ipl-logo

The Knight's Tale: Social Status And Rank In Medieval England

918 Words4 Pages

In medieval England, social status and rank are very important in everyday life. There are some things a person is obligated to do because of his/her social rank, and some things a person is forbidden to do because of his/her social class. In the movie, the Knight’s Tale there is a very good example of how social classes can not do certain things beyond their class. William Thatcher, for example cannot technically be a knight by birth because he is born into the lower social class. His father had to give him up as a child into an apprenticeship sort of so he could have a better life. His apprenticeship thing was supposed to last 12 years. His father told him when he left to “Follow his feet they’ll take you home.” He meant by this that after his “apprenticeship” he’d have to find his own way home because William asked as his father was leaving how he would get home. His “apprenticeship” was under Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein. During his 12 years as a squire he would be accompanied by two other squires who were also under Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein. Before his years were up Sir Ulrich died. William and the other two squires were desperate for money so they helped William teach himself how to joust so they could make some money off him in the tournaments. After their training …show more content…

He wasn’t technically supposed to be able to participate in jousts because he was royalty, but he didn’t care he did the same thing that William did. He rode under a fake name. When people figured out he was not who he said he was they would forfeit because if they hurt him or made him angry then he could very easily have them executed, put into slavery, prison, etc.. William was the only one who fought him in the jousts. This paid off for William because when he was in the stocks the Black Prince of Wales came to his rescue and repaid him for his courage and kindness and knighted him right

Show More
Related

  • King John Research Paper

    862 Words  | 4 Pages

    For the remaining years of his life he was at war against his barons and France, He died in 1216 and his son, Henry ∣∣∣, ascended the

    Read More

  • Harold Godwinson Dbq

    1370 Words  | 6 Pages

    As a foreign monk wrote in 1066, “...the King was broken with age and knew not what he said. Stretching forth his hand to Harold, Edward said, ‘I commend all the kingdom to your protection’ ” (Source 3). On the other hand, William was promised the throne by Edward in 1051. In 1051, Edward was still healthy and conscious, so William’s claim to the throne was more valid and legitimate than

    Read More

  • Crusades Dbq

    1983 Words  | 8 Pages

    He was called to the Third Crusade along with Philip and Richard the Lionheart under the declaration of Pope Gregory VIII. He was a very talented ruler, known for his temperament and bright red beard. He died in 1190 during the Third Crusade by drowning while crossing a river to help the other kings. His death set back the crusaders for a while, but also gave the Christians a new factor to fuel their fight with the

    Read More

  • Nobility In Beowulf Essay

    632 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the story of Beowulf, the titular warrior develops from a nameless heir into a beloved king through his heroic feats and honorable features. His tale to and from nobility is both unique in its individual steps and normal in its incarnation of cyclical nobility. This theme of nobility is introduced in the opening passage of Beowulf through an analysis of Shield Sheafson's sources of nobility and legacy of power which are demonstrated from an account of his life and a detail of his elaborate funeral. The excerpt’s detail of Shield’s rise to power and lasting impact mirror Beowulf’s humble rise to power and many other instances of nobility including Heremod’s throughout the story, creating its common theme of nobility. Shield is

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Tokugawa Japan And Medieval Europe

    687 Words  | 3 Pages

    Underneath the nobles and barons, there are knights that are trained from the age of 7. In return for service to the nobles and barons, they are given grants of land. The peasants and serfs are on the bottom of the social system, there are peasants who farm the land in return for shelter and protection (history.com). This compares with

    Read More

  • How Did King Henry's Effect On Normandy

    95 Words  | 1 Pages

    Henry I (c. 1068 – 1135) was King of England from 1100 to 1135. After his dad, William the Conqueror, kicked the bucket in 1087, Henry's more seasoned siblings Robert and William Rufus acquired Normandy and England, individually, while Henry was landless. He grabbed the English throne after William Rufus' demise in 1100, and Robert attacked England to claim it. A settlement between the two affirmed Henry as ruler, yet it was brief; Henry attacked Normandy and crushed Robert. Henry's control of Normandy was tested by William Clito, Robert's child, and a disobedience came

    Read More

  • Dbq Summary: The Middle Ages

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    Feudalism was a social system during the dark ages. On the top of the feudalism triangle was the king, just below him are the lords and nobles, below them are the knights that protected the king(dom), at the bottom of the triangle were the peasants. They were the slaves on the fifes (DBQ#2, Doc 1). “For the majority of Europeans, life was hard. Serfs / Peasants were required to work the land.”

