Anglo-norman period (11th – 13th centuries)

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In the year 1066, in the Battle of Hastings, the Anglo-Saxon king's army was defeated by William, Duke of Normandy, who became King of England. A strong feudal monarchy was established in the country. The ruling classes consisted of the Norman nobility and the clergy. The power of the Catholic Church had become very great. Most of the English people became serfs.

The Normans came from the north-west of France. They brought with them the culture of their country and the French language. Thus, three languages were spoken in England. The language of the nobility was French, the churchmen used Latin, and the common people spoke Anglo-Saxon.

The three social classes of the country had their own literature. Very popular with the Normans were romances — tales in verse praising the bravery and nobleness of knights. They were sung by minstrels to the accompaniment of a lute. Many romances were based on Celtic legends, especially on those about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur was a half-legendary Celtic king who probably lived in the 6th century, had been brought up by magician Merlin who later helped him in all his deeds. He had his seat in the town of Camelot. In his castle there was a Round Table at which one hundred knights could be seated at a time. One seat was always reserved for the bravest knight. King Arthur was married to Guinevere.

Later, in the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote the book Morte d'Arthur (Death of Arthur) based entirely on these and other romances. One of the best known among them is Tristram and Isoud (Tristan and Isolde). Tristram was the son of King Meliodas and Elisabeth, the sister of King Mark of Cornwall. After the death of his parents he was brought up at the court of King Mark. Later the king sent him to Ireland to seek for him the hand of the young princess Isoud of the Golden Hair. Before their departure the Queen of Ireland gave her daughter's maid a love-potion which was to be given to Isoud and King Mark on their wedding-night and was to bind them in eternal love. By mistake the love-potion was drunk by Tristram and Isoud who were then hound in endless passion though Isoud was to marry King Mark. Tristram had to leave his uncle's court and, while fighting in France, he married another woman, Isoud of the White Hands. He was heavily wounded in a battle and, while he lay on his deathbed, he sent for his beloved. It was agreed that if Isoud of the Golden Hair was on the ship when it returned, a white flag would be raised, if not, a black one. The flag was white, but Tristram's wife told him it was black, which hastened Tristram's death. When Isoud of the Golden Hair came to his deathbed she died too.