4. How was medieval society organised?

5. Who were the nobles?

Some nobles were rich and owned large fiefs. Others were poor and they only have their horse and weapons (lance, shield, mace and sword).

Nobles´ sons started their military training when they were 8 as a pages.

At 15 they became in squires.With 20, if they have proved their worth they

were made knights.Most of the time they are in the war. If not, they

trained in tournaments.

Nobles orKnights

Knight armour

Tournament (they gain prestige)

Their function was get married and have children.

Marriages were arranged by families, sometimes when the future couple were only children.

They organised the servants, educated the children and did sewing and weaving.

They hardly ever left the castle.

When they did not marry they went into the convents.

Noblewomen

Noble women

Activity 1 page 24

6. Who were the clergy?

The Catholic Church was present in Western Europe

Haga clic en el icono para agregar una imagen

The Pope wasthe

head of the

Church.

He ruled the

Papal State.

He could

excommunicate.

His subjets did

not owe him any

allegiance.

Secular clergyThe Bishops

controlled a large area called diocese.

In each diocese there were parishes where the priest worked.

Under the Pope the Church was divided in two groups:

secular clergy and regular clergy

Regular clergyMembers of religious

orders.Each order was led by

an abbot and abesses.Bellow him were

superiors (monasteries)

In the monasteries lived monks and nuns.

The Order of Saint Benedict was the most important religious order during the Early Middle Ages.

Each order had a rule.Some order swere closed (they could not leave

the monastery)Some required to beg to collect money.Each order had a habit.

Religiousorders

Benedict order

Cistercian order

Nun´s habit

Difference between secular and regular clergy

Nuns lived in convents and monks live in monasteries.

They spent their time in prayer and meditation.

The monasteries owned their own lands, where peasants worked.

Live in monasteries

Parts of the monastery

Cloister

Refectory

Chapter house

Scriptorium/library

Activities 1 and 2 page 25

7. How did peasants live?

90% of the population were peasants.

Most of them worked on the Lord´s land.

Serfs and freemen

There were difference type of peasants:

The mayority were serfs.Subject to the Lord´s

authorityCould not leave the

fiefCould not get married

without permissionThey were not paid

for their workSerfdom was passed

down to their children.

Other were freemen.They could leave

the fiefThey paid the rent

and they kept part of the harvest

They paid a tithe to the church (10% of the harvest)

They lived villages. Their house, made by wood and mud, were small.

They have very little furnitues.Small house with one room where people and

animals live together.They were self-sifficents. They grew food,

made clothes and furnitures and built their houses.

Their lives were hard. Illness was often and only few people reached the age of forty.

Drought, floods and plague caused many deaths.

Everyday life

The whole family worked from sunrise to sunset.

They used very basic tools such as sickles, scythes, hoes and roman ploughs.

The peasants´work

Sickle

Peasants tools

scythe

Hoe Roman plough

They had no fertilisers.

They left half of their land fallow to recover and became fertile again.

The production was low.

They grew cereals (wheat or oat), vegetables, grapes and fruits.

Activities 1 and 3 page 27