The History of English Literature is an account of a
great body of literature which is to be regarded as the production of the
genius of the English people. The periods of English Literature has been marked
from the Anglo Saxon period (500-1340) to the Present Age (1930-1955). This
content concentrates on the social background of the periods of 14th, 15th and 16th century.
14th Century (1301-1400)
The Age of Transition
The period of 14th
Century was also called as the “Age of Transition”. It was a reflection of all
the people in the society. The society during the 14th century was
also known as the medieval society. It consisted of three groups such as The
Knights, The Church, and The Laity. Politically, England was under the Divine
Right Theory and the society was divided into nobles and labourers. The period
was witnessed by three kings, Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV.
Economically, England exhausted its wealth on the French wars. Socially,
England was struck with a severe epidemic, Black Death. Religiously, the church
and the clergy men became the corrupted sectors of England during this century.
Literature was also revolutionized during this period.
Importance of War and Chivalry
War:
War implied violence and
consequent suffering in the medieval society. Medieval men accepted war as an
inevitable condition of life. Crusades were also carried out in large numbers
during the beginning of the 14th century.
Chivalry:
Chivalry is the system of
values that knights in the middle ages were expected to follow. It is a means
by which the aggressive instincts of young men were controlled and canalised in
the 14th century. The ideas of chivalry involved courage and
loyalty. It played a larger role in medieval life and it was closely connected
with Christianity.
The Role of Knights
Knights
came from a noble position. They became the living embodiment of chivalry. They
wanted to gain honour. They possessed the ideas of chivalry and fairness.
Training in military arts was an essential part of a boy’s education if he
belonged to the class of knights. The knights wore an armour on their shoulder
which made them to look like the Christ who carried the cross. The image of the
Knight with the shining armour became the romantic appeal for the people who
lived during the period of 14th Century.
Revolutionized Language
Latin
and English were the most dominant languages in 14th century. Latin
was considered to be the language of learned men. French replaced English in
ordinary literary composition. Many writers such as Chaucer, Langland and
Wycliffe wrote their works in English which inturn became an inspiration to the
other writers. On the whole, English gained momentum during the 14th
century.
Important Occupations
There were many occupations that prevailed during the
period of 14th Century The people positioned themselves as Knights, Squires, Yeomen, Landlords, Friar, Peasants,
Wool Traders, Leather Merchants, Wine Merchants, Astronomers, Diplomats, Baker,
Barber, Blacksmith, Boatman, Broker, Butcher, Carpenter, Gardener, Glasier,
Goldsmith, Haberdasher, Jeweler, and
Horse monger.
Rulers
Edward I (1300-1307)
Edward I ruled at the
beginning of the 14th century. He ruled only for the first seven
years of the 14th century. He carried out many crusades. Crusades
helped in maintaining sea trade which inturn added profit to the economy of
Europe.
Edward II (1307-1327)
Edward
II ruled England for fifteen years. He was removed from the throne in 1327
since he gave importance to his favourites which inturn led him to face many political
problems. He did not have a good authority over the society.
Edward III (1327-1377)
Edward III was also known
as Edward of Windsor. His 50 years rule was the longest rule in medieval
period. He was noted for his military success. During his reign, the Hundred
Years war was fought. Edward III and his parliament put forth the Ordinance of
Labourers and the Statue of Labourers to stop the rise in wages that was caused
by the Black Death. The Statue of Labourers was is best known legislation. His
parliament composed House of Lords and House of Commons. It was during Edward
III’s reign were the commons gained political influence. He also imposed Statue
of Pleading which made English to be used in law court and his parliament was
opened in English for the first time. Thus, the English language experienced a
strong revival during Edward III’s reign.
Richard II (1377-1399)
Richard
II was also known as Richard of Bordeaux. He was the grandson of Edward III. During
his reign, the peasant’s revolt began. Richard II played a vital role in
solving this crisis. He also brought an end to Hundred Years War. He gave
importance to art and culture. As Richard II was dependent on some of his
courtiers, the government was taken over by a group of aristocrats who were
known as Lord Appellant. Richard II was later defeated by Henry IV who came
back to claim for his rights in England.