    Read More

  • Social Class In The Elizabethan Age

    1038 Words  | 5 Pages

    Social class played a key role in the Elizabethan Age; without social hierarchy society would have fallen apart, the people did not know of anything else other than the role of classes. Each class had different situations of life, some were wealthy and had nice homes while others were poor and living off of the streets. The class rankings were given to each individual by situations such as birth, fame, wealth, and known skills(“Elizabethan Era.”). One could only move up a class by the Queen's approval, obtaining sudden wealth, going into debt, losing your job, and many other specific conditions(“Elizabethan Era - The Lost Colony.”). For instance, marriage between two people from separate classes could alter social class and was often frowned upon.

    Read More

  • Chivalry In The Green Knight And Morte D Arthur

    899 Words  | 4 Pages

    Respect (A Discussion on Chivalry used in The Green Knight and Morte D’Arthur.) Chivalry is code of conduct used by knights, and heroes of the past. “Chivalry, the order of knighthood and, especially, the code of knightly behavior that was a feature of the High and later Middle Ages in western Europe”(Funk). Along with this idea of Chivalry, Feudalism was used in Europe as well. Feudalism is the system of both government and land ownership, where in exchange for a nobleman 's oath of loyalty, a king would grant them land.

    Read More

  • Kiship, Courage, And Honor In The Anglo-Saxon Culture

    845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anglo-Saxon Culture The Anglo-Saxon Culture is based on kinship,courage,and honor. Kinship in the Anglo-Saxon culture was the respect of social standards and the hierarchy and in turn helped the society to run relatively smoothly. Courage to the Anglo saxons was very important because it showed how high your social status should be and how much of a “man” you are and weather you deserve the honor given to you . Honor is arguably one of the most important things to the Anglo-Saxons seeing as if you earned enough honor you could move up in society and accand to positions such as a high ranking soldier or even at times under some conditions the king.

    Read More

  • The Knight And Beowulf Comparison Essay

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stories contain many characters with some that stand out more than the others. A person is considered the protagonist depending on who is telling the story and what story is being told. The protagonist is the main character in a literary work. Whether good or evil, the audience sympathize with the protagonist and understands the motif of the character. Beowulf is a protagonist whose encounters with evil proves him to be a strong heroic warrior.

    Read More

  • Social Classes In The Middle Ages Essay

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Middle Ages, the prevailing system of government was feudalism. Under feudalism, there was the use of a definite social structure. People were born into a social class and usually stayed in that class for the rest of their life. The three social classes were the nobility, clergy, and peasantry and each of these classes had different roles to perform in the society.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Social Status In The Knight's Tale

    696 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through Chaucer we can see that he was educated, but yet part of the lower class because he didn't have any clothes on his back. As a decision to become a knight, William through Chaucer, made him come up with a line of unknown ancestors to be able to participate in the tournament. Even though none of this was true, he was taking risks of becoming a knight and even changed his name to Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein because William wasn't from a royal status. Throughout the places they traveled and the new things they saw , we are able to capture an image of how society was divided and formed through the lower and higher status. The lower status were beggars and lived in rundown places, like his father's house, it was a little house with no furniture or appliances and his little house had a leak in the ceiling.

    Read More

  • John's Loss Of Normandy

    1856 Words  | 8 Pages

    ' (Warren 1997 pg 88). Another event that could be seen to have weakened support for John was the death of his nephew Arthur. The cause of his nephew 's death in 1203 at the age of sixteen is still unknown, but it is sometimes believed that the responsibility for the death lies with John. There is evidence to suggest that Arthur 's death was linked to John, and it is plausible to consider John to be the at least in some way involved with his death.

    Read More

  • The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx And Frederick Engels

    947 Words  | 4 Pages

    Communist Manifesto The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. When it was published in 1848 it had little influence, but later became one of the most read documents in the world. It is within the Manifesto that we can see the ideas that shaped history. These ideas were new and different.

    Read More

More about The Knight's Tale: Social Status And Rank In Medieval England

Open Document