The Middle Ages. Учебное пособие

4.What kind of title did knighthood eventually become?

5.How could knighthood be bestowed on a man?

6.Could it be inherited through the father?

7.The title could also be a reward for chivalrous deeds, couldn’t it?

8.What did the code of chivalry stress?

9.What was the duty of knights?

10.Who trained boys to become knights?

Ex. 2. Give the appropriate Russian variant of the words and expressions given below.

1.rival lords

2.long sword

3.dagger

4.blunt weapons

5.mounted and armoured soldier

6.lance

7.to be dubbed knight by the hand of a monarch

8.to inherit

9.reward for chivalrous deeds

10.equip

Ex. 3. Read about knight’s clothing. Pay attention to the words in bold.

Under their armor, the knights wore padding to ease the pain of wearing such heavy metal.

In the early years, knights wore chain mail. These were metal chains linked together. It took about five years to make body armor out of mail. The covering for their chests and arms weighed between 20 and 30 pounds and sometimes had up to 200,000 rings. In the later years, knights wore full metal armor.

The helmets that knights wore had eyeholes (usually slits in the metal) and breathing holes so the knights could get sufficient air.

Shields were made of wood or metal and generally had the knight’s family seal shown on it to help identify him.

The sword was the major weapon of the knight and weighed about 21∕2 to 3 pounds. It was worn on his left side and fastened around his waist.

The other weapons that a knight used were a knife (worn on the right side) and a lance (a long spear used while on horseback). Metal axes, battle hammers and maces (a long metal or wooden pole with a heavy end used for clubbing an opponent) were introduced when armor became too strong to penetrate with a sword.

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Ex. 6. Fill in proper prepositions.

Medieval knights were the professional warrior class of Europe, responsible

………….. defending their feudal lord’s territory ………. rival lords and keeping the local serfdom in line ……….. the lord’s rule. Originally, knights were warriors

……….horse-back, but the title became increasingly connected ………… nobility and social status, most likely because ……… the cost of equipping oneself ………..

the cavalry.

……….theory, knighthood could be bestowed on a man ………. any knight, but it was generally considered honorable to be dubbed knight ………. the hand ………. a monarch. The title ……… knight was also granted as a reward ……… chivalrous deeds. Knights conducted themselves according …….. the Code of Chivalry, which stressed courtly etiquette and valor …….. battle as well as devout Christian faith.

Over the centuries ………. the Middle Ages what a knight was expected to do changed dramatically and chivalry did not come ………. the picture ………….. the late middle ages.

Ex. 7. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box below.

Tournaments

Although, some knights fought to the death, tournaments were when knights got together on a ………… for a friendly practice fight. They are also held to find

………… from the spectators that love to watch from a distance.

Mêlée

The simplest ………… game. This is basically two teams of knights – Can be on or off the horses. The idea is to …………… as many knights as possible from the other team and make them…………….. If the captive cannot pay, then the knight can take their horse and ………….

The only rule was: No killing. (Even though this rule was often broken ……………).

Jousting

The main type of tournament. It is very ……. and violent and only involves two knights. This is the tournament that gains the most viewers and so many famous knig hts…………..

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The game was to have two horse-knights on …………. ends but separated by a wooden barrier so the horses wouldn’t collide. The idea is to break the tip of the

………….. against an opponent to show that the knight has struck his enemy well and accurately. The knight would use a blunt lance so he wouldn’t pierce his

………….

Single Combat

Single combat is a battle without the horse. The knight has no horse to ………… and so must face the other head-on. The number of ………… and weapons used would be agreed beforehand.

Ex. 8. Complete the text with one phrase that best fits into each gap.

It was the duty of a Middle Ages Knight ……… (1) according to the Code of Chivalry. The Code of Chivalry dictated that a Knight should be brave and fearless in battle ……… (2) showing themselves to be devout, loyal, courteous and generous. Weapon practice included enhancing skills in the two-handed sword, battle axe, mace, dagger and lance. ……… (3) to guard the Castle and support his liege lord in Middle Ages warfare.

