The Middle English Period (1066-1500)

This period started with the Norman Conquest in1066 and ended with the end of
fifteenth century. There are two ages in this period. The span from 1066 to 1340 is
called Anglos-Norman Period because the literature of that period was written mainly in
Anglo-Norman, the French dialect spoken by the new ruling class of England. The
period from 1340 to 1400 is called the Age of Chaucer because Chaucer, the great
poet, dominated this period. The time from 1066 to 1500 is also called the Middle Ages.
The early part of the middle Ages is called the Dark Ages because what actually
happened during this period can hardly be known. The remarkable events of this period
were-

 i. The English parliament was established in 1295.

 ii. Crusade, the religious battle between Muslims and Christian took place in between 11 th and
13thcentury.
 iii. Magna Charta, the charter which limited the power of the monarchs was passed on 15 th June,
1215.
 iv. In 1362 English was declared to be the language of law and courts.
 v. The feudal system which was very strong broke up after the Black Death, plague in 1348-49.
 vi. In fourteenth century Reformation of English Church began under the leadership of John Wyclif
 vii. William Caxton established printing press in 1476.
 viii. Renaissance began with the fall of the then Constantinople in 1453. Mohammad II, the Sultan
of the Ottoman Turks and a crusader, defeated the Christians in 1453 and occupied Constantinople,
the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the center of classical learning. After the defeat the Christian
scholars fled to different parts of the Europe where they spread their knowledge. Thus ancient
learning started reviving. The revival of the classical knowledge is called Renaissance. Its features
are: curiosity about more knowledge, desire for unlimited wealth and power; love of adventures, own
country, beauty, humanism and past.

 ix. Columbus discovered America in 1492 and Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498.

 x. During this period Copernicus (1473-1543) proved that the sun is the center of all planets

Features of this period:

The English language reached a slandered towards the end of this period. Prose got a strong
foundation though it remained immature. Poetry served as the main genre. Drama began in the form
of “Mystery Play” Morality Play and Interlude” and Boccaccio. Love, Chivalry and religion are the
three main literary ideals of this period. This spirit of romance pervades in every writing of the time.

Major Writers and their Works: 

1. John Wyclif (1324-84), the father of English prose:

Translation of the Bible in English(prose)
2. Geoffrey Chaucer(1340-1400)
Troilus and Criseyde (1387)
Canterbury Tales (1385-1400)
3. William Langland:
Piers Plowman (1392)
4. John Gower (13-25-1408)
 Conffessio Amantis
5. Sir Thomas Malory:
Morte d’ Arthur (1485;prose)

Divisions of Middle English period

This period is consisted of three divisions. This divisions are -
1. Anglo - Norman period,
2. The age of Chaucer and 
3. Barren Age 
Anglo - Norman period (1066 A.D - 1350 A.D) 
The Normans.
The name Norman, came originally from Scandinavia,–bands of big, blond, fearless men cruising
after plunder and adventure in their Viking ships, and bringing terror wherever they appeared.

 It was the second period of English literature. 

  There are metrical or verse romances of French and Celtic and English heroes, like Roland,
Arthur and Tristram, and Bevis of Hampton.
 There are stories of Alexander, the Greek romance of “Flores and Blanchefleur,” and a
collection of Oriental tales called “The Seven Wise Masters.”
 There are legends of the Virgin and the saints, a paraphrase of Scripture, a treatise on the
seven deadly sins, some Bible history, a dispute among birds concerning women, a love song or
two, a vision of Purgatory, a vulgar story with a Gallic flavor, a chronicle of English kings and
Norman barons, and a political satire.
 We note simply that it is mediæval in spirit, and French in style and expression; and that
sums up the age.
The Conquest.
At the battle of Hastings (1066) the power of Harold, last of the Saxon kings, was broken, and
William, duke of Normandy, became master of England.
We simply point out three great results of the Conquest which have a direct bearing on our literature.
First, notwithstanding Cæsar’s Relegions and Augustine’s monks, the Normans were the first to
bring the culture and the practical ideals of Roman civilization home to the English people
Second, they forced upon England the national idea, that is, a strong, centralized government to
replace the loose authority of a Saxon chief over his tribesmen.
Third, they brought to England the wealth of a new language and literature, and our English
gradually absorbed both.
The age of Chaucer (1350 A.D - 1400 A.D)
 Chaucer was the famous poet of 14 th century. He is the 'Father of English poetry'. 
 He was also politician. In 1386, he was elected a member of parliament from Kent.
 Chaucer sent to foreign countries on diplomatic missions from 1370 - 1378.
 Chaucer's potential works are broadly divided - 
1. French period (1359 - 1372)
2. Italian period (1373 - 1386)
3. English period (1386 - 1400)

Chaucer's chief works are -

* The Canterbury Tales,.
* The house of Fam
* The Parliament of fouls,.
* The Legend of Good Woman,
* The Book of the Duchess.

