MIDDLE AGES: DAILY LIFE

The Middle Ages lasted from approximately 500 to 1500. Life during the Middle Ages
was difficult. The streets were filled with waste and crawling with rats. Disease and
starvation was rampant, and the threat of war was common.
RURAL
Most people in medieval Europe lived in rural areas, or villages in the countryside.
The feudal system was a way of organizing economic, political, and military needs.
King and nobles (lords) owned land but gave shares (fiefs) to their vassals (lesser nobles). The
feudal contract was a set of unwritten rules between a lord and his vassal. Vassals were
expected to follow the landowner’s rules and fight for him. Many vassals were knights. Manors
or castles were large self-sufficient estates with farmland and sometimes whole villages. They
were ruled by lords who collected taxes and harvest from peasants who farmed the land.
Peasants worked the land of the lord to grow crops such as barley, wheat, and oats. Vegetables
and fruits were grown in gardens. Peasants usually had a few animals, like chickens for eggs and
cows for milk. Most peasants worked the land, but others worked in the manor as servants.
Vassals worked hard all year long. Many peasants were serfs who were bound to the manor.
They were only allowed to leave the manor if the saved enough money to buy their freedom and
some land.
CITY
Feudalism declined after the 1200s, as towns and trade expanded. Kings hired armies to protect
towns and became more powerful. A middle class of merchants, traders, and craft workers
grew. They formed guilds to set prices and keep a high standard of quality for their goods. Boys
were usually apprentices to masters to learn a craft. Servants, merchants, bakers, doctors, and
lawyers also lived in cities.
HOUSING
Most people think of large castles with the Middle Ages, but most people
lived in small one or two room homes. They were very crowded, and
everyone slept in the same room. Family animals sometimes lived inside
the homes too in the country. Homes were usually dark and smoky from
fires, making them uncomfortable. To take a bath, water had to be fetched from a stream or
well and heated over a fire before being put in a tub. Many peasants never bathed. Chamber
pots were often used for going to the restroom. Castles and large manor houses had
bathrooms called “jakes.” A jake was a small room that hung out from the side of a
castle wall. The toilet was a bench with a hole in it so the waste would fall down the
side of the castle into a moat or pit below.
CLOTHING
Peasants usually wore plain clothing made from heavy wool. This kept them warm
during the winter. Most people wore the same clothes day after day without washing
them. The wealthy wore much nicer clothes made from fine wool, velvet, and silk. Men
©Teaching to the Middle

usually wore a tunic, woolen stockings, breeches, and a cloak. Women wore long skirts,
called kirtles, an apron, woolen stockings, and a cloak. “Sumptuary” laws were passed
stating who could wear what types of clothes, what color, and the materials they could
use. The laws also regulated shoe lengths and height, hat height, types of buttons, and
even the number of buttons people could wear. This separated nobles from peasants.
FOOD (PEASANTS)
There was not a lot of variety in peasants’ food during the Middle Ages.
People typically ate with the fingers since they did not have forks.
Food was usually served on thick slices of stale bread called trenchers.
Peasants mostly ate bread and stew. The bread was usually gritty from the millstones used to
grind the grain. This caused many people’s teeth to wear down. Stew was made from beans,
dried peas, cabbage, and other vegetables. Stew was sometimes flavored with bits of meat or
bones. A porridge called pottage was made from grains. Meat, cheese, and eggs were saved for
special occasions. Peasants could not hunt on the lord’s land. The punishment for killing a deer
was sometimes death. There was no way to keep meat cold, so people ate it fresh. Leftover
meat was smoked or salted to preserve it. People mostly drank milk, ale, or wine because the
water would make them sick

FOOD (NOBLES)
Nobles ate a wider variety of food, including meats and sweet puddings. Kings and nobles held
large banquets to show off their wealth and power. Banquets took place in the great hall of a
palace or manor house. There were several courses of food that took hours to prepare.
Musicians played music in the gallery and people danced. Banquets lasted for hours, especially
when celebrating special occasions, such as Christmas, a military victory, or a royal wedding.
Some common foods included vulture, peacock, whale, eel, and hedgehog. Haggis was another
popular dish. It is the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep, boiled in the sheep’s stomach.

