Middle Ages Packet - Mr. Harris



Middle Ages Packet

Feudalism:

For safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master. Most people lived on a manor, which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land. These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.

In this "feudal" system, the king awarded land grants or "fiefs" to his most important nobles, his barons, and his bishops, in return for their contribution of soldiers for the king's armies. At the lowest echelon of society were the peasants, also called "serfs" or "villeins." In exchange for living and working on his land, known as the "demesne," the lord offered his peasants protection.

Daily Life:

Peasants worked long hours every day, rain or shine, to ensure that their families had enough to eat. Most peasants were farmers, although a few were millers, blacksmiths, and tavern owners. Peasant farmers were the backbone of medieval society. They worked land leased to them by wealthier land holders in the nobility. The farmers produced all of the food, and paid most of the taxes. Their lives weren't all hard work though. They had feasts on holidays, and celebrated births and marriages. They rested each Sabbath day and attended church.

Where They Lived

Peasants lived in small towns or nearby farms on a lord's manor. The average peasant lived in a two room cottage that was constructed of mud plastered branches and straw or of stone and wood with a roof of thatch. The rooms had dirt floors and a few furnishings such as stools, a table, and maybe a chest to hold clothes in the common room. In the other room, sacks of straw served as beds for the entire family. A wealthy peasant might own a bed stand and a few iron pots. In the winter, the common room was shared with the livestock, who helped provide warmth. An open kitchen hearth was also located in the common room. Windows were small slits and didn't have glass in them.

Children and Schooling

Birth and infancy were the most dangerous stages of life for people in the Middle Ages. Records from the time period suggest that approximately 20% of women died during childbirth and 5% of infants died during delivery with another 10-12% dying in their first month. Healthy children were regarded as a gift from God. Most families wanted sons, who would one day carry on the family name, as opposed to daughters, who would require a large dowry when they married.

Marriage and Divorce

Marriages of all classes of people were arranged by the parents of the couple. Marriages were contracted to join two families together, and no family would leave such important matters to be decided on the emotions of the people involved. Peasant girls could marry as young as 12 and boys as young as 14. Most of the time though, girls married around 17 or 18 and boys in their late 20's or 30's. The groom was almost always much older than his bride. The prospective bride and groom would probably have already met and known each other for some time as peasants tended to live in or close to the same village their whole lives.

Once the wedding was over, married life began. It was undoubtedly awkward for both the husband and the wife for a time until they got to know each other better. Mutual friendship and respect eventually developed among most married people and sometimes the partners also grew to love each other.

The man was the head of the household in the Middle Ages and the wife was legally his property. A man was allowed and even expected to beat his wife, as long as she lived through the experience. Husbands had complete control over all of their wife's belongings and any other property that was owned by the family. The husband had the final say in all matters. However, many husbands asked for and heeded the advice of their wives.

Husbands were allowed to divorce their wives for many reasons, the most popular being adultery. Wives, on the other hand, could not divorce their husbands.

What They Ate

Peasants had a fairly unchanging diet of baked bread, porridge, stew, seasonal vegetables, and some meat. If a peasant lived near a stream or ocean, he may have caught fish to supplement his diet. Otherwise, he ate what he could grow. Peasants mainly grew crops of corn, beans, and wheat. Each family also had a vegetable garden near their home that provided lettuce, tomatoes, peas, beans, radishes, carrots, and other vegetables. Some peasants may have had fruit trees as well. Peasants also harvested acorns and other nuts and berries from the nearby forest. Peasant women made butter and cheese from the milk of cows as well. In the fall, they slaughtered most of the animals for their meat. If it was too rainy or too dry for a good crop to grow, peasant families had a very good chance of starving to death.

Guilds

As more and more people became craftsmen, people of the same craft began to band together. They found that together they could do more than any one of them alone could do, so they banded together and began an organization called a guild. Each line of business had its own guild, butchers, bakers, dyers, shoemakers, masons, tanners, and many others. The purpose of the guild was to make sure its members produced high quality goods and were treated fairly. These guilds became very powerful in towns toward the end of the Middle Ages. They began to pass many laws that controlled competition among merchants, fixed prices and wages, and limited the hours during which merchandise could be sold. If a stranger came into a town, he could not sell his goods unless he paid a toll and obeyed the guilds rules. The guild also took care of the widow and children of a merchant who died and punished members who used false weights or poor materials.

