression. Still, others
withdrew themselves into the Judean wilderness to study the Jewish law and
wait for the eventual coming of their promised Messiah (saviour). With this
background, the religious journey of Jesus began.
Now read the interesting story related to the life of Jesus. Jesus
was a Jew. He observed the Jewish faith and was well acquainted with the
Jewish Law. In His early thirties, Jesus travelled from village to village,
teaching in the synagogues and healing those who were suffering. Jesus’
teaching was revolutionary. He challenged the established religious
authorities to repent from their self-righteousness and hypocrisy and realise
Christianity, Reformation and Role of the Church Unit 3
that the Kingdom of God is rooted in service and love. Jesus’ teachings
stirred the hearts of people and created instability, something the Jewish
religious authorities feared.
Soon, a faithful group of men began to follow Jesus and call him their
teacher. These men began to be called His disciples. Jesus taught them
about the will of God and about the “new covenant” God will bring to humanity
through Him. Jesus helped them to see that humankind is bound to the pain
and futility of life as a result of ‘original’ sin. Due to sin, mankind lost its
relationship with God. The purpose of this “new covenant” was to restore
those who accept it into a renewed fellowship of forgiveness and love with
God. Jesus proclaimed that He himself would pay for the sins of all humanity
by being crucified unjustly on a Roman cross. Three days later, He would
rise to life, having conquered death, to give hope to a hopeless world. Well, it
happened just as Jesus taught, and His disciples were witnesses to an
amazing miracle. Their teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, died and three days later
rose again to become their Messiah. Compelled by a great commission to
share the love that the God of this universe had imparted upon them, the
disciples began to proclaim this gospel of hope throughout the territory. Thus,
from a small group of ordinary men that lived in a small province in Judea
about 2000 years ago, the history of the Christian Church began, and the
Christian Faith has since spread to the rest of the world.
Initially, Christianity was regarded as a threat to the Roman Empire
as the Christians refused to worship the Roman Gods or follow the Emperor.
This resulted in the persecution of the early Christians, many of whom
were killed and thus they became the martyrs of Christian religion. This
persecution came to an end during the reign of Emperor Constantine (285-
337) who legalised Christianity. Constantine the Great had proclaimed
himself as the “Emperor of the Christian People”. However, most of the
emperors who came after Constantine were also Christians. Gradually,
Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire instead of the
polytheism of earlier Roman religion.
In the post-Roman period, Christianity had transformed itself from a
persecuted, unorganised group of believers into a hierarchical, dominating
religious order over the course of seven centuries. The development of the
institution of the Catholic Church and the spread of Christianity throughout
Europe during these seven centuries directly affected every aspect of late-
antiquity and early-Medieval life, especially politics and the relationship between
kings and religion. During this period, the Church rejected its domination by
the Roman and Byzantine emperors, in turn exerting its own type of spiritual
dominance over the rulers of post-Roman Europe. Christianity, through the
Church, became organised and marked its dominance all over Europe by
the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
The Crusades:
The ‘Crusades’ were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian
states of Europe against the Saracens. The term “Saracen” was the
word used to describe a Moslem during the time of Crusade. The
Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Claremont preached the First
Crusade at the Council of Claremont. The Pope’s preaching led to
thousands immediately affixing the cross to their garments. The name
Crusade, given to the Holy Wars, came from old French word ‘crois’
meaning ‘cross’. The ‘Crusades’ are thus great military expeditions
undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing
the holy places of Palestine from the hands of the Mohameddans. They
were eight in number, the first four being sometimes called the Principal
Crusades, and the remaining four the Minor Crusades.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 1: In what ways, were Jesus’ teachings

revolutionary?
Q 2: How did Christianity become the official religion of the Roman
Empire?
Q 3: How would you explain the concept of Christianity? Briefly trace
the history of Christianity.
Q 4: What did Jesus teach His disciple?

3.4 ROLE OF MEDIEVAL CHURCH
You have learnt that in the Medieval Period, the Church occupied an
important place. The authority and order of the Church were regarded as
final, and it was deemed necessary for an ordered society. The institution
of the Church not only influenced everyday life, it also acquired importance
amidst the intense and complicated power struggle that existed during the
Medieval period. The need for establishing a proper structuring of the society
heightened its significance as it provided a viable alternative for the
establishment of a stable society. People had taken the authority of the
church as a given reality. The church was an ever present factor of the
average person’s life. From Baptism to marriage and finally to death it
supported, structured, and at times, even hurt every single person in the
Medieval community life. The leaders of the church used to play a significant
role in Medieval politics. The church was believed to have derived its power
from God and hence the people were more inclined to follow its laws. You
would like to know that, at some point of time, the Archbishop of Canterbury
was also the Chancellor of England.
One important facet of the Medieval church organisation was the
secular interests of the Clergy. In the days of the reign of Norman Kings,
there was a close connection between the king and the Church. It provided
opportunities to the learned priests who could become good ministers of
the king to rule a chaotic nation. The best positions of the Church were
rewarded to the favourites of the Pope, in turn of which, the king gained
freedom to appoint the bishops. Bishops like Sudbury, and William of
Wykeham occupied high posts in the Government. However, the bishops
paid little heed to their diocese (The territorial jurisdiction of a bishop) and
made unscrupulous bargains. Another important duty that the Ecclesiastical
Courts performed was to punish the sinners of sexual incontinence.
But, the habit of pardoning such sinners on payment of money was
also in practice. Many monetary scams were prevalent as the summoners,
whose duty was to summon the offenders to the courts of the Bishop,
made money by threatening the people of reporting their cases (both real

