 Life in the Middle ages was dictated by wealth, power, status, and the feudal system.  Entertainment included feasts, banquets, jousts and tournaments, Mystery Plays, fairs, games and sports, hunting, hawking, animal entertainment using dogs, bears and monkeys.  Jesters were very popular during this time.  Both upper and lower classes enjoyed games and events.  Clothing was based upon your status.  Dominated and influenced upon the Kings and Queens.

 Power and rank played a very important role.  At the top was the King and royal family.  The nobleman and lords- their life centered around their castle or fighting for the king.  Knights- served their lords and their King.  Noblewoman- oversaw their household and ran the castle if her husband was out.  Next there were peasants. They worked on the lord’s land and did very hard work.

 They were sons of noblemen who would go to live in the castle to learn how to become a knight.  Their duties were to learn how to fight and to serve their Lord according to the Code of Chivalry.  The Code of Chivalry dictated that a Knight should be brave and fearless in battle but would also exhibit cultured Knightly qualities showing themselves to be devout, loyal, courteous, and generous.  Knights were expected to guard the castle and support their Lord in war.  The steps towards achieving a knighthood started with training as a page, then as a squire, also referred to as esquire.  A Middle Ages Knights Armor was a complex series of garments, chain mail and iron plate.

 The weapons, weaponry, armor and horse of the Knight were extremely expensive.  There were… -Polearms-Battle Axes-Crossbows -Spears-Batons-Swords -Shields- other siege weapons

 Siege warfare and the development of medieval weapons demanded that a castle was built considering the possibilities of both attack and defense.  More popular and well known castles include the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.  A castle would often be built on a high cliff or hill, on an island, or in the center of a swamp.  This was because during the middle ages there weren’t cannons or gunpowder so they would hurl heavy stones or iron. Being built high up or in a swamp, it was harder for an opponent to attack.

 The crusades saw the emergence of religious knights including the Knights Templar, the Teutonic knights and the Hospitallers.  When a man joined the Knights Templar he took an oath of poverty and his wealth and lands were donated to the Knights Templar order.  The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens (muslims)  Crusades were great military expeditions undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing the holy places of Palestine from the hands of the Mohammedans

 Lower classes drank ale or cider; where upper class drank different kinds of wines.  The first cook book in England was produced in  The crusaders brought back new cooking styles. During their travels they were introduced to new spices and new foods.

 Marco Polo  Joan of Arc  Robin Hood

Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Ages Knights." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Age Castles." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Development of Castles in the Middle Ages." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Entertainment in the Middle Ages." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Daily Life in the Middle Ages." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Ages People." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Ages Clothing." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec

Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Ages Food." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Knights Templar." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "The Crusades." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec Alchin, L.K.. "Middle Ages Weapons." The Middle Ages. N.p., 20 September Web. 4 Dec