medieval life
DESCRIPTION
For Irish students in Junior Cert studying Medieval times. Contains some past exam questions and some student activities (crosswords, matchups etc).TRANSCRIPT
The Roman empire was very strong and good at keeping order
Once the empire fell wars became common and people looked to their local lord to protect them
A new type of society developed – we call this the Feudal system
The period of history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Modern Era is known as the Medieval Period, Or “Middle Ages”
Supreme ruler of a country
Gave land to the Nobles/Lords
The Rich landowners of the Middle Ages
Received land from the King – in return he had to supply the king with soldiers and pay taxes
Professional Soldiers – recieved land from the Nobles. Fought for King and/or Nobles when required.
Worked the land for Knights and Nobles
Could not leave their village without permission from their masters
“Tied to the Land”
Keep Metal grille gate
Battlements easy to shoot out of
Portcullis Open courtyard
Fire Main part of castle
Moat Main material in Motte
Drawbridge top of castle
Wood little danger to stone castle
Narrow windows Can pull up for protection
Bailey Filled with water
Parents arranged her marriage and had to pay a large Dowry to her husband
Dowry – money/gifts given from wife’s family to husband’s family
Lady had to manage the castle as a home – supervise the servants, grew herbs for medicine and food and managed the castle’s accounts.
7 to13 years old – Page. Learned to ride a horse, use a sword and helped the lady and lord of the castle
14 to 20 years old – Squire. Learned to fight, acted as a Knight’s assistant.
21 Years old – became a knight in a ceremony called a dubbing
Catapult Main Castle Room
Jousting Lord’s living rooms
Page Uses a bow and arrows
Archer Wine made from honey
Squire First stage of becoming a knight
Dubbing Used to break down castle doors
Battering Ram Mock fighting on horseback
Herbs Medieval artillery
Solar Second stage of becoming a knight
Great Hall Knighthood ceremony
Mead Grown by the lady
All animals owned by the villagers were kept on one big field called the commons
Sometimes nothing was grown on a field for a year to allow the soil to stay fertile – this was known as “leaving the soil fallow”
Peasants worked the land. They could be:◦ Freemen – owned their own land
◦ Serfs – belonged to the lord (like Slaves)
Lived in Wattle and Daub houses
Breakfast at dawn: Bread and Ale (beer)
Lunch at 11AM: Bread, Cheese and Ale (or Cider)
Main Meal at 5PM: Vegetable Soup (Pottage), bread, cheese and Ale
Ale or beer was drunk because water was often dirty and full of disease
Spring – Plough the fields, sow the crops
June – Shear the sheep, make wool clothes
August/September – Harvest, the busiest time of the year
Autumn – Rents and taxes were paid
Winter – Sow crops in the field that was fallow.
A Manor – the land belonging to the Lord
Tithe – a payment to the local priest by the manor peasants, usually 1/10 of their crop
Forge – the Blacksmiths workshop, where metal things were made
Mill – where wheat was ground into flour
Commons – land for grazing, shared by everyone
No work done on Sundays or Holy Days
Board Games were very popular – including Backgammon and Chess
Bailiff – collected rents and taxes for the Lord and also did the job of policing the Manor.
Punishments included:◦ The Stocks – tied up and humiliated in public
◦ Ducking Stool – for dropping people in the river
◦ Hands cut off – for stealing
◦ Hanging – for very serious crimes
Prison was not used very often
Medieval towns had High Walls to protect against attack, guarded by Sentries
Streets were very narrow and dirty
Houses were made of wood
Fires had to be put out at dusk – this was called a curfew
A charter was a letter from the King letting a town run its own affairs
Allowed a town to elect a council or a corporation
Ennis town got it’s charter from King James 1 in 1610
Craftsmen – made things that people needed
Guild – an organisation for Craftsmen
Apprentice – 12 year old boy who worked without pay to learn new skills
Journeyman – 19 year old man who worked for pay and travelled around for work
Master – When you have your own workshop and sell your own goods