(toc) #title= (Table of Content)
Middle English Period: The Norman Conquest (1066-1200).
You may want to know who the Normans were. The Normans were made up of the Danes and other settlers from Northern Europe that occupied Normandy in the 9th and 10th centuries. Normandy was a district on the Northern coast of France. The civilization of Normandy was essentially French, and the Normans were among the most progressive and advanced of the people of Europe at this time.
Before the conquest, England and Normandy had enjoyed a fair long-standing relationship. For instance, one of the English kings (Ethelred) married a Norman wife, and when he was driven to exile by the Danes, he took refuge with his brother-in-law, the duke of Normandy. His son Edward, then brought up in France, was more of French than English. In 1042, the Danish government declined in England, and Edward, known as the confessor, was restored to the throne from which the Danes had earlier expelled his father. He came back with his Norman friends, enriched them, and gave them important positions in his government, thus a strong French atmosphere reigned in the English court during the 24 years of Edward’s government. Edward died in 1066 without a son to succeed him. William the Duke of Normandy was a second cousin of the late King Edward and had nursed the ambition of succeeding the king. His relationship with Edward, however, didn’t give him any right to the English throne. So he decided to take the throne by force. This he did, and at the battle of Hastings, his forces killed the reigning king Harold and defeated his army. William was eventually crowned king of England on the 25th December 1066. With the possession of the English crown, William introduced new nobility. Most of the English higher class died in the war at Hastings and those that escaped were treated as traitors. By 1072, the Old English nobility was practically wiped out, and their places were filled with Norman followers of the king. What the Norman settlement in England meant to language was that French, which was the language of the Normans, was introduced as a second official language in England. And it functioned particularly as the language of the upper class. Unlike the Anglo-Saxons language that came to replace the existing Celtic language, French was adopted to be used side by side with English but the two languages were to perform different roles.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1
1. Describe how the French language came into England.
2. Explain the effect of the elimination of the English nobility to the English language.
3.2 The Ascendancy of French
Following William of Normandy’s ascension of the English throne, French strictly became the language of government. French-speaking officials of government were appointed, who in turn brought their own personal staff. French-speaking bishops and clergymen were also appointed, and for almost 20 years of the invasion of England, almost all the religious houses were under French-speaking superiors. Large numbers of French merchants and craftsmen flooded England to take advantage of the commercial opportunities provided by the new regime. The French nobles and aristocrats in England retained their links with Normandy where their estates and investments were. For about 200 years after the Norman Conquest, French remained the language of communication among the upper and ruling class in England. Initially only those who spoke French were of Norman descent, but soon through intermarriages and association with the ruling class, many English-speaking people found it a social advantage to learn French, and before long the distinction between those that spoke French and those that spoke English was no more ethnic but social. To be more socially recognized, one had to learn to speak French. Bilingualism flourished; English people needing to cross some social hurdles and gain some advantage from the aristocracy learned French. Some junior staff of government who needed to improve their daily communication contact with the local communities, however, learned English. The language of the masses remained English. It was the language of the inferior class.
Some of the factors that favored the continual use of French by the English upper class were the close link between England and Europe, especially Normandy. From the time of the conquest, the kings of England were also dukes of Normandy. William himself was more attached to his dukedom and spent more of his time in Normandy than in England. The English nobility were also more of French aristocracy. Their business interests and possessions were in the continent especially France and many of them spent most of their time there. They frequently contracted marriage there also. You can see that the Normans maintained a strict French culture and civilization in England and this raised the status of French above all other languages.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2
1. Give at least three (3) reasons why the French language became the superior language during the early years of the Norman occupation of England.
2. Explain the status of English in the England of this period.
3.3 The Fusion of French and English
We have already noted that the French language exerted a lot of influences on the English people’s life, socially, politically and religiously. Most of the abbots (clergymen) and monks were Normans. For example, the Archbishops of Canterbury and of York were Normans and spoke French. English kings were equally dukes of Normandy. William even considered Normandy more important that he left it to his eldest son while England was for his second son. All English kings until Edward IV (1461-1483) made it a tradition to marry French wives. The English nobility were equally French conscious, marrying French wives and engaging in French wars and campaigns. Most literary works in England at that time were all written in the language and were encouraged by members of the upper class.
However, English survived in some monasteries and among churchmen, the ability to speak English was fairly common. And interestingly, some notable bishops of Norman descent spoke French, English and Latin.
So we can conclude that the ascendancy of French did not eliminate English completely. Both languages were used by the upper class and nobility. But French was the language of social civilization and refinement. English held a subordinate position and remained the language of the low class.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3
Summarize the roles of French and English during the reign of William the Conqueror.
3.4 Re-Establishment of English
Changing social and political conditions in Europe and England after 1200 gave rise to re-establishment of English language in the English public service. As a result of these changes, English became more widely used among the upper classes. The English and Normans had so lived together, doing things together and intermarrying, that the two nations became so mixed up that it became difficult to tell who was English or who was French. And by the end of the 12th century, it was noticed that some children of the nobility spoke English as their mother tongue and were taught French at school. French continued to be used in government and in courts. Now what happened that raised the status of English? From 1204 a different political and economic climate emerged. King John of England lost his control of Normandy, because of a conflict he had with King Philip of France. Consequently, the English nobility lost their estates in France and enmity grew between England and France. This led to about a hundred-year war (1337-1453). The popularity of French began to decline as the spirit of English nationalism grew. In 1362, English was used for the first time at the opening of parliament. By about 1425, English became more popular in England and was used in speaking and writing. Remember that when Normandy was lost, many English noblemen lost their estates and were forced to look up to England as their primary concern. This helped the English language.
English survived more because the language in the 11th century was well established, unlike the Celtic and had considerable written literature and a strong tradition. Don’t forget that this was what the Celtic language did not have; that was why it could not survive the Anglo-Saxon invasion about 500 years before. The good relation of English and French lasted for about 150 years and during this period, it was speculated that the number of Normans in England were about two percent of the population. French was mainly the language of government, law, administration, literature, and the church. Latin was also used in education, administration, and worship. By the 13th century, the position of English became clearer when it was evident that a number of sermons, prayers, poems, and songs were written in the English language. Finally, in the 14th century, major achievements in Middle English literature began to emerge, with the works of Geoffrey Chaucer.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 4
1. Do you think that the loss of Normandy by King John of England helped the re-establishment of English in any way?
2. Identify some factors that aided the revival of English.
4.0 CONCLUSION
You can see that a number of factors gave rise to both the decline as well as survival of English in the 11th and 12th centuries. The most important factor was the enthronement of French as the language of the ruling and the upper class in England when the Normans invaded England in 1066. Secondly, French became the language of the high class, of status and pride. In fact, one of the Norman kings said it was a disgrace to be called an Englishman. However, in the 12th and 13th centuries, some socio-economic and political factors helped the English language again to rise.
5.0 SUMMARY
The Norman conquest of 1066 under William the Conqueror introduced French as the second official language of England. Because French became the language of public administration, law, and literature, its status grew. It became the language of the nobility and was associated with status. A speaker of French belonged to the high class while a speaker of English belonged to the low class. However, English remained the language of the masses and up to two-thirds of the population used English in speaking and writing.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, economic and political situations changed. England and France became enemies and were engaged in wars for about a hundred years. At the end, the influence of French declined and English once more rose to prominence, owing more to its long-established literature and oral tradition. When Normandy was lost to the control of England, in 1204, the English nobility lost their possessions and estates in France and were forced to concentrate their interest in England. This again gave room to popularize the English language. Between the 13th and 14th centuries, English had again revived as the language of government, law, literature, commerce, and religion.
Leave a comment behind