Getting Into the Mind of a Late Medieval Peasant Essay

The supply of food had to be able to feed more people and ensure stability. The traditional method would often see poor harvest or shortages of land, the new methods the Agricultural Revolution provided ensured the stability that was needed in Europe. Dikes and drain land was developed so farmers and landlords could farm larger areas. They also experimented with new crops that would restore the soil and supply more animal food. The iron plow was another great agricultural innovation because it allowed land to be cultivated longer without having to be left unplanted. Crop rotation and a new method of animal breeding also contributed to the success of the Agricultural Revolution. However, these new methods caused peasant revolts because it challenged the traditional peasant ways of production. The increased production of food with the new and efficient production methods allowed death rates to fall and children to grow because people were more nouritoused. The increase in food production allowed Europeans to grow without the fear of

At first these plows were pulled by horses but later they were pulled by oxen (Cels 12). The meadows were cut in June to make hay for the animals to eat through the winter. This was important as the amount of hay cut determined the number of animals kept through the winter. Next came weeding the crops, which was the most hated work of the year. After this, the busiest time of the year came. It was the harvest, which took place in August and September. During the harvest, everyone helped and worked from dawn to dusk. Crops were gathered with a sickle and grains were separated from the husk and stalks, which was also called the chaff, with a flail. A sickle was a curved crescent shaped blade on a wooden handle, and a flail was two pieces of wood connected by a strap of leather. The beaten crop was widowed, or thrown in the air, so that the lighter chaff blew away. Peasants celebrated once the harvest was safely in with a feast (Crisp 11). The harvest was celebrated as it meant that they had a better chance of surviving the winter, because without the harvest safely in, the chance of them starving in the winter was much higher. Peasants had work, mostly farming, all

Economically, the Agricultural Revolution majorly impacted the way of life in the Europe, through new technological farming advancements and improved land efficiency, ultimately leading to a greater abundance of food. Compared to feudal society when people depended on small individual crop yields, many fields were combined in order to produce much larger harvests, increasing the bounty of food overall. Improved land efficiency came with new innovative ideas, including crop rotation. Allowing nutrients such as nitrogen to return to the soil, crop rotation along with fodder crops rotated the fields of crops every few years, leading to more successful yields of crops. Additional advancements in farming technology, such as the seed drill, helped

The Middle Ages were a major turning point in history. During the Middle Ages, Europe was run under a manorial system. People were self-sufficient and only traded within their own community, as they believed that the outside world was dangerous. However, the population increased in the 11th century and new agricultural technologies came about, such as the windmill, water mills and the iron plow (Document 1). The crusades allowed many people to view life outside of their villages. People left their villages to fight the wars, and even though the crusades were a failure, the end result was beneficial in an economic and in a social way. The crusades opened many trading routes between Europe and the Middle East. Europeans,

The Middle Ages, or Dark Ages, of the 15th century, established a policy regarding the practice of agriculture that later became known as feudalism. The monarchy bestowed vast tracts of land and an ennobling title to individuals who were tasked with keeping a functioning economy in their lands and maintaining a private militia for the protection of the realm and fiefdom they owned. These aristocrats allocated parcels of land to the serfs, or peasants, in exchange for complete rustic servitude and the privilege being allowed to live on that lord's land. Any crops or animals that were cultivated belonged to the realm and peasants were only permitted to keep a meager portion of their efforts. This archaic practice, established during the era

In the coarse of human existence, civilizations have made farming their primary source for food. As long as farming has been around, agricultural implements have been used to farm the land. Scientists believe that the first plows that were used, date back to 4,000 B.C. These plows were

The mechanization of agriculture created a lot of problems for the western farmers. New machinery made crop production much easier and faster. This caused many farm workers to loose their jobs, because such machines as the

Intricate equipment was costly and farmers had to borrow money to purchase it and when prices for wheat increased, farmers usually recompense their loans with the money they earned

In addition to its use in battles, the horse became a necessity in farm life. Horses enabled English farmers to work more plots of land, each having denser soils. The use of land and soil was also improved through the rotation of crops. The increased productivity of farming allowed English citizens to eat better and live longer. Agricultural inventions such as the heavy plow with the efficient and powerful horse improved agriculture all over Europe.

In his book Jean Gimpel goes over medieval primary industry, which includes energy sources like the creation of mills that were moved by wind power or by water. In these cases, the turning of the wheels were used to drive the shafts that were connected to the gears used to operate the entire machinery. The agriculture revolution includes the creation of the plow. The plow was considered to be very important. It had existed

New farming technology enabled the people of the Middle Ages to increase their food production, helping to feed a growing population. The

Christianity played a major role throughout the Middle Ages in society and politics. The Middle Ages, classified from 600 AD to 1350 AD, was significantly effected by Christianity because of the impact it had on the daily lives of people of the time. The beginning of the Early Middle Ages, after the Fall of Rome in 476 AD and the period known as the Dark Ages, the reorganization of the empire brought a desire for faith and religion, primarily Christianity. This trend of Christian importance was apparent until 1350, when the Black Death caused the end of a systematized era. The church is often viewed, during this period of time, as a center of corruption, greed, and evil, with materialistic popes and

Clearly, farmers were vital in the medieval society due to their contribution to the manor’s efficiency. In addition, each level was able to receive what they needed and provide what was required on each manor. Lastly, both a successful economy and military were formed with feudalism operating the society of the Middle Ages. Although times were rough after the fall of the Roman Empire, hope was given due to the fact that each branch knew that both feudalism and manorialism would have their back in the medieval

Since the agricultural revolution, ninety-nine percent of humanity had worked the fields of agriculture in order to survive. Almost nobody had been able to move away from the fields to cities, and people in the cities had almost never wanted to stop being a craftsman to begin a new life as a farmer. Although the latter point remains true to this day, the former has been dramatically altered. With innovations in agriculture as simple as hardened iron plows and better irrigation, slightly more people could make their homes in cities. With the innovation of steam power and the reaper in the late 18th and early 19th century, many more people had to leave farming as farm production increased to join in the steam powered industry in the cites. With

I agree with you about horse being technologic tool during the High Middle Ages. The usage of horses was an important technologic development of the era; they were used for agricultures and transportation. The growth of agriculture was very important to the prosperity of Europe, and horses were in the center of it. Horses helped to cultivated frames and also transported the goods to the point of consumption. The political and cultural changes were very important too during that era, there was a clear separation of the method of governing and church with the establishment of central government called Monarchy.