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 seems heroic, entertaining, and romantic.

The Middle Ages: The Reality In reality, life in the Middle Ages, a period that extended from approximately the 5th century to the 15th century in Western Europe, could also be harsh, uncertain, and dangerous.

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, which consisted of the castle (or manor house), the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land.

Self-Sufficiency Each manor was largely self-sufficient, growing or producing all of the basic items needed for food, clothing, and shelter. To meet these needs, 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 These 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, the king awarded land grants or fiefs to his most important nobles, barons, and bishops, in return for their contribution of soldiers for the king's armies.

Nobles and Vassals Nobles divided their land among the lesser nobility, who became their vassals. Many of these vassals became so powerful that the kings had difficulty controlling them. Code of Chivalry

NotableMonarchs Charlemagne- Holy Roman Emperor Eleanor of Acquitaine-troubadours Hugh Capet Normans & Anglo-Saxons Danish Vikings, Alfred the Great Norman Conquest, William Domesday Book

Germany-936 Otto the Great unites Germany, Holy Roman Emperor Spain & Portugal- trouble with Muslims, the Moors Reconquista to reclaim for Christians

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 law.

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

MEDIEVAL LIFE Cooperation and Mutual Obligations KING 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

The Catholic Church The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it had its own laws and large income. Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading roles in government.

The Canterbury Tales Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a series of stories told by 30 pilgrims as they traveled to Canterbury.

Religious Crises Heresy: beliefs that oppose the official teachings of the Church Inquisition to fight heresy, abuses Development of additional orders to combat- Francis of Assisi and Dominic of Osma-friars live amongst people instead of separate Arguments over who should be pope lead to Schism- 2 Popes, Rome & Avignon

Health & Hygiene As the populations of medieval towns and cities increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to a vast array of health problems.

Medicine Medical knowledge was limited and, despite the efforts of medical practitioners and public and religious institutions to institute regulations, medieval Europe did not have an adequate health care system

Remedies Many medieval medical manuscripts contained recipes for remedies that called for hundreds of therapeutic substances. Believed that disease could be the result of sinful behavior. Blood letting by the surgeon.

Black Death 1347-1351 Sweep the Continent Mongol armies first, merchants carry Up to 1/3 population dies in Europe Effects: 1. role of the Church/God 2.anti-Semitic backlash 3. lower population-ends manorial system, survivor want higher wages, move from land

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.

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.

Masons Of all the craftsmen, the masons were the highest paid and most respected. They were, after all, responsible for building the cathedrals, hospitals, universities, castles, and guildhalls.

Apprentices Masons learned their craft as apprentices to a master mason, living at lodges for up to seven years. The master mason was essentially an architect, a general contractor, and a teacher.

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 publication of the Bible by Johannes Gutenberg. This revolutionized the spread of learning. Other inventions of the time included mechanical clocks, tower mills, and guns.

Wars Crusades- Pope Urban II calls for Christian nations to put aside their differences to reclaim the Holy Land from Turks Nine Crusades-First Crusade reclaims Jerusalem Third- Saladin v. Richard the Lionhearted Economic Effects: trade, Social Effects: knowledge, persecutions,Political Effects: death of nobles increases power of kings

Hundred Years Wars-English/French, Joan of Arc solidifies nationalism in France, military technology War of the Roses- battle between York and Lancastrian families for English crown

References Adapted from the Annenberg Media/Learner.org website “The Middle Ages” http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/