Great Britain in Middle Ages

Great Britain in Middle Ages

After the collapse of the Roman Britain and the regression of economy, the Island and its population was in a very bad state. Now, when the local people could only rely on themselves it was hard for them to be aware of any possible invasion. The most frequent was the immigration of Germanic tribes. These were the people to firstly settle in the abandoned towns Romans had left behind them. But the first bigger groups of people who truly started to build a cultural and artistic background were the Anglo-Saxons.

The Anglo-Saxon society is famous for is literary works, from which the Beowulf is the most famous. Their celebrations of God took place mainly in the network of monasteries and convents. The word of God was easily spread among the believers. Even though it might seem that Anglo-Saxons led a peaceful life, the truth is somewhere else. For decades, the people of England faced countless Viking attacks which resulted in the establishment of Wessex as the most powerful kingdom.

Obviously, no reign lasts forever. And so came the fall of the Anglo-Saxons, which where replaced by Norman and French nobility after William the Conqueror successfully took control over the state’s system. To fully take control over the Island, William had to build number of castles which were his powerhouses. William was the first one to introduce slavery to local citizenship.

Thanks to slavery he could easily use a feudal approach towards the system and the people. These actions-of course- met with disagreement and hatred sometimes escalating into rebellion. On the other side, the previously abandoned towns where, by that time full of people. The reason for this, were not only the opportunities the towns afforded the people. But the growth of population which more than doubled since the Norman invasion.

The only thing that Normans supported from the Anglo-Saxon times were the monasteries, which could be seen almost anywhere. Despite the development of the state, in the end, the multiple civil wars resulted in the loss of Normandy.

The following century started with tragic events. Concretely, with the Great Famine and the Black Death. The rising English population lost around half of its original size in only a few years. These two affairs are said to be the reasons why the prosperous times of Great Britain ended during the middle ages. In addition, the population rebelled against the newly established bastard feudalism. The people doubted the government and their oath to bring peace and prosperity to the land. Because of the poor conditions in the countryside, many people looked for opportunities in towns. Some of them were successful and helped in the invention of new technology or became philosophers or scientists. In fact Britain produced hundreds of highly respected people in that time.

Unfortunately, it was the greed and selfishness of English kings, who laid claim to the French Throne, which eventually led to the Hundred Year’s War. After the war the country was in crisis and was criticized by its people. Soon after this event, a new unrest broke out and again the inner conflicts took place. One of these conflicts was fought between two rival factions in the English Nobility. Lastly, the very end of this conflict marks the end of the Middle Ages in Britain and the start of the Modern Period.