and imaginary) to the Archdeacon. The pardoners who used to bestow papal
pardon to sinners had also made money similarly. Thus, the church officials
had started neglecting their spiritual duty and got involved in more earthly
matters. All these had played a significant role in the lives of the people who
accepted the dictum and authority of the church without any question.
The Parish priest enjoyed a privileged status as he reigned in his
Church. He used to address the congregation of the common villagers and
give them knowledge about Christianity. The Parish priest would say the
prayers in Latin, which the simple villagers would not understand. Yet they
had to take part in the religious activities, which surrounded their lives. These
villagers thus became blind followers of these priests who gave them the
knowledge of religion and the way to a righteous life. Another important
aspect of the medieval church was the emergence of the wandering priests
called Friars. During the 13th century, there were all kinds of travelling priests.
Of these, the friars were the most important. The Black Friars of St. Dominic
and the Grey Friars of St. Frances had been the most important and true
Christian force in the 13th century. In the 14th, they did most of the missionary
works of the church. Apart from the beneficed priests who lived in the Church,
there were a huge number of priests, deacons and clerks who were
employed in different capacities. They were the ‘clerks’ who wrote papers
and kept accounts for men of affairs, or private chaplains in castle or manor
houses. They lived an intrigued life with full of sins. However, they could
escape any punishment as they claimed the benefit of clergy.
LET US KNOW
One important development during the 14th century

was the foundation of a grammar school at Winchester
by William of Wykeham. This school meant for the education of clerks
in reading and writing Latin. However, a certain proportion of the
scholars were the sons of noble and powerful persons. Thus, the
church authority had started the education of the common people
also, although such scholars belonged to the upper strata of society.

Medieval monastic life consisted of a regular round of worship,

reading and manual labour. Each day was divided into eight sacred offices,
beginning and ending with services in the monastery church. The abbey
was under the authority of an abbot. Abbeys often owed some form of feudal
obligation to a lord or higher organisation. They are normally self-contained.
However, the Medieval monastery had the same power structure like the
feudal pyramid. In the time of Chaucer, the monks were worldly and well to
do. They lived comfortably in the monasteries or roamed around disguised
as laymen. The monasteries and abbeys had accumulated vast wealth.
The abbots used the church as a means of social advancement. However,
the monasteries played an important role in the general life of people who
vowed to take a religious life as vocation.
Thus, you can see that the church played a very crucial role during
the Medieval period in shaping the social order of the time. The control of
the church over the people was total. It provided a sense of order through a
belief system that encouraged people to work for its development. It gave
the people a structure to work within an order. It exercised its power that
attracted reverence as well as awe from the masses. The wide ranging
influence of the church can be seen in its various functions where it involved
activities like preaching and scriptural reading, group reading exercises in
households and monasteries, story-telling and psalm reading activities
during feast and festival days, enactment of chosen episodes from the
Bible, permeation of saints’ lives and so on. There was a stark difference
that was shown in Medieval literatures regarding the worldly and heavenly
issues where the privilege was always bestowed on heavenly
considerations. A life of spirituality and virtuosity was always valorised.
You should mark that the Roman Church and the English rulers
were always involved in conflicts. This was mainly because the English
monarchy took Pope under its jurisdiction, while Pope saw the monarch as
a member of the church, therefore subject to the rule of God through the
Popes. On the other hand, the bishops too gained political privileges from
the king, and consequently, they were interested less in the spiritual
th
awakening of the masses. Gradually, there began movements in the 10
th
and 11 centuries proclaiming the freedom of the church from state control.
However, the church could not enjoy full papal authority. It was mainly
because the rise of the European nation-state, following the fall of the Holy
Roman Empire posited great threats to the church authority. You will like to
know that this conflict between the state and the church, on the other hand,
remained unabated even until the 16th century. However, the Reformation
compelled the church to stick to its purely spiritual tasks and placed the
legal powers of the church leadership in the hands of the princes.
The Lollard Movement:

It was a political and religious movement existing between the mid-14th
century to the English Reformation. The term “Lollard” refers to the
followers of John Wycliffe who was a prominent theologian dismissed
from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticising the Church. Its
demands were to bring noticeable reforms in Western Christianity and
save the church ideals from degradation under the church authorities. A
position in the church was a lucrative option. To be a part of the
economically resourceful clergy was considered a profitable business
and this led to such corrupt practices as obtaining a position in the church
by bribing. You should note that Chaucer and Langland have occasionally
referred to the rampant corruption in the church in their writings.
For centuries, the Monarchs ruled over their kingdom by the notion
of ‘divine right’, which said that the king ruled both the Crown and the Church.
On the Catholic Church, however, the belief was that the Pope was the
representative of Christ on earth, and thus he should be the ultimate authority
over the state and the crown. This relation between the church and the
state during the Medieval period came to be based in terms of hierarchies
between the kingship and the papal authority. Real power was not always
in the hands of these figures, but the power they did exercise enjoyed a
theoretical support, and therefore carried an aura of legitimacy. Let me tell
you that the power of kings was not understood in secular terms as we
understand it today, mainly because it had religious connotations. During

the 12th and 13th centuries, papal power greatly increased. In the 13th century,
the great scholar Saint Thomas Aquinas, borrowing ideas from Aristotle,
played a positive role in raising the dignity of the civil power by declaring
that the state is also a perfect society, the other perfect society being the
church. Though the conflict between the church and the state was
continuing, yet it did not deter the importance of religious culture in England
until the 14th century.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 5: Discuss the role of the Medieval Church in

human life and society.
Q 6: Mention some of the ill practices of the Medieval Church
organisation.
Q 7: What kind of relationship prevailed between the Roman Church
and the English rulers?
3.5 THE CHURCH AND MEDIEVAL CULTURE
By now, you must have realised that a God-centric perspective