Henry IV (1399-1413)
Henry
IV was also known as Henry Bolingbroke. Henry IV involved himself in the revolt
of the Lord Appellant against Richard II in 1388. He faced many rebellions
during his reign. He had good foreign relationships.
Major Events
The Hundred Years War (1336-1431)
The first major political
event of the 14th century is “The Hundred Years War”. It took place
from 1336 to 1431.This war existed about 116 years. It took place between
France and England. It is a series of short conflicts that resulted from
disputes between the ruling families of the French Capetians and English
Plantagenets. These battles were largely fought by Yeomen. This war also
generated the feeling of patriotism and nationalism.
The Black Death (1346-1353)
The
second major social event that took place in 14th century is “The
Black Death”. People were not much bothered about sanitation and cleanliness.
This lead to the outbreak of many diseases such as leprosy. It is the outbreak
of Burbonic plague. It broke out in England around 1348.The severest attack of
tis plague came in the year 1377. It was called as the Black Death. Within twenty years, it killed one third of
Europe’s population. It made the value of money to get declined. The government
also underwent a economic crisis which inturn made the king to impose
disorganized prices.
The Peasant’s Revolt (1377-1381)
The third major social
event that took place in the 14th century is “The Peasant’s Revolt”.
It was also known as the Labour’s Unrest. It took place from 1377 to 1381.This
revolt was lead by Watt Taylor, Jack Straw, and John Bull. Due to the Hundred
Years War, England wasted all its wealth and therefore it underwent a severe
economic depression. Edward II was victorious but his imposition of heavy taxes
aggravated the peasants. There was heavy internal taxation to recover from this
situation. The victims who suffered from
heavy taxation due to this war were the poor peasants and the hardworking
classes. So, the peasants of England revolted in 1381 because of the poll taxes
that was imposed in the years 1377, 1379, and 1380 respectively. 20,000
peasants from Kent and Essex killed the Archbishop of Canterbury thinking that
he was the one who had imposed unfair taxes on them. This event brought havoc
in England. After this event, the medieval society was divided into two classes
such as the rich aristocrats and the hardworking labourers.
The Lollard’s Movement
The
fourth major religious event of the 14th century is “The Lollard’s
Movement”. Religion played an important role in the 14th century
England. The medieval church was the most corrupted sector in the medieval
society. Corruption prevailed in the churches. Clergymen were leading a
meaningless life. They amassed wealth in the name of doing welfare for the
people in the society. There were also many religious disputes occurring in the
society. John Wycliffe was the founder of the Lollard’s Movement. This movement
marked the beginning of transformation. It was also the first step towards the
Reformation in England.
15th Century (1401-1500)
The Early Renaissance Period
The fifteenth-century spanned parts of the Late
Middle Ages. It was also known as the Early Renaissance period or the Early Modern
period. This century experienced the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the end
of the Hundred Years’ War. By the end of the century, the America was
rediscovered by Christopher Columbus and the printing revolution had begun with
the mass production of books. It was one of the most revolutionary centuries in
history, particularly for the changing political structure of Europe.
Rulers
The great rulers of 15th
Century England were Henry IV (1400-1413), Henry V(1413-1422), Henry
VI,(1422-1461)(1470-1471),Edward IV(1461-1470)(1471-1483), Edward V(1483),
Richard III (1483-1485) and Henry VII (1485-1500).
Major Events
The
Battle of Grunwald (1410)
The Battle of Grunwald is considered to be one of
the largest battles in medieval Europe. The Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy
of Lithuania fought against the Teutonic Order. Following a joint invasion into
Prussia, the armies met in the plains near Grunwald and a fierce battle broke
out. Many leaders of the Teutonic forces were killed or captured and they were
never able to recover the power because many of the knights losed their lives
in the battle. This battle remains as one of the most important events in
Polish and Lithuanian history.
