1. The Middle Ages In this Power Point presentation you will learn all about medieval times and illuminated letters.

2. Illuminated Letters Illuminated letters are the letters of the books in medieval times. Here are some examples.

3. Kings and queens were the rulers of the land during the Middle ages. They collected taxes or fairs of the townspeople. Some say that they were unfair but generally they did it for the kingdom although some rulers could be very unfair. They mainly took the fairs from the pheasants who worked the land because they were at the bottom of the feudal system. Click here to learn about King Arthur

4. Serfs were at the bottom of the feudal system. They were treated very unfair because they were poor. The rulers of the land would collect large fairs from them. They worked in the fields all day yet many would go hungry. A serf’s life was very difficult but they had to do what they did to survive. I know a serf’s life is not for me!

5. King Arthur was a noble king. His story may or may not be true but it is an amazing one! Arthur’s kingdom was attacked by enemies and his parents (the king and queen of the land) decided to leave him with, the great sorcerer Merlin, who took him to a far away land where he was taken in by the king and queen. When the king died the land needed a new king so Merlin declared that whoever could pull the sword from the stone was the king. Many years passed but none could pull out the sword. The kingdom decided to hold a tournament for men who wanted to be king. Arthur’s step brother decided to enter but Arthur was so exited that he forgot the sword. As he went back to get it he saw the sword in the sword in the stone. He pulled it out easily. When Arthur brought it to his brother the passerby marveled. His brother tried to take the credit but Merlin said “The true owner of the sword could pull it out one thousand times.” When Arthur’s brother tried to pull it out “again” he failed. Arthur pulled it out again. From then on he was the true king.

6. The black plague was a horrible disease that struck many around the end of the middle ages. It killed most of the people that caught it and that’s why it got its name. There weren’t many doctors and no cure for the black plague so if you caught it you had to have a very strong immune system to survive.