To gain Knighthood in the Middle Ages …… (4). Knighthood was not bestowed purely…… (5). There were ……… (6), requiring years of training. The steps towards achieving a knighthood started with ………… (7), also referred to as esquire.

A.A Knight would be expected

B.because a young man was the son of a noble

C.but would also exhibit cultured Knightly qualities

D.many steps to achieving a knighthood

E.to learn how to fight and so serve their liege Lord

F.training as a page and then as a squire

G.was a long and arduous task

Ex. 9. Translate the text and summarize the information given in the text.

В современном представлении рыцарь представляет собой независимого воина. Эти члены общества были достаточно привилегированными, составляя к тому же еще и основу средневековой армии. Рыцари легко могли пускать в авантюрные приключения и путешествия, у них образовался романтический ореол. Теоретически такого статуса могли добиться и самые низшие классы, если будут послушно и долго служить. Для них рыцарство становилось самой настоящей наградой за их смелость и доблесть. Рыцарство стало неотъемлемой частью средневековой европейской истории.

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Это явление зародилось еще в Западной Римской империи в V веке и просуществовало до XVI столетия, когда произошла революция в военном деле. Национальные армии стали расти, а количество самостоятельных воинов стало снижаться, как и их значение нравственного и физического стержня военных объединений.

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ADDITIONAL READING

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Training a Knight

The Page

At the age of 7–8, a young boy would be sent away from home to live in a lord’s castle (The lord would already be a knight). The lord must first be convinced that the boy comes from a rich background. Some would lie about their wealth and some would marry into a noble family. The boy would, first, be called a page.

When a page first starts out, he would be treated as lowly as a servant — sometimes even lower! The page would spend his time cleaning, serving meals and doing the jobs that no-one else would want to do. But as a page grows older, into his 9th-10th year, he could start learning more about a knight’s duties.

To begin with, the page would be taught how to read and write, sing, dance, show good manners and simple fitness exercises, such as running or swimming. Then, as the days pass, he could start learning simple sword strokes and wielding a lance. A boy’s first horse would be a wooden horse on wheels that is pulled by a rope by another person. The page would practice attacking with a lance by charging at a quintain — a wooden target that was shaped like a human with a sack on one end and a shield on the other. It was constructed so that once it is struck, it would spin right around, causing the knight or page to quickly dodge and avoid being hit.

Page’s would also practice fighting with other page’s from other castles. They would wrestle with one another whilst piggy-backing on a elder as a basic training for balance. An elderly solider of even the knight himself would also watch the young page’s fight one another with wooden swords and shields and yell out commands and advice as they go.

Playing chess or checkers would also be part of training as it teaches the page to think strategically and tactically.

The Squire

The knight could declare the page a squire from the age of 10–16. But, the general age was 14.

Squires took more action in serving the knight himself. He would cater to the knight’s every need — Even helping him get out of bed! The knight would have the

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squire comb his hair and make his bed every morning. In return, the squire became the knight’s apprentice. He would begin fighting with real swords and learn to handle a real lance. His small wooden quintain would evolve into a much larger one and his wooden horse on wheels became a live horse.

The squire would prepare the knight’s armour and weapons by cleaning and polishing them and then help the knight dress himself by strapping on separate pieces to his body. Another thing a squire must do was to look after the knight’s horse by feeding, grooming and making sure the horse was well and fit for battle. Then, as part of his training, the squire could follow the knight to battle tournaments and prepare to fight at his knight’s side. It is the squire’s responsibility to give the knight first aid if he became injured.

A squire also had to prepare and serve the lord knight his every meal in the right manner. He had to learn every cut for every piece of meat, for example, deer meat was broken, duck meat was unbraced and hen meat was despoiled. The squire must cut the meat using his sword.

