The Cultural History of England From 1000 to 1250 AD

The Dramatic Artistic Shift

England after the Carolingian empire was different artistically, socially, and socially, partly because of the new systems that were introduced as a result of the previous wars of William the Conqueror (most notably at the Battle of Hastings) and because there was a new tide of creative thought that was sweeping across Europe. In any discussion of Europe between 1000-1250, it is important, especially for modern readers, to recognize that the English language became the preferred mode of speech and writing and one could easily argue that without William the Conqueror, this world-changing shift might not have taken place. 

In this era of great changes, we see the feudal world that would eventually dominate the Middle Ages become predominant and with this new system of class organization, new modes of artistic representation were naturally introduced. The war-like society of this period was most noted for its glorification of war and conquest yet towards the end, near 1250, a new shift was occurring that was going to soften this medieval worldview in favor for a more prominent sense of Christianity (although that by no means excludes war from the picture) as well as subsequent changes in a later period of the Middle Ages that would reflect this shift towards religious representation more so than the period in question demonstrates. In the years between 1000-1250 we see a unification of sorts occurring throughout Europe as regions are brought together after the conquest of William. With a more certain language system and integration of a definite class structure (feudalism) the art and literature of the time reflect this relative stability. This sense of England as a whole state can be see in art, literature, and architecture.