What Was Life In Europe In The Middle Ages?

The breakdown of political order in Europe at the sacking of Rome meant that defense within Europe became a local affair, and the structure of feudalism meant that the peasantry was protected by the knighthood, and the knighthood supported by the labor of the peasantry. This politically anarchic system would slowly form into recognizable states that were defined by language and territorial boundaries. The political disunion of Europe into small feudal kingdoms first gave way to some form of a 'state' when in 800 AD Charlemagne of the Franks was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, restoring to some degree the consensus of order. (Camino de Santiago, 1991) The Vikings extended their pillages across Europe and destroyed countless lives in their pursuit of glory. Likewise, Muslim armies as well as Genghis Khan marched through Europe on voyages of conquest.

Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this.

The Christian religions rise to supremacy in the middle ages was the result of several factors. Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire because the Romans felt that Christianity challenged and offended the Greco-Roman Gods and the Christians were prone to revolt against Roman rule. Christianity survived because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings being that even though they were suffering they would gain equality and possibly superiority in the next life, Christianity gave them hope.

The late Middle ages was definitely a troubled time for citizens around Europe. From the 14th Century to the 15th Century, humans were raveled by famines, disruption of socio economics, and lost of faith in the Catholic Church. To the eyes of many at the time, this era was looked at as a major decline of life. With the many deaths, poor condition for poor people, and the schism of the Church, it may seem easy to call this era a decline. Although upon closer looking, this era is more of a transitional period into the next period than a decline due to many reasons. Whether you look at religious, social movements, or economically, the late Middle Ages helped transition Europe into what it has become.

As Europe grew and evolved during the Middle Ages, towns and institutions emerged, which governed the everyday life and interactions of medieval people. Many characterize the 1,000-year period as one of violence and chaos, but the Middle Ages was a time where the state valued and regulated economics and trade within towns. Therefore, medieval towns expanded and prospered economically through the actions of trade and structured marketplaces.

After the decline of Rome, Europe was divided into many small kingdoms, and these kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages, or the medieval period, that lasted from about 500 to about 1500. In addition to that, northern Europe became Christian with the help of missionaries and monks, which were religious men who lived apart from society in isolated communities. Missionaries helped introduce Christianity to new lands, and monks helped spread Christian teachings to new areas. Later on, invaders threatened and attacked Europe. Muslim armies invaded southern France and northern Italy. The Magyars swept into eastern Europe. However, the worst has yet to come. The Vikings raided Britain, Ireland, and other parts of western Europe. The Vikings’ attacks were swift and savage, therefore, the Europeans lived in terror of Vikings raids.

Thesis: The Middle Ages of Europe should not be known as the “Dark Ages” because it this period of time was the golden-age of education and wealth for the Anglo-Saxons, and there were clear laws as well as educated intellectuals throughout the continent.

During the early years of the fourteenth century, Western Europe, was starting to slowly recuperate from the fall of the Roman empire. Conflicts with invasive vikings and threatening Islamic nations lessened, making it easier for Europe to flourish in military, political, and economical power. There are many factors that influenced the success of Europe during this time which included agriculture and technological advances. Most European economies during the early middle ages were dependent on the success of agriculture. New technologies such as the wheeled-plow, wheelbarrow, watermills, and old hand tools being made out of iron enhanced the growing agriculture revolution. Compared to the traditional Mediterranean plows, the wheeled-plows made it extremely easier to cultivate the opulent soil. Along with the improvement of the plows, collars and harnesses for farm animals were revised, allowing them to tug heavier loads without suffocating. Iron horse shoes and the harnessing of pairs of horses made the domesticated animals simple to work with. Iron was not only exclusive for the horses but was also converted into other tools such as hoes, forks, shovels, or scythes. Watermills provided power to grind grain, saw lumber, press olive oil, iron forges, and even played an important role in making paper. All of these life-changing inventions heightened productivity all of Europe. Politics took advantages on these inventions too such as the watermill. Creative thinkers like monks

Without question, the life servants lived in the village was painstaking and time consuming. Crafts and industries were a huge part of village life--not only were towns a stop for merchants and filled with bustling trading centers, but they also consisted of adroit people with all sorts of expertise who crafted things with their bare hands (Village Life). The guild was of huge importance during the Middle Ages. Initially, it was a plan used to provide support for a certain group of workers; each village had only one or two of them as it expeditiously spread throughout Europe. Without regards to certain details, these organizations were the bases of modern trade unions and carried out in a very similar manner. Furthermore, their main

The Middle ages were controlled and shaped by the despair of the common people. Things like, the bubonic plague shaped the common people by dropping the population of France by more than five million. During this time the Jewish people were once again persecuted for their different beliefs. In London they were attacked and their houses burned. The disease was transferred from fleas to rats and then to people. The way other countries would get infected was the infected rats would run across the ropes that kept boats to the dock and the boats would sail to countries and the rats would cross back over the rope and onto land. The Plague wiped out so many people, it devastated the land and it’s people. The land never fully recovered from the “Black

The Middle Ages where a significant time period with important political, social, religious and economic events, which have shaped history since that time, and the world today. One such event that has affected the politics of the Middle Ages and now was the signing of the Magna Carta. Secondly, was the Black Death (also known as the Bubonic Plague that affected the religious, social, and economic aspects. An event that affected the religious and economic aspects were the Crusades. There was also the rise of the Ottoman Empire which affected the social, political, and economic aspects.Finnally, there was the Hundred Years war that affected the political aspects.

The Renaissance, starting in the 1300s, marked a major change in European life. For centuries prior to the Renaissance, Europe was in a period of time known as the Middle Ages. Sometimes the Middle Ages are called Dark Ages. The Black Death was one of the top contributors to the Renaissance. Before the black death the system called feudalism prevented any change.

The early middle ages in Europe were characterized by conflict. Vikings, Eastern tribes, and Muslim armies battered the continent from all sides. Most of the emperors were too weak to fight off the threats after emperor charlemagne. Powerful nobles independently controlled their own land, in which they usually were servile to their emperor. Feudalism then became the main political, social, and economic organization of medieval Europe. Serfs worked as primarily farms but could be called to the war at any time. They didn’t have many rights but they could own their own freedom and work on their own land, but most of them soaked in misery.

The Medieval Era was one with explosive cultural and architectural growth across almost all of Europe. One of the places that experienced this the most was in France. With all of the radical changes happening in France, there was a huge emphasis on religion and as a result the Chartres Cathedral was created. The town of Chartres officially became a bishopric in the 4th century, and as with any bishopric the cathedral was the most awesome and large building in the city. Everything was built around this massive cathedral; the local shops, fairs, and other commodities of city life. Not only was this building a testament to the creative ability of the architects, it was a location for holy pilgrimage.

The middle ages (1066-1485) is known as the Dark ages for representing cultural and economic deterioration following the decline of the exuberant Roman Empire. However, a variety of important events that took place in that period, mainly in England, helped shape society as we know it today. Feudalism was created in the middle ages with the king at the top of military, political, and economic hierarchy, nobles owning the land, and peasants, or vassals working on the land. Living conditions were hard in general, but life was especially hard for peasants. The crusades marked the period with knights sent to Jerusalem to fight against Muslims, demonstrating the immense power of the Roman Chaotic Church, in all areas of people’s lives. The Black Death, or bubonic plague, was also a relevant event that killed one third of the population of western Europe. The British middle ages influenced the development of society through the politics, the religion, and the literature of the era.