History Middle Ages

• People learn to write

  4000 BC
• Birth of Jesus Christ

  1 AD
• Fall of Western Roman Empire

  476 AD
• Fall of Eastern Roman Empire

  1453 AD
• Columbus Arrived In America

  1492 AD
• Feudalism


  Enabled Kings to rule their Kingdom with the help of the nobles
• Power structure in feudal society


  • Church & King
  • Nobles
  • Knights
  • Peasants
• King


  • Owns all the land in the kingdom
  • Allocates land to nobles (Fief)
  • Govern subject more efficiently
  • Gain loyalty and support
  • Subjects must obey his orders
  • May be executed
• Church


  • Churchmen were reserved in feudal society regardless of their ranks
  • Biggest Landowner
  • Commoners gave tithe (1/10 of crops)
  • People believed the only way to heaven was Church
  • People feared being excommunicated -> Obey Church
  • Only people who could read and write & provider of education
  • Giving advice to nobles and kings
• Church People


  • Pope
  • Cardinals
  • Archbishops
  • Bishops
  • Priests, Nuns & Monks
• Pope


  • Representative of God
  • Bad things would happen if disobeyed
  • Excommunication -> Exclude from religious service -> Doomed to go to Hell
  • Accusing somebody of holding heresy
• Monks


  • Led a life in a monastery
  • Life was religious, repetitive and disciplined w/ tight schedule and rules
  • Religious and faithful people ready to devote their lives to God
  • Younger sons from noble families can gain power and status (they couldn't inherit)
  • Devote life to serve God
  • Going to heaven
  • Learn how to read and write → gain knowledge
  • Teaching, copying manuscripts and managing libraries → passing on knowledge and contributing to society
  • Do good deeds by taking care of the poor & the sick
  • Social status and respect
  • Alternative to gain power and status
  • Repetitive routine and tight schedule
  • A lot of strict rules and punishments
  • A lot of manual labor and hard work
  • Basic lifestyle + not much rest + simple food
  • Isolated life + separated from family and friends
  • May not be able to promote in church to gain power
• Undesirable Effects of Church: High Churchmen less serious about work, Care more about enjoying life, Corruption of Church, Sustain luxury, Selling indulgences, Slow development of science, People dared not challenge Church beliefs
• Manor


  • Owned by a noble, known as Lord -> Lived in manor houses or castles
  • Church -> Centre of the manor -> Centre of people's lives
  • People inside did not have contact with the outside world -> self-sufficient
• Roles of People in a Manor


  • The Lord
  • The Priest
  • The Peasants
• The Lord

  Protect, organize, and manage the manor
• The Priest

  Look after the souls of people & church
• The Peasants

  Grow crops, raise animals
• Three-field system


  1. Wheat

  2. Barley

  3. Resting
• Only 2 fields grew crops, the third field was given a rest to recover nutrients
• Each family was given strips from each field, getting land for wheat, barley, and fallow each year, everyone had good & poor land
• Three-field system


  • Efficient: Crop rotation allowed nutrients & maintain the soil fertility, Fields could be used for more years, Support population, Fair distribution of land
  • Inefficient: ⅓ land wasted each year, Lots of time spent going from one strip to another
• Serfs & Peasants

  • Majority of people in the Middle Ages
  • Pros: Plenty of food and milk, Protection from their lord, Free food in festivals, Make their own decision on marriage, Able to use the lord's mill during harvest, Farm own food
  • Cons: Grow crops for nobles & keep them alive, Obey the lord -> Disobey = Punishments, Pay a fine for many things, Heavy workload, Generation to generation -> Also peasants, Stay at Lord's land
• Different perspectives from different sources show different aspects of life, Use evidence that could substantiate their own views
• Five defensive featuresof Castles

  • Drawbridge and moat
  • Guard tower
  • Slits (small & narrow windows)
  • Thick high walls
  • On a hill
• Knights

  • Knightly training
  • Chivalry
  • Putting on armor
• Knightly training


  1. Age 7: Serve master as a page, ride horse, play chess & war games

  2. Age 14: Become a squire, learn to use a lance in jousts, follow master in war

  3. Adult: Was knighted in a ceremony - I dub thee knight
• Chivalry


  • Be a good Christian (uphold the Christian virtues, protecting the Church)
  • Be brave, and honest (fight courageously and fairly, no tricks, not hurting women/children)
  • To fight for a good cause (eg. protecting the kingdom, defending Christianity)
• Pros of being a knight


  • Wealth and status
  • Promised the Lord military services → Receive Land in return
  • Learn survival skills (eg. horse-riding)
  • High moral spirit, becoming a gentleman
  • Earn a living through tourneys
• Cons of being a knight

  • Time-consuming and lengthy training
  • Rules & restrictions
  • Heavy armor
  • Life-risking and frequent battles
  • Lowest noble rank → hard promotion
• Formation of Towns

  1. Peddlers went from village to village to sell goods

  2. Lived together → More people drawn to their settlements

  3. Wall built around settlement → town
• Five features of a town

  • Cathedral
  • Town Hall
  • Outer Wall
  • Inner Wall
  • Main Square
• Townspeople


  • Laborers
  • Merchants
  • Craftsmen
• Town's Government


  • Usually contain merchants and craftsmen
  • Functions: Guard rights and privileges of their town against outsiders, Manage town affairs e.g. Security
• Guilds


  • Establish rules for craft or trade
  • Check quality of goods
  • Fixed prices and wages
  • Ensure profits of members
  • Protect its members against attack when travelling
  • Provide training for the workers to learn skills
  • Had to pay fees
• Benefits of guilds


  • Status and reputation
  • Training and skills
  • Protection
  • Support
  • Money
• Membership of a craft guild

  • Apprentices: Attach to a guild and receive training by a master
  • Journeymen: Produce a masterpiece to gain recognition of the master
  • Master: Own a shop
• Pros of life in medieval towns

  • Freedom and rights
  • Choose profession
  • Free from a lord's control
  • Better living standards
  • More goods services and entertainment in towns
  • Better protected interests
• Cons of life in medieval towns

  • Poor hygiene & sanitary conditions
  • Improper waste disposal
  • Livestock in streets → spread diseases
  • Constant threat of fire
  • Woodern buildings
  • Crammed side by side
  • Flammable → Easy fire spread
• Castles

  • Protection
  • Attacking enemies
  • Difficult to attack from outside