Changes in Medieval Society
SECTION 14.2
A Growing Food Supply
 Changes in Agriculture
 What was one of the
changes from 800 to
1200?

The climate warms. What
was the result?

More land became open to
farming
 What was the result of the
changes in technology?

More food production
http://www.gribbitonline.com/images/Historic%20Climate%20Change%20Trends.JPG
Using Horsepower
 Horses replaced oxen
 Their harnesses were changed
from around the neck to around
the body
 Originally almost choked the
horse
 Why did the harnessed
horse increase food supply?


Horses plow three times as
much a day as oxen
Oxen were cheaper to have, but
a lot slower
Three Field System
 What is The Three-Field System?
 Plant two fields, let one rest
 Could grow crops on 2/3 of field, not just 1/2
Results of Three Field System
 This produces more food and leads to population
increase
 Better sources of protein



Vegetable and bean protein
Healthier people
Resist more disease
 Larger families
 Live longer
Trade and Finances Expand
The Guilds
 What were the Guilds?
 Organization of people in the same occupation
 Similar to a union of today
http://www.traditioninaction.org/OrganicSociety/Images_1-100/A_023_Blacksmith.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scalleja/387203550/
The Guilds
 What they did: controlled
prices and wages in their craft.
 Merchant guilds begin first;
What do they do?


Keep prices up
Provide security
 Skilled artisans, men and
women, form craft guilds
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24675232@N03/2422994335/
The Guilds
 Guilds set standards for:
 Quality
 Prices
 Wages
 Working conditions
 Ex. Bread
 Guilds supervise training of new members
of their craft
 What did the wealth of guilds influences?

Government and economy
Fairs and Trade
 Most trade happened in
towns
 Peasants in manors would
travel to towns on fair days to
trade



Cloth was most common trade
item
Other items: bacon, honey, cheese,
wine, leather
No longer were manors selfsufficient
 Trade fairs are held several
times a year in towns
Commercial Revolution
 Where were the trade routes open to?
 Asia, North Africa, and Byzantine ports
Business and Banking
 What did Merchants do to
avoid carrying large sums of
money?

Develop credit
 Merchants take out loans to
purchase goods, and banking
grows
 Could only take out money
from Jews because according
to Christianity, lending money
with interest was a sin called
“usury”
 Not considered a sin in
today’s church
Society Changes
 What was the result of these Economic changes?
 The growth of cities and of paying jobs
www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/sieges.asp
www.cartoonstock.com/directory/C/CITIES.asp
Growing Urban Population
 Growing Urban
Population
 From 1000–1150, Europe’s
population rises from 30
million to 42 million
 Most towns are small, but
they help drive change



Paris- 60,000
Town- 1,500-2,500
Not very big
Trade and Towns grow together
 Many people leaving manors
to live in towns/cities
 Why were towns
uncomfortable?



Crowded
Dirty- no baths, sewage, clean
water
Full of fire hazards- houses made
of wood
 Many serfs ran away from
their manors
Towns and Social Order
 Serf could be free after living in a town one year plus
one day
 How did people feel about of Feudal lords taxing and
governing towns?

Resentment
 What was the result?
 Towns are taken over by burghers—town merchants
Methods of Punishment
Keeping Order in the Middle Ages
Keeping order for the more harden
criminal
The Head Crusher
 the top screw of this awful
device was slowly turned,
compressing the skull
tightly.
 First the teeth are
destroyed, shattering and
splintering into the jaw.
 Then the eyes are squeezed
from the sockets
 Lastly, the skull fractures
and the contents of the
head are forced out.
Cat’s Paw
 The Cat’s Paw (or
Spanish Tickler) was
oftentimes attached to
a handle
 in size and appearance
it was an extension of
the torturer’s hand
 In this way it was used
to rip and tear flesh
away from the bone,
from any part of the
body.
Knee Splitter
 Built from two spiked wood
blocks, the knee splitter is
placed on top of and behind
the knee of its victims.
 Two large screws connecting
the blocks are then turned,
causing the two blocks to close
towards each other and
effectively destroy a victim’s
knee.
 This device could also be used
to inflict damage on other
parts of the body such as the
arms.
Spanish Donkey
 The Spanish Donkey was a
device which consisted of a
main board cut with a wedge at
the top fastened to two crossbeams.
 The naked victim was placed
astride the main board as if
riding a donkey, and various
numbers of weights were
attached to his or her feet.
 The agony could be ‘fine-tuned’
by using lighter or heavier
weights.
 Sources relate that on occasion,
the wedge would slice entirely
through the victim as a result
of the immense weight
attached to his or her feet
Lead Sprinkler
 The lead sprinkler was essentially a ladle on the end of
a handle.
 The top half of the sphere could be removed and the
lower half was filled with molten metal, boiling oil,
boiling water, pitch or tar.
 The perforated top half was then re-attached. Shaking
or flicking the sprinkler towards the victim showered
him or her with the boiling contents of the ladle.