Medieval Life

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Medieval Life

• What was life like for the people of England in
  Medieval times?

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The Black Death produced important social
changes. English society was based upon the
principle that there were three main classes of
people, each with its own purpose to fulfil.
These were the clergy, the nobility and the
peasants those who prayed, fought and worked.
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• The peasants (free people who could move around)
  were the largest group and it was accepted that
  they supported the other two classes with their
  labours.

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• The church and nobility owned great estates to
  which the peasants were bound as serfs (could not
  leave the land of their lord) by custom to
  plough the fields for the masters by law.

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• Serfdom was upheld by moral and religious
  reasons. Serfs were told to look upon their
  service as a calling from God. Serfdom would make
  them better people.

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• Landlords were supposed to look after their serfs
  but many did not. When one lord was rebuked for
  taking a cow from a serf he said
• Let it suffice the boor that I have left him the
  calf and his own life.

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• Medieval society was marred by a streak of
  cruelty and callousness. Death and suffering were
  common and people often felt contempt for the law
  and would often resort to violence.

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• Medicine was crude and often ineffectual.
  Medicine was mixed up with magic and ritual was
  common. Disease was often regarded as Gods
  judgement for sin. Falling ill was a punishment
  for past misdeeds.

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The Manor
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• A medieval manor was an estate granted to a
  member of the aristocracy by the king.
• The lord of the manor employed knights and
  villeins who fought for the lord and performed
  feudal obligations.

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The manor house was set apart from the village
where the peasants lived
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Not all manors were held by the nobility. 17
belonged to the king and 25 belonged to the
church.
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Medieval manors varied in size but most were
between 1200-1800 acres. Every noble had at least
one manor. Richer nobles had several. In the late
12th Century there were more than 9000 manorial
estates in England.Another name for this land
was Fief.
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The lords portion of land was called a demesne.
The rest of the land was divided amongst his
peasants who were his tenants
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The land was divided equally into strips between
the peasants. There was also a section of
common area that all the villagers could use.
Each villager had a small house and was generally
self sufficient
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For everyone life revolved around the seasons
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Rural seasonal work
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Knights

• Knights were sons of nobles.
• When a boy was eight he was sent to a
  neighbouring noble to be trained as a knight.
• When he was 15 or 16 he would become a squire in
  the service of a knight.
• When he was about 20 the squire would be dubbed a
  knight.
• Occasionally a young man was knighted in battle

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• Knights possessed land to the annual value of 200
  marks and were forbidden to wear clothing valued
  at more than 6 marks. They were not allowed to
  wear cloth of gold.

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ChivalryKnights were supposed to
follow a code of chivalry defend the weak be
courteous to all women loyal to the king
serve God
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However the reality was often quite different.
The weak were defined as noble women and
children not peasants.They were little more
than mercenaries and were brutal in war.
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Armour and WeaponsChain mail was made up of
200,000 small rings.Plated armour weighed around
23kg and the sword weighted 15kg.Some knights
protected their horses with armour.
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Food

• The most common foods were
• pottage (soup/stew)
• Dark bread
• Pork and mutton
• Water, milk and ale
• Vegetables
• Cheese
• Most peasants were vitamin deficient

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Medicine

• Women were discouraged from getting involved in
  medicine of any kind.
• Cures were crude and painful.
• The church was often the only source of medical
  knowledge and it was underpinned with prayer.

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FashionClothing was reflective of a persons
place in society. There were strict dress codes
which were severely punished if they were broken
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Crime and Punishment

• There were many, many crimes that could be
  severely punished. Law courts used French but the
  peasants all spoke English. Punishments were
  carried out in public.

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Religion

• If you live anywhere in Europe and you were a
  Christian then you were Catholic. Medieval people
  were very preoccupied with the state of their
  immortal soul.

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Entertainment

• Entertainment was important to Medieval people.
  Feasts were a part of entertainment for the rich.
  Tournaments were enjoyed by everybody. Music was
  a source of entertainment and children had games
  some of which survive to this day.

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Travel

• Peasants rarely travelled more than 10 miles away
  from their home. For those who did travel it was
  slow, uncomfortable and dangerous.

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Education

• Education was usually the responsibility of the
  church. The core subjects were based on those of
  the Ancient Greeks and remain unchanged to this
  very day.

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• The End