What are the Medieval Times?

The Medieval European period (the medieval times) is generally viewed as the time from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the late 400s through the beginning stages of the European Renaissance. The Medieval period is broken up into three eras (time periods):

The Dark Ages/Early Medieval Period: Approximately 500 CE -1000 CEThe High Middle Ages: Approximately 1000 CE - 1300 CE The Late Middle Ages: Approximately 1300 CE - 1500 CE

The Early Medieval Period: The Early Medieval Period is also known as the Dark Ages because it is seen as a time when the forces of darkness, or various barbarian groups, overwhelmed the forces of light, the Romans - leading to the Roman standard of living and culture established during the height of the Roman Empire to decline across Europe. During the Early Medieval Period the Western Roman Empire ended in Europe but continued in Asia as the Byzantine Empire. During the Dark Ages vast amounts of knowledge about engineering, architecture, and medicine were lost. Additionally, a lack of learning and education lead to low rates of literacy (most people could not read). Europe would also suffer a loss of various technologies and other advancements (knowledge in science, astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy would not be rediscovered until the Renaissance over 1000 years later), as well as a loss of central government. Without a central government there was no one to collect taxes that paid for roads, sewage, aqueducts, schools, or a standing military. Many local rulers (Lords and Kings) began to take power and create their own empires throughout Europe. Invasions were very common during the Dark Ages and Europe was hit with numerous attacks from every direction, with three barbarian groups especially causing havoc and destruction - the Vikings, the Muslims, and the Magyars. Unfortunately, the constant raiding made travel very hazardous (unsafe) and trade became almost nonexistent throughout Europe. Most of the population left towns to move to the better-protected and safer countryside and onto manor systems (large farms with their own villages attached). Feudalism, knighthood, and manorialism all take root across Europe due to the lack of a centralized government and a need for protection from invaders. Additionally, Monasteries (church like buildings) begin to pop up all over Europe as Christianity takes hold as the main religion across Europe.

The High Middle Ages: By the High Middle Ages most barbarian tribes had been defeated or had stopped invading. People began to feel safe leaving manor life on manor systems and town populations began to grow. Guilds, which act as a sort of union or club with members who have similar type professions, begin to form and workers rights slowly start to improve. The Church becomes the universal unifying institution, because although there are several countries/kingdoms throughout Europe with various government styles and cultures, almost all of the population in Western Europe was practicing Roman Catholicism. A series of strong popes worked to reinvigorate Europe through a centralized church and Christian values dominated scholarship, learning, and literature. Religious crusades (a series of wars) to the Middle Eastern Arab cultures helped to reconnect Europe with lost technology and learning (while Europe had been going through their Dark Ages period, the Middle East had been flourishing with a Golden Age of education and technology). While the church gained power, strong kings throughout Europe also began to gain power as they united people under their leadership and took power from local Lords who ran manors, helping to lead to the decline of Feudalism and the manorialism way of life.

The Late Middle Ages: The Late Middle Ages is often considered the roots (the beginnings) of the Renaissance, which became a time of rebirth and growth in Europe. Trade begins to expand as travel throughout Europe becomes safer and the Mongol Empire in the East conquers most of Asia making it safe to travel the Silk Road, encouraging trade between Europe and Asia. By 1300 CE most of Europe was suffering from either war or disease (or both). England and France enter into the Hundred Years War and the Black Death (a plague) spreads from Asia to Europe along the Silk Road killing millions of people and causing the collapse of the Mongol Empire in the East.

A Dark Ages Hope for Light - Charlemagne

Charlemagne, a name that means Charles the Great, was the greatest of the Frankish kings. Charlemagne was born in 742 CE (during the Dark Ages/Early Medieval Period). He was married four times and had 20 children, 11 who were illegitimate by his many known mistresses. In an era when most men were little more than five feet tall, Charlemagne stood six feet, four inches. He became sole king of the Franks in 771 CE and led them up until his death in 814 CE. Charlemagne expanded the kingdom of the Franks into an empire that eventually included almost all of western and central Europe. He made Latin the standard written and spoken language in his huge empire of several languages and dialects. Additionally, he played a key role in preserving much of the literary heritage of ancient Rome. Although Charlemagne could read, he never learned to write (he tried but his hands were too scared from battle injuries to write clearly); yet he wanted to recapture the glory of the Roman Empire. The Frankish king set up schools throughout his empire and provided funds that allowed monks to copy the works of Greek and Roman authors. Charlemagne gave many of his scholars the job of copying all the old manuscripts into Latin by hand. He also turned his own palace into a center for learning. Scholars came from all over Europe to teach in the palace school. Although many Frankish nobles thought reading and writing was a waste of time it never stopped Charlemagne from encouraging them and others to learn.

