Transcript File - Mr. C at Hamilton

NOT the Dark Ages
MEDIEVAL LIFE
Cooperation and Mutual
Obligations
KING
MANORIALISM:
ECONOMIC SYSTEM
FEUDALISM:
POLITICAL SYSTEM
Fief and Peasants
 Decentralized, local government
 Dependent upon the relationship
between members of the nobility
 Lord and his vassals administered
justice and were the highest authority
in their land
 Agriculture the basis for wealth
 Lands divided up into self-sufficient manors
 Peasants (serfs) worked the land and paid rent
In exchange for protection
 Barter the usual form of exchange
Military Aid
Loyalty
LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
Food
Protection
Shelter
Military Service
Homage
KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
Food
Protection
Farm the
Land
PEASANTS (SERFS)
Shelter
Pay
Rent
 For safety and defense,
people in the Middle
Ages formed small
communities around a
central lord or master.
 Most people lived on a
manor, which consisted
of the castle (or manor
house), the church, the
village, and the
surrounding farm land.
 Each manor was largely self-
sufficient, growing or
producing all of the basic items
needed for food, clothing, and
shelter.
 To meet these needs, the
manor had buildings devoted
to special purposes, such as:
 The mill for grinding grain
 The bake house for making bread
 The blacksmith shop for creating
metal goods.
 These manors were
isolated, with occasional
visits from peddlers,
pilgrims on their way to
the Crusades, or soldiers
from other fiefdoms.
 Nobles divided their land
among the lesser nobility,
who became their vassals.
Many of these vassals
became so powerful that
the kings had difficulty
controlling them.
 At the lowest level of society
were the peasants, also called
serfs or villeins.
 The lord offered his peasants
protection in exchange for
living and working on his
land.
 Peasants worked hard to
cultivate the land and produce
the goods that the lord and his
manor needed.
 They were heavily taxed and
were required to relinquish
much of what they harvested.
 It is the custom in England, as with other
countries, for the nobility to have great power
over the common people, who are serfs. This
means that they are bound by law and custom to
plough the field of their masters, harvest the corn,
gather it into barns, and thresh and winnow the
grain; they must also mow and carry home the
hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner
of tasks of this kind.
-- Jean Froissart, 1395
 Whether they were
nobles or peasants,
women held a
difficult position in
society.
 They were largely
confined to
household tasks such
as cooking, baking
bread, sewing,
weaving, and
spinning.
 However, they also
hunted for food and
fought in battles, learning
to use weapons to defend
their homes and castles.
 Some medieval women
held other occupations.
There were women
blacksmiths, merchants,
and apothecaries.
 Others were midwives,
worked in the fields, or
were engaged in creative
endeavors such as
writing, playing musical
instruments, dancing,
and painting.
 Church leaders such as bishops
and archbishops sat on the
king's council and played
leading roles in government.
 Bishops, who were often
wealthy and came from
noble families, ruled
over groups of parishes
called dioceses.
 Many times, they were
part of the feudal
system and in exchange
for a fief and peasants
had to provide homage
and military aid to a
leige lord.
 Parish priests, on the other
hand, came from humbler
backgrounds and often had
little education.
 The village priest tended to the
sick and indigent and, if he was
able, taught Latin and the Bible
to the youth of the village
 Monasteries in the Middle
Ages were based on the rules
set down by St. Benedict in the
sixth century. The monks
became known as
Benedictines and took vows of
poverty, chastity, and
obedience to their leaders.
 Monks were required to
perform manual labor and
were forbidden to own
property, leave the
monastery, or become
entangled in the concerns of
society.
 Daily tasks were often carried
out in silence.
 Monks and their
female counterparts,
nuns, who lived in
convents, provided for
the less-fortunate
members of the
community.
Monasteries and
nunneries were safe
havens for pilgrims
and other travelers.
 Monks and nuns went to
the monastery church
eight times a day in a
routine of worship that
involved singing,
chanting, and reciting
prayers from the divine
offices and from the
service for Mass.
 The first office,
“Matins,” began at 2 AM
and the next seven
followed at regular
intervals, culminating
in “Vespers” in the
evening and
“Compline” before the
monks and nuns retired
at night.
 Between prayers, the
monks read or copied
religious texts and music.
Monks were often well
educated (AFTER
CHARLEMAGNE!) and
devoted their lives to
writing and learning.
 Pilgrimages were an important
part of religious life in the
Middle Ages. Many people
took journeys to visit holy
shrines such the Canterbury
Cathedral in England and sites
in Jerusalem and Rome.
