Middle Ages
By Alexander
Knights
Knights have armor made from tiny metal rings connected. Suits of
armor used to protect the body in times of war or combat go back
thousands of years. It was, however, during the Middle Ages that armor
reached its highest point and also its decline.
Examples of some armor
•Helmet (hell-met). The headpiece or head covering in a suit of armor.
•Greave ( greeve). This term comes from the Old French word greve, which refers to
the part in the hair. It is the part of the armor that protects the leg from the ankle
to the knee.
•Gauntlet (gont-let) This word comes from the Old French word gant, which means
glove. Gauntlets were the armor gloves that protected the hands.
•Coat of mail (male). Taken from the Latin word maculata, which means spotty,
mesh or net, it refers to a coat made of metal rings or links which was worn under
the armor.
•Tasse(tass). This term comes from the Old French word tasse, which means pocket.
It is a series of overlapping plates which together form a short skirt.
There are other pieces of armor that I’ll tell you about later.
Cathedralsand churches
Around 800 years ago, people in Europe began building huge churches
called cathedrals. They built them to show their love for God and to thank him
for making their towns. Cathedrals builders were craftsmen. This means that
they each had a special skill. An architect drew the plans for the cathedral. He
was often a master mason. Masons made sure that every block was in its correct
place. Some carved the stones. Stone-cutters were paid for each block they cut,
so they cut their own mark into it. Building a cathedral took so long that several
generations worked on each one.
Stained glass windows
The architect drew a plan of each window. Masons put this plan over the
stone and carved the window frame bit by bit. Cranes lifted each piece into
place, so that they formed the right stone pattern. Each of the hundreds of
spaces in the pattern was filled with pieces of colored glass. The builders used
metal lead to seal them together.
Wooden churches
In Scandinavia around 800 years ago, people built wooden
churches because they had plenty of timber. They were called stave
churches. People decorated them with wooden carvings such as
dragons’ heads. The doorways were often covered with carved
pictures.
The Feudal System
The Feudal System was a very social system upon mutual obligations
between a lord and a vassal. The first obligation of the lord was the granting of
the fief(An estate of land one held on condition of feudal service). The fief
comprised all the vassal needed to fulfill his obligation. The estate varied from a
few to several thousand acres. It often included horses, barns, tools, animals, and
serfs. The lords also promised to protect the vassal on the field and in the courts.
The most important service by a vassal was military. It lasted 40-60 days.
A portion of the vassal’s income from the fief was to be given to the lord. When
the lord’s oldest son was knighted or if his older daughter got married the lord
would expect money payment. By the twelfth century, the feudal system was in
most of western Europe. The vassal would pledge homage to the lord by placing
his hands between the lord’s hands. The vassal also swore oath of fealty to the
lord by promising to be loyal and to protect the lord and the promise would be
sealed with a kiss. The lord would sometimes give a piece of turf or a clod of
Earth to symbolize the land being granting.
The Parts of a Castle
•Outer Baily-first courtyard inside the outer walls of the castle
•Inner Baily-inner courtyard of a castle protected by two walls
•Wall or Curtain-surrounded the courtyard
•Keep-the strongest and most heavily fortified part of the castle, last line of defense
•Drawbridge-could be raised or lowered
•Corbels-stone projections
•Machicolations-holes in the parapets used for dropping all kinds of things
•Moat-ditch around the castle
•Barbican-forward gate of the castle located before the main gate
•Postern-back gate
•Arrow loops-narrow openings in the castle’s towers
•Portcullis-main gate to the castle
•Gatehouse-living quarters over the main gate of the castle
•Murder holes-holes in the ceiling
•Rocky ledges-important for the placement of castles
People of the Middle Ages
•Knights-Crusaders-Noblemen who sought to help the Holy Lands from the Turks,
crusader comes from the Latin word crux, meaning cross, often used the cross as a
symbol
•Serfs-owned nothing, lived on the lord’s land, grew their own food, worked for the
lord in his field, in exchange they received protection, farmers
•Nuns-religious women who left their homes to live together, escape poverty
•Shepherds-took care of sheep, unrewarding work
•Noblewomen-ladies of the castle, supervised the upbringing of their children
•Monks-Men who left company of ordinary men to live together away from worldly
temptations and affairs, took vows of obedience, poverty and chastity
•Pilgrims-Medieval Christians who visit places where Jesus lived and died
•Troubadours- their songs dealt with love between knights and ladies, of gallant deed,
knights performed and the inspiration of their ladies
•Bishops-noblemen of the church
Priest-performed the services of
•Alchemist-scientist
a Catholic Church in small villages
•Merchant-seller
King-ruler
•Villeins-farmers
Squire-young noblemen in
•Craftsman-blacksmith
training
•Falconer - bird trainer
Pope-head of the Ramon
•Lord-a noblemen
Catholic Church
•Baron-chief nobleman
Jester-fools
• Queen-King’s wife
• Herald-messengers who wore their lord’s color