Chapter 5 - Middle Ages

Question 1

Give one disadvantage of a motte and bailey castle

Answer 1

Motte and Bailey could be burnt down very easily because they were built out of wood.

Question 2

Mention two defensive features of a stone castle.

Answer 2

Curtain walls and drawbridge.

Question 3

Why was a dowry Important for a young girl?

Answer 3

Without a dowry (the payment from the bride’s family to the grooms family) a girl may not be able to marry a noble.

Question 4

List three methods of attacking a stone castle

Answer 4

Catapult, Siege tower and using a battering ram were 3 methods of attacking a stone castle.
Catapults would throw large stones to break the walls.
Siege towers would be moved beside the wall so soldiers could get into the castle.
Battering rams would be used to batter down the gates or walls of a castle.

Question 5

What was jousting?

Answer 5

Two knights would ride towards each other on different sides of a fence. Each had a lance (a long spear used for mounted combat) to try knock the other off his horse.

Question 6

What was the job of the Bailiff?

Answer 6

Collect rents and taxes. Bring criminals to the lord for punishment.

Question 7

Explain one difference between a serf and a freeman.

Answer 7

A serf was owned by the lord and needed permission to go anywhere. A freeman could leave at any time.

Question 8

What was the tithe?

Answer 8

The tithe was the payment of one-tenth of a peasants annual income to the church.

Question 9

Explain the open field system of crop rotation.

Answer 9

In one field they planted wheat (to make bread), in the second they planted oats (for porridge) and barley (for beer) and the third field was left fallow (empty) for one year so that the soil could recover its nutrients and be fertile again the next year.

Question 10

What was pottage?

Answer 10

Pottage was a vegetable/oat stew.

Question 11

Describe how peasants made their own clothes.

Answer 11

Peasants made clothes using wool from sheep. Dyes were made from berries and shoes were made from leather

Question 12

Give three pastimes enjoyed by peasants?.

Answer 12

The only leisure times peasants were on Sundays and various saints’ day. On these days after Mass, there was chess, singing and dancing.

Question 13

What was a town charter?

Answer 13

a contract whereby a town was granted freedom to run its own affairs but paid taxes to the king.

Question 14

Explain the three stages of becoming a master craftsmen.

Answer 14

A boy became an apprentice at around age 12. He would live with the master craftsman and sleep in the workshop. After 7 years he would become a journeyman. He could be paid for his work and visit other workshops for work and experience. Eventually he would apply to become a master craftsman and produce a masterpiece. If the guild thought it was good enough he could open his own workshop and sell his work.

Question 15

What did craftsmen do?

Answer 15

Craftsmen produced the everyday goods that the town needed e.g. Carpenters, Bakers, Blacksmiths.

Question 16

What was a guild? And give two functions of a guild.

Answer 16

Guilds were organisations of people who worked in the same trade. Guild would set prices to ensure fair competition and look after old and sick members.

Question 17

Mention one crime and one punishment during the middle ages.

Answer 17

Women who gossiped were tied to a ducking stool and lowered repeatedly into water.

Question 18

Explain the difference between a parish and a diosece.

Answer 18

A parish was controlled by a priest and a diocese was controlled by a bishop.

Question 19

Give three features of gothic architecture.

Answer 19

Flying buttresses, Stained windows, high ceilings.

Question 20

Explain three vows taken by monks.

Answer 20

Poverty (he could not own anything), Chastity (he could not get married) and Obedience (he must do what the abbot told him).

Question 21

Name and describe 4 features of a castle.

Answer 21

Curtain walls, battlements, turrets and a drawbridge were all features of a castle.
Curtain walls were tall walls for defensive purposes,
battlements were the part of the wall where soldiers could walk across,
turrets were tall towers connected to the walls for scouting around the area,
and drawbridges were bridges that could be drawn and retracted to let people in and to stop people from coming in too.

Question 22

What were the 3 stages of becoming a knight?

Answer 22

At the age of seven, a boy would be sent to live with the family of another lord; this was known as fostering. Then at age 14 the boy began learning to fight on horseback and would accompany the lord into battle. And finally at age 21 he was eligible to become a knight and he swore the oath of chivalry (to stay loyal to his lord, protect the poor and weak and be brave in battle).

Question 23

Where did the Normans come from originally?

Answer 23

The Normans came from Normandy, France originally.

Question 24

Give three features of a Romanesque buildings.

Answer 24

Fewer and smaller windows, low ceilings and large pillars.

Question 25

What was the Bubonic Plague?

Answer 25

It was worst the disease to hit medieval Europe. The plague was at its peak from 1347-1350. You would grow buboes (big red lumps on your skin), your skin would become discoloured and your lungs would fill up with phlegm. The plague spread faster in towns than in the countryside. Dead bodies would be left on the street to be collected. This made the plague spread even more. People who got the plague had a 70-80% chance of dying in a week. In the end the Bubonic plague wiped out 1/3 of Europe’s population (roughly 25 million people).