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Three Social Forces
The Feudal System Feudalismwas a political and economic system that William the Conquerer introduced into England after the Norman Conquest. Under the system of feudalism,
English society was divided into a clear hierarchy—a social and economic ranking—with the king at the top. Based on the premise that the king owns all the land in the kingdom, William kept a fourth of the land for himself, granted a fourth to the church, and parceled out the rest to loyal barons, who, in return, either paid him or supplied him with warriors called knights. The barons swore allegiance to the king, the knights to the barons, and so on down the social ladder. At the bottom of the ladder were the conquered Anglo-Saxons, many of whom were serfs—peasants bound to land they could not own.
The Power of the ChurchThere was one grand exception to the feudal system’s hierarchy: the church. Led by the pope in Rome, the medieval church wielded tremendous power—levying taxes, making its own laws, running its own courts, and keeping kings and noblemen in line with the threat of ex-communication. The church owned more land than anyone in Europe, and its soaring stone cathedrals and great abbeys were as impressive as any castle. The church’s power did lead to conflicts with the monarchy. When Henry II’s archbishop and friend Thomas
а Becket began favoring church interests over those of the crown, four knights loyal to the king murdered him. Becket was declared a saint, and his shrine at Canterbury became a popular destination for pilgrims, such as those described in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
Chivalry and courtly loveMedieval literature, including the famous stories of King Arthur,was influenced by another social force as well—the ideals of chivalry and courtly love made popular during Henry II’s reign. Henry’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought from French court circles the concept of chivalry,a code of honor intended to govern knightly behavior. The code encouraged knights to be generous, brave, honest, pious, and honorable, to defend the weak and to battle evil and uphold good. It also encouraged knights to go on holy quests such as the Crusades, the military expeditions in which European Christians attempted to wrest the holy city of Jerusalem from Muslim control.
Eleanor and her daughter Marie applied chivalric ideals to the relationships between men and women as well. They presided over a “court of love,” where lords and ladies would come to be entertained by music and tales of King Arthur and other romantic heroes and argue about the proper conduct of a love affair. Courtly loveand the concept of chivalry represented ideals rarely met in real life. Yet they served as inspiration for some of the finest literature of the time.