Social Studies

Thursday, August 13, 2015

The Church

But why was the Church so powerful?

1. It owned land.

The Church owned many large areas of farmland. People who grew crops on this land had to give one tenth of everything they grew to the Church. This was called the Tithe. This was a lot of crops for many poor people to lose.

2. It controlled people’s beliefs.

The Church told people that when they died, their souls lived on either in Heaven or in Hell. Hell, they said, was a place of great pain and suffering. The people were understandably frightened of going there. So, the Church gave them hope. It said that after you die your soul goes first to a place called Purgatory, where it would stay until any sins had been burnt away.

3. It was rich.

As you can imagine. People wanted to be in purgatory for the shortest possible time. The Church said that you could shorten your stay in purgatory if you did several things.

These included:

• Attend Church and live a good life • Go on a pilgrimage • Buy a special pardon. These pardons were known as Indulgences.

The Church made a lot of money this way, as people - especially rich people - tried to buy their way to heaven. The Church also made money through the Tithes.

4. It was not controlled by the King.

The Church was Roman Catholic and therefore was lead by the Pope. This meant that the King could not tell anyone from the Church what to do. Even if a churchman committed a crime, they could not be tried by a normal court, but instead were tried by fellow churchmen, who were often very lenient.

Life of the Nobility Kings, Lords, Ladies, Knights

In medieval times, the nobility included Kings, Lords, Knights, and Ladies. Manor houses and castles were drafty, dingy, and damp. They were built for protection, not for comfort. Compared to the common people, however, the nobility lived a far more comfortable life.

Lords: Within the fief he owned, the lord had nearly total authority. He was the judge and jury whenever a dispute needed to be settled. He was also the judge and jury for dispute between his various vassals.

Ladies: A woman's job in the middle ages was to have children and to take care of the household. Noblewomen had no rights. They were the property of their husband. Noblewomen were not allowed to choose their own husbands. Their fathers chose a husband for them.

There was no such thing as divorce. But these were times of great violence. A woman might be married four times in her lifetime. Each time, if her father was alive, he would find her a new husband. If her father was not alive, the eldest son of her late husband would find her a new husband. If there were no sons, the church would find her a new husband, or she could enter the convent.

Kids: At age seven, boys began to study to become knights. Girls did not go to school. They were taught by their mother how to manage the household and how to behave.

Behavior: There was a strict code of behavior in the middle ages. There was rule for every action, even for when you spoke and how you greeted people. Life was very structured.

Long after the Middle Ages were over, a book was published, called the Babees Book, that lists all the customs and manners of the Middle Ages. It's truly interesting. If you would like to take a look, click here: Babees Book.

Dining: Dinner was an elaborate affair for most nobles. Several dishes were served includes game, fish, vegetables, fruit, and deserts. Foods were sweetened with honey. Spoons and forks were not used. Instead, people used their fingers and knives.

If they had guests for dinner, they would hire entertainers - minstrels, magicians, jugglers - or perhaps one person would perform several feats.

Activities and Entertainment: Tournaments were a most popular form of entertainment. Tournaments were mock battles between knights. Men hunted and fished and ran the fief. Women took great pride in their embroidery and tapestry making. They made medicines from various plants. Both men and women learned the art of archery.

Religion: The Catholic Church ruled daily life. Sermons were given daily by parish priests in small rooms called chapels. Prayer was a big part of every day. The church had to approve what you did and how you behaved, or you would be punished, sometimes with your life. The church had great power, and they did not hesitate to use it.

http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/nobility.html

Peasants and Serfs

The common people were peasants, and serfs. There was a difference between a peasant and a serf.

Serfs were bound to the manor. They were not slaves. These people could not be bought and sold. But they could not leave the manor without permission.

If they did not work, they were punished. If the manor land was sold or reassigned to a new owner, the serfs stayed with the land.

Serfs had many jobs on the manor including craftsmen, bakers, farmers, and tax collectors - serfs did all kinds of jobs. Their job were assigned. They had to do the job they were assigned to do.

Serfs could buy their freedom from the manor, but where would they get the money? Besides, in these violent times, being part of the land offered a certain amount of protection. If a new lord took over the manor, he would need the serfs for labor.

Peasants were free to leave if they wished, but where would they go? War was everywhere. Peasants worked the land and made the goods in exchange for protection. They might own their own business or have room enough for garden of their own. Other than that, their life was just like a serf's life. A few peasants escaped the hard work on the farm by joining the church. But most lived and died on the manor where they were born.

Taxes: Everyone had to pay taxes to the lord. There was a payment due on every service they received. To pay the crop tax, some crops went to the lord, and some they kept. To pay the bread tax, some bread they made went to the lord, and some they kept. To pay the coat tax, some of the warm coats they made went to the lord, and some they kept. All peasants had to set aside a certain number of days each year to work on the roads or on the lord's home or on whatever else needed doing. Everything was paid in barter. Coinage or money did not exist on the manor.

Church Festivals: The only time commoners had a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company was at a church festival. Festivals offered stage plays, which were religious in nature, along with archery contests, wrestling, dancing, and singing. Often there were jugglers and magicians. Festivals were held often. Payment for the festivals was the responsible of the lord of the manor. The lord paid for the festivals by giving the church food and clothing the peasants had made.

Power of the Priests: People believed that the only way to get to Heaven was to follow the teachings in the Bible. The common people could not read or write. The village priest read to them from the Bible and told them how to behave. The priest told them who they must marry and when. You had to do everything the priest said if you wanted to get to heaven.

Feudal Obligations: In spite of the hardships of their lives, peasants and serfs were mostly content with their lot. For one thing, they knew no other life. For another, they knew their work kept everyone on the manor fed and comfortable, including themselves.

http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/commoners.html

Another interesting site : http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/medpeasant.html