Download - The Middle Ages 500-1500 AD, Western Europe
The Middle Ages500-1500 AD, Western Europe
The Medieval EraThe Dark Ages
The Middle Ages500-1500 AD, Western Europe
The Middle Ages in Europe were influenced by…
Classical heritage of Rome
Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
Customs of Germanic tribes
The “Dark Ages”Business & trade declined as a result of
invasion.Money became scarce (hard to find).People left cities & moved to rural areas,
where they could grow their own food.Learning declined.The common language, Latin, evolved into
many different languages (Spanish, Italian, French, etc).
FeudalismA political & economic
system based on land ownership
A peasant or serf worked the land of a lord in exchange for military protection.
Feudalism
FeudalismStructure of society like a
pyramid: King at the top followed by wealthy vassals
(nobles & church officials) knights (protected & fought for
their lords in exchange for a small fiefdom)
Peasants at the bottom (who owned no land but provided labor in exchange for protection.
Most peasants were serfs, people who could not lawfully leave the place they were born.
ManorThe manor was the lord’s
estate. The lord provided serfs with
housing, farmland, & protection. The serfs tended the land, cared for animals, & maintained the estate.
Manors were self-sufficient communities, containing their own church, workshops, & mills.
Manor
Manor
Manor
Life of Peasants Peasants paid taxes
for grinding grain in the lord’s mill for marriage 1/10 of their income to the church
Rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their manor
Lived in one & two-room houses, dirt floor, animals often slept in house to add warmth
Illness & malnutrition common Average lifetime was about 35
years