Marcus

=**Feudal Europe:**= media type="youtube" key="QV7CanyzhZg" width="560" height="315" Video Summary: Although the years 600-1400 C.E. are considered the "dark ages", and Europe was in a period of un-enlightenment, other areas of the world were thriving in all aspects. Government, religion, warfare, math, and science all were furthered in areas such as the Middle East and China.



__**Language:**__

Languages common in the medieval period are Latin, Middle English, French, and various Germanic languages. Common languages in England in the medieval period were the Anglo-Norman, Middle English, and Latin. Anglo-Norman: Distinct dialect of French after the Norman Conquest of 1066 established a French speaking aristocracy in the English.

Middle-English: The English spoken from 1150- 1470 A.D., borrowed a variety of words from Norman French.

Latin: Used throughout medieval Europe, used especially within the church. Developed into vulgar Latin which became the parent language to Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, and French. Vulgar Latin is informal compared to Classical Latin which maintained use within the church.

__**Social Stratification:**__ Social Stratification- A society groups people into socioeconomic strata,based upon their occupation and income, wealth and social status, or derived power.

Commonly referred to as the Feudal Ages, the medieval period in Europe was centralized around the theory of feudalism. Feudalism was the system of hierarchies within European society. Each member of society played a specific role within this system.



King: Granted land to nobles in return for money and knights. Kings, as were shown, were loyal to the church but not the pope.

Nobles: Grants land in the form of fiefs to vassals in return for food, services, and protection. Nobles were loyal to the King and the church.

Vassals: Gave land and protection to serfs and working men in return for food and services.

Knights: Lived, trained, and protected the King and his assets.

Serfs: Believed it was God's intended purpose to keep them bound to the land to work to provide for everyone above them.



The most interesting group of people, aforementioned are the Knights. The keen roll they played and the lifestyle they held is remarkable. Training for Knighthood began at an early and and began with foundations such as education, good manners, and etiquette. Boys were sent at age 7 to castles of wealthy families or lords. From ages 7-14 boys were given the role of Medieval Page. A page acted as a 'little vassal' helping wait tables and dressing the noble. Here they would be taught religion, manners, riding, hunting, hawking, and games such as chess. At age 14 the page would graduate to the rank of squire. A squire is a servant to a Knight. Here they learned chivalry, rules of Heraldry, horsemanship, and weapon use. They had to enter the social life of the castle and learn courtly etiquette, jousting, music, and dancing. At age 21 they became a Knight or perhaps even sooner especially during times of war where they would assist the Knight. A ceremony was held for the achievement of knighthood and was completed when the Knight was dubbed and the phrase, "Arise, Sir Knight" was recited. This would be done by a local Knight or perhaps even the King himself.



__**Gender Roles:**__ Women held miniscule jobs during the middle ages. The typical occupation of women was caring for her family and house work. Some women did hold minor occupations though. Occupations such as writing, nursing, baking, spinning, weaving, and becoming a nun. Men held practically every other role.



__**Sexual Permissiveness/Restrictiveness:**__

Sex was thought of in two ways: It was natural if for the purpose of procreation, and deemed a sin if for lust. Virginity was highly praised by religious and secular authorities. Most men would marry a virgin so as to eliminate the possibility of their wife having past children with other men. A book entitled "De Secretis" detailed ways in which a man could test to see if a woman still retained her virginity through ways such as observing a woman's behavior, urine inspection, and intercourse. A book titled "Book of Women's Love" detailed a way in which female virginity can be restored.



A popular descripiton of medieval love is through the use of courting. Courting is the act of wooing a lady. Although this is a common theme in literature, it was mainly only in literature.

Prostitution during the middle ages was a lucrative enterprise. Most towns had a brothel. Most women joined a brothel for financial reasons. Some women held jobs outside the brothel as well.

__**Family Structure:**__

Wealthier more noble families living on a fief had a relationship similar to today with husband and wife and their children. They employed servants for nearly every menial task, such as cooking, dressing, washing, and cleaning. Certain roles held a particular rank that was considered noble, occupations such as lead hunter or falconer. Roles that pertained closer to the head of the estate were usually carried out by those with a certain nobility such as a young relative of the Noble. Most jobs were given to young women except for military related jobs, which were given to men.