Guilds also ensured that new crafters were properly trained. A boy began his career as an apprentice. His parents sent him to a master in the craft he was to learn. For a period that varied from three to eleven years, the boy lived as a part of his master’s household, doing menial chores and learning his trade. After a boy served his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman or day worker for his master. In order to become a master himself and join a guild, he had to demonstrate his skill in his craft by creating a “masterpiece” that was approved of by the guild. He also had to have enough money set aside to open his own shop.

The Role of the Church

During the Middle Ages, the Church was a major part of everyday life. The Church served to give people spiritual guidance and it served as their government as well. Now, in the 20th century, the church's role has diminished. It no longer has the power that it used to have. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church became organized into an elaborate hierarchy with the pope as the head in western Europe. He established supreme power. The only universal European institution was the church, all the power within the church hierarchy was in the hands of the local bishops.

Crusades

A series of wars by Western European Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Crusades were first undertaken in 1096 and ended in the late 13th century. The term Crusade was originally applied solely to European efforts to retake from the Muslims the city of Jerusalem, which was sacred to Christians as the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was later used to designate any military effort by Europeans against non-Christians.

Religion was important to the knights in the Middle Ages. One of the results of the Crusades was the founding of new Christian religious orders. Most of the monks were former knights who fought against each other in the Crusades. The knights did capture Jerusalem for a short period of time, but the Muslims kept on re-taking Jerusalem. The knights gained temporary power, but lost many soldiers during the deadly Crusades,

Black Death

The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague, was a devastating pandemic that first struck Europe in the mid-late-14th century (1347–1351), killing between a third and two thirds of Europe's population. Almost simultaneous epidemics occurred across large portions of Asia and the Middle East during the same period, indicating that the European outbreak was actually part of a multi-regional pandemic. Including Middle Eastern lands, India and China, the Black Death killed at least 75 million people.

The Black Death had a drastic effect on Europe's population, irrevocably changing Europe's social structure. It was a serious blow to the Roman Catholic Church, Europe's predominant religious institution at the time, and resulted in widespread persecution of minorities such as Jews, Slavs and lepers. The uncertainty of daily survival created a general mood of morbidity influencing people to live for the moment.

Quote from doctor who tried to treat the plague.

"Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. When it took hold in a house it often happened that no one remained who had not died. And it was not just that men and women died, but even sentient animals died. Dogs, cats, chickens, oxen, donkeys sheep showed the same symptoms and died of the same disease. And almost none, or very few, who showed these symptoms, were cured. The symptoms were the following: a bubo in the groin, where the thigh meets the trunk; or a small swelling under the armpit; sudden fever; spitting blood and saliva (and no one who spit blood survived it). It was such a frightful thing that when it got into a house, as was said, no one remained. Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another."

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Focus Questions

Please write two complete sentences minimum for each focus question.

Feudalism:

• What was the role of the “Lord of the Manor”?

• Who lived on a Manor and why?

• Who was awarded land and what must they give the king in return?

Daily Life/Where they lived:

• Explain what peasants daily life was like?

• What was a normal peasant’s home like?

• What would be the worst part of living they way they lived?

Marriage and Divorce:

• What was a wife considered to be during medieval times?

• How did brides find a husband?

• What was the average age of boys and girls when they married?

• What became of the Wife’s belongings and property once she was married?

What they ate:

• What made up a peasants diet?

• Where did peasants get their food from?

• What would happen if their were no rain and the cows died?

Guilds:

• Explain what a guild was?

• Was their more then one type of Guild?

• Why did a merchant have to do to be part of a Guild?

• If you did not belong to a Guild what would you do with your goods?

• How long would it take an “apprenticeship” to become a “master”?

• Can you think of anything that would be considered a Guild in modern times?

The Role of the Church:

• Who had central control of European Society?

• What role did the church play in society during this time?

• Why do you think the role of the Church diminished over time?

Crusades:

• What was the goal of the crusades?

• Was their more then one crusade?

• What role did monks and knights play in the crusades?

• Were the crusades successful?

Black Death/Black Plague:

• How many people died during the “Black Death”?

• Where did the “Black Death” strike?

• Did the “Black Death” affect just people?

• What were some of the symptoms of the “Black Death”

• How did the “Black Death” change the role of the church?

• Can you think of anything in your lifetime that would be comparable to the “Black Death”

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