The
Glyndwr Rising (1400-1415)
The Glyndwr Rising was
the last war of Welsh independence against the Kingdom of England. It was led
by Owain Glyndwr. After the removal of Richard IV, the Anglo Welsh raise to
throne in England and Glyndwr was proclaimed as the Prince of Wales by his
followers. For fifteen years war was waged between Henry IV’s forces against
Glyndwr, until the death of the English King, Henry V. Many families were ruined
during this war.
The
Trial of Joan of Arc (1431)
Joan of Arc was the
French heroine of the Hundred Years War.She supported Charles III.A group of
English allied French nobles captured her and she was put on trial by a church
court who found her guilty of heresy. She agreed to an abjuration, though four
days later returned to wearing soldiers’ clothes and claimed the voices had
returned. This gave the court justification to execute her on the basis of
relapse. Later, she was burned alive after two days.
Invention
of the Printing Press (1440)
Goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg
invented the first printing press around 1440.He marked the beginning of the
Printing Revolution. This lead to the creation of books and newspapers in large
number. By the end of the century, hundreds of cities were involved in the
revolution. One of the earliest books printed by the printing press is known as
the Gutenberg Bible. It had a great influence on the future versions of the
Bible.
The Fall of Constantinople (1453)
The Fall of
Constantinople marked the end of the Medieval period, resulting in the fall of
the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Empire. The 53-day siege of the Byzantine
capital was led by Sultan Mehmed II. It is thought that the migration of
Byzantine scholars contributed to the development of the Renaissance,
particularly in humanism and science.
The War of the Roses (1455-1487)
During
the 15th century, a series of civil wars broke out over the throne
of England. It was fought between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.
While Edward IV who belonged to the House of York, claimed the throne in 1450, many
battles broke out over the years. The throne was reclaimed by Henry VI for a
year before Edward IV retook the throne until his death. His son, Edward V, was
made as the king but the throne was stolen by his uncle and Lord Protector,
Richard III. This resulted in many supporters abandoning the House of York for
their rivals. Later, Henry Tudor ascended the throne following the death of
Richard III. This event marked the beginning of the reign of Tudor dynasty.
Discovery of America (1492-1493)
Christopher
Columbus took three ships to find a shorter route to the Indies in 1492 but
instead found the Americas. Columbus spent some time exploring land in the area
and before leaving to England, Columbus founded a settlement and came into
conflict with the Ciguayos people of the modern Dominican Republic. He returned
thrice to America to conquer the land.
All the events that took place in the 15th
century acted as the foreground of the Renaissance Movement that took place in
the later 16th century.
16th Century (1501-1600)
The Age of Renaissance and
Reformation
The
England faced the period of Renaissance and Reformation in the period of 16th
Century. Christianity was the main source of knowledge during the medieval
period. All the literature that was not absorbed in the larger framework of
Christianity was discarded during that period. People in the earlier centuries
believed that man had many falls because of his sins and he would be helpless
without the source of divine (God). This ideology was not acceptable in the
period following the medieval ages because the Renaissance took shape from 14th
century onwards and flourished enormously in the 16th century. The
people of 16th century served as architects, artists, actors,
judges, land owners, publishers, printers, writers, merchants, theatre
managers, physicians, and lawyers.
Entertainment and Religion played a significant role in this century.
Rulers
Henry VII (1500-1509)
The
England experienced the Tudors rule in the 16th century. Henry VII
was also known as Henry Tudor or Earl of Richmond. He was the founder of the
Tudor Dynasty. He succeeded in ending the war of the roses between the houses
of Lancaster and York. Henry VII’s reign displayed both splendour and power. He wanted his
parliament to avoid the instances of war inorder to promote efficiency in
administration by increasing the revenue. Henry tried to encourage exports, protect
home industries, help English shipping by the time-honoured method of a
navigation act to ensure that English goods were carried in English ships which
inturn led to the discovery of new markets in England.