Being Knighted

After long years of proving himself worthy to the lord knight, the squire could become a knight. The squire would normally be about 20–21 years old and the lord knight must agree with the squire to dub him in a traditional dubbing ceremony. The night before the ceremony, the squire would do many preparations. He would bathe himself (or servants could also bathe him) in cold water to cleanse himself of impurity and then dress himself in a white robe — The robe represented “the servant of God with a clean heart”. He would then spend the rest of the night fasting and praying, at the side of his armour, for sanctitude — This was called a vigil.

When morning arrives, A priest would listen to a squire confessing all his sins. Then the squire will walk down the church’s isle, wearing his white robe covered by a red tunic with a white sash — The red tunic illustrated that he was “willing to shed blood” and the white sash illustrated that he was “pure” (Sometimes, the squire might wear a coif which stood for a “pure heart”). When the squire kneels before the lord knight (or king), the lord will present a new sword which he would use to tap the squire once on each shoulder and say “I dub thee sir ________ knight!”. This was a symbolic action that stood for the early middle ages dubbing action — The lord knight or king would slap the squire on the back of his neck knocking him over. The sword will then be given to the new knight along with a pair of golden spurs — The sword signified “self-defense” and the spurs signified his “service”.

The ceremony would end with a great feast with music and dancing.

Squires of regular foot soldiers could also be knighted quickly on the battlefield. Fancy ceremonies did not have to happen in order for a man to become a knight but the actual dubbing with a sword did. Priests set the rules that all knights should be created in that manner because knights were meant to fight for the Church. Dubbing only took about two minutes on the battlefield and could be done by another knight. This is often how peasants and locals took on the knighthood.

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Unit 5

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“I will to my lord be true and faithful, and love all which he loves and shun all which he shuns.”

Anglo-Saxon Oath of Fealty

MANORIAL SYSTEM: EARLY AGRICULTURE

The manorial system was an integral part of the social and economic structure of the middle ages. The system created the mode of cultivating plants that we today know as horticulture. The manorial system is the economic, political and social system in which peasants in the Middle Ages economy depended on both their land and that of their masters to derive a living.

The basic element of the manorial system was the manor which was a selfefficient estate controlled by the lord. The lord enjoyed the land rights and the right to control the peasants through serfdom.

The lord maintained authority over both the workers in the land and the land itself to ensure that civil order was maintained. The economic hardship that was aggravated by the barbarian wars of the 5th and 6th century, the famine and diseases saw many laborers give up their land and freedom to work under the protection of the influential local lords.

As such, the peasants were guaranteed protection and access to land in which they could provide economic service to their master. This was a form of barter trade: security for economic service. This system gave in to the structure of feudalism in which kings would give local lords gifts of land in exchange for loyalty and maintenance of local civil order.

Ex. 1. Answer the questions.

1.What is the manorial system?

2.What did the system create?

3.What was the basic element of the manorial system?

4.Did the lord enjoy any rights?

5.Did he maintain any authority?

6.Why did many laborers give up their land and freedom?

7.What were the peasants guaranteed?

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Ex. 2. Give the appropriate Russian variant of the words and expressions given below.

1.integral part

2.horticulture

3.to derive a living

4.self-efficient

5.serfdom

6.to maintain authority over

7.to be aggravated by

8.barter trade

9.in exchange for

10.loyalty

Ex. 3. Continue the sentences with the words from the box below to create a text.

Thus, a medieval manor was a district under the control of a ………… who had exclusive rights to exercise specific rights and ………… over the territory of his manor. Each of the manors was typically of a ………… of around 1200-1800 acres of land. The lord used to keep a certain portion of land directly under his ………… to support himself and his retinue and this land was used to be called as “demense.”

The rest of the ………… was often allotted to ………… and serfs who were required to pay ………… for that land as they were the tenants of the manor. Usually, a ………… included a manor house, farming land, forests, common pasture land, a mill, a village for serfs and peasants, and a …………. The manor and his

………… used to live at the manor house away from the villagers.