dominated the worldview of the Medieval period. Christianity reigned supreme
in this regard, as the church was the single most influential and powerful
institution of Medieval England. The church played a significant role in
spreading a religious culture among the masses. The people were expected
to maintain religious conduct which was crucial for their domestic life as
well. Such religious conduct was marked by the performance of ceremonies
in almost all the social as well as cultural institutions. The church made
people believe that such conduct was of great importance for their social
existence. The practice of such rituals proclaimed not only the importance
of the church but also other religious agencies like the monasteries,
nunneries, abbeys and so on. Conduct was very important and was
associated with supernatural sanction and belief system. The church
provided order, stability and a framework for the Medieval mindset. The
most important foundation of Medieval life was salvation, and the ultimate
goal of all people was to obtain salvation.
Thus, the church played a very important role in moulding the lives
of the people and in spreading spirituality and religious preaching. The
church used the Biblical stories and the legends based on the lives of saints,
doctrines of the Trinity and other scriptural materials to attract the attention
of the masses. Apart from the scriptural teachings, the faith and the daily
conduct of the people were directed by the sacraments. The body of beliefs
known as holy sacraments provided the direction to men in his domestic
life. People believed in the authenticity of such sacraments. Thus, the church
enforced discipline on the people through a well-regulated mechanism, which
was controlled by the ecclesiastical courts. Let me tell you that the
sacraments were an integral part of a Christian’s life. Thus, you can
understand that the Medieval religious culture pervaded through the church.
The Medieval theatrical performances played a crucial role to spread
the doctrines of Christianity. You must know that the form of the Medieval
drama was religious in its fervour. The three dominant forms were the
Mystery Plays that dealt with the Biblical stories; the Miracle Plays that dealt
with the dramatised accounts of the lives or the episodes from the life of
saints, and the Morality Plays that were based on the dramatisation of
abstract condition. The morality plays dramatised the conflict between Good
and Evil, spirituality and corruption, salvation and damnation and were
presented in an allegorical mode where the God, spirituality, salvation etc.
gained victory over Evil, damnation, corruption and so on. Thus, you can
see that even the theatrical forms indirectly helped in spreading Christian
values and belief systems.
All these had pervaded the Medieval culture which in turn possessed
the religious values of Christianity.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 8: What role did the Church play in promoting a

religious culture in Medieval England?
Q 9: What are the three major dramatic forms that developed under
the rubrics of the Church?

3.6 THEOLOGY AND INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES
No aspect of Medieval Christianity has been more influential than

the Medieval thought, especially the philosophy and theology of
Scholasticism, whose outstanding exponent was Sir Thomas Aquinas
(1224-1274). The word Scholasticism came from the Latin word ‘Schola’
meaning ‘school’. It refers to the methods of thinking and speaking which
were the legacies of the Medieval schools. These schools taught three
main subjects: grammar, logic and rhetoric. Grammar taught the students
to speak and write correctly, logic taught them how to present a reasoned
argument and rhetoric provided them with the techniques they needed to
win their case. However, Scholasticism was more than simply a method of
education. The Scholastics sought to integrate the philosophy of Aristotle
with the theology of the church, so that the Christian faith could be
systematised into a logical and rationally coherent body of thought. Their
stress was scientific and objective. The theology of Scholasticism was an
effort to harmonise the doctrinal tradition inherited from the Fathers of the
early church and to relate these traditions to the intellectual achievements
of classical antiquity.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

It was seen that many of the early Church Fathers, both in the East
and the West, had developed their theologies under the influence of
the Platonic modes of thought. The reinterpretation of these theologies
by the Scholastics required that the doctrinal content of the tradition be
disengaged from the metaphysical assumptions of Platonism. For this
purpose, the recovery of Aristotle, first through the influence of
Aristotelian philosophers and theologians and then through the
translation and the study of the authentic texts of Aristotle himself
seemed providential to the Scholastic theologians.
This shift towards the thought and philosophy of Aristotle helped the
theologians manage to combine a fidelity to scripture and tradition with a
positive, but critical, attitude towards the ‘natural’ mind. Thus, scholasticism

is regarded as a landmark both in the history of Christianity as well as of

Western culture as a symbol of the Christianisation of the society and
culture. Thus, you can see that the aim of the Scholastic theologians was
to reconcile Christian doctrine and human reason and to arrange the
teachings of the church in an orderly system.
There is no doubt about the fact that the Church shaped the
worldview of the Medieval men. The monks and priests were the only literate
people who imparted learning in the churches and monasteries. During
that period, almost three to four hundred grammar schools were spread all
over England for the education of the clerks. The subjects that they taught
were grammar, arithmetic, logic and theology. Many universities were started
in Italy and France. In England, philosophy and theology were taught in
Latin in Cambridge and Oxford Universities. In Chaucer’s times, Oxford
was the intellectual centre of England. Wycliffe’s influence was a prominent
factor in Oxford, until he was driven out by the interference of the Bishops
and King with the independent nature of University. In Oxford, there were
two academic groups, The Regular Clergy and The Secular Clergy. The
Regular were the monks and friars, whose convents were attached to the
university. On the other hand, the Secular, who regarded themselves as
part of the University proper, consisted of secular clergy, priests, deacons
and clerks in lower order. This group was first organised by academicians
and then by the clergies. Learning had been rendered by hand copied books
and few libraries. However, the church had narrowed down the possibilities
of advancement in learning. The church education made students narrow-
minded and they were fit to become only monks. Scientific reasoning was
discouraged and belief in magic, superstition and witch-craft became
common. Any attempt to question the Church brought severe punishment.
The university students had no access to laboratories or well stocked
libraries. Subjects like History, Literature and Science were ignored. Studies
of Classical Latin were available only to the Churchmen.
A common Medieval student had got very little opportunity to read
books. Most of the time, they left education without acquiring a degree. A
student lived a much undisciplined life. The authorities of the universities,

on the other hand, under the influence of the follies of Church authority and
the State, forbade athletic exercises among the youths. However, these
evils had got the much awaited remedy through the establishment of
colleges. In the late 13th century, several colleges had been founded at
Oxford and Cambridge. The college system gradually struck root in England
and flourished in an unprecedented manner. The Medieval church played
an important role in the evolution of European civilization. Thus, the Medieval
church provided considerable provision for education in Latin. It created the
base of the Western system of education through the schools, monasteries,
cathedrals and convents. The church was also responsible for the system
of schools even after the Reformation.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 10: Reflect on the term ‘Scholasticism’? What

role did it play in society?
Q 11: Discuss the conditions of learning prevalent during the Medieval
period.
Q 12: What were the constraints faced by a common student?
3.7 LET US SUM UP
By now, you must have gained enough ideas about the history and
role of the church in shaping the worldview of the Medieval society. You
have read that Christianity emerged with the religious preaching of Jesus,
the testimony of the scriptures as interpreted by the life of Jesus and the
teachings of His Apostles, which were documented in the Bible. Through
the Church system, Christianity got organised and marked its dominion all
over Europe by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Gradually, the
church occupied the most important place as it was believed to have derived
its power from God and hence, the people were more inclined to follow its
power and authenticity. The church provided a sense of order through a