During his time as ruler he introduced many reforms such as judicial and legal reforms. For example, under the Frankish Empire people accused of a crime would often face either trial by ordeal (usually a trial given to peasants in which someone would go through an "ordeal" such as sticking your hand into boiling water until it was deeply burned, if you healed in three days you were found innocent, with the belief that God had intervened on your behalf and healed you, however if you didn't heal you would be found guilty), or trial by fight/battle (usually a trial given to nobles in which you could either fight yourself or hire someone to fight for you. If the person you hired lived, you were found innocent, if they died, you were found guilty. However, you had paid your punishment with "your" life so-to-speak, thus you were free to go, even if the hired fighter died). Charlemagne felt this system was unfair, and introduced the system of "trial by panel" in which an accused person would be heard by a panel of honorable men who had taken an oath to listen and to judge fairly based on the evidence presented. Of course there was still corruption with this model, but this system offered the people a much better chance of being fair than the old one. In fact, our modern jury system, trial by jury, slowly developed from this early start.

On Christmas Day in the year 800 CE (during the Early Medieval Period) after crushing a rebellion in Rome, the pope repaid the king for his assistance and proclaimed him the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He was emperor over this area for 14 years, from 800 to 814 CE. Charlemagne built a European empire greater than any known since the height of the Roman Empire. Under his leadership Christianity grew stronger across Europe. He helped spread Christianity through conquests, encouraging and sometimes forcing his subjects to become Christians once he had conquered them.

When Charlemagne died of Pleurisy (inflammation of tissues that line the lungs and chest cavity) at age 71 in 814 CE three of his grandsons fought for control of his kingdom. Ultimately, they drew up a treaty that divided the empire into three parts, each grandson ruling over one part. However the split caused the kingdoms to grow weak (as each grandson ruled their share of the kingdom very differently from the others) and disorder spread across Europe. Barbarian tribes began invading throughout Europe once again, seeing a chance to strike while Europe was in disorder and chaos. Over time Europe became a place of constant conflict and warfare. This unstable and violent period led to the creation of feudalism.

TRIAL BY ORDEAL

Feudalism

Feudalism was the economic, political, and military system that dominated Western Europe from about 900 to 1300 CE (through the entire Dark Ages, or Early Medieval period, as well as most of the High Middle Ages). Feudalism began to take hold in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Once Rome fell, numerous invasions from various barbarian tribes began to spread across Europe and people could not protect themselves. To solve this problem land ownership was consolidated, or united, and the system of Feudalism began. Feudalism was a way for kings and nobles to protect their land holdings from invaders.

The Feudal relationship consisted of four main groups of people:

Kings/Monarchs: Pledged to keep order and protect their subjects.

Nobles/Lords: Wealthy landowners responsible for managing and defending the manor estate (a farm estate with a village attached on a noble's fief, or landholding) and acting as local judges. They fought for their king/monarch in times of war, supplied soldiers, and appointed officials.

Knights/Vassals: Highly trained mounted soldiers (mounted = riding on horseback) who were expected to be loyal to their king, lords, and church. They acted as law enforcement on behalf of their lord.

Serf/Peasant: Peasant farmers who were bound to the land they worked. Some were carpenters, shoemakers, or smiths, as well as other various professions. Serfs paid taxes to the local lord and could keep part of what they grew on manor farmlands.

In Feudalism, lords (powerful landowning nobles) gave pieces of their land holdings, called fiefs, to lesser nobles, known as vassals or knights. In return for granting a vassal land, the vassal owed military service to the lord. Feudalism is this exchange of land for protection.

To help fend off attacks and invasions, kings/monarchs consolidated large chunks of land together and gave these large land areas, called fiefs, to wealthy nobles/lords who promised to provide protection for their king and kingdom in the form of knights. Having your own fief made you a nobleman. Nobles became the king's vassals, promising to serve and protect him. If the kingdom got invaded, the nobles had to provide the king with troops to protect him and the land. These noblemen would divide up some of their land/fiefs and give it to their own vassals (usually knights), as long as they pledged their allegiance to the nobleman. During the Middle Ages, land was the most valuable thing in existence. If you owned land you were considered a lord and your land, or fief, was your manor. Most manors consisted of the lord's estate, farmlands, and a local village with various trades (such as a blacksmith, laundry, a mill house, and more).

