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The Middle Ages:The Middle Ages:Myth and RealityMyth and Reality
The Middle Ages: The Myth We think of knights in
shining armor, lavish banquets, wandering minstrels, kings & queens, monks, and glorious pageantry.
In film and in literature, medieval life seems heroic, entertaining, and romantic.
The Middle Ages: The Reality In reality, life in the
Middle Ages, a period that extended from approximately the 5th century to the 15th century in Western Europe, was generally harsh, uncertain, and dangerous.
So, What is the Middle Ages? The Middle Ages or Medieval
Period is the middle period of the three divisions of Western history: 1. Antiquity 2. Medieval period 3. Modern period
The beginning of the Middle Ages are marked by the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Because of the decline in academy, culture and economy many refer to this period as “The Dark Ages”
So how can we make sense of the Middle Ages? The Middle Ages is
characterized by unique political, social and economic systems
These systems are:Feudal System-Pol
& Social Manorialism-Econ
The Feudal System Under the feudal
system, the king awarded land grants or fiefs to his most important nobles, barons, and bishops, in return for their contribution of soldiers.
Nobles and Vassals Nobles then divided
their land among the lesser nobility, who became their vassals.
Question: To whom would the nobles divide their lands with and why?
The Peasants
At the lowest level of society were the peasants, also called serfs or villeins.
The lord offered his peasants protection in exchange for living and working on his land.
A Year in the Life of a Medieval Peasant
Key Terms
Feudal system: a political system in Medieval Europe in which land was granted to citizens in exchange for service or labor
Fief: a land grant Vassal: recipient of land grant in exchange for
service Lord: one who grants land i.e. landlord or
overlord
The Manor Most people lived
on a manor, which consisted of the castle (or manor house), the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land.
Self-Sufficiency Each manor was largely self-
sufficient, growing or producing all of the basic items needed for food, clothing, and shelter.
To meet these needs, the manor had buildings devoted to special purposes, such as:The mill for grinding grainThe bake house for making breadThe blacksmith shop for creating
metal goods.
Isolation
These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.
Hard Work & High Taxes Peasants worked hard
to cultivate the land and produce the goods that the lord and his manor needed.
They were heavily taxed and were required to relinquish much of what they harvested.
MEDIEVAL LIFE
Cooperation and Mutual Obligations
KING
LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
Fief and Peasants
Military Aid
Food Protection Shelter
Food Protection Shelter
PEASANTS (SERFS)Pay Rent
Fief and Peasants
Food Protection Shelter
Farm the Land
Homage Military Service
Loyalty
FEUDALISM: POLITICAL & SOCIAL
SYSTEM
Decentralized, local government
Dependent upon the relationship between members of the nobility
Lord and his vassals administered justice and were the highest authority in their land
MANORIALISM: ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Agriculture the basis for wealth
Lands divided up into self-sufficient manors
Peasants (serfs) worked the land and paid rent In exchange for protection
Barter the usual form of exchange
The Catholic Church The Catholic Church was
the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it had its own laws and large income.
Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading roles in government.
The Magna Carta In 1215, the English
barons formed an alliance that forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. It limited the king's powers of taxation and required trials by jury. It was the first time that an English monarch was subject to the law.
Bishops Bishops, who were
often wealthy and came from noble families, ruled over groups of parishes called dioceses.
Many were part of the feudal system and in exchange for a fief and peasants they provided duty and military aid to a lord.
Question:
The Magna Carta restricted the power of the king but who/what restricted the power of the church and members of clergy/nobility?
Women: Household Chores Whether they were
nobles or peasants, women held a difficult position in society.
They were largely confined to household tasks such as cooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving, and spinning.
Hunting & Fighting
However, they also hunted for food and fought in battles, learning to use weapons to defend their homes and castles.
Homes
Most medieval homes were cold, damp, and dark. Sometimes it was warmer and lighter outside the home than within its walls.
Windows For security purposes,
windows, when they were present, were very small openings with wooden shutters that were closed at night or in bad weather. The small size of the windows allowed those inside to see out, but kept outsiders from looking in.
Peasants Homes Many peasant
families ate, slept, and spent time together in very small quarters, rarely more than one or two rooms. The houses had thatched roofs and were easily destroyed.
Medieval Village
Homes of the Wealthy The homes of the rich
were more elaborate than the peasants' homes. Their floors were paved, as opposed to being strewn with rushes and herbs, and sometimes decorated with tiles. Tapestries were hung on the walls, providing not only decoration but also an extra layer of warmth.
Health & Hygiene As the populations of
medieval towns and cities increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to a vast array of health problems.
Medicine Medical knowledge was
limited and, despite the efforts of medical practitioners and public and religious institutions to institute regulations, medieval Europe did not have an adequate health care system.
Antibiotics weren't invented until the 1800s and it was almost impossible to cure diseases without them.
Businessmen They became savvy
businessmen and learned to deal with Italian moneylenders and bankers.
The English, Belgians, Germans, and Dutch took their coal, timber, wood, iron, copper, and lead to the south and came back with luxury items such as wine and olive oil.
Tradesmen With the advent of
trade and commerce, feudal life declined. As the tradesmen became wealthier, they resented having to give their profits to their lords.
Boroughs Arrangements were
made for the townspeople to pay a fixed annual sum to the lord or king and gain independence for their town as a "borough" with the power to govern itself.
The marketplace became the focus of many towns.
Town Governments As the townspeople
became "free" citizens, powerful families, particularly in Italy, struggled to gain control of the communes or boroughs. Town councils were formed.
References Adapted from the Annenberg Media/Learner.org website “The Middle
Ages”http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/
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