How would you describe medieval life in Europe?

Question

Just interested >:)

Short answers please.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Citizens lives were controlled by the Catholic Church.  There was a lot of filth and disease.  See great info below.

Answer 2

It was incredibly difficult for the people, Elizabeth.

However, life improved for the peasants once feudalism was introduced into England when William invaded in 1066. All throughout Europe, there were little villages called manors. Manors were agricultural villages’ controlled by the lord. If peasants didn't live on manors, they lived in towns. Mayors needed a permit for a town, as it would not be part of the king's system. Towns were run by the people, and were not ruled by a lord, who took orders directly from the king. Living conditions were better in towns than on manors. Towns also had markets and houses, so there was more variety for the residents. However, disease was most common here too, as the sewerage system was the street (yuk). The streets in a town were narrow, and you would be lucky to walk underneath a house and not have waste tipped all over your head.

Most children married at 12, and most commonly, had children of their own at around 13-14. The average life expectancy was 25 for a woman; and 35 for a man. The role of a woman in the middle ages was to sew, cook and run a household. A young girl would stay home with her mother. The role of a man was to work in the fields. A young boy would learn from his father, who would teach his son how to work in the fields and hunt.

In their early years, children would help out with jobs such as fetching and carrying, however at the age of 9, a child was expected to handle most adult jobs. Animals were equally important, and were tended to everyday.

During the harvest, all peasants on the manor would help. The harvest was the end of the rural cycle, where all the crops in the fields were ready to be collected and prepared. It was the toughest time of year for the peasants. In the summer, a peasant would wake at about 4:30, and in the winter, at around 6:30. They began work in the fields at dawn and would not stop until nightfall.

The pope and religious leaders had more influence over the people than the king did. He could call a religious war if he wanted to, and the people would fight for him. The pope was considered God in human form. Sunday was the only rest day (as well as sain holidays), where the peasants would attend mass.

Laws were very strict, and those who did not abide by the king's laws would be punished most severely. Light punishments were the 'scold's bridle' which was a punishment for gossip, and the 'stocks' which was a public humiliation punishment, and brought upon those who were not paying taxes, etc. More severe punishments were to be 'beheaded' for murder, and if you were to speak ill of the church or the king, you would receive the worst punishment of all, a simple 'hanging' by the noose, or you would be 'hung, drawn and quartered,' (which was to be hung, cut down, cut up and have your limbs sent around the country and publicly displayed). Beheading was the best way to die, as it was considered quick and relatively painless (if you were to be beheaded by someone skilled with a sword or axe). If you were convicted as a witch, you would be burnt alive at the stake. This was the most painful and most horrific punishment of all. Burning was said to cleanse the soul. If you stood by your innocence, you were burnt alive. If you admitted to being a witch, you would be strangled before being burnt.

There were also ways of determining whether someone was a witch. A common example was to be burnt with a hot poker. If the cut healed, you were daubed 'not a witch.' If the burn gradually got worse and worse and more infected, you were a witch, and executed. Then there was the ducking stool, where a woman would be tied to a stool, and ducked in a lake or river. If the woman was to survive a certain amount of time underwater, she was a witch. If she were to drown, she was not a witch. People didn't mind if someone was to drown, as they would 'ascend straight to the heavens.'  

In simplest form: if you were convicted as a witch, you didn’t have much hope. You could be convicted for anything, too. You could be a widow living alone, you could own a black cat, or you could be accused of spreading famine and making crops fail. If you were accused, you would most certainly die: either you would admit to it by torture and be killed, or you would straight away be found guilty by a monk.

Basically, life was terrible. The best off were the nobles, who had food and shelter. A common peasant had a small, dirt floored hut, and a drink of mead for dinner. Most huts had thatched roofing. The peasant was bound for life to the fields of the manor. There was no means of warmth in a peasant's hut.  

The feudal system was basically a system that determined who had the most rights, and who had the least. At the top was the king, who distributed land and ruled. Just below him were the barons and other nobles, who controlled the castles, and supplied knights and armies for the king. Then there were the knights themselves. Below the knights were the peasants, who had the worst life and shortest life expectancy.

A knight originally had to be of some noble descent. He was taken away at the age of 7 to be taught academically and in combat. A knight was taught the code of chivalry, which was to protect those less able, etc. A baron owned the castle, and protected it if the castle ever had to withstand a siege. Castles were often cold and dank. They had rough stone walls often 5 metres thick, and very few fire places (this was because if a fire was lit, the castle would be engulfed in smoke, as castles did not have many windows or air holes mainly because if the castle were attacked, there would be less a chance of richochet arrows). Usually in a castle for insulation, there would be many tapestries. This would have provided some warmth and would have stopped cold draughts.