Lords could make their own laws, punish anyone caught breaking them, and tax the people as much as they liked. Once you received a fief you could keep it in your family forever, passing it down through each generation. In many places in Europe the lords grew so powerful they governed their fiefs as independent states, making the monarch a mere figurehead, a symbolic ruler who had very little real power. Besides the land that the king owned and the land he gave to his lords, a great deal of land in each kingdom was also owned by the Catholic Church.

The Manor System and Manorialism

How is feudalism different than manorialism? - Feudalism is when lords gave vassals land (fiefs) in exchange for protection. It was primarily a political and military arrangement. Manorialism is where lords gave land to serfs/peasants (who made up 90% of the population) in exchange for food and shelter, which contributed to the manor. It was primarily an economic and social arrangement.

Manorialism refers to the economic system of a fief. Either part of the fief or the whole fief contained the manor estate. A manor was a self-sufficient, isolated village located within a kingdom. It was generally about 1000 acres of land and supported around 200 people or more. Each manor had a manor house (where the lord and his family lived), church, village of peasant shacks, several fields that were rotated to allow the soil to rejuvenate, a bake-house, a mill, a blacksmith, as well as several other types of shops.

If you were born rich in Medieval Europe, you would probably stay rich, and if you were born poor you would probably stay poor. The poor population during the Middle Ages (the serfs/peasants) made up 90% of the population. In exchange for land to live on serfs had to: work in the lord’s fields, obey his laws, and pay him taxes. Serfs were responsible for producing enough food to feed everyone living on the manor.

The manorial system allowed serfs to exchange their freedom to farm or perform hard labor for the noblemen. The lords/nobles provided the serfs with military protection in the form of knights, as well as huts/shacks to live in. Serfs were unable to leave the manor land without the noble's permission and most serfs spent their entire life on their assigned manor, never traveling anywhere else.

Serfs were not considered free, but they were not considered slaves because their noblemen could not sell them. They were tied to the land. Serfs were allowed to save money and buy their freedom from their lords if they so chose to. When serfs became free, they paid rent to the landowners and they received wages in return for their labor. Serfs were in charge of growing crops and producing all the goods that were needed in the manor to make the manor estate self-sufficient.

There was no trade between manor estates. Farming was the economic basis of the manor system. Farming produced enough food to make the manors self-sufficient, making trade unnecessary. Additionally, trading was seen as dangerous due to the amount of attacks and invasions happening across Europe, with trade involving vast amounts of travel through often-unsafe areas. Luckily, Europe's geography provided plentiful natural resources (good rain fall, and fair weather) allowing manors to be self-supporting and very few people ever left the property.

The Life of Nobles

The noble class was the wealthy minority (less than 10% of the population) who were perched at the top of the societies in the medieval world. They lived in large houses with big halls that they would use for meals, sleeping, and special occasions. Cooks, scribes, teachers, butlers, and other servants worked together to attend to the needs of a noble family in exchange for the noble family's protection, food, and shelter. Sometimes, but not always, servants were also paid a small salary for their labor. Nobles believed they were superior to other people in society. Big families were important because many babies and children would die at a young age during this period.

The Life of a Nobleman:In the Middle ages, a daily life as a Noble would start at dawn. On a typical day a noble Lord would attend to business matters that involved his land. They would discuss estate crops, harvests and supplies, taxes due and rents. His job would mainly be based on the exchange of land for military service. The Nobles and Lord would have a lot of spare time because most of the running of the manor was left to others. They had a comfortable life compared to most others. They were also expected to fight to protect the church and peasants from other enemies and provide soldiers for the king.

The Life of Noble Women:The lady of the house was responsible for much of the running of the main household itself. Very often she would have account books of her own, in which she would keep track of monies spent on foodstuffs, cloth, cookware, and similar items. During the absence of a Lord (such as when he was traveling on business) his role was taken over by his wife. They would make sure that their children were all properly trained, especially their daughters. They would have to learn manners and etiquette, and they would also learn how to dance and sew. Noblewomen would have very little, or no choice, in who they were going to marry. Marriages would often be arranged for the benefit of the families involved.