belief system that encouraged people to work for its development. It gave
the people a structure to work from within. It exercised its power that attracted
reverence as well as awe from the common mass. A religious culture was
finally established through the institution of the church. The philosophy and
theology of Scholasticism was very much influential during the Medieval
period. The Scholastics sought to integrate the philosophy of Aristotle with
the theology of the church, so that the Christian faith could be systematised
into a logical and rationally coherent body of thought.
3.8 FURTHER READING

and Culture. 1350 1500. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Ans to Q No 1: Jesus challenged the established religious authorities to

repent from their self-righteousness and hypocrisy… …the Kingdom
of God is rooted in service and love… …His teachings stirred the
hearts of people and created instability which the Jewish religious
authorities feared.
Ans to Q No 2: Initially, Christianity was seen as a threat to the Roman
Empire… …this resulted in the persecution of the early Christians…
…Emperor Constantine’s legalisation of Christianity… …his

successors too were Christians… …so Christianity became the official
religion of the Roman Empire.
Ans to Q No 3: Jesus challenged strict religious doctrines with the service
and love of men… …after him, His disciples spread his teachings…
…early Christians were persecuted... ...Constantine legalised
Christianity… …it became organized by the time of the Norman
Conquest of 1066.
Ans to Q No 4: Jesus taught about the will of God… ….the ‘new covenant’
of forgiveness and love… …to see that men suffer the pain and futility
of life due to the sin… …he proclaimed his sacrifice for the humankind.
Ans to Q No 5: The Medieval church provided a sense of order through a
belief system… …it was an important factor of the average man’s
life… …it was responsible for the spread of education during the
Medieval period… …it spread the religious culture among the masses.
Ans to Q No 6: The secular interest of the clergy… …Neglect of the Spiritual
Courts… …the supremacy of the Parish Priest… …The Wandering
Friars… …corruption in the monasteries etc.
Ans to Q No 7: The Roman Church and the English rulers were always
involved in conflicts… …this was mainly because the English
monarchy took Pope under its jurisdiction, while Pope saw the monarch
as a member of the church, therefore subject to the rule of God through
the Popes…. … there emerged movements that proclaimed the
freedom of the church from state control.
Ans to Q No 8: The Church made people maintain religious conduct crucial
for domestic life… …the faith and the daily conduct of the people
were directed by the sacraments… …Medieval dramatic
performances led the common people towards the life of Jesus and
saints.
Ans to Q No 9: Mystery Plays… …Miracle Plays… …Morality Plays.
Ans to Q No 10: The term is derived from the Latin word ‘Schola’… …refers
to the methods of thought by the Medieval schools… …grammar,
logic and rhetoric were the three main areas… …Scholasticism
christianised contemporary society and culture… …it sought to

reconcile Christian doctrines with human reason.
Ans to Q No 11: Monks and priests were the only literate people who
imparted learning in churches and monasteries… …in Oxford, there
were two academic groups—The Regular Clergy and The Secular
Clergy… …however, the church had narrowed down the possibilities
of advancement in learning.
Ans to Q No 12: They got little opportunity to read books… …university
authorities under the influence of the Church authority and the State
forbade athletic exercises among the youths… …most of the time, a
students left his education without acquiring a degree.
Q 1: Discuss the history of Christianity with special emphasis on its

emergence in England during the Medieval period.
Q 2: Trace the role of the church on the life and faith of the Medieval men.
Q 3: Describe the intellectual activities that are found during the Medieval
period.
Q 4: What do you mean by the term ‘Scholasticism’? How did it influence
the theological and intellectual activities of Medieval England?
Q 5: Do you think that whatever the church did was good for the Medieval
society? If not, mention some of the corrupt and ill practices under
the system of the church.
*** ***** ***

UNIT 4: RENAISSANCE HUMANISM
UNIT STRUCTURE

4.2 Introduction
4.3 History of the Renaissance
4.4 Humanism and Renaissance Thought
4.5 The Renaissance Literature
4.6 Renaissance and the Exploration of New Worlds
4.7 Let us Sum up
4.8 Further Reading

• deliberate on the idea of the Renaissance
• trace the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy
• discuss Humanism and its association with the Renaissance
• explain the spirit of the English Renaissance
• locate the elements of colonisation in the geographical discovery
made during the Renaissance period
4.2 INTRODUCTION
This is the last unit of this Block. In this unit, you will be introduced to
the concept of Renaissance and Renaissance Humanism. The term
Renaissance (meaning rebirth) is broadly understood to denote a new era
in the history of Western civilization at the end of the Medieval Ages. It is
supposed to be characterised by a great “revival” of learning or of the arts.
th
The concept of a new age derives mainly from the writings of 19 century
writers like Jules Michelet, J.A. Symonds and above all Jacob Burckhardt
whose classic essay “The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy” (1860)

Unit 4 Renaissance Humanism
continues to exercise a lot of influence in the subsequent discussions of

the term Renaissance. The term Humanism, on the other hand, is derived
th
from the 16 century phenomenon that emerged out of the word ‘humanist’
or ‘humanities’—which included the study of grammar, rhetoric, history,
poetry and moral philosophy. This study was sought to be distinguished
from that of fields like mathematics, natural philosophy, and theology, which
were less concerned about the moral and imaginative aspects, and activities
of man. Humanism added a great impetus to Renaissance scholarship as
the humanists scholars edited and expounded many ancient Greek and
Latin texts, which intellectually contributed to the development of materials
and ideas in European Renaissance. In this unit, we shall discuss some of
the important issues related to the Renaissance and Humanism in general.
4.3 HISTORY OF THE RENAISSANCE
What is meant by the term “Renaissance”? The famous nineteenth-

century historian of the Renaissance, Jacob Burckhardt in his book The
Discovery of the World and of Man describes the essential spirit of the
movement like the following:
“To the discovery of the outward world the Renaissance added a
still greater achievement, by first discerning and bringing to light the full,
whole nature of man. This period, as we have seen, first gave the highest
development to individuality, and then led the individual to the most zealous
and thorough study of himself in all forms and under all conditions. Indeed,
the development of personality is essentially involved in the recognition of it
in oneself and in others. Between these two great processes, our narrative
has placed the influence of ancient literature because the mode of conceiving
and representing both the individual and human nature in general was defined
and coloured by that influence. But, the power of conception and
representation lay in the age and in the people.”
However, the Renaissance is often described as the ‘rebirth’ of man
from the darkness of the Middle Ages. It is believed to have emerged in Italy
th
during the 14 century and it continued to exert its influence in Western
th th
Europe throughout the 15 and 16 centuries. The nature of the ‘rebirth’