SCHOOL
Not many people attended school during the Middle Ages. Most people could
not read or write. Writing was mainly done by monks in monasteries.
Peasants learned their jobs and how to survive from their parents. Some
children learned a craft during an apprenticeship. Wealthy children learned
through tutors. They lived in castles of other lords and worked from them
to learn how a large manor was run. Some schools were run by the church.
Students learned to read and write in Latin. The first universities started
during the Middle Ages. Students studied a wide range of subjects like
reading, writing, logic, math, music, astronomy, and public speaking.
MARRIAGE
Marriages in the Middle Ages were often arranged. This meant women had to marry men
chosen by their fathers. Noble girls were often married at age 12 and boys at 14. Married
noblewomen and peasants were considered the property of their husbands. Women did
domestic work, like caring for babies, making clothes, and cooking foods. They also
worked on the land too with their husbands. Noblewomen who did not marry became
nuns.
COURT
Royal courts were at the center of medieval society. Kings had thousands of
©Teaching to the Middle

servants, but the most important were the courtiers, who were his closest
attendants. They usually came from noble families. Male courtiers served the king,
and female courtiers known as ladies-in-waiting served the queen. Nobles all hoped
for the chance to serve at court. Monarchs were known to grand land, titles, and
other gifts to their courtiers.
Name_______________________________________

IDENTIFY:
DAILY LIFE
Use the word bank to identify each description.

wool rural sumptuary banquets

apprentices stew Latin manor

1. These laws determined what clothing people

could wear in the Middle Ages

2. Most people in medieval Europe lived in these

areas

3. This was made from beans, dried peas,

cabbage, and other vegetables

4. Boys were usually these to masters to learn

a craft

5. Large house where a lord lived

6. Peasants usually wore plain clothing made

from this heavy material

7. Kings and nobles often had these to show

off their wealth and power
©Teaching to the Middle

8. Students learned to read and write in this

language in the Middle Ages
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the best answer.

9. What the main purpose of sumptuary laws?

A. To determine where people could work.
B. To tell people who they could marry.
C. To separate the nobles from peasants.
D. To determine where people could work.

10. Which is true about food during the Middle Ages?

A. There was a lot of variety in food.
B. Most people ate bread and stew.
C. Meat was eaten daily by peasants.
D. People only drank water.

11. Which of the following is true about schools during the Middle Ages?
A. Some schools were run by the church.
B. Most schools were run by the government.
C. Most everyone attended school.
D. Only peasants attended school.

12. Which is true about marriage during the Middle Ages?

A. Women were able to choose their own husbands.
B. Noble girls usually married around age 18.
C. Men and women were considered equals.
D. Marriages were often arranged by women’s fathers.

13. Where did most people live during the Middle Ages?
A. Apartments in cities
B. Small one or two room homes
C. Large castles
D. Bright, open homes

14. What is the main reason people mostly drank milk, ale, or wine during the
Middle Ages?
A. Water would make them sick.
B. It was all they could afford.
©Teaching to the Middle