As you can see, if you were high in the feudal system, you had a better life. If you were a peasant, it wasn't so great.

Hope this helped!

-Tim

Answer 3

Unpleasant.

Answer 4

In medieval Europe most people lived in the country, and were at least partly self-sufficient.

Society was organised on the feudal system, which meant that the lord of the manor generally rented his land in small parcels to peasants (villeins) who would farm the land and pay rent for their land in the form of labour on the lord's own farm, or (especially in the later middle ages) in cash.  The peasants were grouped into villages which were governed by the manor court, which was made up of officials chosen from among the villagers themselves.  The chief overseer of the village was called the Reeve.  The peasants would grow their crops on their small farms, and their animals would be grazed ont he common land.  The farmer's wife would normally be in charge of the poultry and the dairy, she would make her own butter and cheese, and sell the surplus at market, likewise any surplus eggs and chickens she had reared.  Brewing ale was a job that was normally done by women, every village would have two or three alewives (usually widows) who would brew ale for sale.  Ale was normally drunk instead of water, which was not safe for drinking.  

Peasants did not live in such squalid conditions as is sometimes made out.  Medieval village houses that have been excavated have been shown to be substantial two-room dwellings, and contain items such as pottery, pewterware, musical instruments, dice, cards and board games.  In other words, peasants must have had money to spend and the ability to acquire possessions.

Towns were much smaller than nowadays, and housed a much smaller fraction of the population, but they were packed, busy places, with merchants and craftsmen and tradesmen of all kinds.  Most craftsmen would belong to one or other of the trade guilds, which protected th einterests of their members, oversaw trading practices, and provided their members with sick pay, pensions, schools for the children, and widows' pensions.  Most trades in those days were carried on at home, with wives and children being involved in whatever the business was, wives would often belong to the same guild as their husbands, and widows would often carry on the business after their husbands died.

Whether they lived in country or town, the church would be central to most people's lives.  They would attend mass on sundays, and on special occasions.  Saints Days were holidays, and there were a lot of them.  Christmas lasted for thirteen days, from Christmas Day through to Epiphany (6th January).  The day after Epiphany, the 7th January, was known as St Distaff's Day, because it was the day on which women would resume their daily task of spinning after th elong holiday (spinning was a major occupation of women in pre-industrial society, it was vital for the production of thread for weaving into cloth).  Easter was another major festival, and in the later middle ages Pentecost and Corpus christi also became very important.  Advent (the four weeks before Christmas) and Lent (the period before Easter) were times of fasting, when only very plain food would be eaten, no meat or dairy products.

The church was also a major dispenser of charity in medieval times.  Monasteries had infirmaries where the sick and old were cared for, and they would also give hospitality to poor travellers.  They also educated children.  About one peasant boy in ten joined the clergy, which required the ability to read Latin.

Answer 5

Dirty. It was a lot of work to get enough hot water for a bath. Chamber pots were emptied into the street.

Short. Some people did live into their seventies, but one in two children died before the age of 5 -- which really skews the stats. A lot of women died in (or as the result of) childbirth.

In the event of an infection, often feverish (no penicillin).

Painful in the event of an accident (no anaesthetics).

We think of it as a time of religious fervour when everyone attended church but, if that was true, why did they have fines that were levied if a person missed church for no valid reason?

We also think of it as a time of illiteracy and, while that was true for many areas of Europe, the exceptions were Scandinavia, Scotland, Ireland and Iceland -- areas heavily settled by the Vikings who placed great emphasis on reading and writing.

I love the ideals of the time (chivalry, etc.) but I sure wouldn't want to have lived then! I wouldn't have made it past childhood.

Answer 6

violent and covered in sh*t

Answer 7

unlike the movies... awful!

full of pests and satanic christian church wanting to kill everyone because they all had business with the devil itself. lol.

pathetic times! (not far from ours right now)

Answer 8

Short and brutish.

Answer 9

Cold housing was very basic, short, average life exptency not much past 35, dirty, lots of disease. Religion was the focus of most people, everything was explained in religous terms. the average person couldn't read and write, even most lords and noblemen were illiterate, and used scribes usually there preist. They couldn't even see a need to learn after all the parish preist would tell them everything they needed to know. It's not really a question to which there is a short answer. hope this helps