The Middle Ages: Myth and Reality

The Middle Ages: The Myth We think of knights in shining armor, lavish banquets, wandering minstrels, kings, queens, bishops, monks, pilgrims, and glorious pageantry. In film and in literature, medieval life: heroic, entertaining &romantic.

The Middle Ages: The Reality In reality, life in the Middle Ages, a period that extended from the 5th century to the 15th century in Western Europe. Life could be harsh, uncertain, and dangerous. Started around 500 AD, when the Roman Empire fell to invading Muslim armies.

Why call it the Middle Ages (or Dark Ages)? This time period consisted of a “dark” moment in the arts – there was minimal flourish with visual art, drama, dance, and music. The reasoning behind this was due to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church had control over the arts – to go against them could result in Excommunication or death.

The Power of the Church: Why was the church so powerful? 1. It owned land. The church owned many large areas of farmland. People who grew crops on this land had to give 1/10 of everything they grew to the church. This was called a tithe. This was a lot of crops for many poor people to lose. 2. It controlled people’s beliefs. The church told people that when they died, their souls lived on forever, either in Heaven or in Hell. Hell – great pain and suffering; Heaven – wonderful beyond imagination; Purgatory – in between; they would stay until any sins had been burnt away.

The Power of the Church 3. It was rich. Many tried to buy their way into heaven, because the church said that you could shorten your stay in Purgatory by doing several things: Attend church and live a good life; go on a pilgrimage; buy a special pardon. These pardons were also known as indulgences. 4. It was not controlled by the King. Church – Roman Catholic and led by the Pope. King could not tell anyone from the church what to do. If any crimes were committed, could not be tried in normal court – worst punishment – Excommunication – banishment from the church.

The Lord of the Manor For safety and defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master.

The Manor Most people lived on a manor, it consisted of the castle (or manor house), the church, the village, and surrounding farm land.

Self-Sufficiency Each manor was self-sufficient, producing all of the basic items: food, clothing, and shelter. The manor had buildings devoted to special purposes, such as: The mill for grinding grain The bake house for making bread The blacksmith shop for creating metal goods.

Isolation Manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.

The Feudal System Under the feudal system, kings awarded land grants or fiefs to nobles, barons, and bishops, in return for contribution of soldiers for the king's armies.

Nobles and Vassals Nobles divided their land among the lesser nobility vassals. Many vassals became so powerful that the kings had difficulty controlling them.

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 (common)law.

The Peasants At the lowest level of society were the peasants, also called serfs. The lord offered his peasants protection in exchange for living and working on his land.

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.

Bound by law and custom… It is the custom in England, as with other countries, for the nobility to have great power over the common people, who are serfs. -- Jean Froissart, 1395 

Interesting Fact: Under Medieval law, animals could be tried and sentenced for crimes, just as though they were people. There are records of farm animals being tried for injuring or killing people. Animals were charged with smaller crimes, too. Some mice were taken to court for stealing part of the harvest, and, in another case, a flock of locusts was convicted --in absentia--of eating crops

MEDIEVAL LIFE Interesting Fact: Cooperation and Mutual Obligations FEUDALISM: POLITICAL 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 KING LORDS (VASSALS TO KING) KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS) Fief and Peasants Military Aid Food Protection Shelter Food Protection Shelter PEASANTS (SERFS) Pay Rent Farm the Land Homage Military Service Loyalty Interesting Fact: What kind of meal was "fit for a king"? King Richard II of England sometimes gave feasts for as many as 10,000 people at once. One of these required 140 hogs, 14 oxen, 12 calves, 12 boars and 3 tons of salted venison.

Women: Household Chores Whether they were nobles or peasants, women held a difficult position in society. They were largely confined to household tasks: cooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving, and spinning.

Hunting & Fighting They also hunted for food and fought in battles, learning to use weapons to defend their homes and castles/manors.

Other Occupations Some medieval women held other occupations. They were blacksmiths, merchants, and apothecaries.

Midwives, Farmers, & Artists Others were midwives, worked in the fields, or engaged in creative endeavors: writing, playing musical instruments, dancing, and painting. “Wet Nurse”

Witches & Nuns Some women were known as witches, capable of sorcery and healing. Others became nuns and devoted their lives to God and spiritual matters.

The Catholic Church The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages, It had its own laws and great wealth. Church leaders: bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading roles in government.

Bishops Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from noble families, ruled over groups of parishes called dioceses. They were part of the feudal system and in exchange for a fief and peasants had to provide homage and military aid to a King/ Lord.

Parish Priests Parish priests, on the other hand, came from humbler backgrounds and often had little education. The village priest tended to the sick and indigent and, if he was able, taught Latin and the Bible.

Priests Three different orders: Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans When scrolls were translated, they were divided into 1/3s among the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans

Monasteries Monasteries in the Middle Ages were based on the rules set down by St. Benedict in the 6th century. The monks were known as Benedictines and took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Monks Monks performed manual labor – were forbidden to own land, leave the monastery, or become entangled in the concerns of society (Lived a monastic life) Daily tasks were carried out in silence.

Nuns The female counterparts – nuns lived in convents, and provided for the less-fortunate members of the community. Monasteries and nunneries were safe havens for pilgrims and other travelers.

Monastic Life Monks and nuns went to the monastery chapel church 8 times for Mass. They sang, chanted, and recited prayers. Its sole purpose was to “get closer” to God, to live spiritually 24/7.

The Divine Office The first office, “Matins,” began at 2 AM and the next seven followed at regular intervals, culminating in “Vespers” (sunset evening prayers) in the evening and “Compline” (Prayers at the end of the day – final night service) before the monks and nuns retired at night.

Education Between prayers, the monks read or copied religious texts and music. Monks were often well educated and devoted their lives to writing and learning.

Pilgrimages Pilgrimages were an important part of religious life in the Middle Ages. Many people took journeys to visit holy shrines such the Canterbury Cathedral in England and sites in Jerusalem and Rome.

Town Life After 1000, peace and order grew. As a result, peasants began to expand their farms and villages further into the countryside. The earliest merchants were peddlers who went from village to village selling their goods.

Peddlers As the demand for goods increased--particularly for the gems, silks, and other luxuries from Genoa and Venice, the ports of Italy that traded with the East--the peddlers became more familiar with complex issues of trade, commerce, accounting, and contracts.

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.

Guilds Guilds were established to gain higher wages for their members and protect them from competitors. As the guilds grew rich and powerful, they built guildhalls and began taking an active role in civic affairs, setting up courts to settle disputes and punish wrongdoers.

The Merchant Class The new merchant class included artisans, masons, armorers, bakers, shoemakers, ropemakers, dyers, and other skilled workers. “Barber-Surgeon”

The First Companies The population of cities swelled for the first time since before the Dark Ages. With the new merchant activity, companies were formed. Merchants hired bookkeepers, scribes, and clerks, creating new jobs.

The Printing Press Printing began in 1450 with the development of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. This revolutionized the spread of learning. Other inventions of the time included mechanical clocks, tower mills, and guns.

Urban Life Few serfs were left in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, and the growing burgher class became very powerful. Hard work and enterprise led to economic prosperity and a new social order. Urban life brought with it a new freedom for individuals.