Humanities- Medieval Life

What problems did the roman empire have

-          Too large to control

-          Barbarians from tribes continued to attack Rome

-          Therefore, taxes grew higher to help pay for military and defence/protection

-          Males were needed in the military, therefore less people farming causing a food shortage.

-          Wealthy people started moving out of the city to create their own estates

what solution did the emperor Diocletian state would help the empire

splitting the empire into two, the western and eastern

Name some theories of how Rome fell

1.      Executive and military spending

2.      Political corruption

3.      Inferior technology

4.      Inflation

5.      Unemployment

6.      Urban decay

7.      Decline in Morals and Values

8.      Rise in Christianity

9.      Environmental and public health problems

10.  Barbarian invasions

name the 3 types of barbarians that attacked rome

huns, goths and vandals

explain how rome was attacked

Barbarians started to invade the empire. The Huns invaded from southern Europe. Goths couldn’t defeat the Huns and ran into roman territory. Vandals invaded France, sprain and north Africa. The romans ended up paying the goths not to attack. Eventually the romans stopped paying, and the goths destroyed Rome.

explain the end of western empire

In 476, the empire collapsed at the hands of the goths leaving no central leadership. Europe fell into a period of chaos. Needing to find a system of protection, enter the Middle Ages. 

what are the main characteristics of how the peasants lived

The poor ate a simpler and less varied diet than the rich. It included stews, grainy bread, vegetables and fruit (when available), milk, hard cheese, porridge made from oats or barley, and perhaps some nuts from the forests. The clothes of the poor were, by contrast, drab and dull in colour. They were crudely cut and made from coarse cloth woven by peasant women from hand spun wool or linen.

What are the main characteristics of the rich

The rich ate the meat of both domestic animals (such as cows, pigs and sheep) and game animals (such as deer, wild boars and pheasants). They also ate fish, fruit, soft cheese, eggs, coloured jellies, vegetables, sauces and soups, salads, white bread, pies and tarts, and ornate sweet dishes called subtleties. also, banquets were held on special occasions.

what is feudalism

a social system existing medieval Europe in which people worked and fought for nobbles who gave them protection and land in return.

when the king gave land to the nobbles what did he want in return

money and knights

when the nobbles gave land to the knights/vassals what did they want in return

protection and military service

the knights gave land and protection to the peasants what did they want in return

food and services

how did most people live

The majority of the population lived in villages in the countryside. Peasants houses were made out of sticks, straw and mud.

how did the wealthy people live

The home of wealthy people were fancier than the peasants. They had paved floors and tapestries hung on the walls. Only rich people had glass in their window, even mosaic and stained glass.

what is a castle

They are a type of home. The people who lived in castles were usually kings, queens or lords and their family. There would also be soldiers, cooks and cleaners and other people who lived inside to help and look after and protect the king, queen and/or lord

what is a manor

a lords estate. It was made up of farming land, a village where peasants lived and a manor house where the lord who owned the estate lives.

what is the three field system

was a crop rotation method. A field would plant with one set of crops one year, a different set in the second year, and the left fallow once every 3 years.

who was the leader of the church

the Pope

what is the clergy

anyone part of the church authority, like a priest or bishop.

what is the trial by ordeal

is a popular way of deciding whether an accused person was innocent or guilty of crime. The church controls the ordeals; in fact, you have to go through an ordeal with a member of the clergy present.

what is the benefit of having the clergy

the king was not able to override decisions the clergy made. The king could not exert the authority he wished over them.

describe a sanctuary

many churches allowed people to confess their crimes on holy ground. If they did, they were given 40 days to leave the country. The kings authority could not touch them unless the 40 days had passed.

there was no polices there were…

local lords or the king’s officials tried to keep in order

name types of crimes

-          Theft (stealing)

-          Poaching (hunting animals on someone else’s land without permission)

-          Treason (plotting against the king or queen)

what is the test of innocents

They believed God would know who is guilty or innocent. Suspects faced painful tests, like holding a hot iron or being thrown into water. If they healed quickly of floated, they were thought to be innocent.

what is the trial by combat

Sometimes two people would fight to settle an argument this would only happen for serious crimes or important disagreements.

what are the crusades

Christians were called the wars against Muslims ‘crusades’ because they wore a red cross on their clothes. Christians believed they were fighting for God

what is a pilgrimage

is a religious journey, Christians travelled to Jerusalem to see where Jesus lived and died. 

what did Christians believe about Jerusalem

Christians believed that Jerusalem was the holy land. They wanted to take the city back from the Muslim leaders. Christians believed that fighting for the holy land would give them a place in heaven.

who is Charlemagne

-          He became one of the most powerful people in Europe

-          People called him ‘Charles the great’ because he fought many wars and united many lands and people.

what did Charlemagne help spread around Europe

-          Charlemagne helped spread Christianity and worked closely with the Pope to build churches and schools.