Renaissance Humanism Unit 4
has been variously described. It is often said that Renaissance means

‘rebirth’ of man as an earthly being. The dominance of the church in the
Middle Ages led to a denigration of man’s earthly existence. There was
more emphasis on the ‘after-life’, which a man has to prepare through a life
of piety and devotion to the teachings of the scriptures. With the so-called
rediscovery of the works of classical antiquity, there was a change in this
attitude in the later Middle Ages. People began to believe, as did the ancient
Greeks and Romans, that man’s life on earth has an importance of its own,
that he should fulfil himself on earth and let the hereafter take care of itself.
Secular and worldly interests gradually began to predominate over religious
and otherworldly preoccupations. The church in the preceding age had
stressed the social obligations of man. However, following the Renaissance,
the spirit of individualism also began to prevail.
Italy is often considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. There is
much speculation as to why the Renaissance began in Italy and not
elsewhere. The Renaissance was almost exclusively an urban phenomenon
with its leaders springing from the bourgeoisie background with enough
money to be able to afford a life of leisure and cultivate a taste for literature
and the arts. Northern Italy, during the high Middle Ages, had developed
numerous centres of urban life, which were self-governing. Several other
European cities existed around the same time. However, at no time, did the
sense of individualism run so high as in the Italian cities. Again, these
European cities lacked the stimulus that was very strong in Italy—the desire
to emulate the achievements of the Romans, their personal ancestors.
From Italy, the Renaissance spread to other cities of Europe. When travellers
from the North visited Italy, it was impossible for them not to be influenced
by the culture of the Italian cities. The new learning made its way into the
Universities, which were the main seats of learning in Germany and
elsewhere. However, the Renaissance spirit was never the same elsewhere
as in Italy. Everywhere the native genius of the people allowed the new
culture to stimulate them to new efforts in keeping with their own culture
and traditions. German and French painting for instance, retained their own
distinctive characteristics while making use of Italian technical inventions.
Thus, it is interesting to study, country by country, the use made by the
native writers and artists of the lead offered by Italy. You must remember
that the period of the Renaissance is also one of great painters and sculptors.
The Renaissance in Europe is remembered for the great development
in the sphere of the various arts and sciences. Architecture, sculpture, and
painting flourished greatly contributing to the general celebration of life. Painting
was particularly famous. The period saw the emergence of some of the
greatest painters of all times like Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo,
and Raphael. Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Monalisa’ are quite well known
throughout the world. Raphael was known for his ‘Madonna’ paintings and
the angels. Most of the painters chose their subjects from religion. They
grappled with many problems, which concern painters of the modern age:
how to create a painting, which is an artistic and satisfying whole as a picture,
how, to give the illusion of three-dimension in a two-dimension medium. They
created masterpieces, which, with the Medieval cathedral, constitute some
of the chief artistic glories of the Western civilization.
So far as sculpture is concerned, there was a renewed interest in
and appreciation of the human body whose inherent beauty could not be
stressed in the Medieval age as it was the age of contempt for the body and
all its attributes. The ancient taboos, which required the human form to be
fully clothed, lost their urgency during the Renaissance. Many were the
patrons who desired that their own form and features should be perpetuated
in bronze or stone as a contribution to their eternal fame. There was also
opportunity for sculpture in the great Renaissance churches, which had
plenty of space available for all kinds of decoration. The greatest sculptor
of the time was Michael Angelo, one of the universal geniuses of the
Renaissance skilled in architecture, painting, poetry as well as sculpture.
Angelo’s magnificent sculptural paintings are seen in the Sistine Chapel.
His great figures show his understanding of human life—its joys and sorrows,
its exaltations and depressions. In the field of literature, the renewed interest
in classical models stimulated the intellect and imagination of contemporary
writers and scholars. Wonderful artistic works in poetry, drama and lyrics
mark the significance of the Renaissance ideals.
The foundations of modern science were also laid during the
Renaissance. The universities of Italy were far ahead of all other universities,

and it is from Italy that many of the great physicians and teachers of medicine
and anatomy went out to the rest of Europe. Leonardo da Vinci is by far the
greatest scientific name of the Renaissance. He was interested in everything
pertaining to human beings and their world. He pondered over how the
knowledge available could be put to use, and how certain remarkable
theories could be practically useful. During this period, England made direct
contributions to experimental science with Gilbert’s work on magnetism in
1600 and William Harvey’s work on the circulation of blood in 1618. It may
be mentioned here that the impulse during the Renaissance was to master
nature. Among the technological achievements of the period, the most
important was the invention of printing, with movable types, around the mid-
th
15 century by Johann Gutenberg in Germany. Soon this invention reached
out to other countries of Europe including England. By 1500, the presses of
Europe had produced some 6,000,000 books. It was the printing press, which
gave wide circulation to the ideas, associated with the Renaissance, and
prepared the ground for the Reformation. The Scientific Revolution, which
was a collaborative effort of the international community, would never have
happened at all without the printing press. The invention of printing ushered
in a communication revolution and transformed the conditions of life.
LET US KNOW
From the examples and references in this section, it is
actually possible on our part to identify a number of
events and discoveries, which visibly affected radical
and distinctive changes in the beliefs, productions and manners of
human life in Europe during the time of the Renaissance.
We should always feel indebted to Caxton’s contribution to
printing in England. William Caxton (1422-1491), who had understood
the significance of vernacular culture, established the press in
Westminster in 1476. He was a merchant of repute of the London Mercers’
company. However, he was known to the world for his missionary zeal for
the dissemination of ideas and knowledge through the medium of good
and useful books. The first English book printed by Caxton in Bruges was

“The Raquel of the Histories of Troy” in 1475. Caxton also printed Chaucer’s
The Canterbury Tales in the initial years itself.
Printing helped to change the whole world of letters and thus of
human thought. While printing, by itself does not strike a major note, it is
the capacity to produce books and documents on a large-scale which
has to be seen as a greatly shaping force behind new thought. We also
have to understand how printing changes the social functions of languages
and how such a change affects the way the world is conceived.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 1: What do you mean by the term ‘Renaissance’?

