Medieval Childhood, And Children In The Medieval Ages

Childhood was not considered a special time for development but rather a hurdle on the way to adulthood. “The goal was to get children speaking, reading, reasoning, and contributing to their family’s economic well-being as quickly as possible.”(Mintz 50) Many kids as young as six were working outside of the home at the time. A cultural revolution began in the eighteenth century when many middle class parents began to relish in their children’s innocence and saw this a time to nurture mold their children. As this form of parenting became the norm many parents began to have less children by using birth control, thus giving the fewer children they had more of their attention. As time progressed kids spent more time going to school rather than to work. “Within the last 3 centuries “Societal views about methods of Child rearing, the nature of children’s play, the ideal duration of schooling, the participation of young people in work, and the demarcation points between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood have shifted significantly.”(Mintz

During the middle ages the lack of protection and a stable government after the Fall of Rome created the need for a new political system. Feudalism was the political system that emerged and shaped the lives of people socially and politically. Manors were small communities that were made up of a castle, church, village, and land for farming. The structured society provided a place and responsibility for everyone. The feudal obligations showed that in exchange for one thing they would be provided with something else. Serfs and peasants would work and produce goods for the rest of the manor and in return had their land and promised protection. The vassals would need to obtain land from the Lord and in return would provide the Lord with military service, loyalty, and ransom if asked for (Doc. 4). To make clear the vassal’s specific allegiance to their lord whom they owed in for exchange for their fief they would take the Homage Oath (Doc. 2). This interdependent system required everyone to do their part and it created social classes that they were born into. Their daily lives were centered on the manor and that was how it stayed until towns began to

During early modern Europe, children were viewed in many different ways which changed how parents chose to raise their children. During the 1500’s, the mortality rates for children were high, therefore children were viewed as if they were adults and very precious if they survived, many people believed that they needed to treat children harshly to make them strong. In the 1600’s, children were raised tenderly as they were rational beings that could use reason. Children were viewed in many ways during early modern Europe to be rational, precious, and in need of guidance where these views determined the parents’ choice in child rearing to behaving harshly to kind guidance.

This was influenced by the manor system, “ The manor was the economic side of feudalism” (Doc 2). This meaning that your ranking in the feudalism was your job in the manor system. If you were a serf you worked, and farmed for the King, Knights,and Nobles and you had one day a week to farm to feed yourself and your family. If that isn't hard enough they also had to pay high rents to the lords for using his land to farm. The Knights and Nobles had to fight and serve the King for exchange of land,and they had to pay taxes. This showing that life in the Middle Ages was hard for many

During the Middle Ages social class much different than modern day. In a feudal society “nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king,” (Doc. 1). The nobles, in return, would give the lord loyalty and military services (Doc. 1). As peasants or serfs worked for nobles and knights they received protection and a portion of the harvest to feed their families (Doc. 1).

In manorial villages the lords of the land would have vassals and serfs. A vassal was a voluntary obligation taken so the vassal would be cared for. Although once one became a vassal this obligation would follow through all the generations of the family. Serfs on the other hand

The roles in medieval Europe, available for women were restricted because. Some women did have important roles, such as a queen or and abbess (head of an abbey of nuns), but these were not opportunities for a peasant woman as such. Most women were peasants, nuns, wives, mothers or noblewomen. Noblewomen ran their husband’s estates whilst they were at war, but still could not make any decisions of importance, such as money, . They usually had around 7 children, most of which did not live past the age of three. Peasants were expected to marry and become wives and mothers. Some took up spinning and sewing to make clothes and earn money to support their family. Men were able to work in varying roles, no matter what they did, they

During the Middle Ages a peasant’s life was, indeed, very rough, there were anywhere from ten to sixty families living in a single village; they lived in rough huts on dirt floors, with no chimneys, or windows. Usually one end of the hut was given over to storing livestock. Furnishings were quite sparse; three legged stools, a trestle table, beds softened with straw or leaves and placed on the floor; the peasant diet was mainly porridge, cheese, black bread, and a few homegrown vegetables. Peasants had a hard life, yet they did not work on Sundays, and they could travel to nearby fairs and markets. The basic diet of a lord consisted of meat, fish, pastries, cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, beans, and peas, as well as fresh bread, cheese, and fruit. This is by no means equivalent to the meals the peasants ate, a lord might even feast on boar, swan, or peacock as well.

Frankish society was entirely rural and was composed of three orders or classes: (1) clergy (those who pray), (2) nobility (those who fight), (3) peasants (those who work). In general, life was harsh and brutal for the early medieval peasant. Even in the wealthiest parts of Europe, the story is one of hardship and poverty. Many peasants died from malnutrition, due to poor diet. Most peasants were illiterate although a few were practicing Christians. The majority could not understand the language of the church, which was Latin. While nobility was better off, and had more food, their diet still not very nutritional. Living in larger houses and castles, these were often just as cold as the peasant's small structure. Additionally, most nobility

Throughout the history of childhood development poor social and economic conditions contributed to the many hardships and poor treatment of children. During the early Middle Ages the "paternalist" family concept evolved and the father had authority and control over family matters including the welfare and safety of his wife and children. Discipline was severe, young children both poor and wealthy were subjected to strict rules and regulations and often beaten if disobedient. Children took on the responsibilities of adults at an early age, sharing in the work of siblings and parents. Girls from affluent families were educated at home and married in their teens. Some males were educated at a monastery and others became apprentices to

In the early 1700s up until the 20th century, each year has had its own growth spurt. From advancements in technology, medical treatment, architecture, and even etiquette and manners. Overall, the world is a melting pot that contains, a mixture of people from different cultures and backgrounds. Whereas, the foundation for mannerism begins at home.

Childhood is usually understood as a set of experiences and behaviours, gained in the early stages of the human existence, considered as the preparation for the adult world. However, the history of childhood is a very complex topic and it has become a very influential area of study in recent years. In 1962, the ‘Centuries of Childhood’ by Philippe Ariés introduced the idea that childhood was a new creation developed in recent centuries and as a concept it was believed to be nonexistent before the seventeenth century. This concept means that there was no awareness of the process of childhood. In several studies of the medieval period, Ariés noticed that childhood was not acknowledged or even attempted to be portrayed during this period. For

Through looking on different cultures it seems that childhood is definitely a social construction. But a better way of trying to find out if it is or not is through looking back in time. Until the end of the Middle Ages, children in the West were often seen as miniature versions of adult. Their clothes and their bodily proportions were the same as those of adults. The main reason why they were classed as ‘miniature adults’ was because they were expected to participate in all aspects of social life alongside their parents. Special protection and treatment did not exist at this time. Children could be punished and frequently were, for social transgressions with the same severity that adults were.

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

Life as a serf or peasant was not easy. Serfs were bound to their lord's land and required to do services for him. Although they could not be sold like slaves, they had no freedom (Ellis and Esler 219-244). Peasants farmed for the goods that the lord and his manor needed. They went through difficult hardship because of this. Peasants were heavily taxed and had to provide for themselves the goods that they needed (“The Middle Ages”). According to the medieval law, the peasants were not considered to 'belong to' themselves (“The Middle Ages”). Although serfs were peasants and had relatively the same duties and similar rights, what differentiated a peasant from a serf was that a peasant was not bound to the land (“The Middle Ages”). Peasants had no schooling and no knowledge of the outside world (Ellis and Esler 219-244). They rarely traveled more than a couple miles outside of their villages. All members of a peasant family, including children, tended crops, farmed, and did some sort of work to help out (Ellis and Esler 224). Very few peasants lived past the age of 35 because of hunger in the winter and the easy development and transmission of disease (Ellis and Esler 224).