The Nature Of Village Life In The High Middle Ages

One economic system used in Europe during the Middle ages was manorialism, and one system used during the Industrial Revolution was capitalism. Manorialism was used back when there were kings and peasants, and rendered the peasants dependant on the king's land. Capitalism is when the economy is controlled by private businesses, and not the state or

The breakdown of political order in Europe at the sacking of Rome meant that defense within Europe became a local affair, and the structure of feudalism meant that the peasantry was protected by the knighthood, and the knighthood supported by the labor of the peasantry. This politically anarchic system would slowly form into recognizable states that were defined by language and territorial boundaries. The political disunion of Europe into small feudal kingdoms first gave way to some form of a 'state' when in 800 AD Charlemagne of the Franks was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, restoring to some degree the consensus of order. (Camino de Santiago, 1991) The Vikings extended their pillages across Europe and destroyed countless lives in their pursuit of glory. Likewise, Muslim armies as well as Genghis Khan marched through Europe on voyages of conquest.

From 1300 to 1750, for the average peasant, people’s work and social life mixed, families lived on small pieces of lands growing their own crops at home.They lived in small cottages or, the richer people, who lived in castles. But during the

Changes are an important part of history, and a natural part of life. In the case of geography throughout history, the world has made many changes to its borders and who has grievances with one another. From the High Middle Ages of olden Europe, to the twentieth century, change has occurred. These changes have unified and broken ties between countries and regions time and time again throughout history. There are many forces that push toward and against unity throughout time. The world map became what is today because of both unity and division marking change in the past.

Life in the high middle ages, between 1000 and 1300 A.D., had two kinds of communities, manorial villages and towns. The major difference in these two distinct types of communities was the freedom and rights of the people. In the manorial villages you had lords who owned large portions of land. The vassals who entered into a military obligation with the lords, in exchange for land and protection. Finally, serfs who were a class of people that worked their lord’s land as half slave and half freeman. Vassals were more of an employee and the serfs were little more than a slave because they were bound to the lord’s land. The serfs could not leave or do anything without the lord’s permission and most of the time they had to pay fees to be granted the permissions they requested. In contrast the townspeople elected their officials, had freedom to choose a careers, they move about where they liked, and could acquire training and schooling. Townspeople were in fact free and not absolutely controlled by a lord. As for the manorial villages, the lords had all the power and had absolute control over all the actions and work of the vassals and serfs.

23) The lives of most peasants from the early modern period also depended on agriculture, as most lived on farmland and depended on a good harvest for money and freedom. However, in order to protect their crops, the early modern peasant depended on farming techniques and tools such as the “three-field system” and innovations such as the use of mills and metal harvesting. (Merriman. 15) Although their ways of taking care of their crops differed, nonetheless, agriculture was perhaps the single most important part of a peasant’s life.

The high medieval society of Europe was organized into three main social groups: the clergy, nobles, and peasants, but there was still a group consisting of townspeople and Jews that were excluded from society. Higher-ups, being the nobles and clergy, believed that ultimate societal leadership belonged to the “prayers” and “fighters” and that they were superior to the “workers”. Each social group had their own special role in European high medieval society.

The idea of the "three orders" directly illustrates that mutual obligation was an important part of medieval life, and it does so in several different ways. The "three orders" are those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. Through mutual obligation, the people on each side of the bargain get something in return. But, even though each person gets something in return, it doesn't mean that what they receive is always amazing. The main system for medieval society was the system of allegiance between vassals and their lords, however it only refers to one of the three orders of medieval society.

The peasant class had to work overcome many obstacles in their lifetimes. In medieval times, peasants and serfs faced

During the Middle Ages feudalism was a governmental system crucial to keeping organization within social classes, land, and military. Feudalism was the governmental system used in the Middle Ages which organized people based on power, everyone had something to give and receive to and from another. Manorialism was the system of land and production of goods, which supported feudalism. A lady has an important role on the manor and helps keep the feudal and manorial systems going. Everyone’s contributions to feudalism is vital in making it worth it for others which kept the manor going, especially the Lady’s role.

Medieval manors were self-sustaining parts of feudalism. Manors contained the lord’s mansion, called the manor house, the lord’s demesne, cruck houses for the peasants, barns, a mill, orchards, woodlands, fish ponds, an outdoor oven, and a place to keep bees. The manor was split up into farmland, woodlands, pastureland, meadows, and at least one village (Jovinelly and Netelkos 9). The villages weren’t very large, they usually had less than 600 people (Cels 6); but, “Each village had peasants’ homes, a church, a mill where grain was ground into flour, ovens in which bread was baked, and a forge, where a blacksmith made horseshoes and iron tools” (Cels 4). There wasn’t much need to leave the manor, as the people had just about all they needed to live.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Feudal system was developed. Between the 9th and 15th Century, the Feudal system provided the model of the medieval class system. It defined the people who had wealth and comfort such as royal families, and those without wealth and comfort, the peasants. William I, better known as ‘William the Conqueror’, defeated Harold at the ‘Battle of Hastings’ and became King. He introduced the Feudal system. The people didn’t trust William I so he divided England into big plots of land and gave it to Noblemen who had fought bravely for him. These Noblemen swore loyalty and collected taxes from peasants on their land. The peasants worked hard to pay these taxes and produce enough food to survive. The Feudal System was an unfair way to organise society because peasants were trapped in their position in the Feudal

Behind each house was a garden or small plot of land. The common fields surrounding the village were some distance away, divided into strips and separated by twigs and pieces of unplowed land. Past the open fields was the waste, the uncultivated land which provided grazing land for the cattle, sheep and pigs and also fuel and timber for building.11 Bread was the staple item of the peasant diet. Eating meat was either a rare or nonexistent occurrence. Peasants ate whatever they grew: grains and a small percent of vegetables and potatoes. Barley and oats were made into both food and drink for consuming. The good grains, the meat from the animals, and the tasty fruits and vegetables went to either the lords or to the upper classes.12 “The peasant’s housing was as basic as his diet.” Most houses consisted of two rooms, one for living and one for sleeping. The walls were constructed of clay or straw supported by wooden frames. The roofs were thatched and animals were free to wander in and out. The smells of animals, sweat and waste were anything but pleasant and were more than plentiful.Water was gathered from an outside well or spring and there was no form of sanitation leading to a low level of personal

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the fourteenth century, The Canterbury Tales and more specifically it’s prologue, shed a great deal of light on the rising middle class in (fourteenth century) England. Despite the fact that some readers may not know a lot about the time period today, Chaucer’s writing in the prologue elaborates on topics such as occupations, wealth, education, and political power. Scholar Barbara Nolan writes of the prologue, “it is more complex than most…It raises expectations in just the areas the handbooks propose, promising to take up important matters of natural and social order, moral character, and religion and outlining the organization the work will follow” (Nolan 154). In other words, while noting the

The servants do not appear to belong to the same moral framework as the main characters - the framework in which virtue equals taste, and an appreciation of nature is a sign of good moral character. A sensibility to landscape does not appear to be a pre-requisite for a virtuous disposition in the labouring classes. Though most of them