C. They liked the taste better.

D. Water was not available.
 MIDDLE AGES: DAILY LIFE
The Middle Ages lasted from approximately 500 to 1500. Life during the Middle Ages
was difficult. The streets were filled with waste and crawling with rats. Disease and
starvation was rampant, and the threat of war was common.
RURAL
Most people in medieval Europe lived in rural areas, or villages in the countryside.
The feudal system was a way of organizing economic, political, and military needs.
King and nobles (lords) owned land but gave shares (fiefs) to their vassals (lesser nobles). The
feudal contract was a set of unwritten rules between a lord and his vassal. Vassals were
expected to follow the landowner’s rules and fight for him. Many vassals were knights. Manors
or castles were large self-sufficient estates with farmland and sometimes whole villages. They
were ruled by lords who collected taxes and harvest from peasants who farmed the land.
Peasants worked the land of the lord to grow crops such as barley, wheat, and oats. Vegetables
and fruits were grown in gardens. Peasants usually had a few animals, like chickens for eggs and
cows for milk. Most peasants worked the land, but others worked in the manor as servants.
Vassals worked hard all year long. Many peasants were serfs who were bound to the manor.
They were only allowed to leave the manor if the saved enough money to buy their freedom and
some land.
CITY
Feudalism declined after the 1200s, as towns and trade expanded. Kings hired armies to protect
towns and became more powerful. A middle class of merchants, traders, and craft workers
grew. They formed guilds to set prices and keep a high standard of quality for their goods. Boys
were usually apprentices to masters to learn a craft. Servants, merchants, bakers, doctors, and
lawyers also lived in cities.
HOUSING
Most people think of large castles with the Middle Ages, but most people
lived in small one or two room homes. They were very crowded, and
everyone slept in the same room. Family animals sometimes lived inside
the homes too in the country. Homes were usually dark and smoky from
fires, making them uncomfortable. To take a bath, water had to be fetched from a stream or
well and heated over a fire before being put in a tub. Many peasants never bathed. Chamber
pots were often used for going to the restroom. Castles and large manor houses had
bathrooms called “jakes.” A jake was a small room that hung out from the side of a
castle wall. The toilet was a bench with a hole in it so the waste would fall down the
side of the castle into a moat or pit below.
CLOTHING
Peasants usually wore plain clothing made from heavy wool. This kept them warm
during the winter. Most people wore the same clothes day after day without washing
them. The wealthy wore much nicer clothes made from fine wool, velvet, and silk. Men
©Teaching to the Middle

usually wore a tunic, woolen stockings, breeches, and a cloak. Women wore long skirts,
called kirtles, an apron, woolen stockings, and a cloak. “Sumptuary” laws were passed
stating who could wear what types of clothes, what color, and the materials they could
use. The laws also regulated shoe lengths and height, hat height, types of buttons, and
even the number of buttons people could wear. This separated nobles from peasants.
FOOD (PEASANTS)
There was not a lot of variety in peasants’ food during the Middle Ages.
People typically ate with the fingers since they did not have forks.
Food was usually served on thick slices of stale bread called trenchers.
Peasants mostly ate bread and stew. The bread was usually gritty from the millstones used to
grind the grain. This caused many people’s teeth to wear down. Stew was made from beans,
dried peas, cabbage, and other vegetables. Stew was sometimes flavored with bits of meat or
bones. A porridge called pottage was made from grains. Meat, cheese, and eggs were saved for
special occasions. Peasants could not hunt on the lord’s land. The punishment for killing a deer
was sometimes death. There was no way to keep meat cold, so people ate it fresh. Leftover
meat was smoked or salted to preserve it. People mostly drank milk, ale, or wine because the
water would make them sick

FOOD (NOBLES)
Nobles ate a wider variety of food, including meats and sweet puddings. Kings and nobles held
large banquets to show off their wealth and power. Banquets took place in the great hall of a
palace or manor house. There were several courses of food that took hours to prepare.
Musicians played music in the gallery and people danced. Banquets lasted for hours, especially
when celebrating special occasions, such as Christmas, a military victory, or a royal wedding.
Some common foods included vulture, peacock, whale, eel, and hedgehog. Haggis was another
popular dish. It is the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep, boiled in the sheep’s stomach.

SCHOOL
Not many people attended school during the Middle Ages. Most people could
not read or write. Writing was mainly done by monks in monasteries.
Peasants learned their jobs and how to survive from their parents. Some
children learned a craft during an apprenticeship. Wealthy children learned
through tutors. They lived in castles of other lords and worked from them
to learn how a large manor was run. Some schools were run by the church.
Students learned to read and write in Latin. The first universities started
during the Middle Ages. Students studied a wide range of subjects like
reading, writing, logic, math, music, astronomy, and public speaking.
MARRIAGE
Marriages in the Middle Ages were often arranged. This meant women had to marry men
chosen by their fathers. Noble girls were often married at age 12 and boys at 14. Married
noblewomen and peasants were considered the property of their husbands. Women did
domestic work, like caring for babies, making clothes, and cooking foods. They also
worked on the land too with their husbands. Noblewomen who did not marry became
nuns.
COURT
Royal courts were at the center of medieval society. Kings had thousands of
©Teaching to the Middle

servants, but the most important were the courtiers, who were his closest
attendants. They usually came from noble families. Male courtiers served the king,
and female courtiers known as ladies-in-waiting served the queen. Nobles all hoped
for the chance to serve at court. Monarchs were known to grand land, titles, and
other gifts to their courtiers.
Name_______________________________________

