The Middle Ages
By: Sydney Sellers, Sam
Arslanian, Kaitlyn Desilva, and
Ayla Cabi
Religion and Culture
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During the Middle Ages, Christianity was becoming the main religion being
practiced
The catholic church was the on church around at the time, and it had its
own laws and practices.
Bishops were known as a king to the church for their high how power roles.
Typically the bishops were real wealthy background.
Also there were Parish bishops who came from a humble background, but
still had a respectable role throughout the church. But, often had little
education.
As population started to increase, the churches started being built to a
greater Roman style.
Also Monasteries were involved with religion based on the rules set up in
the 6th century.
Later they became monks who now had to practice obedience, chastity,
and poverty of their leaders.
Monks went to the church typically eight times a day to practice a routine
of worship and spent their times singing spiritual songs.
Nuns also played a huge role in the church as well.
They were safe havens or pilgrims and other travelers.
Culture of the Middle Ages
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Most of the time people were working on the land and making sure there
was enough food to grow to last them another year.
Church feasts marked important occasions practiced and when their lord
could rest for their labors.
Social activities were important for everyone to attend. There were
performers in the streets, fairs, games, and theatres that people went to as
entertainment.
Education was typically taught by the church in little rooms learning
mathematics, grammer, philosophy, and logic.
The children actually learned more by adventuring on the countryside and
doing more activities outside.
During the Middle ages, weddings were a huge deal for everyone to be
included in, so normally the whole town would gather around if someone
was getting married.
From the 11th century to the 13th, clothing varied from evryone's social
standing. So someone who was considered a peasent was dressed very
different then a noble.
Significant Literary
Happenings/Authors
• The writing styles during the Middle Ages
involved using ballads.
• Ballad means dancing song
• Sir Thomas percy and Sir Walter Scott
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collected the ballads from people who still
sang them.
There is no rule/pattern for ballads.
Significant Literary Happenings/Authors
• Boccaccio
o writes Decameron
 born 1349-1353
• Geoffrey Chaucer
o born 1343-1400
o begins The Canterbury Tales - 1387
• Thomas Malory
o wrote Le Marte Darthur
o first printed by Caxton, 1485
Significant Literary
Happenings/Authors
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Entire Bible translated into English for the first time by
followers of John Wycliffe (1380)
William Caxton prints first book in English (c. 1475)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written (c. 1375)
Dante Alighieri begins writing the Divine Comedy (c
1307).
Dante Alighieri begins writing the Divine Comedy (c.
1307)
Legendary hero Robin Hood appears in Piers Plowman
(c. 1378)
Significant Historical Events
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During the middle ages they had a simple social system
called Feudalism.
Feudalism worked as a caste, property, and a military
system.
In feudalism, kings had the ability to hold land under
"divine right".
A main event of the Middle Ages were the Crusades.
(1095-1270)
The Crusades were a series of wars of European
Christians against the Muslims.
The prize of this war was the holy land of Jerusalem.
The europeans failed to ultimately keep Jerusalem but
they benefited with the ability to be in contact with higher
civilizations in the Middle East.
Significant Historical Event
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As a result of the middle ages, europe was introduced to
the Middle East's advanced civilization.
Another main event of the Middle ages was the "Murder in
the Cathedral" in 1170.
Thomas becket took the popes side more than King
Henry's which infuriated the king and when Henry said
"wil no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" his knights
murdered Becket.
Another important event, was the Magna Carta signed in
1215.
The magna carta enabled power to only some of the
people.
This document led to the asis of the English constitutional
law.
Significant Historical Events
• The Hundred Years' War also known as what was "the
first national war".
• The long war was militarily unsuccessful for the english
and the asis for british national consciousness.
• Small landowners came to replace the knights in armor.
• This gave way to the emergence of the Yeoman class
therefore leading to the modern, democratic England.
• Lastly, another important factor of the Middle Ages was
the Black Death.
• Also known as the "Bubonic plague" it struck England
from 1348 to 1349.
• It caused labor shortages and gave the lower classes more
leverage.
DAILY LIFE
• The Medieval people of the middle ages
worked on the fields, participated in sports
of the village green and in services of the
Parish Church
DAILY LIFE CONTINUED...
• time was spent on arts- pottery and music
• weapon practice
• afternoons turned to hunting, hawking or
inspecting the estate
• after supper there was music, dancing,
jugglers, acrobats
• they hosted feasts and banquets
• There were jousts and tournaments
• animals such as dogs, bears, and
monkeys were used as entertainment
Sources:
1. Daniel, Kathleen. Elements of Literature Literature of Britain with World
Classics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. Print.
This book is a credible source because it was published in 2000. It was no
bias in the book, it tells the facts straight forward.
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2. "Middle Ages - Medieval Resources." Middle Ages - Medieval Resources.
N.p., 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2012. <http://www.themiddleages.net/>.
This is a credible source because was updated recently, in 2011. No bias
was included within the site. All the information is clear and put in front of
you.
3. "Middle Ages." Middle Ages. N.p., 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/>.
• This is a credible source because it was updated in 2012. Also, it is a .org
which makes it a more reliable site.
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Sources:
4."Middle Ages: The Black Death." BBC News. BBC, 11
Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/>.
this website is a very credible source because it
contains little to no advertisements. there was no bias
included on this website and clearly just gave me the
information i was looking for.
5. "Daily Life in the Middle Ages." Daily Life in the Middle
Ages. N.p., 12 Aug. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2012
<http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/daily-life-in-the-middleages.htm>.
this website is credible because the source was recently
updated and there isn't any bias on the site. also, there
is not any gimmick or flash that hides the true purpose,
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