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mythology:Titans

WHO WERE TITANS?

Titans, also known as elder gods, were giant and powerful monsters. The twelve Titans were a group of Uranus and Gaea's many children. Uranus hated his children and exiled them to Tartarus, inside Gaea. Infuriated Gaea made a diamond sickle and gave it to one of the Titans, Cronus. Cronus found his father and castrated him in his sleep. Uranus's reign ended, Cronus became the ruler.

 The twelve Titans were: Cronus, Asteria, Astraeus, Atlas, Clymene, Coeus, Crius, Dione, Eos, Epimetheus, Eurybia, Eurynome.

• Cronus: He dethroned his father and became the ruler. His wife was Rhea. To ensure his power, Cronus swallowed his children as they were born. This made the unhappy Rhea to trick him into swallowing a rock instead of Zeus. Cronus was dethroned by Zeus and fled to Italy. He brought the Golden Age to Italy.

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• Atlas: He was the son of Iapetus and Clymene. In the war between Titans and gods, he took the side of Titans. After being defeated in the war, Zeus convicted him to stand on the western side of Gaea and hold Uranus, eternally. He was the Titan god of astronomy and navigation.

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Anglo-Norman literature

 Anglo-Norman literature, also known as Norman-French literature, body of writings in the Old French language as used in medieval England, began with the Norman conquest in 1066. The French invasion in 1066 changed Anglo-Saxon culture of England. French became the language of the court, Latin the language of church, and English became the language of peasants. Prior to the Norman Conquest, the Anglo-Saxon language wasn't considered appropriate for the realm of literature. Anything that was thought to be vaguely important or permanent was penned in Latin. Similarly, after the Norman Conquest, the language spoken at the English courts was always a form of French—a dialect called, unsurprisingly, "Anglo-Norman French."For the English aristocracy, Anglo-Norman became an acquired tongue and its use a test of gentility.

• Anglo-Norman aristocrats loved the old Celtic oral tales sung by Breton storytellers. These tales were called Breton "lays."Breton lays were developed by writers like Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes into the form known as "romance." Romance was the main narrative genre for late medieval readers.

A chivalric romance (from the word "roman" meaning a work in the French vernacular tongue) focuses on knightly adventures (including ethical and spiritual quests), knightly love for and courtesy toward ladies, and the display of martial prowess against powerful, sometimes supernatural foes.

The most famous example of knightly chivalry was the legendary court of King Arthur. Romances, in which a knight must prove his worthiness through bravery and noble deeds, can reflect the social aspirations of members of the lower nobility to rise socially.

Norman kings: 1066- 1154

Norman kings during whose reign we witness influencial events are listed below:

William, the Conquerer (1066-1087) :His father was Robert, the Devil, the Duke of Normandy. William was called by his enemies William, the Bastard cause his parents never married. When he was 7 years old, William lost his father and soon became the Duke of Normandy. He married to his cousin, Matilda of Flanders and the granddaughter of king of France. They had 9 children.

After conquering England in 1066, William replaced Saxon Earls with Norman Barons so that he could rule over both England and part of France. In 1085 a survey was done and recorded in book named " Domesday Book" so William knew exactly what his new kingdom contained.

He also changed the English social system to Feudal System which  means that everything (land, animals, buildings, etc) belongs to the king and others can rent them from king in return of military support. According to this system, the society is like a pyramid at the top of which stands the king, then Barons, knights, and finally peasants and local farmers. In this new system, the defeated Saxons were pushed to the lowest levels.

William died in 1087, and his son William Rufus (the red) came to the throne (1087-1100). He was called red because of his red hair and complexion. William II mysteriouly died out hunting in New Forest. He was very unpopular and many believe that he had been murdered. Rufus had no wife and no children so his brother Henry became the king. He ruled from 1100 to 1135. After Henry I, the Council offered the throne to Stephen, the grandson of the Conquerer. This led England to a civil war cause Henry I wanted his daughter, Matilda, to become the ruler, but the Council considered a woman unfit for ruling the country, so the country divided into two groups: advocates of Stephen and advocates of Matilda.

Stephen started his reign in 1135, and after one year the civil war began. In 1139, Matilda landed in England. In 1141, Stephen was briefly taken prisoner and Matilda declared the "Lady of English" until she was defeated at the battle of Farringdon in 1145. Finally, she agreed to end the war on this condition that his son Henry becomes the next king of England. 

History :Norman

Previously, we saw that Normans conquered England under William. Before discussing Norman effects on English, it's good to know a little about their origin.

Normans or Norsemen were Germanic people of Denmark and Scandinavia. Normans, also Vikings, were great warriors and sea-farers. During the 9th and 10th centuries, they attacked European countries, like England. Normans were militarily three centuries ahead of England through the massive use of horses ( cavalry ) and archers against England's infantry with old-fashioned swords, axes, and spears. In A.D. 911, king of France, Charles, the Simple, asked this barbarian tribe to settle in the north of France under French rule. After that, this territory was called Normandy and its settlers as Normans. They adopted French culture, became Christians, and could achieve a high degree of civilisation. Normans had a tendency for building castles which were built by French stone masons. They, also, had a love of hunting that left some gorgeous forestry blocks and caused construction of hundreds of hunting lodges around the country.

 

Norman castles