Mealtime and Food:The main meal of the day, dinner, usually took place between 10 AM and noon and might involve several courses. Menus varied according to the seasons and were prepared by a team of kitchen workers. Dining took place in the great hall, the further you were seated away from the lord and lady, the lower down the social ladder you were. Salt was one of the most frequently used and prized spices of the medieval world, and it was usually set on the tables in limited quantities at a medieval feast.

The food and diet of the Nobles included lots of meats like beef, pork, goat, lamb, rabbit, mutton, swan, poultry, and fish. They also had spices, cheese, fruits, and a limited amount of vegetables. Their food was highly spiced. Some spices included pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, saffron, coriander, cumin, garlic, and mustard. Nobles had three meals a day, which was very high living in comparison to other people living in this time because they mainly ate vegetables, and worked all day, eating very little food throughout the day.

Examples of Medieval Table Manners:* Food is picked up by stabbing with the knife (they did not use forks) but NEVER should the knife go into the mouth, as the food much be removed with the fingertips to eat.*Don't blow on hot food*One uses one's own knife, which is to be brought by one's self from home *Forks are cooking utensils, never for eating*Do not use the knife to pick your teeth*Napkins to be placed over the left shoulder or left wrist and used*If you can't swallow a piece of food, turn round and discretely throw it behind you.

Knights (Vassals)

The word knight comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "cniht" which means "boy" or "servant". Between the 800s and 1500s knights were the lords of the battlefield. Becoming a knight was a long and expensive process that took years, which meant that a knight had to come from a wealthy family. The first requirement for a boy to become a knight was the requirement of his heritage. Only boys born to certain men were allowed the opportunity to become a knight. These requirements were usually that the boy be the son of a knight, lord, wealthy merchant, or someone who held title and position in the court of the king or a lord. Sons of farmers and peasants (serfs) could not become knights.

Training:The responsibility of training a knight fell upon the lords, barons, and other knights. Each of these men held titles, lands and manors, and it was the lord's manor that the boy would go to train.

Page:Training began as a page. Young boys (usually a second or third born son who could not inherit titles or land) had to leave home at around the age of six or seven. He would report to the local lord's castle or manor to begin his training as a knight. There over the next seven years he would train in the necessary skills to make him a well-rounded and educated knight. He would learn the fundamentals of court life such as table manners, care and maintenance of armor and weapons, and how to care for a horse. He would also learn how to read and how to appreciate music or even play the lute or harp. His military training would begin in the martial arts. Pages would practice fighting with wooden swords. They would also try their skill at jousting with a practice target, a lance and a wooden "horse". Part of the duties of a knight in training was to run errands, do chores and serve meals. He would even learn how to hunt and how to hawk.

Squire:At around age fourteen, as the boy started to develop the body, mentality, strength, and abilities of manhood he was promoted to squire. He was then assigned as the personal assistant to a knight and would focus on the combat arms of knighthood. He would get intensive training in weapons, armor, tactics, and mounted combat. He was allowed to carry a small sword and shield with hi as a symbol of his status as a squire. A squire was a personal servant to the knight or baron that he worked under. A squire's duties included polishing the knight's armor, taking care of the knight's horses, and making sure his weapons were in working order. He followed him everywhere, even into battle.

Knighthood:At the age of about 21, some, but not all, squires would become knights. The night before the ceremony, the squire bathed to wash away his sins and put on new clothes. He prayed much of the night in the chapel. At the official ceremony, he would make a pact to uphold the code of chivalry. He knelt in front of the baron or knight, or maybe even a king. The squire would then be tapped on the shoulders with a sword and dubbed a knight in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Outfitting a Knight:Outfitting a knight was an expensive task. One of the main reasons that knights had to be of noble birth was because they were more able to afford the expensive of training and more importantly the armor and a good horse. If a knight could not afford to pay for armor, weapons (which may include a lance, sword, dagger, battle-axe, mace, and/or a flail), and a horse, he could not become a knight.

Chivalry:Chivalry was the medieval knightly system of religious, moral, and social code. To be a knight meant following the code. Of course not all knights did, but they were supposed to. Some examples of the knight's chivalry code included: Live to serve king and country, live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor, live for freedom, justice and all that is good, never attack an unarmed foe, never attack from behind, protect the innocent, show respect to authority, respect women, exhibit courage in word and deed, defend the weak and innocent, destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms, crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people, fight with honor, avenge the wronged, never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause, avoid deception, never betray a confidence or comrade, always keep one's word of honor, exhibit manners, and die with valor.

