The Middle

Ages
(449-1485)
BY: SHARON MENDEZ RODRIGUEZ
Timeline
1171- Henry II invades Ireland, beginning nearly eight hundred years of
British Domination
1215- English barons force King John to sign the Magna Carta
1250- First Commoners are allowed in the British Parliament
1348- Black Death Strikes England
1380- Entire Bible is translated into English for the first time, by followers
of John Wycliffe
1381- Peasants Revolt takes place in England
1387- Chaucer begins The Canterbury Tales
1455 to 1485- War of the Roses is fought between the Houses of York
and Lancaster
1485- First Tudor King, Henry VII is crowned
Index
Feudal System
Catholic Church
The Crusades
The Magna Carta
Courtly Love
The Black Death
Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales

Feudal System
The economic system of much of the Middle Ages (800-1100) was
called feudalism.
Commoners (peasants) lived on a feudal manor. The lord of the
manor gave his vassals (the peasants) land to farm.
In return, the vassals received protection from roving bandits. Yet
they were taxed and had to surrender a portion of their crops to the
lord.
Feudalism is important as it created ties of obedience and fostered
a sense of loyalty between the vassals and their lord.

Agriculture: The Three Field System
The method of crop rotation, or the three field system, was
developed during the middle ages.
Originally half the land would be planted and the other half would
be fallow (unplanted)
Under the new system the land was divided into three fields. Two
were planted and one would be left fallow. Crops which used
different nutrients would be planted in the two fields and would
rotate to let the soil rest.

The Manorial System
A Manor was a self-sufficient agricultural estate run by a
lord and worked by peasants and serfs.
Knights and Lords

Nobles needed trained soldiers to defend castles
Knights most important, highly skilled soldiers
Mounted knights in heavy armor best defenders
Being a knight expensive; had to maintain weapons, armor, horses
Knights demanded payment for services
Knights Education: Stage 1
The education of a young noble
began early (age 7).
He would be sent off to the castle
of another lord. He waited on his
hosts and learned courtly
manners. He played chess and
learned war strategies.
To develop fighting skills, he would
practice sword fighting.
Knights Education: Stage 2
At around the age of 14, the boy
would become a squire.
A squire would act as a servant to
a knight.
The squire took care of the knights
armor, weapons, and warhorse.
The squire would also escort the
knight to battles.

Knights Education: Stage 3
At around 21, a squire became a
full-fledged knight.
Knights were to abide by a
complex set of ideals, which
became known as the code of
chivalry.
Later in the Middle Ages battles
were often for show.

Knights Education: Stage 4
Knights were bound by a strict
code of conduct called chivalry.
According to this code, knights
were expected to be brave, loyal,
true to their word and protective
of women and those weaker than
them.

Feudal Obligations

Fealty to King

Almost everyone in system served more than one lord
Theoretically, everyone supposed to be loyal to the king
In practice, not everyone loyal
Some powerful nobles as strong as kings they were supposed to
serve, ignored duties as vassals
Feudal rules specific to time, place; could change over time;
Englands rules not same as Frances rules

Womens Role in the Manor
Whether they were nobles or
peasants, women held a difficult
position in society.
They were largely confined to
household tasks such as cooking,
baking bread, sewing, weaving,
and spinning.
However, they also hunted for
food and fought in battles,
learning to use weapons to
defend their homes and castles.

Other Occupations
Some medieval women held other occupations. There were women
blacksmiths, merchants, and apothecaries.
Others were midwives, worked in the fields, or were engaged in
creative endeavors such as writing, playing musical instruments,
dancing, and painting.
Some women were known as witches, capable of sorcery and
healing. Others became nuns and devoted their lives to God and
spiritual matters.

Catholic Church
The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the
Middle Ages, and it had its own laws and large income.
Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's
council and played leading roles in government.

Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII,
though unpopular,
initiated many reforms
for the church.
These reforms
became known as
the Gregorian
reforms.

Papal States and Simony
The Papal States were the territories surrounding Rome which were
controlled by the Pope and the Church.
As the Middle Ages went on the church became more involved in
political affairs. The feudal government of the time complicated
matters. Lords appointed these bishops and other church officials
as their vassals, and they had to be loyal to their lords, bishops and
abbots became more worldly and neglected their spiritual duties.
A practice known as simony developed where lords would sell
church offices. This became an important source of income for
lords and nobles.

Lay Investiture
When an Abbot or Bishop was appointed to the church
they were given symbols of their new office.
These objects were a ring and a staff, they symbolized
the spiritual authority which was being granted, or
invested, by the church. The ring represented marriage
to the church and the staff was symbolic of the duty to
be a good shepherd to the people.

The Inquisition
The Church appointed a special court, usually headed by the
Dominicans, to find and try heretics.
If an accused heretic confessed, he or she was forced to perform
public penance.
Beginning in 1252, those that did not confess voluntarily were
tortured until they did confess.
Many did not confess but were still considered guilty and turned to
the state for execution.
If a heretic relapsed, they were also subject to execution.
Christians of this time believed that the only path to salvation was
through the Church, heresy was a crime against God and humanity,
the church believed it was doing this to save peoples souls.

Bishops
Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from noble families,
ruled over groups of parishes called dioceses.
Many times, they were part of the feudal system and in exchange
for a fief, peasants had to provide homage and military aid to a
leige lord.

The Village Church
The Village church was the center of all religious
and most social activities.
Village priests would teach peasants the basic
beliefs of Christianity, although many local
priests had very little education themselves.
On festival days the village churchyard was used
for dancing and drinking, much to the dismay of
the priest.

Parish Priests
Parish priests came from humble backgrounds
and often had little education.
The village priest tended to the sick and indigent
and, if he was able, taught Latin and the Bible to
the youth of the village

Monks
Monks were required to perform manual labor
and were forbidden to own property, leave the
monastery, or become entangled in the
concerns of society.
Daily tasks were often carried out in silence.

Nuns
Monks and their female
counterparts, nuns, who
lived in convents,
provided for the less-
fortunate members of
the community.
Monasteries and
nunneries were safe
havens for pilgrims and
other travelers.