life During the Middle Ages vid

Overview of the Middle Ages

• Spans a thousand years, from approximately 500 to 1500
• Life changed little during this time for most people
• Two distinct classes: Upper and Lower
• Lower class primarily served the upper class but were self-sufficient and could feed their families from the land despite severe restrictions

Food in the Middle Ages

• Staple Foods for the Lower Class: Bread, porridge, fruits, and vegetables
• Chickens, cows, and sheep were valuable alive for eggs, milk, and wool
• Common vegetables: Wheat, barley, leeks, onions, peas, carrots, turnips, and parsnips
• Tomatoes, potatoes, and corn were not introduced until Europeans voyaged to the Americas
• Herbs and spices were used to flavor meals: Dill, thyme, coriander, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and salt
• Salt was a popular commodity: Used for preserving meats and vegetables and was an indicator of wealth
• Freshwater and saltwater fish were common: Salt made it possible for people inland to consume saltwater fish

Drinks in the Middle Ages

• Beer was a common breakfast beverage: Unfiltered and had a similar consistency to porridge
• The main reason for consuming beer was its calorific content: Meat was a rare treat, and sugar was not introduced until the 11th century - and even then, it was a luxury

Jobs and Professions in the Middle Ages

• Most people were farmers: Working the lord's land to maintain their own patch of land
• Specialists sold their services or wares: Many medieval professions are still reflected in people's surnames
• Common Surnames: Smith (blacksmiths), Fletcher (made arrow fletches), Thatcher (constructed thatch roofs), Butcher (cut up animals for meat), Mason (worked with stone), Weaver (worked on looms or made baskets), Wright (made wheels), Tanner (made leather)
• Other professions: Carpenters, merchants, cooks, goldsmiths
• Children were considered adults at 11: Many took up the profession of their parents

Education in the Middle Ages

• Reserved for the nobility and clergy: Most people could not read or write
• Peasants could learn to read and write if they became monks
• Girls were excluded from formal education: Elizabeth de Clare, a wealthy widowed noblewoman, paid for many people in her villages to go to school

Entertainment in the Middle Ages

• The lower classes did not get much spare time
• Festivals, fairs, and carnivals were common: Related to the seasons (May Day) and religious occasions (Easter)
• Storytelling, singing, music, and dancing were popular: Wandering storytellers and troubadours entertained with tales and instruments like drums, harps, bagpipes, and fiddles
• The hurdy-gurdy was a complex mechanical string instrument: Played by turning.a crank that rubbed a wheel against strings
• Games were also prevalent: Chess for the upper class, dice, cards, animal racing, archery contests, hammer throwing, jousting, early form of soccer

Sleep in the Middle Ages

• People went to bed when the sun went down
• First sleep lasted until after midnight: Then they would get up for an hour or so to pray, stoke the fire, straighten the house, or converse
• On a full moon: People would pick herbs when they were freshest

Fashion in the Middle Ages

• Outer garments were usually made of wool: Undergarments were made of linen spun from flax fibers
• Hand spinning thread and yarn was common: Predominantly left to women, especially unmarried women
• Spinning, sewing, and tapestry were primarily reserved for females: Weaving was seen as man's work
• Dye choices were limited to natural dyes: Most fabrics were left undyed or a natural shade of light brown or gray
• Other available colors: Brown, green, yellow, red, and blue
• Purple dye was highly sought after: Mainly used for religious garments
• Tyrian purple was the most prized dye: Made exclusively from marine snails in Lebanon

Travel in the Middle Ages

• Few traveled further than their village: Travel usually depended on status
• Serfs or villeins were the lowest class: Could not travel or marry without the lord's permission
• Peasants or freemen were slightly higher in rank: Could make decisions for themselves, including relocating or traveling
• Traveling alone was dangerous: Maps were not used, bandits stalked the old Roman roads
• The army was one way to travel: Soldiers were forced to march at speed to meet the enemy
• Pilgrimages were another way to travel: Pilgrims received free food and lodgings at monasteries
• Compostela in Spain was a popular destination: Pilgrims sported a shell-shaped badge awarded upon arrival
• Nobles and clergy were free to travel: Visited estates or religious sites
• Merchants traveled the known world: Trading exotic spices, wines, jewelry, fine cloth, and other luxury items
• Thieves targeted merchant ships and wagons: The nobility disliked merchants because they could acquire great wealth without being subservient to a lord

Life in a Castle

• Life in a castle was different from village life: Smellier and colder than commoner's houses
• Castles housed soldiers, servants, cooks, gardeners, treasurers, and entertainers
• Castle owners usually had more than one castle: Traveled between them at their leisure
• Life in a castle was cramped: Lack of privacy, communal toilets
• Only the lord and lady had private chambers: Usually located at the top of a tower above the great hall
• Castles were cold and dark: Tiny slit windows
• The invention of the fireplace with a chimney improved conditions
• Toilets were holes in the wall: Waste fell into a cesspool or the moat
• Moats were defensive, filled with stagnant water: Extremely smelly

The Decline of the Middle Ages

• Life was tough, many died before the age of ten: Average life expectancy was 35 years
• Factors in the decline:Feudal system's decline, loss of power by the Church, lords and nobles losing power after the Crusades, increased trade, birth of a middle class, and the Renaissance

Overview of the Middle Ages

• The Middle Ages spanned a thousand years, from approximately 500 to 1500.
• Life changed little during this time for most people, with two distinct classes: the upper and lower class.
• The lower class primarily served the upper class, but were self-sufficient and could feed their families despite severe restrictions.

