Medieval Europe

Question 1

List the feudal system in medieval Europe

Answer 1

King, Nobles, Knights, peasants/serfs

Question 2

What was the role of the King in medieval Europe? (Short answer) (Deep)

Answer 2

The lord of the manor had great power. Villeins had to ask his permission before they could leave the village, get married, sell their animals, or have their children taught to read and write. Peasants paid the lord a tax to use his mill to make flour, his oven to bake bread and his brewery to make beer. They paid additional taxes when sons were born or daughters were married. When the peasant died, the lord would usually claim a death duty in the form of the peasant’s second-best animal.

Question 3

What was it like for peasants in everyday medieval life? Where did they usually locate and why? (Short answer)

Answer 3

They lived in villages of about 100 to 300 people in small clusters of houses located around the village green or along a potholed dirt road. This was their community and they generally knew little of the world beyond it. Villages were usually located near a stream or river; peasants used this for their water supplies, to wash clothing and to dispose of waste products.

Question 4

What was everyday food like for peasants? (Deep)

Answer 4

Eating like a peasant depended on how good or successful the harvest was. On a good harvest day peasants would eat mainly cheese, bread, pottage and maybe vegetables. To make their food tastier they would add spices such as such as basil, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme which was easy to obtain. On a poor harvest day peasants would eat whatever they could find.

Question 5

What was everyday food like for a king or lord? (Deep) (long answer)

Answer 5

The Lords and Kings had a much more variety of food to eat in comparison to peasants. They would eat wild animals for meat for example deer, squirrels, rabbits and wild boar. The lord also had a constant supply of doves, peacocks and other forms of poultry. The nobility didn’t like eating vegetables because they thought these were a food for the lower classes. During a castle banquet food was served on thick slices of stale bread. Expensive spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper that were imported from Asia were used to flavour the foods.

Question 6

What was the difference between living like a lord and living like a peasant?

Answer 6

There was a big difference in living like lord and living like a peasant:
- Lords where richer and had a richer lifestyle such as living in castles, clothing, food ect
- Lords had more power for example tax and claim death duty
- Peasants catch diseases more that Lords
- Workload for the peasants was heavier
- Peasants were poorly treated

Question 7

What was the Catholic Church rules when it comes to eating?

Answer 7

• No meat on Fridays or during the Church seasons of Advent.

Question 8

Describe the manor? (short answer)

Answer 8

The manor is the village and its surrounding land. The manor was controlled by the lord and lived in a castle with its own farm which covered one third of the total land. The rest of the land was used by the peasants for farming. Every village had a ‘common’ which villagers shared as grazing land.

Question 9

Describe what was the living conditions for a peasant?

Answer 9

The peasants lived in one- or two-roomed wooden huts with clay walls, unglazed window holes, dirt floors and thatched roofs. There was no running water, no toilets or bathing facilities and no beds. In winter they shared these lodgings with their animals. Each house had its own vegetable garden.

Question 10

What was the role of a medieval knight?

Answer 10

The role of the knight was to protect everyone especially the nobles and king. As well as military service and loyal towards the King and the Nobels.

Question 11

List all the main weaponry of medieval Europe?

Answer 11

Broadsword, Crossbow, Dagger, Mace, Scimitar, Lance

Question 12

Name this weapon
A short sword with a curved blade that broadens towards the point

Answer 12

Scimitar

Question 13

Name this weapon
A long weapon with a wooden shaft and a pointed steel head, formerly used by a horseman in charging

Answer 13

Lance

Question 14

Name this weapon
A powerful sword used by knights with a wide blade

Answer 14

Broadsword

Question 15

Describe a dagger.

Answer 15

A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a weapon for close range and fast combat

Question 16

Describe a mace.

Answer 16

A heavy club with a spiked metal head

Question 17

What is the purpose of a shield?

Answer 17

A shields purpose is to protect you from damage that could occur when another strikes with a weapons. Prevents you from getting major injuries.

Question 18

What was the purpose of war in medieval times?

Answer 18

The purpose of war in medieval times was that armies fought one another to gain land and power within their own countries, fought for their kings in battle against other countries and sometimes joined forces to try to replace their king with a new monarch.

Question 19

What did armies comprised?

Answer 19

• knights (warriors on horseback), who were usually noblemen with years of training in military skills
• squires (knights in training), who looked after the knight’s armour, weaponry and horse
• other professional soldiers on horseback
• the infantry (foot soldiers), including archers using longbows and/or crossbows
• the cavalry (those on horseback), who were the elite troops of the army.

Question 20

What armour was worn in the 11th century?

Answer 20

knights wore chain mail over a leather tunic and often wore an outer garment showing their family coat of arms. Chain mail was made of hundreds of small, interlocking iron rings and, consequently, was heavy.

Question 21

What armour was worn in the 15th century?

Answer 21

Knights were wearing full body armour.