The King James Bible remains the most widely published text in the English language. The official language of the medieval Church was Latin - the language of the Roman Empire. In England, since the early 1400s, it was strictly forbidden to translate the Bible into English. Tyndale’s translation of the bible in 1525 had led to his execution. But by Shakespeare's time, England had split with Rome, and the political scenery had changed. Bibles in English were now available, such as Henry VIII's authorised 'Great Bible'. King James I abolished the death penalty attached to English Bible translation, and commissioned a new version that would use the best available translations and sources, and importantly,
be free of biased footnotes and commentaries.
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be free of biased footnotes and commentaries.
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In his 1543 book ‘On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres', Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) caused another revolution, by stating that science, not religion, best explains how the universe works.
Before Copernicus, people believed that the earth was at the centre of the universe, and that the sun and planets revolved around it. But this model couldn't explain the patterns seen in paths through the sky over time. While working in church administration in the 1510s, Copernicus was asked by the Pope to fix calendar inaccuracies caused by this problem.
By 1530, he had a theory that neatly explained the sky's movements, but it depended on the earth and other planets revolving around the sun, and he knew the Church would see this as heresy. Eventually the book was published shortly before he died, but it took until 1616 for the controversy to explode, when Galileo once again challenged the Church.
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Before Copernicus, people believed that the earth was at the centre of the universe, and that the sun and planets revolved around it. But this model couldn't explain the patterns seen in paths through the sky over time. While working in church administration in the 1510s, Copernicus was asked by the Pope to fix calendar inaccuracies caused by this problem.
By 1530, he had a theory that neatly explained the sky's movements, but it depended on the earth and other planets revolving around the sun, and he knew the Church would see this as heresy. Eventually the book was published shortly before he died, but it took until 1616 for the controversy to explode, when Galileo once again challenged the Church.
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This is the musical manuscript for one of the best-known English
medieval songs, 'Sumer is icumen in'
(the Middle English for 'summer is coming in').
The lyrics describe the sounds of a country landscape at the start of summer. Some of these are rather rude:
'The ewe bleats after the lamb
The cow lows after the calf.
The bullock stirs, the stag farts,
Merrily sing, Cuckoo!'
The piece is intended to be sung in a round, requiring four singers to sing the same melody, one after the other,
each starting when the previous singer reaches the red cross on the first line. While this is happening,
two lower voices repeat the words 'sing cuccu'. The effect is fresh and dance-like. Instructions on how to
perform the song are given in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. The composition is from a
volume of mid 13th century manuscripts, which probably originated from Reading Abbey.
This is the earliest known manuscript in which both religious and non-religious
words are written to the same piece of music.
(the Middle English for 'summer is coming in').
The lyrics describe the sounds of a country landscape at the start of summer. Some of these are rather rude:
'The ewe bleats after the lamb
The cow lows after the calf.
The bullock stirs, the stag farts,
Merrily sing, Cuckoo!'
The piece is intended to be sung in a round, requiring four singers to sing the same melody, one after the other,
each starting when the previous singer reaches the red cross on the first line. While this is happening,
two lower voices repeat the words 'sing cuccu'. The effect is fresh and dance-like. Instructions on how to
perform the song are given in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. The composition is from a
volume of mid 13th century manuscripts, which probably originated from Reading Abbey.
This is the earliest known manuscript in which both religious and non-religious
words are written to the same piece of music.
From 1375
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the most famous romances in medieval English literature. It tells of the adventures of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. A mysterious 'Green Knight' pays an unexpected visit to Arthur’s court, offering to allow anyone to strike him with an axe if, after exactly one year, the challenger will take a return blow. Gawain accepts, and beheads the knight in one blow, only to then see him stand up, pick up his head, and remind Gawain to meet him at the appointed time. The story of Gawain's struggle to meet the appointment, and his adventures along the way, demonstrate the spirit of chivalry and loyalty that played a central part in English culture in this period.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the most famous romances in medieval English literature. It tells of the adventures of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. A mysterious 'Green Knight' pays an unexpected visit to Arthur’s court, offering to allow anyone to strike him with an axe if, after exactly one year, the challenger will take a return blow. Gawain accepts, and beheads the knight in one blow, only to then see him stand up, pick up his head, and remind Gawain to meet him at the appointed time. The story of Gawain's struggle to meet the appointment, and his adventures along the way, demonstrate the spirit of chivalry and loyalty that played a central part in English culture in this period.