 Chaucer's Canterbury
Tales is a series of stories
told by 30 pilgrims as they
traveled to Canterbury.
 Most medieval homes
were cold, damp, and
dark. Sometimes it was
warmer and lighter
outside the home than
within its walls.
 For security purposes,
windows, when they were
present, were very small
openings with wooden
shutters that were closed at
night or in bad weather.
The small size of the
windows allowed those
inside to see out, but kept
outsiders from looking in.
 Many peasant families
ate, slept, and spent time
together in very small
quarters, rarely more
than one or two rooms.
The houses had thatched
roofs and were easily
destroyed.
 The homes of the rich
were more elaborate than
the peasants' homes. Their
floors were paved, as
opposed to being strewn
with rushes and herbs,
and sometimes decorated
with tiles. Tapestries were
hung on the walls,
providing not only
decoration but also an
extra layer of warmth.
 Fenestral windows, with
lattice frames that were
covered in a fabric
soaked in resin and
tallow, allowed in light,
kept out drafts, and
could be removed in
good weather. Only the
wealthy could afford
panes of glass;
sometimes only
churches and royal
residences had glass
 In simpler homes where
there were no chimneys, the
medieval kitchen consisted
of a stone hearth in the
center of the room. This was
not only where the cooking
took place, but also the
source of central heating.
 In peasant families, the wife did
the cooking and baking. The
peasant diet consisted of
breads, vegetables from their
own gardens, dairy products
from their own sheep, goats,
and cows, and pork from their
own livestock.
 Often the true taste of their
meat, salted and used
throughout the year, was
masked by the addition of
herbs, leftover breads, and
vegetables. Some
vegetables, such as
cabbages, leeks, and onions
became known as "potherbs." This pottage was a
staple of the peasant diet
 The kitchens of
manor houses and
castles had big
fireplaces where
meat, even large
oxen, could be
roasted on spits.
These kitchens were
usually in separate
buildings, to
minimize the threat
of fire.
 Pantries were hung with
birds and beasts, including
swans, blackbirds, ducks,
pigeons, rabbits, mutton,
venison, and wild boar.
Many of these animals were
caught on hunts.
 Most people in the
Middles Ages wore
woolen clothing, with
undergarments made of
linen. Brighter colors,
better materials, and a
longer jacket length were
usually signs of greater
wealth.
 The clothing of the
aristocracy and wealthy
merchants tended to be
elaborate and changed
according to the dictates
of fashion. Towards the
end of the Middle Ages,
men of the wealthy classes
sported hose and a jacket,
often with pleating or
skirting, or a tunic with a
surcoat.
 Women wore flowing gowns
and elaborate headwear,
ranging from headdresses
shaped like hearts or
butterflies to tall steeple caps
and Italian turbans.
 Most of the holy orders wore long
woolen habits in emulation of
Roman clothing. One could tell the
order by the color of the habit: the
Benedictines wore black; the
Cistercians and Dominicans,
undyed wool or white, and the
Franciscans, brown. St. Benedict
stated that a monk's clothes should
be plain but comfortable and they
were allowed to wear linen coifs to
keep their heads warm.
 The Poor Clare Sisters, an order of
Franciscan nuns, had to petition
the Pope in order to be permitted
to wear woolen socks.
 Peasant men wore stockings
and tunics, while women
wore long gowns with
sleeveless tunics and
wimples to cover their hair.
Sheepskin cloaks and
woolen hats and mittens
were worn in winter for
protection from the cold
and rain. Leather boots were
covered with wooden patens
to keep the feet dry.
 The outer clothes were
almost never laundered,
but the linen underwear
was regularly washed.
The smell of wood
smoke that permeated
the clothing seemed to
act as a deodorant.
Peasant women spun
wool into the threads
that were woven into
the cloth for these
garments.
 Fur was often used to line
the garments of the wealthy.
Jewelry was lavish, much of
it imported and often used
as security against loans.
Gem cutting was not
invented until the fifteenth
century, so most stones
were not very lustrous. Ring
brooches were the most
popular item from the
twelfth century on.
 Diamonds became
popular in Europe in the
fourteenth century. By the
mid-fourteenth century
there were laws to control
who wore what jewelry ,
and knights were not
permitted to wear rings.
Sometimes clothes were
garnished with silver, but
only the wealthy could
wear such items.
 As the populations of
medieval towns and cities
increased, hygienic
conditions worsened,
leading to a vast array of
health problems.
 Medical knowledge was
limited and, despite the
efforts of medical
practitioners and public and
religious institutions to
institute regulations,
medieval Europe did not
have an adequate health care
system. Antibiotics weren't
invented until the 1800s and
it was almost impossible to
cure diseases without them.
