Life in the middle ages

1
Life in the middle ages

• 400 to 1000 AD still commonly referred to as the
  Dark Ages
• Intellectual life in Europe had ceased
• Even Charlemagne was illiterate
• Literacy was scorned
• Ego sum rex Romanus et super grammatica the
  king of Rome is above grammar
• Melange of warfare, corruption, lawlessness,
  obsession with strange myths and impenetrable
  mindlessness

2
Many groups contributed to the downfall of Rome
and it was the beginning of a very low period as
many things that had been discovered were
lost The ethnic tide settled in on the conquered
lands and darkness descended upon the devastated,
unstable continent It would not lift until 40
medieval generations had suffered, wrought their
pathetic destinies and passed on.
The Dark Ages were Stark Famines and plague
culminating in the Black Death and its recurring
pandemics repeatedly thinned the
population Rickets afflicted the
survivors Extraordinary climatic changes brought
storms an floods which became major disasters
because of unrepaired drainage systems European
harbors were unusable The art of bricklaying was
lost-no stone buildings were built in Germany,
England, Holland or Scandinavia except cathedrals
were built for ten centuries
3
The most baffling elusive yet most significant
dimension of the medieval mind was the lack of
ego. Even creative artisans lacked sense of
self Even the great cathedrals required 3 or 4
centuries to complete. Canterbury was 23
generations to build yet we know nothing of the
builders or architects Identity in life was
irrelevant-Noblemen had surnames but fewer than
1 of the souls in Christendom were wellborn 60
million Europeans were known as Hans, Jacques,
Sal, Will or Wills wife or Wills son or Wills
daughter if that was inadequate a nickname would
do.
4
The serfs basic agricultural tools were picks,
spades, rakes, scythes, and balanced
sickles. There was very little iron No wheeled
plowshares with moldboards this was problem in
northern Europe with its heavy soils Although
horses and oxen were available they were of
limited use The horse collar, harness and stirrup
did not exist until 900AD (no tandem
hitching) Peasants labored harder sweated more
and collapsed more often than their animals
5
People seldom strayed from their villages The
Hercynian Forest infested by boars, bears, by the
large hulking medieval wolf, by imaginary demons
and real outlaws Crime was common and seldom
arrested Twice as many homicides as accidental
deaths only 1out of 100 murders were ever brought
to justice Abduction for ransom was acceptable
means of livelihood for skilled landless
knights People were so closely tied to their
village that many times people from another area
would not even recognize the local dialect Level
of everyday violence was high with deaths in
alehouse brawls, stave fighting, football and
wrestling not uncommon Jousting tournaments were
vicious sham battles with large groups of armed
knights creating mayhem and abduction. As late
as 1240, 60 knights were hacked to death at a
tournament in Germany
6
The church in Dark Ages Despite this
bloodthirstiness all were devout Christians
The Church had replaced imperial Rome
Missionaries found teaching pagans the lessons
of Jesus almost hopeless. Yet converting them
was easy As quick as the barbaric tribes overran
the empire Catholicism overran the tribesmen even
quicker By 493 even Clovis was baptized Medieval
Christians did not turn the other cheek death
was the prescribed penalty for hundreds of
offenses-particularly those against property
The threat of capital punishment was even used
during conversion Charlemagne a just and
enlightened ruler. He was loyal to the Church. On
one occasion he gave Saxon rebels a choice
between baptism and immediate execution when they
hesitated he had 4500 beheaded in one
morning Many times Christians were involved in
scenes of blood spilling carnage
7
Leadership during the Middle Ages After the
barbarian tribes overwhelmed the Roman empire men
established privileged class status in various
ways Number of supporters more followers bigger
claim. Wealth either money or land Lineage was
important in England, France and Germany Fame
gained in war helped a person rise in power-This
power died with the person Eventually
patrilineal descendance increased and dynasties
developed Royalty was invested with glory,
swathed in mystique and clothed with magical
powers To be king was to be a lord of men, host
of great feast for his vassal dukes, earls,
counts, barons and marquises
 
 
8
Their villages also had no names If war took a
man even a short distance from this nameless
hamlet the chances he would return were slight he
could not identify it and finding his way back
alone was virtually impossible Each hamlet was
inbred, isolated, unaware of the world beyond the
most familiar local landmarks a creek, a mill, or
tall tree scarred by lightening There were no
newspapers, magazines to inform the common people
of great events The occasional pamphlets were in
Latin not the language of the commoners Peasants-
knew little of political fighting in their church
most were baptized, shriven, attended mass,
received communion, married and receiving last
rites never dreaming that they should be informed
of great events
At the time the Domesday Book was compiled in
1087, there were only 18 towns in England with a
population of over 2000. Many of these towns
were originally Roman towns.
9
The medieval mind had no concept of time They
were rarely aware of what century they were
living in. Mainly because the differences in
centuries was minimal Life revolved around
passing of seasons and cyclical events like
religious holidays, harvest time and local
fests Their were no watches or clocks and except
for Easter tables in the church there werent
even calendars Generations succeeded one another
in meaningless timeless blur Popes, kings,
emperors died wars were fought, spoils divided,
there were natural disasters affecting
communities but the impact on the masses was
negligible Inertia reinforced the immobility,
innovation was inconceivable to suggest it was
considered suspicious and because guilt came
before innocence death was the usual result of
suspicion
10
Cruck houses were not big but repairs were quite
cheap and easy to do. The roofs were thatched.
There would be little furniture within the cruck
houses and straw would be used for lining the
floor. The houses are likely to have been very
hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.
Windows were just holes in the walls as glass was
very expensive. Doors might be covered with a
curtain rather than having a door as good wood
could be expensive At night, any animal you owned
would be brought inside for safety. There were a
number of reasons for this. First, wild animals
roamed the countryside. England still had wolves
and bears in the forests and these could easily
have taken a pig, cow or chickens. The loss of
any animal could be a disaster but the loss of
valuable animals such as an ox would be a
calamity. If left outside at night they could
also have been stolen or simply have wandered
off. If they were inside your house, none of
these would happen and they were safe. However,
they must have made the house even more dirty
than it usually would have been as none of these
animals would have been house-trained. They would
have also brought in fleas and flies etc.
increasing the unhygienic nature of the house.
For all peasants, life was "nasty, brutal and
short. The houses would have had none of the
things we accept as normal today no running
water, no toilets, no baths and washing basins.
Soap was unheard of and as was shampoo. People
would have been covered with dirt, fleas and
lice. Beds were simply straw stuffed mattresses
and these would have attracted lice, fleas and
all types of bugs. Your toilet would have been a
bucket which would have been emptied into the
nearest river at the start of the day.