Food in the Middle Ages

• Staple foods for the lower class included bread, porridge, fruits, and vegetables.
• Chickens, cows, and sheep were valuable alive, providing eggs, milk, and wool.
• Common vegetables included wheat, barley, leeks, onions, peas, carrots, turnips, and parsnips.
• Tomatoes, potatoes, and corn were not introduced until Europeans voyaged to the Americas.
• Herbs and spices were used to flavor meals, including dill, thyme, coriander, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and salt.
• Salt was a popular commodity, used for preserving meats and vegetables. Its possession signified wealth.
• Freshwater and saltwater fish were common, with salt allowing inland populations to consume saltwater fish.

Drinks in the Middle Ages

• Beer was a common breakfast beverage, unfiltered and with a consistency similar to porridge.
• The main reason for consuming beer was its calorific content, as meat was a rare treat and sugar was a luxury until the 11th century.

Jobs and Professions in the Middle Ages

• Most people were farmers, working the lord's land to maintain their own patch of land.
• Specialists sold their services or wares, with many medieval professions still reflected in surnames.
• Common surnames include Smith (blacksmiths), Fletcher (made arrow fletches), Thatcher (constructed thatch roofs), Butcher (cut up animals for meat), Mason (worked with stone), Weaver (worked on looms or made baskets), Wright (made wheels), and Tanner (made leather).
• Other professions included carpenters, merchants, cooks, and goldsmiths.
• Children were considered adults at 11, and many took up the profession of their parents.

Education in the Middle Ages

• Education was reserved for the nobility and clergy, with most people unable to read or write.
• Peasants could learn to read and write if they became monks.
• Girls were excluded from formal education, with notable exceptions like Elizabeth de Clare, who funded education for people in her villages.

Entertainment in the Middle Ages

• The lower classes had limited spare time.
• Festivals, fairs, and carnivals were common, related to the seasons (May Day) and religious occasions (Easter).
• Storytelling, singing, music, and dancing were popular, with wandering storytellers and troubadours entertaining with tales and instruments like drums, harps, bagpipes, and fiddles.
• The hurdy-gurdy, a complex mechanical string instrument, was played by turning a crank that rubbed a wheel against strings.
• Games were prevalent, including chess for the upper class, dice, cards, animal racing, archery contests, hammer throwing, jousting, and an early form of soccer.

Sleep in the Middle Ages

• People went to bed when the sun went down.
• First sleep lasted until after midnight, followed by an hour or so of waking for prayer, tending the fire, straightening the house, or conversing.
• On a full moon, people would pick herbs when they were freshest.

Fashion in the Middle Ages

• Outer garments were usually made of wool, while undergarments were made of linen spun from flax fibers.
• Hand spinning thread and yarn was common, primarily left to women, especially unmarried women.
• Spinning, sewing, and tapestry were primarily reserved for females, while weaving was seen as man's work.
• Dye choices were limited to natural dyes, with most fabrics left undyed or a natural shade of light brown or gray.
• Other available colors included brown, green, yellow, red, and blue.
• Purple dye was highly sought after, mainly used for religious garments.
• Tyrian purple, the most prized dye, was made exclusively from marine snails in Lebanon.

Travel in the Middle Ages

• Few traveled further than their village, with travel usually depending on status.
• Serfs or villeins, the lowest class, could not travel or marry without the lord's permission.
• Peasants or freemen, slightly higher in rank, could make decisions for themselves, including relocating or traveling.
• Traveling alone was dangerous, as maps were not used and bandits stalked old Roman roads.
• The army was one way to travel, with soldiers forced to march at speed to meet the enemy.
• Pilgrimages were another way to travel, with pilgrims receiving free food and lodgings at monasteries.
• Compostela in Spain was a popular destination, with pilgrims sporting a shell-shaped badge awarded upon arrival.
• Nobles and clergy were free to travel, visiting estates or religious sites.
• Merchants traveled the known world, trading exotic spices, wines, jewelry, fine cloth, and other luxury items.
• Thieves targeted merchant ships and wagons, and the nobility disliked merchants for their ability to acquire great wealth without being subservient to a lord.

Life in a Castle

• Life in a castle was different from village life, smellier and colder than commoner's houses.
• Castles housed soldiers, servants, cooks, gardeners, treasurers, and entertainers.
• Castle owners usually had more than one castle, traveling between them at their leisure.
• Life in a castle was cramped, lacking privacy and featuring communal toilets.
• Only the lord and lady had private chambers, usually located at the top of a tower above the great hall.
• Castles were cold and dark, with tiny slit windows.
• The invention of the fireplace with a chimney improved conditions.
• Toilets were holes in the wall, with waste falling into a cesspool or the moat.
• Moats were defensive, filled with stagnant water and extremely smelly.

The Decline of the Middle Ages

• Life was tough, with many dying before the age of ten and an average life expectancy of 35 years.
• Factors in the decline included the feudal system's decline, the loss of power by the Church, lords and nobles losing power after the Crusades, increased trade, the birth of a middle class, and the Renaissance.

Explore the staple foods and dietary habits of the lower class in the Middle Ages. This quiz delves into the agricultural practices, common vegetables, and the importance of herbs and spices during this period. Learn how food reflected social class and wealth in medieval society.