...tten at the end of the fourteenth century.The Canterbury Tales describe a group of pilgrims traveling from London to the tomb of Thomas Becket at Canterbury, a common religious act in England in the Middle Ages. During the journey each character tells a story. Collections of stories ere popular at this time because almost all literature, unlike today, as ritten to be read out about. The stories themselves are not Chaucers on. He used old stories, but rerote them in an interesting and amusing ay. The first chapter, in hich he describes his characters, is the result of Chaucers on deep understanding of human nature. It remains astonishingly fresh even after six hundred years. It is a unique description of a nation young and old, knight and peasant, priest and merchant, good and bad, tonsman and countryman.By the end of the Middle Ages, English as ell as Latin as beeing used in legal riting, and also in elementary schools. Education developed enormously during the fifteenth century, and many schools ere founded by poerfulmen. One of these as illiam ykeham, Bishop of inchester and Lord of England, ho founded inchester School, in 1382, and Ne College, Oxford. Like Henry VIs later foundation at Eton and Cambridge they have rremained famous for their high quality. Many other schools ere also opened at this time, because there as a groing need for educated people ho could administer the government, the Church, the la and trade. Clerks started grammar schools here students could learn the skills of reading and riting. These schools offered their pupils a future in the Church or the civil service, or at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The universities themselves continued to gro as colleges and halls here thre students could both live and be taught ere built. The college system remains the basis of organization in these to universities.The Middle Ages ended ith a major technical development illiam Caxtons firsrt English printing press, set up in 1476. Caxton had learnt the skill of printing in Germany. At first he printed popular books, such as Chaucers Canterbury Tales and Malorys Morte dArthur. This prose ork described the adventures of the legendary King Arthur, including Arthurs last battle, his death, and the deathof other Knights of the Round Table. Almost certanly Malory had in mind the destruction of the English nobility in the ars of the Roses, hich ere taking place as he rote. Caxtons printing as as dramatic fot his age as radio, television and the technological revolution are for our on. Books suddenly became cheaper and more plentiful, as the quicker printing process replaced slo and expensive copyriting by hand. Printing began to standardise spelling and grammar, thought this process as a long one. More important, just as radio brought information and ideas to the illiterate people of the tentieth century, Caxtons press provided books for the nelyeducated people of the fifteenth century, and encouraged literacy. Caxton avoided printing any dangerous literature. But the children and grandchildren of these literate people ere to use printing as a poerful eapon to change the orld in hich they lived.Church and stateJohns reign also marked the end of the long struggle beteen Chrch and state in England. This had begun in 1066 hen the pope claimed that illiam had promised to accept him as his feudal lord. illiam refused to accept this claim. He had created Norman bishops and given them land on condition that they paid homage to him. As a result it as not clear heather the bisops should obey the Church or the king. Those kings and popes ho ished to avoid conflict left the matter alone. But some kings and popes anted to increase their authority. In such circumstances truble could not be avoided. The struggle as for both poer and money. During the eleventh and telfth centuries the Church anted the kings of Europe to accept its authority over both spiritual and earthly affairs, and argued that even kings ere anserable to Gos. Kings, on the other hand, chose as bishops men ho ould be loyal to them.The first serious quarrel as beteen illiam Rufus and Anselm, The man he had made Archbishop of Canterbury. Anselm, ith several other bishops, fearing the king, had escaped from England. After illiams death Anselm refused to do homage to illiams successor, Henry, meanhile, had created several ne bishops but they had no spiritual authority ithout the blessing of the archbishop. This left the king in a dificult position. It took seven years to settle the disagreement. Finally the king agreed that only the Church could create bishops. But in return the Church agreed that bishops ould pay homage to the king for the lands oned by their bisoprics. In practice the ishes of the king in the appointment of bishops remained important. But after Anselms death Henry managed to delay the appointment of a ne arcbishop for five years hile he benefited from the ealth of Canterbury. The struggle beteen Church and state continued.The crisis came hen Henry IIs friend Thomas Beket as appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. Henry hoped that Thomas ould help him bring the Church more under his control. At first Becket refused, and then he gave in. Later he changed his mind again and ran aay to France, And it seemed as if Henry had on. But in 1170 Becket returned to England determined to resist the king. Henry as very angy, and four knights ho heard him speak out ent to Canterbury to murder Becket. They killed him in the holiest place in the cathedral, on the altar steps. All Christian Europe as shocked, and Thomas Becket became a saint of the Church. Forhundreds of years afterards people not only from England but also from Europe travelled to Canterbury to pray at Beckets grave. Henry as forced to ask the popes forgiveness. He also alloed himself to be hipped by monks. The pope used the event to take back some of the Churchs privileges. But Henry II could have lost much more than he did. Luckily for Henry, the nobles ere also involved in the argument, and Henry had the nobles on his side. Usually the church preferred to support the king against the nobles, but expected to be rearded for its support. King Johns mistake forty years later as to upset both Church and nobles at the same time. The beginnings of ParliamentKing John had signed Magna Carta unillingly, and it quickly became clear that he as not going to keep to the agreement. The nobles rebelled and soon pushed Jhon out of the southeast. But civil ar as avoided because John died suddenly in 1216.Henry as finally able to rule himself at the age of tenty-five. It as understandable that he anted to be completely independent of the people ho controlled his life for so long. He spends his time ith foreign friends, and became involved in expensive ars supporting the pope in Sicily and also in France.Henrys heavy spending and his foreign advisers upset the nobles. Once again they acted as a class under the leadership of Simon de Montfort, ear...
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