Henry VIII (1509-1547)
Henry
VIII was known as the most famous kings of England who belonged to the 16th
Century. He split England from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. He
married six times. Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn, the sister
of one of his mistresses, and tried to persuade the Pope to grant him an
annulment of his marriage on the grounds that it had never been legal. But, the
Pope did not give him a divorce and so Henry VIII resulted in imposing a series
of Acts that diminished papal power and its influence in England which finally
brought in the English Reformation. His ideas of reformation had produced
dangerous Protestant-Roman Catholic differences in the kingdom. He removed The
Pope from his position as head of the Church. The wealth of the monasteries was
fully spent on war. It also built up the economic strength of the aristocrats
and other families in the counties which in turn paved a way to encourage the ambitious
factions of the Tudor court.
Edward VI (1547-1553)
Edward
VI was the son of Henry VIII. He was very intelligent but he was not physically
strong. He was positioned to throne at the age of nine. Edward Sermour, the
Duke of Somerset, acted as his Protector. He was dominated by the nobles. During
his reign, the church of England became entirely protestant. The aspects of
Roman Catholic practices became extinct and clergy men were allowed to marry.
The Book of Common Prayer was also introduced in England during his period of
reign. Most of the major changes to the Church of England happened during
Edward VI’s reign.
Lady Jane Grey (1553)
Jane
was the first cousin of Edward VI. She was a strong protestant and this was
the reason for her to possess the throne because many supported Reformation. Jane married
Lord Guildford Dudley, a younger son of Edward's chief minister John
Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. When the 15-year-old King Edward VI lay
dying due to tuberculosis, he nominated Jane as successor to the Crown in his
will, thus subverting the claims of his half-
sisters Mary and Elizabeth. She was also known as the nine days queen. Later, Jane
was executed by Mary I on the account of high treason.
Mary I (1553-1558)
Mary
I was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII. She was also known as Mary Tudor. She was
remembered for making England as a Roman Catholic country again. She was called
as Bloody Mary by her protestant counterparts. She imprisoned many Protestant
churchmen. She also maintained good foreign policies with France.
Elizabeth I (1558-1600)
Elizabeth
I was also called as the Virgin Queen. She was the last monarch of the Tudor
dynasty who ruled for 44 years. England was emerging as a strong nation in
Elizabeth I’s reign. The initial years of Elizabeth’s rule raised the hopes of
prosperity. However, as soon as the years moved in the direction of a steadied
economic path, England faced a crisis with its nationalist’s structure. The
Elizabethan age was called as the Golden Age of English History. Her reign was
marked with peace, national unity and affluence. It was an era of increased
tolerance and relative peace until the war with Spain and the defeat of Spanish
Armanda in 1588.
Major Events
The Renaissance
Renaissance
began in Italy around the mid-14th century slowly moving outward
over all of Europe and reaching England around the 16th century. The
Renaissance had its most important effect on painting, sculpture, architecture,
and literature though it derived from the sciences, medicine, philosophy and
geography. It gave a new life to literature and arts. This movement modified the
European thought. It gave importance to rational thought and cultivation of
oneself. Education was given much importance during the 16th
century. The major difference was that the human beings became secular people
and actively participated in one’s self to continuously modify it on the
strength of his/ her labour and decision-making. In the 16th
century, the modern man gave importance to his own self.
Some of the central features of the Renaissance
are:
The Reformation
The
Reformation movement caused upheaval in Europe in the early 16th
century. It was started against the Roman Catholic Church by Martin Luther. The
advocates of Reformation believed in an individual’s inner experience of God
and the associated spiritual struggle and salvation. These were the ideas of
early Protestanism. Faith was based on the word of Bible and could be
intepreted by any individual in his/ her own way. In England, during the reign
of Henry VIII, the nature of the church changed. Henry VIII broke ties with the
Roman Catholic Church. He declared the Church of England or the Anglican Church
as the supreme religious authority with the king as its head. With Reformation,
the new ideas of individual vs God were put forward leading to exploratory,
skeptical, faith centered and idealistic writings.
