The Norman Conquest and Feudalism

At the Battle of Hastings on 1066, King Harold II of England was defeated by the
invading Norman forces of William. By the end of the bloody, Harold was dead and
his forces were destroyed. Harold was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, and the
battle changed the course of history and established the Normans as the new rulers
of England, which in turn brought about a significant cultural, economic and military
transformation, and helped to create the modern English language.

During this period develop the feudal system:

The king was at the top of society, and therefore at the top of the feudal system.
When he conquered England, King William took all of the land in the country.
The nobility were below the king in the hierarchy (Airachi). This included the
clergy, barons, lords and ladies.
Serfs were the lowest group in medieval society.
Peasants making up over 90% of the population. The feudal system meant that
everyone in England, apart from the king, was a tenant (affittuario). The feudal
system allowed William to control land in England.

In 1086, William created a record of his lands to see how much tax money he could
collect. The results of this survey were written in the Domesday Book, a historical
document about England's social structure after the Norman conquest. He wanted a
clear understanding of the value of each property given to each noble. William
collected this information to help him organize the country in terms of laws, taxes,
justice, and administration.

Peter's Pence was a tax imposed by English kings to support the Catholic Church
and the Pope in Rome. Introduced well before the Norman Conquest, this tax
consisted of an annual contribution paid by each family that owned a certain amount
of land.
Henry II
He was the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty:

- He reduced the power of the barons by using professional soldiers.

- He introduced a tax called "scutage" for knights who didn’t want to leave their
land to join military campaigns

Henry II solved some issues in justice by introducing three key reforms:

- Traveling judges: He sent judges around the country every six years to
deliver royal justice. They visited major towns and kept feudal courts and lords
under control.
- Common law
- Trial by jury: This was first used for land cases, it was also applied to criminal
cases
- To reduce the Church's power, Henry introduced the Constitution of
Clarendon, which gave the king authority in choosing bishops.

It also stated that clergymen accused of serious crimes would be tried in civil
courts, not church courts.

Role of Women
Most women in the clergy were nuns. Noble woman's status was based on how
much land they brought to their marriages because land was a source of power, so
their lives could be very different. Lower-class women had more freedom because
they worked alongside men in the fields and guilds, sharing the same tough life.

Education was limited to the upper class.

Richard I (Lionheart)
Important Christian commander during the Third Crusade (crociata)
Christians against Muslims

John I (Lackland)
Created too much taxes
Lackland because he lost every land he possessed in France
He sign the Magna Carta (1215)
That was the first document to say that the king and his government were not
above the law. It was created to stop the king from abusing his power and set limits
on his authority, making the law an independent force.
1348 Death Black
Bubonic plague pandemic. It was caused by fleas living on black rats which infested
the ships trading with Europe. The mortality rate was very high; it is generally
thought that the plague killed a third of England's population.

The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)

Was a complicated conflict between the kingdoms of England and France.
England lost every territory except Calais

Wars of the Two Roses

A dispute between two rival noble families and their supporters about the royal
succession. The name comes from the emblems of the two sides, the red rose of the
House of Lancaster and the white rose of House of York.
Henry VII for Lancaster married Elizabeth for York, giving rise to the Tudor dynasty.
Medieval Drama

Mystery and Miracle Plays:

These performances started in the 12th century and focused on stories from the
Bible, especially about Jesus as the Saviour. They aimed to teach regular people
about their faith using simple language and realistic actions. At first, these plays
were in Latin but later switched to Middle English, making them more popular.
Mystery plays mainly deal with the idea of saving humanity, while Miracle plays
tell stories about Saints.

Secular Drama
Morality Plays and Interludes:
Morality plays came later and showed the battle between good and evil, using
characters that represented good traits and bad traits instead of Bible characters.
Over time, Morality plays were replaced by Interludes, which developed from Miracle
plays and included funny dialogues. Performed by small groups of professional
actors.

The Canterbury Tales ( Middle English )

In spring, thirty people, including men, women, monks, artisans, merchants, and the
narrator Chaucer, go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas
Becket. They meet at the Tabard Inn in London, where the host suggests that each
pilgrim tell two stories, with a prize for the best one and a penalty for those who give
up. Unfinished

The collection of stories, known as The Canterbury Tales, has no strict order but
reflects the changing experiences of the journey. It begins with a General Prologue
introducing the pilgrims and their diverse backgrounds.
Chaucer has used various medieval narrative styles, including realism and irony
Is a long narrative poem written in rhyming couplets of iambic pentameter,
characterized by alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.
Inspired by Boccaccio’s Decameron for the collection of stories and Dante’s Divine
Comedy for the pilgrimage.
The Wife Bath ( Wife - Wif = donna, non moglie )
The Wife of Bath is a key character in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.
She tells her story in the Prologue, which is the longest part of the collection. She
speaks out against how women were treated in her time and discusses her views on
marriage.

She has been married five times because all her husbands have died. The Wife of
Bath believes that women should have power in their relationships and wants
husbands who will listen to them.

She has traveled a lot, going on pilgrimages to important religious places like
Jerusalem and Rome, but her trip to Canterbury seems more about meeting new
men than just religion.

The Wife is strong, confident, and wealthy. She likes to show off her money with
fancy clothes, like red stockings and nice shoes. Chaucer describes her as having a
gap between her teeth, wide hips, a bold face, and rosy cheeks, which were
attractive traits at the time.

She likes to be noticed and wants to be the first to give offerings at church. This
shows she wants respect and status. Through her character, Chaucer talks about
themes of gender, power, and relationships. The Wife of Bath is a unique woman for
her time, independent, outspoken, and not afraid to break traditional rules.
TEXT
2 types of Ai:
- Narrow AI (ristretto o limitato): All that we use everyday like GPS and voice
assistants =) specific task
- General AI: machine could outperform (superare) humans in all task
=) not exist yet