William Langland and John Wycliff were Chaucer's Contemporaries.

William Langland's works - 
 * Piers Plowman
* Richard the Redeless

John Wycliff in the 14 th Century translated the Bible into English for the first time, which earned him
the title 'Father of English prose'.
William Caxton was the first English printer. He established the first English printing press in 1476. 

Barren Age (1400 A.D - 1485 A.D)

Barren age started after the death of Chaucer in 1400. In this period there was no real improvement
of English literature. So this period is called Barren Age. This Barren Age ended in 1485 A.D. After
Barren Age, real rebirth of English literature began at the time of The Renaissance.

Writers from the Middle English period | NET Exam Notes

Bacon, Roger (1214?-1294) English philosopher and scientist. Bacon is one of the most
prominent figures in 13th century scholastic philosophy. He was born in Somerset and educated
at Oxford and Paris. On his return from Paris he became a Franciscan and carried out much
experimental research in natural science and in his Opus majus ‘Major work’ he expounded on
all branches of knowledge accessible at the time including grammar and logic along with
mathematics and moral philosophy.

Caxton, William (c.1422-1491) [Early Modern Period] A merchant and later a writer who set up
the first printing press in England in 1476. A few years earlier Caxton had visited Cologne where
he acquired his knowledge in the technique of printing and returned to England via Belgium to
apply this new art. He established his base at Westminster and during his career as publisher
produced more than 90 editions of well-known and lesser known authors. Among the former are
Chaucer (Canterbury tales), Gower (Confessio amantis), Malory (Morte d’Arthur). Caxton
himself prepared some translations of works in Latin and French. He is also famous for the
prefaces which he wrote to his editions and which are revealing documents of literary attitudes in
late 15th century England.

Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1340-1400) [literary writing] The major poet of England in the late
Middle Ages and the most significant writer before Shakespeare. Born and educated in London,
Chaucer served in the court and the army and went abroad on diplomatic missions. His oeuvre
can be divided into three periods, an early one based on French models, such as the Roman de la
rose, and which contains the allegorical Book of the duchess (1369). The second period lasted to
about 1387 and is characterised by his use of Italian models above all Dante and Boccaccio. The
main works of this period are The house of fame, which concerns the adventures of Aeneas after
the fall of Troy, The parliament of fowls, a story about the mating of birds on St. Valentine’s
Day, The legend of good women (an unfinished work on classical heroines and Troilus and
Criseyde, for which he drew on Boccaccio.

The third period is that of greatest maturity and contains his masterpiece, The Canterbury tales,
an unfinished work of approximately 17,000 lines. It tells the story of a group of pilgrims
travelling to their patron saint and who pass the time of day by telling each other stories. A
number of literary genres are represented such as the light-hearted fabliau or the more serious
homily. Chaucer also offers much insight into medieval social attitudes to love, marriage and
religion. The linguistic importance of Chaucer is that he established the dialect of London
(south-east midlands) as the input form for the standard in the late Middle English period. Later
modifications of this language took place with the introduction of printing in the 15th century.

Coverdale, Miles (c. 1488-1569) [religious writing] One of the main translators of the Bible in
the 16th century. He was born in Yorkshire and studied in Cambridge and became bishop of
Exeter in his latter years. For much of his life he lived and worked in Germany, producing the
first complete Bible to be printed in English (1535) and worked with others on the Great Bible of
1539.

Gloucester, Robert (late 13th century) The author of a chronicle which can be dated to about
1300 and was written in the southern dialect. The chronicle consists of about 12,000 rhyming
couplets and is noted for comments on the political and linguistic state of England at the time,
with special refernece to the behaviour of the Normans in the country.
Gower, John (c. 1330-1408) An English poet of courtly love who is remembered as the author
of the Confessio Amantis, a collection of exemplary tales (from both classical and medieval
sources) about courtly and Christian love. To judge by the language of this work, Gower was
from Kent.

