HISTORY: MEDIEVAL LIFE
1: what does medieval mean?
Historians use it to describe the fall of the roman empire
and the start of modern times
2: what was the feudal system?
It was how europe was ruled in the middle ages. Land
was the main form of wealth and the king owned it all. He
gave some of it to his vassals. In return they obeyed him,
enforced law and provided soldiers. These vassals gave
land to knights who promised to fight for them. peasents
worked on the lands growing crops and raising animals.
3: what did a medieval manor look like?
A manor was the amount of land a knight received. He
was the lord of the manor. The manors had a village
where the peasnats lived. They farmed the lords land. In
return they got wood for their houses. There was a church
beside the manor. The peasants gace the preusts a tenth
of their crops ( tithe) to pray for them.
4: who were the peasants?
There were two types. Free peasants owned their land but
had to pay taxes. Most peasants were serfs ( unfree
peasants). They worked without pay and couldnt leave or
marry without the lords permission.
5: where did the peasants live?
They lived in one room huts. They wove the walls with
branches and smeared it with mud to keep out the draft
( wattle and daub). The huts were dark and had a fire to
light them.
6: explain the following:
feudal system: how europe was run in the middle ages.
Vassal: a man who got land from the king and was loyal
to him. Knights: medieval soldiers who wore armour
and rode horses.
Manor: the smallest unit
of land in the middle ages.
Tithe: what a peasant paid the priest.
Peasant: a farmer who tilled the land.
Serf: an unfree peasant.
Commons: a big grassland area where animals grazed.
Baliff: a man appointed by the lord to collect rent and
enfroce law.
7: what was farming like in a medieval village?
The peasants had to grow and make evrything they
needed. The land around the village was divided into 3
strips, giving each family one. They used crop rotation to
keep the land healthy. They grew wheat, oats, beans and
cabbage. The animals grazed on the commons.
8: what holidays did they enjoy?
The peasants didnt work on Sundays. Christmas and
easter was the main holiday. On holidays they played
games and danced.
9: explain the following.
Motte: mounds of mud where the first castles were built.
Bailey: courtyard infront of the castle.
Portcullis: an iron gate protecting the castle.
Keep: part of the castle where the lord and his family
lived.
Solar: a sunny room where the
lady sat.
Knight: a
soldier who fought on horseback.
Page/squire: what a boy was before he became a
knight.
Tournaments and jousts: battles
between knights.
10: what defences did a stone castle have?
They had thick high walls surrounded by a moat. The
entrance was protected by a drawbridge and portcullis.
No one could fit throught the windows beacsue they were
narrow.
11: name two weapons used to attack a castle.
Battering rams to break through the gate. Catapults to
hurl rocks at the walls.
12: what was life like in a medieval castle?
At the top of the castle was where the lord lived. There
was a chapel where a priest said mass. The lady sat in
the solar. The great hall was on the middle floor. Here was
where there was entertainment and where taxes were
collected. At the bottom was where the dungeon were,
they had weapons and often prisoners.
13: what did they eat?
There were 2 meals a day. Food was served on wooden
plates. Meat and veg were the main foods. The ate with
their fingers. When imprtants guests were in town they
had the bants and held a benquet.
14: what were their pastimes?
Lords loved hunting with dogs or hawks. They also liked
tournament and jousts where knights had mock fights
( madtzers!).
15: what did medieval towns look like?
They had walls to protect them from often wars. One
paved street crossed the town form one gate to another.
Rich merchants lived on high street. Their houses were 2
3 stories high. Poorer people lived in single storey
wooden houses on the back lanes. Their front room was a
shop. Due to the lack of hygein many diseases spread
very quickely. When the black death came it killed 1/3 of
the townspeople.
16: what were guilds?
They were men who checked that the crafts people knew
the trade, made sure their goods were made well and set
wages for the workers.
17: how did a boy become a master craftsman?
At 12 he was an apprentice. He worked without pay. After
7 years he became a journey man, he travelled to look for
better work. Before he could become a master he had to
make a mster piece and show it off. If it was good enough
he could start his own business.
18: how did the people keep the town safe?
To avoid disease they kept the town clean and supplied
clean water. To stop fire form burning down houses they
enforced a curfew, meaning townspeople had to put
their fires out at night.
19: what was the church like in medieval times?
Christians belonged to the catholic church. Each town had
a parish priest. He was paid a tithe by peasants. Parishes
were grouped into dioceses, each ruled by a bishop. He
was ruled by the pope in rome.
20: how did a boy become a monk?
He started off as a novice. He learned the rules. If he was
accepted his hair was cut into a tonsure and took vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience.
21: what was the daily life like as a monk?
He woke up at 3 and said matins ( morning prayer) . at 7
they had breakfast. At 8-9.30 they worked. At 10 they
went to mass. From 11-2 they worked. At 2 they had
dinner. At 5 they said vespers ( evening prayers) at 6
they had dinner and sai compline ( night prayer).
22: who were the important monks?
The abbot was the head of the monastery and the prior
was his assistant. The almoner looked after the poor and
travellers. The infirmarian look after sick. The librarian
looked after the manuscripts.
23: write an account on a medieval knight.
ARMOUR AND WEAPONS: my name is erasmus and im a
monk. I wear a helmet and in my hand i hold a lance and
a shield. I have a sword and mace attatched to my horse.
TRAINING. I went through 3 stages to become a knight.
The page: when i was 7 i was sent to a castle where i
learned how to ride a horse, use a sword, sing and have
manners. I served the lady of the house and dressed the
lord ( O.o). The squire: when i was 14 i learned how to
fight on horse back. If i went into battle i held the lords
sweapons and helped with his armour and horse. The
knight: when i was 21 i became a knight. The night
before my dubbing i prayed. The lord put my armour on
piece by piece. I then swore to uphold the code of
chivalry ( a code of honour that said a knight should be
brave and have good manners). The lord then placed his
sword on my shoulder and said arise sir knight
FOOD. I mainly eat meat, especially pork and boar. I eat
my meals at 12pm and 4 pm with my lord.
PASTIMES: my favourite past time is hawking. My father
also liked it. Im the only one left in my family brave
enough to do it. I also take part in jousts and tournaments
where i mock fight other knights.
