Chapter 6 : The Middle Ages Flashcards
What system brought stability
Feudal system
What year
500 AD to 1500 AD
Feudal system
Very organised, king was most important, he owned most land and made laws, then was the nobles and lords, then was the peasants
What did the king give
Land (fief) to rich people (nobles or lords) who supplied king with horses and soldiers for the army
What did the rich give
Land to Knights (full time soldiers)
Peasants
Worked the land for lords and nobles who in return protected them, they were not allowed to leave their land without permission
Castles
Only kings and nobles lived in castles, it housed their family, soldiers and servants in attack, they defended and administered their land, acted as prison and festivals and banquets were held there
Motte and Bailey
Built from wood, on hills made from soil and rocks, the hill was the motte, the courtyard was a Bailey, surrounded by a wooden fence, had a moat surrounding the fence, we’re not very protective as wood was set on fire.
Stone castles
Uncomfortable, protective, cold and damp, little windows, dark, no running water and only fires for heat, walls were covered in woollen hanging and floors had rugs to brighten it up,
Keep
Keep was the most important building, the king lived there with his family
Garderobes
Wooden seats and waste would fall down a chute into the moat
The great hall
Most important room, ate their meals, entertained guests, used as court for law
Dungeon
Used as a prison as well as a storage for food
Defending a castle
Turrets were small towers, battlements were gaps in the wall, boiling oil and quicklime were poured from the top of the castle, they had a drawbridge and a steel gate called a portculis, Barbican was a fortifies gatehouse,
Attacking a castle
Very dangerous, sometimes surrounded castle so those inside can’t get out and they’ll starve, battering rams tried to break the gate, mangonels hurled rocks from a catapult, rope ladders and siege towers scaled the castle walls, tunnels were dug beneath the walls to make them collapse
Lord and lady
Very privileged, had servants, ,
Lord
Lord was most important, made sure rent was paid and that Knights were ready, estate steward carried out most of these tasks, bailiffs were responsible for collecting rents and fines, Lord also acted as a judge, hosted large banquets in the great hall, ate meat and vegetables, top of the table was most important, added spices to disguise bad smell and dyed to look better, most important ate off plates, less important ate off pieces of stale bread, hunted deer, foxes, wild boar on foot or using birds of prey, e
Lady
Tough life, married by 14, father chose who she married, in charge of domestic duties, in charge of castle when Lord was gone, ensured there was enough food, oversaw salting of food, in charge of upbringing of children, send them away for foster age, relatives or noble women took the lady’s children, didn’t go on horseback, hunted (hawking) with birds and killed other birds or small animals, played music and chess, did embroidery, wore headdresses
Men at arms
Prepared for war, guarded day and night, archers had bow and arrows, watchmen watched the castle, footsoldiers fought with daggers and pikes, Knights were the best
Knights
Took 15 years to become fully trained, nobles, became a page at 6, leant good manners, how to read and write, acted as servants, fought using wooden swords and shields, became squire at 14, accompanied a fully trained knight, learned to properly fight, looked after Knights horse and armour, after seven years they got knightened, ceremony was an accolade, night before the ceremony was spent praying that they would be a good knight, wore white tunic, red robe and black jacket, knight knelt for his dubbing, Lord would tap him on head and shoulders with a sword and then gave him a sword, could be knightened there on the battlefield for a reward for bravery, heavy armour, was first little rings looped together known as chain mail, wore plate armour, gauntlets and a helmet
Between tournaments
Took part in tournaments, jousting, charged at each other from each side of a tilt, knock them off with a large wooden pole (lance), winner got the others horse and armour, chivalry was being loyal, brave, generous and courteous to women
The medieval manor
70% lived in manors, Lord who owned it was Lord of the manor, rented land to peasants, away from his own demense or private farm, 20-30 huts, church and Manor House, open field system was three fields, one acre strips for each field, separated by paths, peasants had separate strips, crops were rotated so soil was left to fallow which wasted land, there was common land to graze animals,
Freemen and serfs
They give crops in return for land and agree to work for three days a week, cut wood and lend oxen to the Lord, pay for water mill and must get permission to leave or get married, one tenth of the crops were given to arise priest for the church this is the tithe, in spring sow seeds of peas, beans and oats, cut grass and make hay to see livestock in winter, animals that aren’t fed are killed and used for eating
Wife and family
wife grows vegetables and makes cheese and butter, makes clothes by spinning wool, wears cloth tunic, leather boots, and felt hat, wife wears woollen dress and a cloth called a wimple, live in a one room cottage, wattle and daub, thatched roof, no glass windows, hole in roof, animals live in there too and are separated by a piece of sacking, a table and stools, meals are cooked over the fire, eat porridge, bread and vegetable stew, beer,meat is eaten on special occasions,
