Unit 1 Flashcards
Factors that led to the decline of the Medieval period:
The factors that led to the decline of the medieval period were the revolt of the peasants, attitude towards religion
Differences between the Serfs and Freemen were:
Freemen rented land or/and worked for pay while serfs were peasants who worked for the land and were NOT allowed to leave the land without the lord’s permission.
Activities of the monks of the christian church and monks:
Monks’ and the church’s activities were studying religious texts, copying texts, praying, working, growing and preparing food for the order, taught children, cared for the sick and the poor, and fed the hungry.
Criticism of the Christian Church:
People criticized the church because they were wealthy and owned one third of the land in Europe and the rent for the land was huge. The Church also collected money from tithes, The traditional amount for the tithes were 10%. They also received the property of wealthy church members after their death. Some of the clergy also got caught up in being wealthy and enjoying it, the critics said they were more interested in the luxurious part of the church than the spiritual values. During and after the black death made them question their faith, they said their prayers couldn’t stop the disease and they felt like god abandoned them.
Guilds:
Guilds controlled the production of goods and trades in town. Guilds controlled the prices of goods, set the quality standards and decided who can be trainees or apprentices. Children (as young as 8) went to live and work at the home of a master to learn a trade. After years of training they would take a test to become Journeymen and be admitted to the guild, after more years of practice, and then they would become masters. After that, they could open their own businesses and take on apprentices.
What is the feudal hierarchy based on:
The Feudal hierarchy was based on land, loyalty and duty. People who gave an oath of allegiance to their lord became vassals. The lord still owns the land but vassals take care of it. Nobles or knights (Barons) swore oaths of allegiance (called a fealty) to the king in order to receive a piece of land (called a manor or a fief).
List the feudal hierarchy in order
The Crown
Barons and Abbots/Bishops
Knights
Peasants (Freeholders and serfs)
Sumptuary Laws:
Sumptuary Laws were laws that controlled consumption, or how people spent their money.
Rural and Urban Woman:
Rural
Lots of kids
Cooked
Farming
Make clothes
Urban
Brewed beer
Selling goods
Worked with husbands
Can inherit property and guild membership
Characteristics of Medieval Town:
Built beside or surrounded a castle
Citizens had to build stone walls around the town to protect themselves
Had the freedom to marry anyone and make money as they could.
Dirty and rat infested
A central for the farm communities
Transmission of the Black Death:
The Black death came from the trade routes of the genoese due to numerous sources saying it came from the ships that passed through the area and the second case of the plague was genoa. All it took for the transmission of the disease was just a brief physical contact, others said it was a spirit leaving the body and passing by that caused it to spread, although people weren’t sure about how diseases spread back then. What we really think happened was the rats in the cities and ships that helped it spread due to having fleas attached to them.
Aftermath of the Black Death:
The aftermath of the plague or also known as the Black Death was the reduced prices of goods due to low population. People started criticizing the church saying they didn’t help with the disease. It was harder to trade with villages because some villages still lived in fear of the disease and wouldn’t go outside, other villages had disappeared entirely. Lots of land was for sale due to the past owners dying. Farmers still used the same tools even though there was a low population of them left.
Tithes:
Tithes were a portion of crops or a percentage of earnings paid to the Church, this system was heavily criticized by people (Check question 4 for more info about this). Most peasants believed that the Black Death was caused by not paying your tithes, swearing or drinking too much alcohol or not being religious enough, not sure if that is going to be on the test but it’s a good thing to know.
