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    The Middle Ages

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    The Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. As invaders overran the Western Roman Empire, they disrupted the common culture and governance. This led to the rise of feudalism as a new system of government with lords controlling land and peasants and serfs living and working on manors. Most people lived difficult lives as peasants or serfs during this period, working the lands of lords to survive. By the 14th century, population growth and innovations in farming began to shift people from manors to cities, marking the end of the Middle Ages.

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    The Middle Ages

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    169 views3 pages
    The Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. As invaders overran the Western Roman Empire, they disrupted the common culture and governance. This led to the rise of feudalism as a new system of government with lords controlling land and peasants and serfs living and working on manors. Most people lived difficult lives as peasants or serfs during this period, working the lands of lords to survive. By the 14th century, population growth and innovations in farming began to shift people from manors to cities, marking the end of the Middle Ages.

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    The Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. As invaders overran the Western Roman Empire, they disrupted the common culture and governance. This led to the rise of feudalism as a new system of government with lords controlling land and peasants and serfs living and working on manors. Most people lived difficult lives as peasants or serfs during this period, working the lands of lords to survive. By the 14th century, population growth and innovations in farming began to shift people from manors to cities, marking the end of the Middle Ages.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    169 views3 pages

    The Middle Ages

    Uploaded by

    api-324326027
    The Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. As invaders overran the Western Roman Empire, they disrupted the common culture and governance. This led to the rise of feudalism as a new system of government with lords controlling land and peasants and serfs living and working on manors. Most people lived difficult lives as peasants or serfs during this period, working the lands of lords to survive. By the 14th century, population growth and innovations in farming began to shift people from manors to cities, marking the end of the Middle Ages.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 3

    The Middle Ages

    Long ago in the days of kings and castles and knights in shining armor, the way people lived, the government in which
    they were ruled, and the economy through which they gained money was very different from our society today. This
    time period is sometimes called the Middle Ages because it happened between ancient times and modern times. The
    Middle Ages, or medieval period, lasted from the late 5th
    century to the early 15th
    century.

    How did the Middle Ages begin?


    Prior to the 5th
    century, the Roman Empire was the
    largest and most established government in what is
    now known as Europe. The empire shared a common
    culture and language, which established order and
    stability in the area. Near the end of the 5th
    century,
    though, many factors such as economic and social
    troubles, the rise of Christianity, and invasions from
    other people weakened the Roman Empire.
    As invaders from outside areas attacked and gained
    control over parts of the Roman Empire, they brought
    their own culture and language. Over time, this led to
    the end of the common culture and language in the
    Roman Empire, which kept the empire together. As
    invaders continued to attack, the already weakened
    empire collapsed.

    What kind of government existed during the Middle Ages?


    Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, there was no single government. One leader, Charlemagne, had some
    success bringing people together. He was able to convert many to Christianity during his rule from 768-814. When he
    died, his three sons fought to take over portions of the empire. Other groups, such as the Vikings, attacked,
    weakening the empire Charlemagne built. Life was dangerous for Europeans. They knew they needed to find a way to
    organize and protect themselves against the invasions, so they developed a new system called
    feudalism
    . Feudalism
    was the main government during the Middle Agesit became the way of life in Western Europe and lasted for
    hundreds of years.
    Under feudalism, those who controlled the land had all the power. The king gave large pieces of land to his vassals,1
    or noblemen, such as barons and princes. The nobles then gave a portion of their land, also called a fief, to their
    vassals, who were knights and lords. In exchange for land, the lords agreed to be loyal to their nobleman and protect
    the land and those who worked the land. Serfs, peasants who owned no land, worked on the fiefs planting and
    harvesting crops. Since the serfs didnt own the land, they had to give most of what they grew to the landowners. The

    A vassal is a person who is in a lower position to another person.

    Grade 4: Whipping Boy

    serfs were then allowed to live on the land and were given protection from possible invaders in exchange for their
    work.

    What kind of economy existed during the Middle Ages?


    During the Middle Ages, most of Europe was farmland. The economy was based on large estates with farming fields,
    sometimes a village, and a large house or manor house, where the ruling lord lived. These estates were known as
    manors
    . The economy was based on these manors. The lords who ruled the manors were vassals to the noblemen in
    the feudal system. Several manors would exist on a fief, but there were many miles between each manor. The
    distance between each manor meant the manors couldnt rely on other manors. Each manor existed on its own and
    had to supply everything they would need, such as food and clothing. The ruling lord became wealthy from what his
    manor provided.

    What was life like for people in the Middle Ages?


    There were very few lords, ladies, or knights in the Middle Ages. They were wealthy. Most people who lived in Europe
    during the Middle Ages were peasants or serfs.
    Peasants lived hard lives. They had very little education or money. In
    Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a
    Medieval Village
    , Will The Plowboy describes life as a peasant: Wheat, barley, and fallow. Thats what my father
    taught me: if youve got three fields, you sow wheat in October and barley in March and let the third field rest. I dont
    know why the fields have the right to rest when people dont (Schlitz 10). Peasants did all the work on the manor,
    but they only owned a small piece of the land. They had to give most of what they earned to the lord: Then the lord
    gave us a strip in the low field, and that was so far, it took half the day to get there [. . .]. There was so much walking
    between fields, and the strips of land were so small, our harvest wasnt worth a rotten apple. And then there was the
    work [my father] had to do in the lords fields--the work he was paid to do (Schlitz 10).
    Serfs were property of the manor. So, in the manor system, a lord was given not only land, but also the serfs. Serfs
    lived on the manors for free in exchange for their work. They were not allowed to leave. If a serf could earn enough
    money to buy a small part of the land, he could become a free peasant, but that didnt happen very often. Most serfs
    were serfs their entire lives. If a serf could run away, he could also be free. Pask The Runaway describes life as a serf:
    My father used to say he wished hed run away when he was young and had no wife and children. Once theres
    mouths to feed, hed say to me, youre a slave for life. You work till you drop down dead, just to feed your children.
    But he never did feed us. It wasnt his fault--a [serf] only gets what the lord lets him keep, and our lord was
    tightfisted. Then there was sickness, and my parents died. And I ran away. [. . .] Once Im free, I can start looking for
    work. Town work (Schlitz 62).

    How did the Middle Ages end?


    The Middle Ages ended as life changed on the manors. Innovations in farming equipment made it easier to farm, so
    fewer workers were needed. At the same time, the innovations also made it easier to get food, which meant the
    population grew. As fewer workers were needed and more people were available, they began to move to cities. By
    the 14th
    century, many cities in Europe had populations over 50,000. The Renaissance was born in these growing cities

    Grade 4: Whipping Boy

    as people learned new skills and enjoyed freedom from the ruling of a lord on a manor. The beginning of the
    Renaissance marked the end of the Middle Ages.

    Works Cited
    Schlitz, Laura Amy. "Will the Plowboy."
    Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
    .
    Somerville: Candlewick, 2007. Print.

    Grade 4: Whipping Boy

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