THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD (455 CE-1485 CE)
- THE OLD ENGLISH (ANGLO-SAXON) PERIOD (428-1066) The so-called "Dark Ages" (455 CE -799 CE) occur when Rome falls and barbarian tribes move into Europe. Franks, Ostrogoths, Lombards, and Goths settle in the ruins of Europe and the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes migrate to Britain, displacing native Celts into Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Early Old English poems such as Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Seafarer originate sometime late in the Anglo-Saxon period. The Carolingian Renaissance (800- 850 CE) emerges in Europe. In central Europe, texts include early medieval grammars, encyclopedias, etc. In northern Europe, this time period marks the setting of Viking sagas.
- THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (c. 1066-1450 CE) In 1066, Norman French armies invade and conquer England under William I. This marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy and the emergence of the Twelfth Century Renaissance (c. 1100-1200 CE). French chivalric romances--such as works by Chretien de Troyes--and French fables--such as the works of Marie de France and Jeun de Meun--spread in popularity. Abelard and other humanists produce great scholastic and theological works.
- LATE or "HIGH" MEDIEVAL PERIOD (c. 1200-1485 CE) his often tumultuous period is marked by the Middle English writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, the "Gawain" or "Pearl" Poet, the Wakefield Master, and William Langland. Other writers include Italian and French authors like Boccaccio, Petrarch, Dante, and Christine de Pisan.
Medieval Characteristics
Texts: |
Authors: |
Beowulf
The Arthurian Legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight |
Geoffrey Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales)
Dante (The Divine Comedy) Petrarch (sonnets) |