Family structure of the peasants was smaller than those in nobility. Families still consisted of husband, wife, and children but they lived in smaller houses, often a single room shared with livestock. Women were often married in their teens to increase the birthrate and men were typically married in their mid-to-late twenties, or when they could provide for their family.

__**Food Production:**__



The main source of food production was farming. The method of farming was called the "three field system." As the name suggests, three fields were utilized. One field was used to plant summer crops such as peas, lentils, or beans. Another field was planted with fall or winter plants such as winter wheat or rye. The third field was left fallow. Rudimentary experiments with fertilizers were conducted and used clay, manure, and various soils with lime.



Poor genetics caused most farm animals to be significantly smaller and unhealthy, in comparison to today's livestock. Cows for milking were not much larger than a Great Dane. The most prized animal of the time was the oxen, due to its larger size and exceeding strength which was used to plow fields and pull wagons.

__**Rites of Passage:**__

Women were taught how to cook, clean, wash, and tend to others. Due to the overlying dominance of the Christian Church, most rites of passage occurred within the church. The main four rites of passage within the church were baptism, communion, confirmation, and marriage. As discussed earlier, there were rites of passage for a boy becoming a knight.



__**Religious Beliefs:**__ The largest part of life during the Feudal Ages in Europe was that of the church. The highest power throughout was the church. The middle ages were the time of the crusades funded by the Pope. The crusades would ultimately lead to a division within the church in 1054 A.D. called the "great schism." Martin Luther (1483-1546) would also further divide the church with his 95 theses.

During the middle ages, people would often attend church everyday and would sometimes pray five times a day. Everyone, no matter occupation, sex, or title, was strongly devoted to their religion.



__**Use of Art:**__

Art was not as popular during the middle ages as it was during the renaissance. The main use of art was through the use of heraldry. Architecturally, the middle ages were rather progressive. Famous architectural styles of the middle ages include:



Romanesque: 1066-1200 Early Gothic: 1200-1300 Gothic: 1300- 1500 Perpendicular Gothic: 1400-1500



__**Entertainment:**__

Music generally progressed in medieval Europe. Troubadours, Trouvores, and Minstrels were poers and musicians who transformed medieval music. Troubadours were traveling musicians that went from town to town, many troubadours sang only love songs, especially throughout Germany. The trouveres were troubadours who were born into nobility and had a formal poetic education. Minstrels were poets and musicians who would usually sing accompanied by a lute or harp. Minstrels were famous for remembering and reciting long poems. The Jongleurs were the assistants of a troubadour or minstrel. They had skills such as, dancing, conjuring, acrobatics, and juggling. The waits were originally for playing loud instruments in order to act as a warning system for the nearby town. Later, they became the town band and would play for special ceremonies and occasions.



Famous composers of the medieval period include: Adam de la Halle (1238-1287) Guillame de Machaul (1340-1377) John Dunstable (1369-1453) Johannes Ockeghem (1420-1521) Conrad Paumann (1453-1473) Alexander Agricola (1466- 1506) Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

Medieval Instruments: Mandolin Lute Organistrum Flute Trumpet Pipe Shawm Recorder Bagpipe Crumhorn Gemshorn Lizard Drum English Horn Cor Anglais Haut Boy Tuba Pipe Organ Cymbals Triangle Tambourine Vielle Tabor Gittern Flageolet Ocarina Cornett Spinet Timbrel Bells Rote Clavichord Chittarone Cittern Harp Fiddle Rebec Psaltery Dulcimer Hurdy-gurdy Bombard Oboe Trombone Harpsichord



Timeline of the Medieval Ages: media type="youtube" key="uLxGhrnmy0s" width="560" height="315" Summary: This video is a basic timeline of the middle ages and covers major topics of the age.

Citations: Alchin, L.K. “Medieval Life and Times.” //Medieval Life and Times //, 2009, www.medieval-life-and-times.info/.

Noble, Thomas. “The Rise of Europe in the Middle Ages.” //The Great Courses Daily //, 3 Nov. 2017, www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/rise-europe-middle-ages/.

History.com Staff. “Middle Ages.” //History.com //, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/middle-ages.