The Quest for Knowledge
Scholars
of this period began to think extensively about human nature. They wanted to
learn more about the human mind and body. Thinkers developed theories in
philosophy, psychology, and medicine in order to define the human. A great love
for the artistic works were seen as the highest expression of culture and
civilization.
The Rise of Civility
Civility,
courtesy and manners were key words in Renaissance culture. All over England,
people were writing courtesy books which told people how to behave. Civility
was supposed to be the mark of the cultured woman who begins to be called a
gentleman.
The New World
More
commercial transactions across the seas began. Travellers sent back reports of
the new sights they saw and the new people they met. The Europe’s idea of the
world changed drastically because it came in contact with other cultures that
lead to new ways of thinking.
The New Science
Many
scientific theories were formulated by famous scientists. Eg: Astronomical
images filled John Donne’s poetry; Francis Bacon encouraged experiments in
science. Thus, the Renaissance slowly
rejected religious and superstitious beliefs in favour of actual scientific
experiments and logical/ rational thinking.
Act of Supremacy (1534)
In
1534, the Parliament of England passed the Act of Supremacy which defined the
right of Henry VIII to be the supreme head of the Church of England after the
defeat of the papal power.
Dissolution of Monasteries (1539)
Dissolution of
monasteries is a set of administrative and legal process carried out by Henry VIII. It is also known as Suppression
of Monasteries. Henry VIII did not give importance to monasteries and convents
of England.
Wyatt’s Rebellion (1554)
Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger led the Wyatt
Rebellion. He lead a group of several thousand Kent rebels in a march on London
with the primary aim of preventing Mary I of England from
marrying Prince Philip of Spain. They also wanted to appoint Elizabeth as the
Queen of England. The rebels were also motivated by the fall in living
standards in England caused by inflation, food shortages, the decline in trade and
several deadly epidemics. But the rebellion failed due to lack of support. The
leaders of the rebellion were executed and Elizabeth was sent to Tower of
London. Mary started to persecute Protestant heretics which became the reason
for her to be called as Bloody Mary by everyone.
The London Plague (1563)
The
London city was overcrowded and untidy in 1563.London experienced the dangerous
plague in 1563. It was also known as the Great Plague of London. It was caused
due to poor sanitation facilities in London. It swept away 24% of the London’s
population over a year.
Construction of The Theatre (1576)
The
Theatre was the first public playhouse of London. It was designed and built by
James Burbage. It was opened in 1576. It was a circular building with three
galleries surrounding a yard. It was also roofless. Many companies such as the
Lord Admiral’s Men and Lord Chamberlain’s Men that were associated with William
Shakespeare performed in this theatre. Entertainment was given much importance
during the Elizabethan Age.
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588)
The
Spanish Armada was also called as Invincible Armada. It was a great fleet sent
by King Philip II of Spain in 1588 to invade England. The defeat of the Spanish
Armada saved England from invasion. It
also prevented the Dutch Republican from the urge of extinction. Politically, the
action of Spanish Armada had a great historical significance as the first major
naval gun battle under sail. The gun-armed sailing warship dominated the seas
for more than two years.
The East India Company (1600)
The East
India Company was mainly formed to exploit the trade with East, Southeast Asia
and India. It was also known as the English East India Company. It was
incorporated by Royal Charter in 1600. The company acted as an agent of British
Imperialism over the eastern countries.
Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spencer, Thomas Wyatt and Sir Philip Sidney had influenced the society in their works. Religion, Occupation, and The Royal People played a significant role in their specified works. They wanted to represent or satirize the reality of the society in which they lived through their works. All the political, social, religious and cultural events that took place from 14th century to 16th century raised the level of thinking of many poets and writers such as Chaucer, Spencer, Wyatt and Sidney.