Ex. 4. Complete the text with one phrase that best fits into each gap.

Every lord of a manor had specific privileges over his manor but ……… (1). He had to take the Oath of Fealty and was expected to follow it to his immediate superior and to the king. Every lord was expected to possess trained soldiers and ……… (2) or his immediate superior. On the other hand, ……… (3) and justice was under the control of the Lord of the manor. He had a right to allow people to live in his manor and

………… (4).

He also used to collect taxes and rent ………… (5) of his manor. Everyone living on a manor ………… (6) or to provide certain services, such as, working for any chores

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required in the manor, working as a trained soldier for the lord of the manor so that he could help the king when it is required, or to provide clothes, arms and food for the soldiers.

A.by the peasants and serfs for using the land

B.was expected to pay rent to the lord of the manor

C.the whole system of law

D.he was expected to fight and to provide soldiers for the King

E.to excommunicate them

F.he had certain duties towards the king

Ex. 5. Translate the sentences paying attention to the words in bold.

1.During the medieval period, women had a very harsh life. Medieval laws gave complete rights for a husband over his wife, irrespective of her being a noble woman or a serf.

2.A wife was effectively considered as the property of husband.

3.The role of a wife was subservient and her responsibilities were to perform duties of a housewife.

4.However, the Lady of a manor was considered as an authoritative figure of a manor in middle ages.

5.The lord of a manor was often expected to remain absent from the manor as he had the duties to pay his allegiance to his immediate successor and the King.

6.In such situations or his absence, the lady of the manor officially held power to rule the manor.

7.The lady of a manor was used to live with the lord in the manor house and she along with the lord of manor used to enjoy specific privileges over the manor which included hunting and judicial rights.

Ex. 6. Read the summary and fill in proper prepositions.

The manorial system was an integral part …….. the social and economic structure …….. the middle ages. The manorial system is the economic, political and social system …….. which peasants in the Middle Ages economy depended ………. both their land and that of their masters to derive a living. The basic element ……….. the manorial system was the manor which was a self-efficient estate controlled …………

the lord. The lord enjoyed the land rights and the right to control the peasants

………… serfdom. The lord maintained authority ………… both the workers in the land and the land itself to ensure that civil order was maintained. The peasants were

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guaranteed protection and access ……… land in which they could provide economic service ……… their master. This was a form of barter trade: security ………

economic service. This system gave in to the structure ……… feudalism in which kings would give local lords gifts of land ………. exchange for loyalty and maintenance ……… local civil order.

Ex. 7. Translate the sentences.

1.Формирование манориальной системы началось в англосаксонский период.

2.Её истоки, по-видимому, лежали в предоставлении королём своим приближённым и церкви земельных владений на праве бокленда, позволяющем держателю земли взыскивать с проживающих на ней лично-свободных крестьян продуктовую ренту.

3.Позднее владельцы таких участков добились признания своей судебной юрисдикции над крестьянами и законодательного закрепления своего права требовать исполнения барщинных повинностей от крестьян, перешедших под покровительство феодала.

4.В случае, если феодалу принадлежало несколько маноров, он передавал функцию осуществления общего надзора за управлением своими поместьями особому должностному лицу — стюарду, который периодически посещал усадьбы феодала, контролируя соблюдение интересов сеньора и председательствуя на заседаниях манориального суда.

5.В крупных поместьях существовал свой административный аппарат. Он обычно возглавлялся бейлифом, представляющим феодала в период его отсутствия.

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ADDITIONAL READING

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Manorialism was an essential element of feudal society and was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire. Manorialism was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market economy and new forms of agrarian contract.

Manorialism was characterized by the vesting of legal and economic power in a Lord of the Manor. The Lord was supported economically from his own direct landholding in a manor (sometimes called a fief), and from the obligatory

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