Society in Norman England during 11th and 12th Centuries

Bc. Věra Kmentová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Tato diplomová práce popisuje podmínky každondenního života obyvatel Anglie v 11. a 12. století. Cílem práce je poukázat na fakta, která nejsou všeobecně známa. Mým úmyslem bylo vyhledat co nejvíce zdrojů zabývajících se touto tematikou a popsat dané období podrobně. Zajímavým aspektem této práce je porovnávání faktů se smyšlenými příběhy. Práce je rozdělena do tří hlavních částí, zabývajících se církevní a světskou společností a sporem mezi Thomasem Becketem a Jindřichem II.

Abstract:

The aim of this thesis is to discuss and reflect the lives of the English people throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. It is divided into three major parts: ecclesiastical society, secular society, and quarrel between Thomas Becket and Henry II - the clash of the Church and the State. In the three major parts I compare and contrast the historically documented conditions of life with some examples based on fiction set into this period. My intention is to discuss especially unfamiliar events and facts that are not usually included in every history book. I have chosen the 11th and 12th centuries because I regard them as the aftermath and an immediate consequence of the Conquest where the Romanesque architecture flourished, whereas the 13th century was the beginning of the Gothic style, a new and fundamentally different era.

Keywords

Norman England, Ecclesiastical Society, Secular Society, Thomas Becket, Henry II, Norman Architecture, 11th Century, 12th Century, the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans, the Church, the State

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 24. 5. 2007

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 13. 6. 2007
• Supervisor: PhDr. Lidia Kyzlinková, CSc.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Philology / English Language and Literature