The Life of a Medieval Peasant

The Medieval peasant (serfs) lived together with freemen on a manor estate in a village. The small, thatch-roofed, and one-roomed houses of the medieval peasant would be grouped about in an open space (known as the "green"), or on both sides of a single, narrow street. The population of one of these villages often did not exceed one hundred people. The medieval peasant shared a common life in the work of the fields and in the services of the parish church. For all peasants, life was nasty, brutish, and short.

The daily life of a medieval peasant who worked on the land was often hard. A peasant had to labor on the lord's land for three days each week or more, and usually close to full time during especially busy seasons, such as ploughing and harvesting times. In addition to the time they put into helping on the lords fields they also had to farm their own plots of land which were given to them by the noble family to use for food, as well as work on other projects and various daily responsibilities. Most families also attended church multiple times a week. The daily life of a medieval peasant can be described follows:

They started in the summer as early as 3 AM, usually beginning with breakfast, often porridge. Their work in the fields or on the land started by dawn and the daily life of a medieval peasant included the following common tasks: reaping (cutting crops for harvest with a scythe, sickle, or reaper), sowing (the process of planting seeds), ploughing (breaking and turning over the earth with a plough to form a furrow), binding and thatching, haymaking, threshing (to beat the stems and husks of plants to separate the grains or seeds from the straw), hedging (creating boundaries). Their outside work finished at dusk, so working hours for medieval peasants were therefore longer during the summer months. Peasants made some of their own tools and utensils using wood, leather, and the horns from cattle. Women generally ate when their husband and children had finished and had little leisure time.

Town Life:

Few towns existed during the first two periods of the Middle Ages, however by the Late Middle Ages the system of feudalism helped bring stability and peace to much of Europe and towns began to grow again. Towns tended to grow around areas where people could easily meet, such as crossroads or rivers. Towns needed more water than villages, so a nearby water supply was vital (for washing, drinking, and the disposal of sewage).

A successful town attracted many merchants to it. Village people came to towns to trade therefore those who were in charge of a town (often a noble family) had to do what was needed to ensure that their town was safe. Many towns had large fences built around them and the gates of these fences were locked at night to keep out undesirables. The more merchants in a town the more tax a lord could collect. Taxes were collected by sheriffs, and as many people could not read or write, the system was open to abuse and corruption.

Towns were dirty places to live in. Streets were exceedingly narrow and unpaved; mud was common. There was no sewage system - many people threw toilet waste into the street along with other rubbish. Rats were very common in towns and cities. Towns might use pigs to eat what rubbish there was, therefore seeing pigs running around was common. Water was far from clean, as a local river would have been polluted with toilet waste thrown into it from villages both upstream and down stream. Because people knew little about health and hygiene, disease was common. Because water was so unclean, the most commonly consumed beverages were not water, but wine and beer.

Homes were made of wood, making fire another danger in a town or city. Towns did not have police forces to deal with those who broke the law, nor did they have streetlights to help keep the streets safe at night. Various shops attracted people to a town and sold specialized goods. Shops also often doubled as a home for the craftsman that worked in it. A sign outside of the shop showed people what that person did for a living. Signs with pictures had to be used as so few people could read or write.

An apprentice was usually a male teenager who went to live with a master craftsmen and his family (his parents paid to have him taken on). The apprentice was subject to the master. During his apprenticeship he was not allowed to marry and his labor was unpaid. This learning period might vary from 2-7 years depending on the craft. His training included the basics of the trade. Apprentices eventually progressed to journeymen. A journeyman was entitled to earn a salary. A master would employ him for his labors. His goal was to eventually produce a masterpiece that would satisfy the master of the guild (the head boss of that type of craft profession in the town) so that he could assume the title of master craftsmen and would thus get full membership into the guild. Becoming a master was not easy to accomplish because the journeyman had to work on his own time to produce this masterpiece. Sunday was the only day he did not work sun-up to sundown. He must use his own tools and materials. Then if he did produce the required work, the state of the economy guided the vote of acceptance into a guild. It was not desirable to have too many masters in a guild if the economy was tight. Once a masterpiece was completed by a journeyman and the guild voted to accept the journeyman as a master, he could become one and start his own shop and train others in the craft.