Q 2: How did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
Q 3: What were the influences of the Renaissance on the arts?
Q 4: Name some of the scientific inventions of the Renaissance
period.
Q 5: What kind of views did the Renaissance painters uphold?
Q 6: What role did Caxton’s Printing Press play during the
Renaissance?
4.4 HUMANISM AND RENAISSANCE THOUGHT
“Humanism” refers back to the culture of the 14th century, extending

beyond 16th-century Europe which was based on Greek and Roman learning.
Etymologically, the word comes from the Latin word “Humanus” signifying
“centred on human beings”. So, in the context of the 15th and 16th century
post-medieval Europe, ‘humanism’ means the rise of a new learning in
which the central area of interest is ‘man’ and his relationship with the
Universe. Humanism in a broader perspective means the cultivation of the
human personality to the fullest sense possible, the regarding of humans
as earthly creatures and not exclusively as candidates for salvation. The
Greeks in this sense were humanists, and some of the better-educated
Romans like Cicero who were influenced by the Greek culture. In a narrow
perspective, it means cultivation of the classics or the humanities. Scholars

who studied the work of the Greek and Latin poets, dramatists, philosophers,
historians, and rhetoricians were known as the humanists. The Greek texts
contained the elements of spiritual freedom and intellectual culture, which
the ancient Greeks and Romans believed in and which were revived during
the Renaissance. Humanism instituted a new and distinctively modern notion
of human individuality. Most of the humanists were travellers who went from
place to place spreading their ideas. Printing helped them to give their
ideas wider circulation.
The humanist curriculum laid a lot of stress on public speaking; it
was believed that knowledge is inert unless it is shared. “Language shows
a man. Speak that I may see thee” said Ben Jonson. The notion of a private
self was alien to humanist thinking. Man was considered a speaking animal,
existing in the commonality of linguistic exchange, not in the interiority of
private thought. The humanist devotion to dialogue is seen in Thomas More’s
Utopia and Castiglione’s The Courtier which weaves a fictional dialogue
around actual people and events. Humanism is overall a secular and worldly
philosophy. It sought to dignify and ennoble man. Pico della Mirandola’s
Oration on the Dignity of Man is a manifesto of Renaissance Humanism.
Apart from Mirandola, some of the other outstanding humanists were
Erasmus, Thomas More and Montaigne.
LET US KNOW
Pico della Mirandola in his Oration gave fine expression
to the ideal of man’s latent, powers and his ability to
create himself in whatever mould he would:
“Restrained by no narrow bounds, according to thy own free will…thou,
thy own free maker and molder, mayest fashion thyself in whatever
manner thou likest best…. To man, at his birth, the Father gave seeds
of all variety and germs of every form of life.”
In their more extreme forms, Humanism regarded man as the crown

of creation, a sentiment voiced by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet:
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties!
in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an

angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon
of animals!”
During the Renaissance, there was a challenge to Aristotle’s authority
and a desire to arrive at scientific truth through an exercise of human intellect
on which the Renaissance scholars reposed supreme confidence. Besides
the mathematical theorists of science, there emerged during the
Renaissance numerous medical men, navigators, land surveyors, and
mining engineers, whose learning mingled as in case of Dr. Faustus (in
Marlowe’s play) with his belief in astrology and alchemy, in magic and
witchcraft. Belief in magic and witchcraft is amply borne out by the plays of
Shakespeare. Francis Bacon during this period attempted to extricate
science from its philosophical entanglements and elaborated a scientific
method comprising of generalisations founded on experiment.
Therefore, Renaissance Humanism mostly assumed the central
position of human beings in the universe, always emphasised the study of
the morally rich classical, imaginative and speculative literature and often
took side with human ‘Reason’ in place of passion and ‘animal’ instincts.
Many so-called humanists even stressed the need for the developments of
the individual’s physical, mental, artistic and moral powers.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 7: Mention the common assumptions of

Renaissance Humanism.
Q 8: Mention some of the humanist works of the Renaissance?
Q 9: What, according to you, was the main assumption of
Humanism?
4.5 THE RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
The Renaissance in England coincided with the reign of Queen

Elizabeth. You have already read that the humanist ideals reached England
partly from the classics, partly from Italy. Roger Ascham’s Schoolmaster

(1570) and Sir Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble
Grecians and Romans (1579) were two very formative books for
Shakespeare’s generation. Ascham despised scholasticism and urged that
Englishmen should strive for ‘praise unto themselves, and…profit to others’
by joining action with learning like Julius Caesar and he proposed his
programme of classical studies in The Schoolmaster to produce a learned
preacher or a civil gentleman. North praised Plutarch for reproducing the
lives of ‘the best persons, of the famous nations of the world.’ A new set of
values began to enter the society with this veneration of classical antiquity.
Other books, which influenced the Elizabethans, are Baldassare
Castiglione’s The Courtier and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince which tried
to work out techniques for the individual to master fortune. Machiavelli’s
influence can be traced through Marlowe’s play Jew of Malta, which opens
with a prologue, put into the mouth of Machiavelli.
In the Medieval age, emphasis was laid on the group or the
community as a whole. Assertion of the self, the seeking of wealth, worldly
success, and love of women were frowned upon by the clerics. The titles
of many of the plays written during the Medieval times emphasise the man
in general or abstract attributes, for instance Everyman and The Castle of
Perseverance. During the Renaissance, however, the individual became
important. A number of handbooks on individual psychology came to be
written culminating in Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (1621). The
tragedies of Shakespeare are based on individuals—Macbeth, Hamlet, King
Lear, Othello. Thus, the central theme of Elizabethan literature is derived
from the clash between individuals and the traditional sense of a moral and
social order. Human beings came to be viewed as creatures in which the
‘bodily fluids’ (humours) could break into disease and unruly passion if not
tempered by the faculties of the soul. Ben Jonson’s Every Man in His
Humour was based on the theory of ‘Humours’.
The Renaissance manifested itself in England mainly as the
efflorescence of literature—drama, lyrics, prose. Drama is the chief glory
of the period as the Elizabethan public was more accustomed to seeing
and listening than to reading; more used to group-life than to privacy. The

