16- Life in Medieval Times

List at least three different conditions in medieval towns that led to the spread of disease.

Towns were very dirty places. There was no running water in homes, and instead of bathrooms, people used outdoor privies (shelters used as toilets) or chamber pots that they emptied into nearby streams and canals. Rats and fleas were common and often carried diseases.

One reason for their growth was improvements in agriculture. Another reason for the growth of towns was the revival of trade.

What contributed to the growth of towns in medieval Europe?

Group of people to get check on each other.

What were guilds? Why were they established?

Most people in western Europe lived in scattered communities in the countryside.

Where were towns in medieval Europe often located, and why?

How did merchants become the most wealthy and powerful citizens of towns?

They ran sizable businesses and looked for trading opportunities far from home.

What was difficult about childhood in a medieval town?

About half of all children died before they became adults, and those who did survive began preparing for their adult roles around the age of seven. Other children soon began work as apprentices.

How was a town able to become independent of a feudal lord?

As towns grew wealthier, town dwellers began to resent the lord's feudal rights and his demands for taxes.

How did trade change from the beginning of the Middle Ages to the High Middle Ages?

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, most trade was in luxury goods, which only the wealthy could afford. By the High Middle Ages, more local people were buying and selling more kinds of products, including everyday goods like food, clothing, and household items.

What were some ways in which criminals were punished in medieval Europe?

For lesser crimes, people were fined or put in the stocks (a wooden frame with holes for the person's arms and sometimes legs). People found guilty of crimes, such as highway robbery, stealing livestock, treason, or murder, could be hanged or burned at the stake. Executions were carried out in public, often in front of large crowds.

How did guilds help their members and the families of their members?

Guilds also used the money to take care of members and their families who were sick and unable to work.

Suppose that you have just been accepted as an apprentice to a stonemason. Write a short letter to a friend describing what this means for you and what the next few years will be like as you try to become a master stonemason and a member of the guild.

Hello, Mom and Dad, I am really happy to be an apprentice, I will be an apprentice for about 7 years. But I am working really hard to be a stonemason so I can save up my money for our family and all the other things I will learn. Love you!

They were not allowed to own land, and their lords sometimes took their property and belongings at will. Jews become bankers and moneylenders.

How were Jews often mistreated in medieval Europe? What opportunity was open to them?

Describe two methods for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the Early Middle Ages.

In a trial by ordeal, the accused had to pass a dangerous test, such as being thrown into a deep well. In a trial by combat, the accused person had to fight to prove his or her innocence.

What were some common practices or treatments used by medieval doctors?

Medieval doctors believed in a combination of prayer and medical treatment, many involving herbs. Other treatments were based on less scientific methods. For example, medieval doctors sometimes consulted the positions of the planets and relied on magic charms to heal people. Another common technique was to "bleed" patients by opening a vein or applying leeches (a type of worm) to the skin to suck out blood.

Describe the typical home in a medieval town.

Medieval towns were typically small and crowded. They were narrow and could be up to four stories high. Most of the houses were made of wood, and they tended to lean over time. Sometimes two facing houses would lean so much, they would touch across the street.

What were some common diseases in medieval Europe?

One example is leprosy, a disease of the skin and nerves that causes open sores. Common diseases included measles, cholera, smallpox, and scarlet fever. The most feared disease was bubonic plague, known as the Black Death.

How were the lives of medieval girls different from those of modern girls?

Some girls trained for a craft, but most married young, usually around the age of 15, and were soon raising children of their own. For many girls, their education was at home, where they learned cooking, cloth making, and other skills necessary to care for a home and family.

What changes to the court system helped protect individual rights in the early 1100s in England?

The decisions of royal judges contributed to a growing body of common law. Along with an independent judiciary, or court system, English common law would become an important safeguard of individual rights. Written and oral evidence eventually replaced trials by ordeal or combat.