IDENTIFY:
DAILY LIFE
Use the word bank to identify each description.

wool rural sumptuary banquets

apprentices stew Latin manor

1. These laws determined what clothing people

could wear in the Middle Ages

2. Most people in medieval Europe lived in these

areas

3. This was made from beans, dried peas,

cabbage, and other vegetables

4. Boys were usually these to masters to learn

a craft

5. Large house where a lord lived

6. Peasants usually wore plain clothing made

from this heavy material

7. Kings and nobles often had these to show

off their wealth and power
©Teaching to the Middle

8. Students learned to read and write in this

language in the Middle Ages
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the best answer.

9. What the main purpose of sumptuary laws?

A. To determine where people could work.
B. To tell people who they could marry.
C. To separate the nobles from peasants.
D. To determine where people could work.

10. Which is true about food during the Middle Ages?

A. There was a lot of variety in food.
B. Most people ate bread and stew.
C. Meat was eaten daily by peasants.
D. People only drank water.

11. Which of the following is true about schools during the Middle Ages?
A. Some schools were run by the church.
B. Most schools were run by the government.
C. Most everyone attended school.
D. Only peasants attended school.

12. Which is true about marriage during the Middle Ages?

A. Women were able to choose their own husbands.
B. Noble girls usually married around age 18.
C. Men and women were considered equals.
D. Marriages were often arranged by women’s fathers.

13. Where did most people live during the Middle Ages?
A. Apartments in cities
B. Small one or two room homes
C. Large castles
D. Bright, open homes

14. What is the main reason people mostly drank milk, ale, or wine during the
Middle Ages?
A. Water would make them sick.
B. It was all they could afford.
©Teaching to the Middle

C. They liked the taste better.

D. Water was not available.
Name______________KEY_________________________

IDENTIFY:
DAILY LIFEUse the word bank to identify each description.

wool rural sumptuary banquets

apprentices stew Latin manor

1. These laws determined what clothing people

sumptuary could wear in the Middle Ages

2. Most people in medieval Europe lived in these

rural areas

3. This was made from beans, dried peas,

stew cabbage, and other vegetables

4. Boys were usually these to masters to learn

apprentices a craft

manor 5. Large house where a lord lived

6. Peasants usually wore plain clothing made

wool from this heavy material

7. Kings and nobles often had these to show

banquets off their wealth and power
©Teaching to the Middle

8. Students learned to read and write in this

Latin language in the Middle Ages
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the best answer.

9. What the main purpose of sumptuary laws?

A. To determine where people could work.
B. To tell people who they could marry.
C. To separate the nobles from peasants.
D. To determine where people could work.

10. Which is true about food during the Middle Ages?

A. There was a lot of variety in food.
B. Most people ate bread and stew.
C. Meat was eaten daily by peasants.
D. People only drank water.

11. Which of the following is true about schools during the Middle Ages?
A. Some schools were run by the church.
B. Most schools were run by the government.
C. Most everyone attended school.
D. Only peasants attended school.

12. Which is true about marriage during the Middle Ages?

A. Women were able to choose their own husbands.
B. Noble girls usually married around age 18.
C. Men and women were considered equals.
D. Marriages were often arranged by women’s fathers.

13. Where did most people live during the Middle Ages?
A. Apartments in cities
B. Small one or two room homes
C. Large castles
D. Bright, open homes

14. What is the main reason people mostly drank milk, ale, or wine during the
Middle Ages?
A. Water would make them sick.
B. It was all they could afford.
©Teaching to the Middle

C. They liked the taste better.

D. Water was not available.
 THANKS!
©Teaching to the Middle

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