Queen patronised the theatre and other arts, and the leading writers of the
period dedicated their works to her. The new literature of the age was thus
centred on the Crown. Drama became filled with pomp and pageantry. The
Queen could, in spite of the factionalism and dissensions of the period,
confer some stability on the nation. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in
1588 at the hands of the English forces filled the Englishmen with patriotic
pride, which manifested itself in renewed interest in the history of the nation
and the writing of a long series of national chronicle plays which embodied
the strongest unifying sentiment for the London public. Shakespeare who
wrote around nine history plays based on the patriotic chronicles of
Holinshed was the greatest contributor to the genre.
The influence of Italy on England is seen in the writing of sonnets
during the period after the great Italian humanist Petrarch. In his sonnets,
Petrarch celebrated his love for Laura. Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, Sir
Thomas Wyatt all became famous for their sonnets which were either written
on the Petrarchan mould of eight lines (known as the octet) and six lines
(the sestet) or on the English variation of three quatrains (three four lined
stanzas) and a concluding couplet. This celebration of love for a woman
was quite unthinkable in the preceding age. A number of other lyrics often
based on the theme of love were also written during the period. These
lyrics were set to music, and it has often been remarked that the Elizabethan
age was a cage of singing birds. The national love for music found
expression in Thomas Campion’s songs, in stately poems of ceremony
like Spenser’s ‘Spousal Verse’, Prothalamion, and Davies’ Orchestra, A
Poem of Dancing (1596). Music also figures in Shakespearean drama, which
has an opera-like quality.
You should also note that the classical influence is seen in all the
major literary genres, which were popular during the period. For example,
Seneca’s tragedies were translated during the Elizabethan age. These
tragedies of passion and bloodshed were to influence the tragedies of
Shakespeare as well those of the Jacobean period. As far as prose was
concerned, Seneca and Cicero became the models. Perhaps, following
the Senecan style of writing, pithy and packed with meaning, Bacon wrote

essays on a variety of topics like truth, friendship, revenge etc. and are
intended to give practical advice to men and women in the conduct of their
day to day affairs. The Ciceronian style used by Hooker is verbose, full of
subordinate clauses with the sense rounded off at the end. As I have already
mentioned, the Elizabethan culture was greatly influenced by the pull of the
active, public life. In the universities and in literature, it gave prominence to
the study of public speaking, which became one of the primary aims in the
education of a gentleman. The rhetorical training of humanism and the ideal
of ordered display were woven into the texture of common life signs of
which were seen in the lavish costume of the gentry and their elaborate
country houses with chimneys and extensive panes of glass. Though the
Elizabethans did not show much interest in paintings (apart from miniatures)
they took great pains over their houses and gardens and their family
monuments. Therefore, you will do well if you consider all such developments
while studying the Renaissance period and the literary works produced
during that time.
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Q 10: How did the patronage of Queen Elizabeth

mark an unprecedented development in
Renaissance literature?
Q 11: Assess the importance of Roger Ascham’s Schoolmaster and
Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives.
4.6 RENAISSANCE AND THE EXPLORATION OF NEW

WORLDS
The Renaissance has also been described as the renascence of

wonder. It was during the Renaissance that adventurous men from several
nations like Spain and Portugal besides England felt the urge to explore the
world. Their efforts led to the discovery of sea routes to different lands
hitherto unknown to the Europeans. Perhaps, we can make the first reference
to Christopher Columbus who in 1492 sailed towards the West to find a

new commercial route to the East and discovered a new continent called
America. Such explorations of new continents, its native populations and
subsequent settlement by Europeans gave new raw materials to literary
imagination as displayed in Shakespearean play The Tempest. In 1498,
Vasco da Gama discovered a new sea route to India. As far as England
was concerned, Queen Elizabeth patronized explorers, those men who
dared to venture out into the uncharted waters to discover new worlds and
explore business avenues. Encouraged by the Queen, Drake, Magellan,
Hawkins, and Raleigh opened a new era of England’s commerce with many
different parts of the world.
LET US KNOW
You will later learn that in the Renaissance zeal to explore
new worlds lie the seeds of colonialism. The desire to
have a share in the lucrative trade with the East finally
led to the settlement and exploitation by European people in later times.
A number of companies were formed during Queen Elizabeth’s reign

namely—The Virginia Company, The Russia Company, The East India
Company etc. to further England’s trade with other parts of the world. The
East India Company, for instance, became famous for its operations in
India, which became a source for various raw materials for English industries
and a market for its finished products. Though no colonies were set up
during this period, yet the first seeds of colonisation were definitely sown.
The companies, which were set up primarily for the purposes of trade,
went on to interfere in the politics of the land thus jeopardising the sovereignty
of different parts of the world. Hawkins in his trip to Africa brought back a
few hundred slaves who worked as servants in English households. The
period marked England’s and Europe’s contact with the non-Europeans
who were seen as the ‘other’. A number of books were written on the
fascinating voyages made as well as the newly discovered lands, the principal
being Hakluyt’s Principall Navigations, Voyages and Discoveries of the English
Nation. The imagination of the Gughman was fired by the reports of strange
peoples and the fabulous wealth of the newly discovered lands. The fascination
with new lands is testified by the foreign settings of many of Shakespeare’s
plays like Hamlet which is set in Denmark. The protagonist of Shakespeare’s

Othello is a Moor. So, you find that the newly explored lands found mentioning
in many of the great literary works of the Renaissance.
4.7 LET US SUM UP
In this unit, you have read that the Renaissance marks the beginning
of the modern period in western civilization in a number of ways. The
humanistic ideals, on the other hand, are mainly derived from the study of
classical literature that revolutionised different aspects of the lives of the
people throughout Europe and led to an unprecedented development in the
arts and the sciences the impact of which is seen until this date. From the
different sections of this unit, you have now learnt to discuss the idea of the
Renaissance and Humanism. You have also traced the beginning of the
Renaissance in Italy and should be by now able to discuss how the spirit
associated with the Renaissance saw its manifestation in England in various
ways. This is also the period in which you can locate elements of colonialism
with the many voyages of geographical discovery that also enabled the
spread of the ideas of the Renaissance across the whole of Europe.
4.8 FURTHER READING
Abrams, M. H. (2003). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Singapore: Thomson