 There were many myths and
superstitions about health
and hygiene as there still are
today. People believed, for
example, that disease was
spread by bad odors. It was
also assumed that diseases of
the body resulted from sins of
the soul. Many people sought
relief from their ills through
meditation, prayer,
pilgrimages, and other
nonmedical methods.
 The body was viewed as a part of
the universe, a concept derived
from the Greeks and Romans.
Four humors, or body fliuds, were
directly related to the four
elements.




Fire: yellow bile or choler
Water: phlegm
Earth: black bile
Air: blood.
 These four humors had to be
balanced. Too much of one was
thought to cause a change in
personality--for example, too
much black bile could create
melancholy.
 Medicine was often a risky
business. Bloodletting was a
popular method of restoring a
patient's health and "humors."
Early surgery, often done by
barbers without anesthesia,
must have been excruciating.
 Medical treatment was
available mainly to the
wealthy, and those
living in villages rarely
had the help of doctors,
who practiced mostly in
the cities and courts.
Remedies were often
herbal in nature, but
also included ground
earthworms, urine, and
animal excrement.
 Many medieval medical
manuscripts contained
recipes for remedies that
called for hundreds of
therapeutic substances--the
notion that every substance
in nature held some sort of
power accounts for the
enormous variety of
substances.
 Many treatments were
administered by people
outside the medical
tradition. Coroners' rolls
from the time reveal how lay
persons often made
sophisticated medical
judgments without the aid of
medical experts. From these
reports we also learn about
some of the major causes of
death.
 Performed as a last
resort, surgery was
known to be successful
in cases of breast cancer,
fistula, hemorrhoids,
gangrene, and cataracts,
as well as tuberculosis of
the lymph glands in the
neck (scrofula). The
most common form of
surgery was bloodletting;
it was meant to restore
the balance of fluids in
the body.
 Art and music were critical
aspects of medieval
religious life and, towards
the end of the Middle
Ages, secular life as well.
Singing without
instrumental
accompaniment was an
essential part of church
services. Monks and
priests chanted the divine
offices and the mass daily.
 Some churches had
instruments such as organs
and bells. The organistrum
or symphony (later known
as a hurdy gurdy) was also
found in churches. Two
people were required to
play this stringed
instrument--one to turn
the crank and the other to
play the keys.
 Medieval drama grew out of
the liturgy, beginning in about
the eleventh century. Some of
the topics were from the Old
Testament (Noah and the
flood, Jonah and the whale,
Daniel in the lion's den) and
others were stories about the
birth and death of Christ.
 These dramas were performed
with costumes and musical
instruments and at first took
place directly outside the
church. Later they were
staged in marketplaces, where
they were produced by local
guilds.
 After 1000, peace and order
grew. As a result, peasants
began to expand their farms
and villages further into the
countryside. The earliest
merchants were peddlers
who went from village to
village selling their goods.
 As the demand for goods
increased--particularly for
the gems, silks, and other
luxuries from Genoa and
Venice, the ports of Italy
that traded with the East-the peddlers became more
familiar with complex issues
of trade, commerce,
accounting, and contracts.
 They became savvy businessmen
and learned to deal with Italian
moneylenders and bankers. The
English, Belgians, Germans, and
Dutch took their coal, timber,
wood, iron, copper, and lead to
the south and came back with
luxury items such as wine and
olive oil.
 With the advent of
trade and commerce,
feudal life declined. As
the tradesmen became
wealthier, they
resented having to give
their profits to their
lords.
 Arrangements were made
for the townspeople to
pay a fixed annual sum to
the lord or king and gain
independence for their
town as a "borough" with
the power to govern
itself. The marketplace
became the focus of
many towns.
 As the townspeople
became "free" citizens,
powerful families,
particularly in Italy,
struggled to gain control
of the communes or
boroughs. Town councils
were formed.
 Guilds were established
to gain higher wages for
their members and
protect them from
competitors. As the
guilds grew rich and
powerful, they built
guildhalls and began
taking an active role in
civic affairs, setting up
courts to settle disputes
and punish wrongdoers.
 The new merchant class
included artisans, masons,
armorers, bakers,
shoemakers, ropemakers,
dyers, and other skilled
workers.
 Of all the craftsmen, the
masons were the highest
paid and most respected.
They were, after all,
responsible for building
the cathedrals, hospitals,
universities, castles, and
guildhalls.
 Masons learned their
craft as apprentices to a
master mason, living at
lodges for up to seven
years. The master mason
was essentially an
architect, a general
contractor, and a
teacher.