Middle Ages: People

Ladies of the Court People of the Middle Ages believed women and slaves were naturally inferior (lower in class or rank, less important or worth Many times married after families bargained over what the bride’s father must pay to marry her off All property belonged to the husband Ran the household and supervised the spinning, weaving, and cooking Became an outdoor supervisor when husband was away – head of defense of the castle if the husband was gone

Peasants At the bottom of the pile Four different classes of peasants – Villeins Most protected by the Feudal system – Serfs Subjects of the lord/master Tied to the land – Crofters and cotters Had no land Rented their services to nobles or rich villeins Peasants worked hard and received little Peasants were affected the most when the king wanted to tax everyone except beggars Had to pay one shilling Did not want to sacrifice his shilling to the king Peasants began to rebel against King Richard

Nobility King Queen Prince Son of a king Princess Daughter of a king Duke (Duchess) Governed province Marquis (Marquise) An officer in charge of defenses Earl (Lady) Rank was equal to a count Count (Count) A member of the royal court. Sometimes the king’s ruler in a district Viscount (Viscountess) An English officer who acted as a substitute for the earl Baron (Baroness) A major vassal of the king or a person who had been given military service Baronets – Children of the Baron

Ranking of Nobility King Queen Prince Princess Duke Marquis Earl Count Viscount Barron

Minorities People who were “different” were seen as a menace They were treated badly by the majority Some Jews had come to Europe The church forbade Christians to lend to each other if they charged interest Jews became bankers Anyone who was different was not acceptable in the Europe of the Middle Ages

Women Very limited in how she lived her life Marriages were usually for convenience to gain land or property If a woman survived childhood without gaining a husband her choices were to get married or go to a convent Worked the fields, spun cloth and made clothing Class didn’t matter