Asia Pte Ltd.
Briggs, Asa. (1999). A Social History of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Ans to Q No 1: Mainly a 16th century phenomenon characterised by a ‘rebirth’

from darkness… …rediscovery of classical works… …predominance

of secular interests over religious matters… …birth of individual spirit…

…birth of scientific temperament… …geographical exploration.
Ans to Q No 2: The Italians desired to emulate the achievements of the
Great Romans… …it was an urbane phenomenon… …newly rich
class had time and money to cultivate a taste for the arts and
literature… …renaissance spirit was further enhanced by the concept
of ‘individualism.’
Ans to Q No 3: The Renaissance helped the developments in architecture,
sculpture and painting…great painters grappled with the problems of
‘modern’ age… …sculptors emphasised the innermost beauty of the
human body…classical models were revived in literature.
Ans to Q No 4: Gilbert’s work on Magnetism… …Harvey’s work on the
Circulation of blood… …Gutenberg’s invention of the Printing Press
and so on…
Ans to Q No 5: Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, and Raphael
etc. were the greatest Renaissance painters… …they grappled with
many problems like how to create an artistic painting… …how to give
the illusion of three-dimension in a two dimension medium etc.
Ans to Q No 6: William Caxton, a merchant of repute, established the
press in Westminster in 1476… …he understood the English culture
well… …he had a missionary zeal for the dissemination of ideas and
knowledge through the medium of good and useful books… …The
Raquel of the Histories of Troy was the first English printed book.
Ans to Q No 7: Human beings are central in the universe… …emphasis
on the study of the morally rich classical works… …human ‘Reason’
should replace passion and ‘animal’ instincts… …developments of
the individual’s physical, mental, artistic and moral powers.
Ans to Q No 8: Thomas More’s Utopia… ... Shakespeare’s Hamlet… ...
Pico della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man… …Castiglione’s
The Courtier etc.
Ans to Q No 9: Humanism assumed the central position of human beings
in the universe… …the humanists believed that ‘Reason’ purified
human beings from ‘animal’ instincts… …many humanists stressed

the developments of the individual’s physical, mental, artistic and moral

powers.
Ans to Q No 10: The Queen had great liking for the theatre and other arts…
…many leading writers dedicated their works to her… …drama
became filled with pomp and pageantry… …the Queen conferred
some stability on the nation… …the defeat of the Spanish Armada in
1588……patriotic pride manifested itself in renewed interest in the
history of the nation… …writers like Shakespeare wrote a series of
national chronicle plays.
Ans to Q No 11: These are two formative books… Ascham despised
scholasticism… …he urged Englishmen to ‘praise unto themselves,
and…profit to others’… … North praised Plutarch for reproducing the
lives of ‘the best persons, of the famous nations of the world’… …a
new set of values entered the minds of the reading public.
Q 1: What factors, apart from the celebrated rediscovery of classical

learning, constitute the Renaissance?
Q 2: How do the leading writers of the Elizabethan period embody the ideals
of the Renaissance in their literary works?
Q 3: What is Humanism? Show your acquaintance with some of the
leading Italian and English humanists.
Q 4: Write a note on the maritime successes of England during the
Renaissance touching on their impact on literature.
Q 5: What effects did the new geographical exploration have on the
Renaissance writers?
Q 6: How the Renaissance impact literary activities of the time. Write with
reference to some of the important literary texts.
Q 7: Provide an account of the greatest achievements of the Renaissance.
Q 8: Explain how the exploration of New Worlds during the time of the
Renaissance paved the way for colonial enterprise in later periods.
*** ***** ***

REFERENCES (FOR ALL UNITS)
Books:
Abrams, M. H. (2003). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Singapore: Thomson
Asia Pte Ltd.
Briggs, Asa. (1999). A Social History of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin.






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PGEG SI 01

KRISHNA KANTA HANDIQUI STATE OPEN UNIVERSITY

Unit 1: The Norman Conquest and Feudalism

Structure, Format and Graphics: Dr. Prasenjit Das

Headquarters: Patgaon, Rani Gate, Guwahati-781017

Unit 1 : Norman Conquest and Feudalism Page 7 - 26

Unit 2 : Growth of English Towns/Urbanisation in London Page 27 - 36

Unit 3 : Christianity, Reformation and Role of the Church Page 37 - 52

Unit 4 : Renaissance Humanism Page 53 - 67

Section A comprises two Blocks—Block 1: Medieval to Renaissance and Block 2: Enlightenment

1.1 Learning Objectives

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will be able to:

Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1) 7

establishment of Feudalism in England of the Norman type. One significant

1.3 THE NORMAN CONQUEST

8 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

The Norman conquest of England commonly refers to the 11th

in 1042. This was the beginning of a powerful Norman interest in English

10 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

during the summer while an invasion fleet in Normandy was constructed.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 1: What are the most noticeable effects of the

1.4 CONSEQUENCES OF THE NORMAN CONQUEST

The debate over the consequence of the Norman Conquest depends

of the country from a decadent Anglo-Saxon nobility. The following are

12 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

moment; England had a permanent treasury at Winchester before William’s

Immigration and Intermarriage:

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 4: How did the Norman Conquest ‘replace’ the

1.5 WHAT IS FEUDALISM?

14 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1) 15

16 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

Domes Day Book:

18 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

Allegorical interpretations of parts of the Scripture were always integral to

1. You should note that Feudalism did not occur in

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 8: What do you mean by the term Feudalism?

1.6 DECLINE OF FEUDALISM

22 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q 13: State some of the main reasons for the

1.7 LET US SUM UP

1.8 FURTHER READING

Brown, Peter. (ed). (2007). A Companion to Medieval English Literature

Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1) 23

Sanders, Andrew. (2000). The Short Oxford History of English Literature.

1.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR

Ans to Q No 1: The establishment of court government… …introduction of

24 Medieval to Renaissance (Block – 1)

Ans to Q No 6: Before the Conquest, England was divided into administrative

of the church… …fabliau written against the nobles, greedy tax

1.10 MODEL QUESTIONS

2.3 Growth of English Towns

2.4 Urbanisation in London

2.5 Let us Sum up

* * *