Kempe, Margery (c. 1373- c.1439) An East Anglian women who is known to posterity
from The Boke of Margery Kempe. This is a text dictated by Kempe which recounts her religious
experiences, including visions and pilgrimages. Kempe had withdrawn from society and married
life to became a religious recluse and dictated this work – essentially her autobiography, the first
in the English language – towards the end of her life, probably in the 1420s. She knew Julian of
Norwich and had travelled to meet her.

Laʒamon A late 12th century author from Worcestershire who is known as the author of
the Brut, a history of Britain from the earliest times to his day. It contains information on early
kings such as King Arthur and King Lear. The language is that of the West Midlands and the
poem is written in alliterative verse.

Langland, William The supposed 14th century author of Piers Plowman, an allegorical poem on
a variety of religious themes written in simple language which could be understood by the laiety
at its time. The poem can the figure of the Dreamer who Langland is sometimes regarded as a
veiled portrait of Langland himself. The identification of William Langland as author rests on a
reference to him in a manuscript of the poem held in the library of Trinity College Dublin.
Langland was probably from the West Midlands and the language of the poem reflects West
Midland usage in the Middle English period. Traditionally three versions – A, B and C – are
assumed and version B is often used as a reference version.

Mallory, Sir Thomas (c. 1405-1471) The author or at least compiler of Le Morte d”Arthur.
Little definitive information is known about him, though he was twice voted into Parliament and
apparently was involved in criminal behaviour during his life, something for which he was
imprisoned a number of times; he is also known to have been explicitly excluded from a number
of pardons by Edward IV. Mallory wrote the Morte at the end of his life. Le Morte d’Arthur is an
account in prose of legendary Celtic King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (based on
previous French romances), a topic which had captured the imagination of many writers then and
since. The work was printed by William Caxton in 1485.

Mandeville, Sir John (mid 14th century) The Travels of Sir John Mandeville was an immensely
popular book of the 14th century which has survived in a couple of hundred manuscripts. The
name ‘Sir John Mandeville’ was probably adopted by a doctor form Liège called Jehan de
Bourgogne who would have written in French. Hence the English version is a translation though
it is not known who prepared it. The travels described in the book are entirely fictitious though
they may be based on genuine travel descriptions by other writers.
Manning, Robert (c. 1298-1338) An English poet who is remembered for his didactic
work Handling Sin, itself an adaptation of a French-language original Manuel des péchés by
William of Wadington.

Norwich, Julian of (c. 1342- c. 1416) An English mystic of the 14th century. A near-death
illness at the age of 30 led to a series of visions which formed the basis for The Sixteen
Revelations of Divine Love or simply The Revelations of Divine Love, a devotional work which
she wrote some 20 years later. The language is that of the East Midlands. Julian (whose name is
of uncertain origin) was the first woman in England to have a book published.

Occam, William of (c.1285-1349) English philosopher and scholasticist. He was original in his
teachings and writings and represented a new turn in medieval philosophy. Occam was an
adherent of nominalism — as opposed to realism, supported by Thomas Aquinas — which
maintained that universals do not exist in nature but only in the mind and in language. The
term Occam's Razor, which states that one should not assume more than is absolutely necessary,
derives from him. Occam denied the use of reason in matters of faith and was a precursor of later
philosophers who separated theology from philosophy.

Orrm An English writer who flourished around 1200 and who wrote a religious work, known
after him as the Orrmulum. This is of interest to linguists as it shows the use of double
consonants to indicate short vowels, a practice which was an innovation at the time.

Trevisa, John of (c. 1350 1402) A writer from Cornwall known for his translation of
the Polychronicon by Ranulf Higden – a history of the world – from the Latin original. He also
translated De Proprietatibus Rerum an encylopedia of science by Bartholomew de Glanville.
Both translations were widely known in the 15th century and were later printed.

Tyndale, William (c.1492-1536) English scholar and clergyman, an early translator of the Bible
into English. Tyndale was born in Gloucestershire and studied in Oxford. He was one of the
early converts to Protestantism, moving from London to Worms, Germany where his translation
of the New Testament was printed (1524-5). While in Antwerp he was betrayed to Catholic
officials and was subsequently put to death. In keeping with his attitudes, his style of translation
was simple and direct and this won his work much popularity.

Wycliffe, John (?-1384) Wycliffe is known as an early reformer in the Catholic church, one of
the pre-Reformation figures who foreshadowed the reforms instigated by Luther in the early 16th
century. Between 1380 and 1384 Wycliffe, together with his followers, was responsible for
producing a translation of the Bible (deriving from the Latin version of St.Jerome). Wycliffe’s
style is close to the original and the version contains a large number of Latin loans.