Middle ages

• The Middle Ages began, introducing feudalism


  After the fall of the Roman Empire
• Feudalism


  • Rulers owned land, which was divided among lords and nobles in return for loyalty and taxes
  • Vassals received a fief (land) to hire peasants to farm while swearing an oath of fealty to the king
• Medieval Countryside


  • Most people lived in the countryside in manors owned by a lord or knight
  • Typical manor features included houses, a manor house, church, mill, forge, and bailiff's house
• Medieval Farming


  1. Peasants used the open field system with crop rotation

  2. Fields were divided into strips, with one field left fallow to regain nutrients

  3. The commons was used for grazing animals
• The Middle Ages began, introducing feudalism


  After the fall of the Roman Empire
• Feudalism


  • Rulers owned land, which was divided among lords and nobles in return for loyalty and taxes
  • Vassals received a fief (land) to hire peasants to farm while swearing an oath of fealty to the king
• Medieval Countryside


  • Most people lived in the countryside in manors owned by a lord or knight
  • Typical manor features included houses, a manor house, church, mill, forge, and bailiff's house
• Medieval Farming


  1. Peasants used the open field system with crop rotation

  2. Fields were divided into strips, with one field left fallow to regain nutrients

  3. The commons was used for grazing animals
• Peasants


  • Freemen paid rent to the lord and a tithe (tax) to the church
  • Serfs belonged to the lord, farming his land in exchange for a small plot
  • Serfs lived in wattle-and-daub houses and had a simple diet of bread, cheese, and pottage
• Life in a Medieval Town

  • Built near rivers, coasts, or castles for trade and protection
  • Needed a charter from the king to operate, paying taxes to the king
  • Mayor ran the town, enforced curfews, and maintained order
  • Houses were built upward, several stories high, made of wood
  • Craftsmen had shops on the ground floor with living quarters above
  • Streets were narrow, unpaved, muddy, and filled with waste, leading to quick disease spread
  • Craftsmen belonged to guilds that set standards for goods, looked after craftsmen, and ensured quality
  • Apprentices (age 12) learned trades, became journeymen (age 19), and then master craftsmen
  • Towns were divided into parishes, run by priests; large churches or cathedrals were common
• Life in a Medieval Manor


  • Manor House was the lord's home, central to the manor
  • Peasants lived in small houses and worked the land
  • Church was central to community life, where peasants attended services
  • Fields were divided for crop rotation; one field left fallow each year
  • Commons was shared grazing land for animals
  • Mill for grinding grain was often the lord's property
  • Forge was the blacksmith's workshop for tools and repairs
  • Bailiff enforced law, collected taxes, and managed the manor
  • Diet was simple, mainly bread, cheese, and pottage; meat was rare
  • Social Structure had a clear division between freemen and serfs